'NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: LIKE, THE BEST SPECIAL EDITION EVER!'

We're only a half-decade in, but so far, you'd have to give him the nod as Geek of the Century.

Napoleon Dynamite -- with his moon boots, white-boy 'fro, pet llama and flippin' sweet nunchuck skills -- slowly but surely went from being a Sundance cult hero to having his face on an entire merchandise rack at Wal-Mart after the release of the indie film in 2004.

By now, you've probably either watched it, watched it 12 times, turned it off midway in disgust or avoided it entirely, so there's no point in rehashing here the offbeat story of this spastic Idaho misfit who finds his mojo as campaign manager of his monosyllabic friend Pedro's bid for class president. I'm somewhere in the category of a five-time "Napoleon"-watcher, as there was a period when it was on a continuous loop in my living room.

That number will probably rise to six or seven times with the release of this special edition with a bonus disc of features. It comes with more deleted scenes, the best of which is one in the thrift store in which Napoleon holds a book over the security camera while Pedro undresses a mannequin so they can hide the $12 suit he tried (unsuccessfully) to put on layaway.

There are two new documentaries, one a low-key look at director Jared Hess going to Sundance with low expectations and better results. The other is a location piece that includes our Napoleon, Jon Heder, getting his head banged into the school locker -- and seeming to enjoy it -- and Uncle Rico (John Gries) perfecting his Steak Toss at the bike-riding Napoleon.

Also on the disc, Heder manages to stay in character for a few spontaneously funny moments during a TRL visit and come out of character (he has straight hair) for the opening of "Saturday Night Live."

A quickie favorite among fans will be the segment from the National Spelling Bee, in which an Asian contestant muttered in perfect Napoleonspeak, "Do the chickens have large talons?" It prompted a judge or commentator to wonder, "Was that a secret message?"

If you haven't seen "Napoleon Dynamite," you might think a lot of those are going around.

-- Scott Mervis, Post-Gazette Weekend Mag editor

'THE PRODUCERS'

When is bigger not better?

When you're adapting a Broadway musical to the screen. An art form already steeped in excess can sometimes slip into shrillness.

That's the burden of "The Producers," Susan Stroman's big-screen version of her hit stage show based on the 1967 Mel Brooks comedy. Stroman brought in Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick -- the original stage stars -- and, for the uninitiated, "The Producers" follows the foibles of Leo Bloom (Broderick), a mousey accountant, and theatrical producer Max Bialystock (Lane). When the former tells the latter that he can make more money by staging a Broadway flop -- sell 200 percent and no profits to report -- Max jumps at the chance. But where to find such a show?

In the fetid mind of a Nazi sympathizer (Will Ferrell) who's written a musical called "Springtime for Hitler." Add a cross-dressing director and a phalanx of goose-stepping storm troopers and the fellows are sure they've mounted a disaster. Pity theater audiences rejoice in the absurdity.

Brooks' original premise was classic (helped by now legendary performances by Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel). The musical version is still smart, only instead of pithy punch lines, we get songs. The actors deliver them well, especially veteran Nathan Lane. Broderick sometimes seems along for the ride, but he steps up in the late innings.

So what's not to like? Sometimes "The Producers" is so intent on dazzling us -- its creators built an entire Broadway street on a soundstage -- that production values dwarf the plot. Is this a show about shyster producers or about how many grannies they can get to tango with their walkers in Central Park?

You get a lot of screen time for your dollar and Nathan Lane has never been more enjoyable. Still, the magic of Broadway doesn't entirely translate to the big screen. All that razzle dazzle gets trumped by an avalanche of artifice.

-- Mike Pearson, Scripps Howard News Service New this week:

"The Producers": See review.

"The Ringer" ( ): Johnny Knoxville is an average guy who pretends to be mentally challenged so he can rig the Special Olympics. DVD comes with 16 deleted scenes, featurettes, commentary by director Barry W. Blaustein, Knoxville and others.

"Something New" ( ): Simon Baker and Blair Underwood vie for the attention of Sanaa Lathan, a Los Angeles career gal, in this romantic comedy. This interracial romance manages to ask the tough questions but never lingers on them too long. In the end, it is enjoyable, lovely to look at and very well-acted.

"The White Countess" ( ): A blind former diplomat (Ralph Fiennes) The White Countess nightclub in 1936 Shanghai to escape the chaos and tragedy of his life in this James Ivory film also starring Natasha Richardson. The result is an elegant movie, in the Merchant-Ivory tradition of "Room With a View" and "Howard's End."

"Game 6" ( ): Michael Keaton gives a stellar performance as a New York playwright whose new play is opening on the same day as Game 6 of the Red Sox-Mets World Series. Unfortunately, it's a mediocre to average movie with cerebral themes about failure and fears that stay fuzzy instead of coming into sharp focus.

"When a Stranger Calls" ( ): Camilla Belle stars in this remake of the 1979 horror movie about a baby sitter terrorized by a killer caller ... who's inside the house.

TV on DVD: "The Big Valley," season 1; "Grounded for Life," season 2; "Here Come the Brides," season 1; "Hill Street Blues," season 2; "That Girl," season 1.

Star ratings are based on the Post-Gazette reviews during theatrical release.