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.

Shockingly, this weekend might actually be sunny here in the Puget Sound. If you're like me, you'll be out and about soaking in some rays that don't come from a lamp, but that's okay. Once the sun goes down, you'll still be wanting something to do, though --  and as always, Seattle has your movie fix.

UW Film Club 

This week brings us the 5th Annual Native Voices Film Festival. Check out the schedule - all events are free, so if you don't want to spend $20 to go see something at the multiplex, this might be a good option.

John Boorman (whose page at the IMDB includes the helpful information that he's sometimes credited at "himself"), who single-handedly destroyed the idea of a quiet wilderness getaway for whole generation of American men when he unleashed Deliverance upon the world in 1972, hasn't spent much cinematical time in the US since then. Instead, most of his work has been based in Ireland and the UK, locations to which he'll be returning when A Tiger's Tale begins shooting in Dublin next month.

The movie, which Boorman also wrote, sounds freaking awesome. It's about an Irishman who, after a "chance encounter," is "pursued by a murderous replica of himself." WHOA. It's like Borges wrote a movie, or something - what an incredibly cool concept (this is where you tell it's been done brilliantly six times already, and provide titles in the comments so I can go see for myself). Also encouraging is the news that the outrageously talented Brendan Gleeson is set to star. Though kids these days tend to know Gleeson only from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he's a longtime Boorman collaborator whose performance in the title role of The General is great enough to make you never want to see another movie again. There is, however, some bad news: Kim Cattrall is in it. In, like, a major role. Actually, I'm dealing with this information by pretending that I never had it. A Tiger's Tale is going to rock, dammit.

[via Dark Horizons]