  David Alan Basche, playing Todd Beamer, tries to contact his family after his plane has been hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
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With the fifth anniversary of 9/11 just a week away, it is no surprise United 93 will make its DVD debut tomorrow.
But what might be an obvious marketing ploy for a lesser or exploitative film is appropriate in this case. British filmmaker Paul Greengrass's thriller about what might have and probably did happen on United Airlines flight 93 is an extraordinarily restrained, sensitive and realistic drama. It is also terrifying because it strips away conjecture and sets a visual template for part of the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.
As a result, the film serves two purposes. One, it is a reasoned insight into the possible events on flight 93. Two, it is an emotionally charged document that focuses debate and promotes healing. This is what art, not commerce, can accomplish when the motives are pure and when craftsmen of Greengrass' ilk set to work.
This is a classy and very special edition of the DVD, although it is not labelled as such. In addition to the sterling widescreen transfer, the DVD offers Greengrass's articulate commentary and written memorials to 40 of the crew and passengers of the doomed flight. Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Penn., after the passengers revolted and interferred with the terrorist hijackers, who apparently had targeted Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Those bonuses are strong enough. The real treasure, though, is a powerful, 60-minute documentary by Kate Solomon, United 93: The Families And The Film. The doc will leave you in tears. Yet it is also a strangely joyous experience because Solomon sweeps us into the intimate, unguarded lives of the people who lost loved ones. For example -- and all of the people we meet have riveting stories to tell -- the Guardagno clan teaches us, in startling ways, about the resiliency that is an inate part of the human condition.
Outdoorsman Richard Guadagno, a manager at Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge in California, died that day. His parents, Bea and Jerry, and his sister, Lori, are filmed during crucial times in the development of the film. The first time is when they meet the actor, Daniel Sauli, who plays Guadagno; the second is when they see the film in a families-only preview.
At the end, Bea Guadagno is asked what the film gave her. She answers: "Peace!" This DVD is not just a film, it is now an important part of the history of 9/11.
ON ANOTHER PLANET: It is difficult to so abruptly change gears after United 93. Yet there is a world of new films coming to DVD tomorrow, some of which also have a healing value, even if their subject matter is benign. One example is the lovely comic drama Kinky Boots.
Inspired by a true story (so many liberties were taken), this is the tale of how an English shoe factory transforms itself from sure death in the manufacturing of brown oxfords to new vitality in taking on a niche market -- luridly sexy yet strong boots for London drag queens.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, a marvellous actor already, gives us a fresh perspective on his explosive talent by portraying Lola, a drag queen and cabaret star who designs the new boot line. The uplifting story is as much about lifestyle, and acceptance, as it is about the mechanics of saving a business or the cliches of the love story involving co-star Joel Edgerton.
The widescreen DVD is well appointed with the commentary led by director Julian Jarrold, plus deleted scenes. The must-see is the self-explanatory featurette, The Real Kinky Boots Factory, where you meet the real deal.
DANCING FOOL: While we're on an inspirational kick, check out the Antonio Banderas vehicle, Take The Lead, out on widescreen DVD last week. As another movie inspired by a true story -- the life of ballroom dance teacher Pierre Dulaine -- it is even more Hollywood than Kinky Boots. I mean that in terms of sexing up and mucking about with reality to make it fit the dance movie formula.
Yet Banderas, who plays Dulaine when he first starts to teach inner city New York delinquents the beauty of life through dance, sells the whole thing beautifully. The DVD is packed with extras, including deleted scenes, a group commentary and a tango lesson. The highlight is a 15-minute featurette on the spirited Dulaine.
THE TIME WARP AGAIN: Unlock the closet, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is inspirational on a whole other level. The most famous and fun cult film in history is back again on DVD tomorrow, this time in a three-disc Anniversary Edition. It is 30 years for the original, and 25 for the lesser sequel, Shock Treatment.
On DVD, everything old is back again. You get the fully loaded, two-disc Rocky Horror set that was issued in 2000. Added is a one-disc treatment of Shock Treatment. So this box set is pointless if you already have that 2000 release, because adding Shock Treatment is not enough to justify it. Newbies, however, can start here, if you dare.
IDIOT'S DELIGHT: To mark the forthcoming release of its sequel, the original Jackass: The Movie is back in a new widescreen-only, Unrated Special Collector's Edition.
You know what that means: More stupid human pet tricks from Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O & friends. Included are 27 minutes of additional footage, offered in its own separate menu, plus nine other scenes in the Too Hot For MTV section, plus seven minutes of goofy outtakes. The cast clowns its way through a group commentary, while another featured Knoxville joining director Jeff Tremaine and cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich.
