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Welcome to How to Spend $20, BOP's look at the latest DVDs to hit stores nationwide. This week: Mickey Rourke takes a stapler to the face, Richard Nixon gets owned and Battlestar Galactica reimagines itself...again.

Pick of the Week

For people who didn't know they'd ever be rooting for Mickey Rourke again: The Wrestler

I. Loved. This movie. On the surface, it's a study of a down-and-out pro wrestler trying to steer his career back to stardom. In actuality, The Wrestler is much, much more than that. It's about a lover who resorts to romancing a showgirl, because no other women will give him a chance. It's about a father who's desperate to iron out the mess with his estranged daughter. It's about the dude who can't make ends meet so he ends up with some shitty job with an even shittier boss. There's much at stake here. And then there's the story of Mickey Rourke, whose own life acts as a pseudo stand-in for what this film is trying to do. The Wrestler was my favorite movie of 2008.

Terrific acting, impressive storytelling and a master behind the lens: Darren Aronofsky.

Disc includes: With the Ring: A No-Holds-Barred One-on-One with Wrestlers and Filmmakers featurette, "The Wrestler" music video (Bruce Springsteen)





For people who think Ron Howard made a good life choice by taking a break from Tom Hanks' bad Robert Langdon hair to helm this Oscar-nominated flick: Frost/Nixon

I hadn't the chance to see Frost/Nixon when it ran for a limited engagement on Broadway, so I can't be sure what kind of intensity Frank Langella and Michael Sheen would have brought with them on stage. And even though the adapted Frost/Nixon makes for a fine movie, I've reason to believe that the drama level attained by the movie – though quite high in and of itself – pales in comparison to the intimacy that only live theater can bring.

Even so, Frost/Nixon is worth your time. In a way, it's a modern day take on the classic David vs. Goliath story. In this case, it's British TV personality David Frost going toe-to-toe with former U.S. President Richard Nixon in a series of interviews circa 1977.

Disc includes: Deleted scenes, The Making of Frost/Nixon featurette, The Real Interview featurette, The Nixon Library featurette, audio commentary

For people who haven't known what to do with themselves on Friday nights since Battlestar Galactica's series finale last month: Caprica

I didn't make the mistake of merely watching the Battlestar Galactica finale. Claiming anything of that nature would surely have me hunted down by the diehards real quick. Instead, I went into the finale completely blind. As such, I had no idea what was going on at any time, and basically wasted two hours that I'll never, ever be getting back.

Because what I was watching that one Friday night in late March looked like it could be pretty fraking good television, I feel like I should give the re-imagining a chance by watching the unrated and extended pilot of the spinoff's spinoff – Caprica. Though the show doesn't kick off until sometime next year, Universal released the first episode today, in hopes of generating some rockin' buzz by its 2010 premiere date.

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