Week of April 21

by Philip Yu    April 20, 2009

In this week's roundup of new DVD releases, "The Ram" gets a second shot, Brooklyn's Biggie rises to the top, Battlestar Galactica goes back to the beginning, and Richard Nixon sits in the hot seat.

Pick of the Week

The Wrestler Mickey Rourke gives the comeback performance of a lifetime with a triumphant turn as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up 1980s-era pro wrestler whose broken body and career have seen better days. In an effort to build a new life, Randy takes a job at a deli, romances a stripper/single mother, and tries to reconcile with his estranged daughter. But the prospect of returning for one more match with his old nemesis proves too tempting to resist -- even if it means risking everything.

Hip Hop Biopic

Notorious Producer Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the extraordinary story of Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G., who rose from the tough streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time, before his tragic unsolved murder in 1997. In his feature film debut, Jamal "Gravy" Woolard stars as the young rapper climbing the heights of hip hop superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career.

Prequel Premiere

Caprica From the creators of the highly-acclaimed reimagining of "Battlestar Galactica" comes the feature-length premiere for a series set 60 years earlier. It's the story of two very different men: Daniel Greystone (Erik Stoltz), a technological genius and successful businessman, and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), a lawyer with shady ties to a past he'd like to forget. When a tragedy brings the two men together, events will be set in motion that will unwittingly lead to the end of their worlds.

TV Trial

Frost/Nixon For three years after being forced from office, Richard Nixon remained silent. But in the summer of 1977, the cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the scandal that ended his presidency. Frank Lagella, giving an Oscar-nominated performance as Nixon, faces off against Michael Sheen, playing breezy British TV personality David Frost. Director Ron Howard not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of elaborate, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps... all leading to the moment when they would face one another in the court of public opinion.