Catch the ‘Invasions’ -- and stay for the meal

The Barbarian Invasions

Remy Girard, Stephane Rousseau

Miramax, $30

Denys Arcand’s touching, funny and heartbreaking drama won the Oscar for best foreign-language film of 2003.

In this sequel to Arcand’s first film, “The Decline of the American Empire,” Remy Girard plays a professor dying of cancer who is reunited with his estranged family and friends. The film explores sex, religion, history, intellectualism, illiteracy, unions and bureaucracy, without losing sight of the characters’ humanity.

Though the French Canadian filmmaker does not supply any commentary, there is a classy TV documentary of the cast reuniting for a meal and discussing the film’s themes.

*

Universal Noir Collection

Universal, $15

Hot on the heels of Warner Home Video’s exceptional set of vintage film noirs come four crime masterpieces from Universal. Though the Warner titles had commentaries, the only extras on these are the trailers.

“Criss Cross” (1949): Three years after director Robert Siodmak directed Burt Lancaster to movie stardom in “The Killers,” they collaborated on this melodrama. Lancaster plays an aimless young man who returns to L.A. to rekindle romance with his ex-wife (Yvonne DeCarlo).

“The Big Clock” (1948): This exciting mystery thriller stars Ray Milland as an editor of a crime magazine who is asked to investigate a murder.

“Black Angel” (1946): Dan Duryea, June Vincent and Peter Lorre star in this taut adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich thriller about the murder of a vain nightclub singer.

“This Gun for Hire” (1942): Alan Ladd was given the role of a lifetime -- a hired killer who loves cats -- in this hit adaptation of a Graham Greene novel.

*

The Dreamers

Michael Pitt, Eva Green

Fox, $30

Bernardo Bertolucci’s latest film stirred up a bit of controversy earlier this year when Fox Searchlight decided to release it with an NC-17 rating. However, this is no “Last Tango in Paris.” “The Dreamers,” which revolves around a young American student (Michael Pitt) in late-1960s Paris, is just a crashing bore despite generous clips from vintage films and a cameo by French actor Jean-Pierre Leaud.

The digital edition has two informative featurettes; a dreadful music video; and serviceable commentary from Bertolucci, writer Gilbert Adair and producer Jeremy Thomas.

-- Susan King