Pickings are a bit slim on the indie DVD shelves this week, but here are three titles that sound like they're worth checking out.

"Instead of grousing or hand wringing" about its topic -- why the US government hasn't been able to locate certain war criminals -- Jeffrey M. Anderson said that The Hunting Party "becomes a spry, surprising and intelligent comedy." Richard Gere stars as a reporter who convinces his former cameraman (Terrence Howard) to join him in tracking down an infamous war criminal. Richard Shepard wrote and directed. The DVD features an audio commentary by Shepherd, deleted scenes, a "making of," and interviews with the journalists featured in the magazine article that served as source material for the film.

Laurent Tirard's Molière "uses the titular French playwright's life as a jumping-off point for a fanciful tale of romance, duplicity, and acting, Acting, ACTING," according to Nick Schager. "What's missing, alas, is a greater sense of surprise that might keep the film from feeling somewhat rote." Still, it's hard to find eye candy that looks better than this cast: Romain Duris stars as the playwright; with Ludivine Sagnier and Laura Morante also featured. The DVD includes an audio commentary with the director and a "making of" feature.

If you're in the mood for an off-beat doc, Confessions of a Superhero (pictured) should cure what ails you. Our own James Rocchi says that the film examines four would-be actors making ends meet "by dressing as superheroes and posing with the tourists outside Graumann's Chinese Theater." (When I lived in Los Angeles, I always wondered about those people.) He felt that the film "never loses sight of pop culture or personal struggle, and sticks with you thanks to a careful mix of big images and small moment." The DVD includes a commentary track, deleted scenes and extended footage.

If you love movie awards and dog shows, there's a new event that's perfect for you: the Fido Awards, which recognizes cinematic canines. Presented in conjunction with the London Film Festival, these awards were presented Sunday night with the top honor, "Best in World", going to five corgis -- named Poppy, Anna, Alice, Oliver and Megan -- that appear alongside Oscar-winner Helen Mirren in The Queen. The same dogs also won another award, "Best Historical Hounds for a dog/dogs in a film set in bygone days", beating out dogs from Control (I don't even remember a dog in this, which means it makes sense it didn't win) and Molière. Other winners include Travis, a Welsh cardigan corgi named "Comedy Canine for smochiest pooch in a romantic comedy " for his "method-acting" in Year of the Dog, Logan, a "Bernese Mtn English Mastiff X" named "Blockbuster Bowser -- best canine achievement in an action flick" for sharing a beer with Mark Wahlberg in Shooter, and dogs from the short film Dog Flap and the London Film Festival entry Far North. In addition to those from Control and Molière, losers included pups from The Holiday, Feast of Love, Shoot 'Em Up, The Savages (for some reason listed in the action category) and Paddy Considine's short Dog Altogether. Hopefully none of them were Old-Yellered because of their failures.

Isn't that cute? The Fidos are technically considered "the world's first-ever international awards ceremony for canine screen stars," but this isn't the first time awards have been given out to animal performances in film (I would be shocked if it were). Since 1939 -- after a horse was accidentally killed on the set of Jesse James -- the American Humane Association has honored animals in cinema and television with the PATSY Awards (yet apparently the first actual PATSY went to "Francis the Talking Mule" in 1951). Some of the obvious past winners include Lassie, the pig from Green Acres, the dog that played Benji (name: Higgins), Gypsy the horse (from Gypsy Colt) and Orangey the cat, who appeared in Rhubarb and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Unfortunately I can't seem to find a full list of the winners through the years, just this spotlight from TCM.

What is your favorite animal performance, canine or otherwise?