Together again for the first time

Heat

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro

Warner Home Video, $27

Michael Mann directed this lengthy 1995 thriller set on the mean streets of Los Angeles. The film marked the first onscreen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, who have one powerful scene together. The two were both in “The Godfather Part II” but shared no screen time. The movie also features a young Natalie Portman as Pacino’s daughter, as well as Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore and Diane Venora.

The special two-disc collector’s edition doesn’t disappoint. Mann offers yet another of his erudite, intelligent commentary tracks on the first disc; the second disc includes five new “making of” documentaries with most of the cast (De Niro, though, is featured just in 1995 interviews). They explore the inspiration for the movie, the history of the screenplay and the pairing of Pacino and De Niro, and revisit to the locations used in the movie a decade ago. Rounding out the disc are 11 additional scenes and three theatrical trailers.

I (heart) Huckabees

Jason Schwartzman,

Dustin Hoffman

Fox, $28

There seemed to be no middle ground in the critical consensus of David O. Russell’s existential comedy -- people either loved it or loathed it. Jason Schwartzman plays a young environmentalist who enlists the aid of existential detectives (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help solve a crisis in his life. Mark Wahlberg plays a firefighter who also has hired the detectives; Jude Law is a charming snake-in-the-grass chain-store executive; Naomi Watts is his confused girlfriend; and Isabelle Huppert is a French nihilist who once worked with Hoffman and Tomlin.

Though Russell has some interesting things to say about the production in his commentary, he delivers his thoughts with all the enthusiasm of a wet towel. He has the same somber personality in the second commentary track, on which the more effusive Schwartzman, Wahlberg and Watts join him.

Around the Bend

Michael Caine, Christopher Walken

Warner Bros., $28

Despite the high-powered cast that includes Oscar winners Michael Caine and Christopher Walken, as well as Josh Lucas and a 6-year-old newcomer named Jonah Bono, this gentle comedy-drama about four generations of men from one family got lost in the shuffle of releases last fall. It didn’t even eke out $200,000 in box-office receipts.

The DVD is an enjoyable experience due to a well-produced behind-the-

scenes documentary and heartfelt commentary from Jordan Roberts, the writer-director who spent 10 years trying to get this film made.

*

The Cat Returns

Walt Disney, $30

Disney is releasing three animated films from Japan’s Studio Ghibli -- the creators of the 2002 Oscar winner “Spirited Away” -- including the charming “The Cat Returns.” It’s about a school girl named Haru, who finds her life turned upside down when she saves the life of an unusual cat. The film marks the return of two characters of Ghibli’s 1995 hit “Whisper of the Heart”: Muta, a surly fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, an elegant cat statue. The American vocal talent includes Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes and Peter Boyle.

The two-disc set includes documentaries about the production and vocal talent. The second disc features the entire film in storyboard format.

The two other Ghibli films are Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature film, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds,” and “Porco Rosso: The Crimson Pig,” about a World War I flying ace whose face is transformed into that of a pig due to a mysterious spell.

Susan King

*

Also this week

Top video rentals

1. “The Notebook”

2. “Shark Tale”

3. “The Grudge”

4. “Ray”

5. “Shall We Dance?”

What’s coming

Tuesday: “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie,” “Exorcist: The Beginning,” “Flight of the Phoenix” and “Incident at Loch Ness”

March 8: “Ladder 49,” “Stage Beauty,” “Lightning in a Bottle” and “Woman Thou Art Loosed”

March 15: “The Incredibles,” “Alfie,” “What the Bleep Do We Know?” and “Man of the Year”

March 22: “Finding Neverland,” “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” “Being Julia,” “Fat Albert” and “Final Cut”

March 29: “Closer,” “Vera Drake,” “After the Sunset,” “Seed of Chucky” and “National Lampoon’s Golddiggers”

April 5: “Spanglish,” “Elektra,” “Primer” and “Fade to Black”

April 12: “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “Bad Education,” “The Woodsman,” “Criminal,” “Suspect Zero” and “Dig!”

April 19: “House of Flying Daggers,” “Love Song for Bobby Long,” “Birth” and “Undertow”

April 26: “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Blade: Trinity,” “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” and “Darkness”

May 3: “National Treasure” and “Enduring Love”