Paul Verhoeven in his native land, making an independent movie about a hot naked woman and Nazis? That's got to be my pick of the week. Of course, this being Verhoeven, he subverts expectations, at least according to the critics, and produces a film with a serious intent in mind. And the result was so good it prompted Cinematical's Ryan Stewart to declare it "the best film of 2007 so far" when he reviewed it in April. I'm talking about Black Book, Paul Verhoeven's "sweeping war epic ... following a Jewish girl on the run in Nazi-occupied Holland." Sony Pictures' DVD features an audio commentary by Verhoeven, who is usually entertaining on yak tracks, and a "making of" feature.

William Friedkin's films have been generally derided for many years -- pretty much everything since The Exorcist in 1973 -- though, personally, I have a soft spot for the failed Sorcerer, really love To Live and Die in L.A., and am glad that Cruising has recently received some critical reevaluation. Though it didn't make much of a ripple at the box office, Bug seems to be a comeback of sorts for him. Our own Jette Kernion wrote: "Bug blends paranoia, trust and love into a riveting story, driven by intense characters." She also commented very favorably on the "incredible" performances, especially the one by by Michael Shannon, but also those by Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr. The Lionsgate DVD includes both a commentary by director Friedkin and a discussion with him.

If you're looking for something a bit further out of the mainstream, Ten Canoes sounds like the best bet. The critics were pretty well united in their praise. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said it "interweaves two versions of the same story, one filmed in black and white and set a thousand years ago, and an even older one, filmed in color and set in a mythic, prehistoric past." The Palm Pictures DVD sounds like it's worth a rental.

Also out are two comedies: mockumentary Chalk (about high school teachers) and Jake Kasdan's The TV Set (about a television pilot). Several friends of mine -- and many festival audiences -- thought Chalk was hilarious, while The TV Set has received mixed response. Perhaps the respective subjects will help you decide if you'll want to check those out.

My personal DVD picks this week are the new editions of Lewis Teague's Alligator (scripted by indie filmmaker John Sayles), John Boorman's Deliverance (which is shockingly indie, even though it was released by a major Hollywood studio in 1972) and William Friedkin's Cruising (c'mon! Al Pacino in gay bars chasing a serial killer? That would definitely be an indie today.). But if you're looking for sometime a little more recent, here are three titles that received (mostly) positive reviews from our Cinematical critics.

Everyone's favorite Danish provocateur, Lars von Trier, made a "refreshing change" with The Boss of it All, according to our own Ryan Stewart. He said the director "turns his attention back to his own side of the Atlantic and finds his faith in humanity just as lacking, and his comic timing as sharp as its ever been." He felt the film "is absolutely a worthy entry in the von Trier canon and a reminder of the natural directing skill that he possesses."

Kim Voynar saw Francois Veber's comedy The Valet at AFI Dallas and enjoyed it. She noted that the plot was "a tad predictable" but "the film is genuinely funny, and at times the laughter from the packed house was so loud I was grateful for the subtitles so I could keep up." On the other hand, Nick Schager did not laugh so much: "This lack of any dynamic energy, any hysterical verve, is what ultimately dooms The Valet's attempts at innocuous whimsy." Sony's DVD includes an audio commentary by the director.

Zoo is a documentary that tackles "the difficult task of exploring the death of a man who had sex with a horse," as Kim Voynar wrote in her Sundance review. That may be enough for you to decide if you want to rent it, but Kim expounded at length if you'd like to know more. The DVD from ThinkFilm includes an audio commentary by writer/director Robinson Devor and writer Charles Mudede.

One consumer warning, I'm afraid. As I've written before, Thai horror film The Victim looks gorgeous, but its unimaginative use of horror movie conventions (loud! bang!!) and "twists" that are telegraphed far in advance quickly become tiresome.

William Friedkin's controversial 1980 film Cruising is making the rounds of a few selected theaters this week before Warner Home Video releases it September 18 in a new deluxe DVD. Mr. Friedkin took a moment to sit down with Cinematical to discuss the film and the mysteries of life.

Cinematical: Are you fairly confident that Cruising will be accepted today, or will there still be some controversy?

William Friedkin: I have no idea. The times are different. At the time we made and released it, it was the first small steps of gay liberation. They had just begun to make gains to get recognition, have some political clout. Prior to that time, they had none. They were an oppressed minority. And Cruising of course was not what you would choose as the best foot forward for a bourgeoning political movement. And there were a lot of people in the gay community who were conscious of that and they protested it, but in doing so, they probably brought more attention to it than it might have gotten.

Just prior to its DVD release on September 18, Warner Bros. will re-release William Friedkin's Cruising (1980) in selected theaters across the country, including the Castro in San Francisco. If it plays well there, the film will have come full circle, having begun its life sputtering amidst howling controversy. Few films have been as reviled; the gay community protested it during its production, critics hated it and audiences stayed away. I first looked at Cruising back in the 1980s on VHS and likewise found it repulsive. But looking at it again years later in a cleaned-up transfer, with some big city experience and some knowledge of Friedkin's work gave me a whole new perspective. Not to mention that just about every Friedkin film except The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973) has been misunderstood in its own time. And, ironically, Friedkin insists that even The Exorcist has been misunderstood, since he never considered it a horror film.

After the fairly disturbing news that Anna Nicole Smith's final movie, Illegal Aliens, was going to premiere at Cannes, we've now got some more suitable selections to tell you about -- topped with a tasty helping of blueberries. According to Variety, buzz says that Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights will open the festival on May 16. The first English feature for the Chinese director, it's a romance about a woman (Norah Jones) who travels across the U.S. meeting strange people. It's based on a short film about a shopkeeper who falls for someone crazy for blueberry pie, so that's where the fruit comes in. If this happens, it'll be a big leap of faith for the festival since Wong's 2046 arrived a full day after its scheduled screening three years ago.

But there's also some other tasty filmmakers on the plate. The director of The Exorcist and the upcoming creepfest Bug, William Friedkin, will be screening a remastered version of his 1980 film Cruising, which stars Al Pacino. It seems this screening is designed to gear up the DVD re-release of the film. And in something newer and much less seen, there's Gregg Araki's Smiley Face -- the Anna Faris flick that has her unknowingly eating pot brownies and having an interesting day as a result. But that's not all -- there's a ton others rumored to have secured screenings -- Ramin Bahrani's New York film Chop Shop, Barbarian Invasion's Denys Arcand's L'Age des Tenebres, Hector Babenco's El Pasado, the animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Catherine Breillat's La Vieille maitresse (Asia Argento nabbed the role originally offered to Madonna), another Argento flick by Olivier Assayas called Boarding Gate and one more -- Julian Schnabel's French-language film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Anyone going to Cannes who needs a personal assistant?