Nature’s beauty, brutality explored

Audiences may have flocked to see “March of the Penguins” this year, but many believe that Werner Herzog’s “Grizzly Man” (Lions Gate, $28) is the documentary of 2005.

Harrowing and memorable, “Grizzly Man” chronicles the life and death of naturalist and filmmaker Timothy Treadwell, who studied and filmed grizzly bears in Alaska for 13 summers only to have a bear kill him and girlfriend Amie Huguenard in 2003.

Narrated by Herzog, the documentary features numerous excerpts of Treadwell’s footage as well as interviews with former girlfriends, his parents and the coroner who examined the bodies.

The film won one of the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival and recently picked up best documentary honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and the New York Film Critics Circle.

The disc also includes a 50-minute documentary on the unique scoring of the film.

“The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” (New Video, $27), a charming 2004 documentary, also looks at a man obsessed with wild, albeit far less dangerous, animals.

It chronicles how a penniless San Francisco musician, Mark Bittner, became the caretaker of a flock of wild parrots that made its home in the hilly, tree-lined Telegraph Hill area. The DVD includes deleted scenes, an update on the flock and Bittner’s fascinating home movies.

Also new this week:

“2046” (Sony, $30): Wong Kai Wai’s visually evocative film plays with time and memory. One of the year’s critical favorite, “2046” has won numerous international awards, including best foreign language film from the New York Film Critics Circle and best production design from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. Tony Leung stars. The DVD includes a “making of” featurette and interviews with Leung and Wong.

“Dark Water” (Touchstone, $30): Brazilian director Walter Salles (“Central Station,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) made his English-language debut with this atmospheric ghost story set in the isolated Roosevelt Island area of Manhattan. Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly and Tim Roth head the cast. Though Salles doesn’t provide commentary, there are several behind-the-scenes documentaries and a featurette on the production design. Other extras on the unrated edition include analysis of three scenes, deleted sequences and a look at the film’s complex sound design.

“Into the Blue” (Sony, $29): A thriller about a young diver (Paul Walker) eking out a living in the Bahamas who dreams of finding hidden treasure in the depths below but instead finds a plane wreck filled with bags of cocaine. Jessica Alba co-stars. Screen tests, deleted scenes, a “making of” featurette and commentary with director John Stockwell round out the extras.

“Tracey Takes On -- The Complete First Season” (HBO, $35): Tracey Ullman, the comedic actress of a thousand faces, found an outlet for her talents in this award-winning comedy series that aired on HBO in the mid-’90s. The three-disc set features self-effacing and somewhat ribald commentary from Ullman on the first episode. The third disc features a profile of her characters and the special “Tracey Takes On New York.”

“American Pie Presents -- Band Camp” (Universal, $27): The “American Pie” comedy franchise hits a new benchmark in this “unrated” made-for-video entry, which finds obnoxious little brother Matt (Tad Hilgenbrink) sentenced to attend band camp because of his high school pranks. The film is filled with crude jokes, bad language and female nudity. The extras are also raunchy, including “Poolside With the Band Camp Girls,” “Unrated Love Lessons With Ginger Lynn Allen,” “Band Camp’s Dirty Secrets” and “Rover Cam Uncut.”

“Black Dawn” (Sony, $25): After box office hits such as “Under Siege” in the 1990s, the majority of action-star Steven Seagal’s films now debut on DVD. This is his latest, a trifle about arms dealers and East European terrorists. Extras include an interview with the actor and a brief featurette.

What’s coming:

Jan. 3: “Wedding Crashers,” “Broken Flowers,” “The Gospel,” “Secuestro Express,” “The Cave” and “My Date With Drew.”

Jan. 10: “Hustle & Flow,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Red Eye,” “Transporter 2.” “Saraband,” “The Man” and “The Chumscrubber.”

Jan. 17: “Two for the Money,” “Lord of War,” “Junebug,” “Asylum,” “Underclassman” and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”