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Welcome to How to Spend $20, BOP's look at the latest DVDs to hit stores nationwide. This week: Ed Harris duels with Aragorn, Canada gets bloodthirsty for Valentine's Day and Keifer Sutherland keeps things secure (as per usual).

Pick of the Week

For people who think baldness breaks some sort of cowboy code: Appaloosa

Failing to become the breakout, 3:10 to Yuma-sized hit of 2008, Appaloosa earned back its $20-million budget in domestic theaters, but not much more than that. Those that did see this one probably liked what they saw. (Three-quarters of Rotten Tomatoes critics gave the title a favorable review). And those that didn't see it now have a reason to pay a visit to their local Blockbuster – or even DVD retailer if they feel so inclined.

The 1880s western Appaloosa stars Ed Harris (who also picks up producer, writer and director credits here) as Virgil Cole, a lawman hired to defend a town from a murderer (Jeremy Irons) alongside his deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen). Their friendship and defense efforts are put to the test when a new woman (Renée Zellweger) arrives in town. The story is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Robert B. Parker.

Disc includes: Audio commentary, deleted scenes, Bringing the Characters of Appaloosa featurette, Historic Accuracy of Appalossa featurette, The Town of Appaloosa featurette, Dean Semler's Return of the Western featurette





For people who loved it when conservative character Ruth Fisher smoked pot on Six Feet Under and have been anxiously waiting for her real-life counterpart to light up another bowl: Humboldt County (Widescreen)

One movie I was ecstatic about seeing after I saw its trailer for the first time was Humboldt County, a September 26th release from Magnolia Pictures. However, it never appeared in more than nine theaters, so no blame rests on my lack of motivation, but rather on its pathetically lousy performance at the box office. Like $82,000 lousy. I'm sure Frances Conroy, who plays matriarch Rosie, could have donated that kind of money if she wanted to.

The movie gets it title from a region located on the far North Coast of California (many nickname it "The Lost Coast"). There, marijuana farmers – like Rosie and the rest of her tight clan – co-exist peacefully with the neighboring community. Disillusioned UCLA med student Peter Hadley (Jeremy Strong) finds himself stranded there after his drunken one-night stand, Bogart (Fairuza Balk), turns into more than a one-nighter when she escorts the boy to visit her family in Humboldt. Frustrated by school and home life, the tightly-wound Peter initially rejects the lifestyle of the eccentric pot smokers, yet eventually embraces their ideals.

Disc includes: Audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, interviews

For people who never knew Canadians could be so brutal (save for that nasty Greyhound beheading): My Bloody Valentine (Special Edition)

In a few days, Lionsgate will resurrect a low-budget, Canadian slasher film from the early 1980s by releasing a new version of My Bloody Valentine (...in 3-D!). But before that happens, take a look at the new horror flick's original source material in the similarly titled, My Bloody Valentine (...sans 3-D!)

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