Usually, heavy drama and inspirational fare are mixed into hard-hitting or heart-sagging packages. But sometimes, the tough-to-swallow is mixed with comedy -- not in a way where the funny is the only thing that matters, but in a way that helps move the story and keep you out of that moviegoer depression. When done right, it can be a really enjoyable experience -- one that makes you think, feel, and laugh.

Now, I'm cheating a little bit for this double feature. One of the films just came out on DVD this week, but the other doesn't come out until Tuesday (Double Feature of the Future!). But having received both screeners, and having them sitting here on the desk, looking at me, I couldn't help but use them because they go so well together. Both contain some pretty dramatic moments, but the drama is couched in levity. I present: Music Within and Lars and the Real Girl -- two films that embrace the marriage of comedy and drama, as well as people who get past their own fears and offer help to others.

My personal pick is the powerful, haunting There Will Be Blood, but there are other intriguing titles to explore. Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) won the inaugural Cinema Eye Award for Best Feature; according to one synopsis, the documentary examines the "cycles of violence that plague Brazil's upper and lower economic classes in fits of rampant corruption and violent kidnappings." The DVD from City Lights includes an audio commentary by the director and producers, as well as several additional scenes.

Linda Hattendorf first met the subject of her documentary, The Cats of Mirikitani, on the streets of New York. He was homeless; she bought one of his drawings. "Thus began a strange, intimate relationship," Martha Fischer wrote in her review. She called the doc "a treasure of personal filmmaking, created on a shoe-string budget and completely devoid of pretensions or aspirations beyond simple, intimate, storytelling." The DVD from Arts Alliance America includes 20 minutes of bonus footage, deleted scenes and Mirikitani art gallery images.

The film section - rather formally known as the Film Discovery Program - of this year's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival has a remarkably full slate, including the screenings of 23 films (six world premieres among them), discussions with big Hollywood cheeses and, best of all, a celebration of the 10th anniversary of a little picture called Swingers. The latter will feature a reunion of the film's stars: Jon Favreau (who also wrote the movie), Vince Vaughn, and Ron Livingston, and the trio will participate in a moderated discussion on the film. Happily for those of us who can't jet off to see the event in person, the entire Festival is organized by HBO, so there's a darn good chance the Swingers reunion will show up on TV sooner or later.

On the non-Swingers front, the Program will offer a series of "fireside chats" with studio executives involved with independent comedy, including the presidents of Picturehouse and Miramax, as well as executive vice-presidents (whatever that means) from Fox, HBO Films, and New Line. In addition, there's a new, demented-but-cool sounding event in which "industry executives will meet filmmakers in 12-minute, speed dating-type meetings." Assuming the goal is here is networking rather than actually meeting ones beloved, it sounds like a great opportunity for indie filmmakers to get some facetime with people who are usually hidden behind a whole lot of doors.

This year's Festival takes place in Aspen (as always) from March 8-12.