A triumvirate of this generation's most noted humorists, in a plot that could easily be the basis of the next Tom Clancy game. The Marx Brothers in their heyday could only dream of squeezing more laughs from the premise of three incompetent new recruits getting lost on their way to the Middle East and accidentally invading Mexico.

Seeing this DVD artwork caused the old Sesame Street song to play in my head: "One of these things is not like the other! One of these things just doesn't belong!" It is perhaps tragic that Lindsay Lohan is easily the most talented of America's starlets currently engaged in panty-free cocaine-and-alcohol-fueled benders, but now her peers are Paris Hilton and Britney Spears rather than Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman. I have no idea if the movie is any good, but it probably doesn't matter. I doubt the audience for this column and the audience for "chick flicks" intersects in any meaningful way.

Two brothers join the Irish Republican Army in this period piece by Ken Loach, set during the Irish War of Independence. It won the Palme D'or in 2006, and is clearly the most interesting new narrative film to be released this week -- definitely one for the rental queue, if not for immediate purchase.

This may belong in the reissue section, as I'm not sure if it's a recent film or not. In fact, I don't have the slightest clue as to what the film is about. But hey, look at that cover! The art direction on most DVD covers is completely generic and devoid of inspiration, so it's rare to see someone get it right. Were I walking through a video store and saw this on the shelf, I'd pick it up without hesitation. Compare a cover like this with Georgia Rule - there is no comparison. Yeah, yeah, you can't judge a book by its cover, but these are DVDs, right?

Admittedly, this stretches the definition of the word "highlight" almost beyond recognition. A two-pack of disappointing video-game adaptations isn't really much to write home about. In fact, the only reason these are being graced with a new cover and a new promotional push is entirely down to the imminent theatrical release of Resident Evil 3. And even though this is the third or fourth release of Resident Evil on DVD, it'll still sell well.

One of the less obvious factors that makes sequels so appealing to Hollywood -- which is to say, so profitable -- is that sales for prior installments in the series jump up significantly when a sequel arrives. For example, earlier this summer both of the previous Bourne DVDs jumped back into the top ten sales charts, and a new SKU combining both movies packed with a bonus DVD of promotional fluff for the third film joined them there. This, despite the that the Bourne films have already sold-through a ton of copies in their initial run.