Fast Scans

Dakota Skye. color. 89 min. E1 Entertainment, www.kochvison.com. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-1-4172-3209-3. $24.98. SDH subtitles. Rated: R.

A 17-year-old girl with the uncanny ability to hear the truth behind every lie has some serious trust issues with just about everyone, especially the guy she is falling for, since he's the only person on whom her power doesn't work. Leading a mostly unknown but talented cast, Eileen Boylan shines in the title role. Director John Humber realizes a refreshingly honest script that raises the bar on teen-angst pictures by not condescending to audiences conditioned to expect so much less. For viewers who can handle the truth.

The Great Buck Howard. color. 90 min. Magnolia Home Entertainment. 2009. DVD UPC 8-76964-00192-2. $26.98; Blu-ray UPC 8-76964-00193-9. $34.98. Rated: PG-13.

Inspired by the Amazing Kreskin, director Sean McGinly's smartly funny and surprisingly touching take on an egocentric mentalist (John Malkovich) finds the once-popular entertainer performing in half-empty old theaters far removed from his Las Vegas and Tonight Show appearances. Told from the perspective of his newly hired road manager (Colin Hanks), Buck Howard is far from great but offers the filmic equivalent of a "gentle read" for grown-up audiences turned off by gross-out humor, profanity, and in-your-face sex.

Playing variations on themselves, playwright and actor Wallace Shawn and theater director André Gregory meet over dinner to discuss art, philosophy, love, and other weighty matters. Essentially a talking-heads picture offering little cinematic variation, Louis Malle's surprise art-house hit fascinates but still drags as it unfolds in real time. In separate interviews, the leads provide interesting tidbits on making Dinner, while Shawn engages the late Malle in a revealing older interview. This is one entrée with intellectual sustenance.

Night Train. color. 91 min. National Entertainment Media. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-1-4172-1252-1. $24.98; Blu-ray $24.98. Rated: R.

When a train passenger dies of an apparent drug overdose, the conductor (Danny Glover) and two other riders (Steve Zahn and Leelee Sobieski) vie for the strange box he was carrying. Each sees something different within its impenetrable casing that could change their lives. Writer-director M. Brian King pays adept homage to Treasure of the Sierra Madre in this taut little thriller that makes the most of its low budget by proudly relying on cheesy computer-generated images for most exterior shots. Thriller fans should be on board.

Ingmar Bergman's timeless meditation on mortality and the meaning of life pits a tired knight (Max von Sydow) just back from the Crusades in a game of chess against Death. Further improving on the painstakingly restored 1999 disc release, this newly remastered version offers appreciably better picture and audio quality, particularly stunning on Blu-ray. The previous commentary carries over, and many extras are added, including a lengthy interview with the director (Bergman Island, also available separately), making this essential.