Week’s DVD releases: Docs are hot

Other than the two major releases, both of which played in Spokane theaters, the week’s top DVDs may be documentaries. Other than the vampire flick, of course.

These are all out on Tuesday.

“Cheri” : Michelle Pfeiffer stars as an aging courtesan who, against her better judgment and the wishes of her friends, falls in love with her friend’s son (Rupert Friend).

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” : Michael Bay, thinking he is making “Citizen Kane” instead of following up a movie based on children’s toys, makes about every mistake an arrogant A-list director can. This just about makes you forget how good the 2007 original.

“Blood: The Last Vampire” : Based on the popular anime series, this live-action film is a kind of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-type story about a centuries-old woman warrior who targets vampires. Available in Blu-ray.

“Capturing Reality: The Art of the Documentary” : A blend of interviews with 38 filmmakers and clips from 163 different documentary films, this nonfiction film is a study of what goes into the documentary form.

“The Elephant King” : Clutchy mama (Ellen Burstyn) sends young son off to Thailand to retrieve older bro, but the boy succumbs to obvious tropical charms.

“I Am Because We Are” : Madonna produced, wrote and narrates this documentary about African children suffering from the AIDS epidemic.

“Moon in the Gutter” : If the fact that this 1983 re-release is French doesn’t turn you off, the fact that it was directed by the same guy responsible for “Betty Blue” might. Or the fact that it stars Gerard Depardieu as a guy looking for the rapist of his girlfriend, dead from suicide.

“That Was the GDR” : History-minded film fans might get into this four-part look at the history of the German Democratic Republic, 1949-90.

“They Killed Sister Dorothy” : Another documentary, this one tells the story of the murder of Dorothy Stang, a 73-year-old nun from Ohio, who was shot to death near the mouth of the Amazon River.

“Wings of Desire” : German filmmaker Wim Wenders’ atmospheric 1983 film, about an angel (Bruno Ganz) who wants to become human, is being re-released in a new high-def edition. Also available in Blu-ray.

“You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” : Film fans tuned into Hollywood history might enjoy this documentary about the studio that earned early success by riding aboard the tail of a dog named Rin Tin Tin.

Happy viewing.