Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub, Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada.

Review: Like the bestselling book upon which it's based, The Kite Runner will haunt the viewer long after the film is over. A tale of childhood betrayal, innocence and harsh reality, and dreamy memory, The Kite Runner faces good and evil--and the path between them, though often blurry and sorrowfully relative. Director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland) presents a painterly vision of Afghanistan before the Soviet tanks, before the Taliban--lush, verdant, fertile--in its landscape and in its people and their history and hopes. The story follows two young boys' friendship, tested beyond endurance, and the haunting of their adult selves by what happened in their youth--and what horrors befall their country in the meantime. The performances of the two boys--Zekeria Ebrahimi (Amir) and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada (Hassan)--are the film's strongest, unforced and gently evocative

Extras: Commentary by director Marc Forster, author Khaled Hosseini and screenwriter David Benioff; "Words from The Kite Runner," "Images from The Kite Runner," Public Service Announcement with Khaled Hosseini. (Paramount).

April Fool's Day (2008) Taylor Cole, Scout Taylor-Compton, Josh Henderson. When a rich Southern girl invites her drama club to her isolated house for a "killer" weekend, nobody would have expected it to be taken so literally: the guest list is being trimmed and suspicions turn on each other. (Sony).

 

Arthur: Season 10 Ten episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series that chronicles the adventures of the world's most famous aardvark. Extras: Teaching materials, activity booklet, "Arthur at the Library" interactive activity guide. (WGBH Boston Video).

 

Big Brother Binky Special episode in which Binky's family adopts a baby girl from China. Extras: Two bonus episodes. (WGBH Boston Video).

 

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Dir.: Arthur Penn; Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Evans Evans, Gene Wilder. Two-disc special edition; restored and remastered. Extras: "Revolution: The making of Bonnie and Clyde," additional scenes, Warren Beatty wardrobe test, more. An Ultimate Collector's Edition also will be available with a 36-page hardcover book, rare behind-the-scenes photos, 24-page reproduction of the original 1967 pressbook, more. Also available on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. (Warner).

 

The Catherine Tate Show: Series Two The comedienne extraordinaire returns with another season of her award-winning show parodied to the extreme, featuring new exuberant skits, including the eccentric teenager, "Lauren Cooper" and the darling, foul-mouthed grandmother, "Nan Taylor." Airs on BBC America. (SRO Entertainment).

 

Day Break (2007) Four-disc set with all 13 episodes of the ABC series about a detective (Taye Diggs) condemned to repeat the worst day of his life over and over, while trying to discover why he is being framed for a murder he knows he didn't commit. Extras: Commentaries by cast and crew, cast and crew interviews, photo gallery. (BCI Entertainment).

 

Daytona 500: The 50th Anniversary (2008) Two-disc set of the Feb. 17 50th Daytona race. Features ground-breaking "My Race" Interactive DVD format that allows fans to watch the action from six different driver perspectives and a variety of audio feeds; second disc includes a history of Daytona; $24.95. (A&E Home Video).

 

Eclipse Series #9: The Delirious Fictions of William Klein Three-disc set with Klein's explosive, challenging cinema. "Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?" (1966): After a nearly decade as Vogue's most subversive fashion photographer, William Klein made this wild, pseudo-verite peek into the world of Parisian haute couture -- and was summarily released from his contract at the magazine. "Mr. Freedom" (1969): Klein moved into more blatantly political territory with this hilarious, angry Vietnam-era spoof of American foreign policy. Mr. Freedom (John Abbey), a bellowing good ol' boy superhero, decked out in copious football padding, jets off to France to curtail a Commie invasion from Switzerland. "The Model Couple" (1977): In 1977 France, the Ministry of the Future chooses two average, white, middle-class citizens for a national experiment. They will be monitored and displayed for six months in a model apartment outfitted with state-of-the-art products and nonstop surveillance -- the template for "a new city for the new man." $44.95. (The Criterion Collection).

 

Frisky Dingo Season 1 (2007) Single disc with all 13 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $19.97. (Warner).

 

The Invisible Man: Season One Five-disc set with 23 episodes, $59.98. Extras: Pilot episode. (Universal).

 

Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007) Dir.: Jonathan Demme. Documentary follows the 39th President of the United States as he embarks on a media tour for his controversial best-seller, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid." Extras: Commentary by director Jonathan Demme, bonus scenes, soundtrack recording sessions. (Sony).

 

Kings of the Sun (1963) Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field, Richard Basehart. (MGM).

 

The Los Angeles Dodgers 1988 World Series Collector's Edition (2008) Seven-disc set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Dodgers' 1988 win; $69.95. (A&E Home Video).

 

Party of Five: Complete Third Season Five-disc set with 25 episodes, $39.95. Extras: Minisode: "Silver Spoons -- Boys Will Be Boys," minisode: "The Facts of Life -- And Into the Frying Pan." (Sony).

 

Painkiller Jane Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.97. Extras: Commentaries, featurette. (Anchor Bay).

 

PTU: Police Tactical Unit (2003 -- Hong Kong) Dir.: Johnny To; Simon Yam, Lam Suet, Maggie Siu. Hong Kong thriller follows a band of night patrol cops on one of their worst nights. Extras: Commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, "On the Trail of the Smoking Gun: An Exclusive Interview With Leading Man Simon Yam," "Into the Perilous Night: An Exclusive Interview With Acclaimed Director Johnny To," "Cool as a Kat: An Exclusive Interview With Leading Lady Maggie Siu. (Dragon Dynasty/Weinstein/Genius).

 

Pu-239 (2006) Paddy Considine, Radha Mitchell. While working at a nuclear power plant in Russia, a young man is exposed to a deadly dose of radiation while trying to aver a plant disaster; instead of rewarding him for his efforts, the plants treats him as a scapegoat, offering no compensation to him or his family. Desperate to provide security for his wife and son, the man steals a small amount of Pu-239 -- weapons-grade Plutonium -- and heads to Moscow to sell it on the black market. (HBO Video).

 

Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death .... and Insects (2008) Documentary on the legendary cult singer-songwriter as he prepares his "Ole Tarantula" album and goes on the road for the "Ole Tarantula" tour; $24.94. (A&E Home Video).

 

Sliders: The Fourth Season Five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98. (Universal).

 

Solomon and Sheba (1959) Dir.: King Vidor; Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida, George Sanders. (MGM).

 

Taras Bulba (1962) Tony Curtis, Yul Brynner, Sam Wanamaker. (MGM).

 

Them (Ils) (2006 -- France/Romania) Olivia Bonamy, Michael Cohen. A young couple in a remote house ares terrorized by weird people with lights.

 

Tripping the Rift: The Movie Movie version of the hip animated TV series about a bunch of derelict mutant misfits who live, work and play on the starship Jupiter 42. Extras: "Making-of" featurette. (Anchor Bay).

 

Walk the Line Extended Cut (2005) Dir.: James Mangold; Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts. Two-disc set Extras: "Johnny Cash Jukebox": Eight Walk The Line Extended Musical Sequences with New Introductions, "More Men in Black": deleted scenes, "Becoming Cash/Becoming Carter" featurette, "Sun Records & the Johnny Cash Sound" featurette, "The Cash Legacy" featurette, "Folsom: Cash & the Comeback" featurette, "Ring of Fire: The Passion of Johnny & June" featurette, "Cash and his Faith" featurette, "Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line" featurette. (Fox).

 

War Made Easy (2008) Documentary is a scathing indictment of five decades of U.S. media coverage of American-led military interventions, and the pro-war spoon-feeding of the American public. Reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose 50 years of government spin and media collusion that has dragged our country into one war after another -- from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn; $19.95. (The Disinformation Company).

 

Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection Volume 3 Six-disc set with "Picture Snatcher" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney and Ralph Bellamy; "Lady Killer" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney and Mae Clark; "Smart Money" (1931), starring Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson; "Black Legion" (1937), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan; "Mayor of Hell" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney; "Brother Orchid" (1940), starring Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. The films have been given brand new transfers from newly restored film elements, and also include bonus features such as rarely-seen Warner Bros. shorts, vintage newsreels and classic cartoons, plus original theatrical trailers. $59.92 the set or available separately at $19.97 each. (Warner).