Video Shelf

New this week: Bosnian writer-director Danis Tanovic’s exceptional debut feature, the Academy Award-winning “No Man’s Land,” is a savage comedy about the war in the former Yugoslavia that artfully mixes comic absurdism with a passion for what’s right and a concern for the individuality of all concerned. Events conspire to create a kind of face-off between Ciki (Branko Djuric), a Bosnian soldier who wears a T-shirt with the Rolling Stones tongue logo as part of his uniform, and Nino (Rene Bitorajac), an inexperienced Serb newcomer, two basically decent men. Frantic, skittish, mistrustful, each accuses the other of acting badly, causing atrocities, starting the war itself. Inevitably, this confusion comes to the attention of the U.N.’s military force, and not far behind are the journalists, typified by the Global News Service’s Jane Livingstone (Katrin Cartlidge). In a situation in which everyone acts badly, including the U.N. and the self-serving media, “No Man’s Land” doesn’t spare its wrath and makes sure that no party unfairly takes a hit.

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Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. Training Day

2. K-PAX

3. Riding in Cars With Boys

4. Don’t Say a Word

5. Joy Ride

Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. Training Day

2. K-PAX

3. Zoolander

4. Joy Ride

5. Riding in Cars With Boys

Rental video charts provided by VSDAVidTrac.