It's a little light at the DVD store this week. Actually, it's a LOT light at the DVD store this week. Except for Rambo, there's really not a lot worth covering. Maybe studios think that people will have already spent their tax rebate checks or be too hung over from Memorial Day partying to care or notice what's going on at the DVD store, but some of us need movies 52 weeks a year. In past editions of Play All, we've spotlighted some titles that are among our favorites of the year, unheralded gems that simply didn't have the high profile of some of their peers on the shelf that week, but we're stretched a little thin this week. There are no classic TV shows or star-packed straight-to-DVD action flicks to get excited about, but we did receive three products in The Deadbolt offices this week that are sure to grab somebody's attention. If there's a lover of foreign action films, clever documentaries, or nostalgic comedies in your circle of friends and family, send them a link to this week's Play All. Wipe away the memories of yesterday's barbecue and parades and hit Play All.

The Lather Effect
Studio: Anchor Bay
Starring: Connie Britton, Tate Donovan, William Mapother, Eric Stoltz, Sarah Clarke, Peter Facinelli, David Herman and Ione Skye
Features: Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Sarah Kelly, Editor Darren Ayres, and Associate Producer/Actor Eric Stoltz, The Making of "The Lather Effect," Deleted Scenes, The Cameron Effect, and The Importance of Being Earnest PA

There's big bucks in '80s nostalgia. It's not without reason that VH1 plays and replays their I Love the '80s series past the point of all reasonable programming and there are new, cleverly packaged mix CDs of '80s hits on the market nearly every week. The Lather Effect, an independent film that made the festival rounds before shipping off to DVD this week, feels like a "mix movie," a mishmash of '80s comedies and flicks that were inspired by The Big Chill. It's essentially a retread on the Chill concept as a gaggle of friends reunite for a big '80s-themed bash. The movie starts the morning after, as if all these thirtysomethings are now living in the hangover of their '80s personas. It's a clever idea, but it's poorly executed. Only the most hardcore '80s fans or true lovers of Eric Stoltz need RSVP to this party.

Typhoon
Studio: Genius Products
Starring: Jan Dong-Gun, Lee Jung-Jae, and Lee Mi-Youn
Features: "The Making of Typhoon" and Featurettes From Behind-the-Scenes

Sometimes it seems to take ages for a film to get to the States after making waves overseas (pun intended). Typhoon was released in 2005 in South Korea but is only now hitting DVD, courtesy of the current leader in Asian cinema on DVD, Genius Products. Directed by Kwak Kyung-taek, Typhoon should definitely appeal to action fans that are looking for a rental that doesn't star Sylvester Stallone this week and fans of foreign films that haven't received the level of release that they should in the States. Honestly, how can a movie be a huge hit in a growing film market like Korea in 2005 and not be available for most of the citizens of the U.S. until a small DVD release three years later? Are the prints and distribution costs really that expensive? There should be a rule that anything that's a huge critical or commercial hit overseas gets played in at least one theater in Chicago for one week or gets a much-faster DVD release. Let's share the culture people. Until then, DVD will have to do.

What Would Jesus Buy?
Studio: Hart Sharp Video
Directed by: Rob VanAlkemade
Features: Deleted Scenes, Original Theatrical Trailer, Public Access Show featurette of Reverend Billy, the Choir, and Morgan Spurlock, Printable Lyrics to the Choir's Unique Christmas Carols

Personally, I think he'd buy an HDTV and a Playstation 3, but that's just me. All kidding aside, 30 Days and Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock had produced an interesting documentary about the commercialization of Christmas and the tireless pursuit of Reverend Billy. Called a "docu-comedy" (which is an interesting new subgenre that seems to have sprouted up in the last few years, led by Michael Moore and Spurlock), What Would Jesus Buy? chronicles the journey of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission trying to save Christmas from the shopping spree it has become. The slogan for the film was "The Shopocalypse is upon us...Who will be saved?" Clever, low-budget documentaries often find it hard to get a national release and need to find their audience at festivals or on DVD. What Would Jesus Buy? is only the latest release looking for doc fans on the home market but hopefully Spurlock's name will help bring it to a wider audience.