MEAN GIRLS - DVD - In this survival-of-the-fittest teen comedy, high school is a dangerous jungle seething with teenagers who prey on each other like wild animals. The nonstop jokes are hilariously rewarding as they exaggerate adolescent vanity and satirize political correctness issues like race, class, and homosexuality. Here, the Plastics are the most popular girls in school. They wrote the rule book on Girl World, like always wearing pink on Tuesdays. And they're mean. So when pretty new girl Cady (Lindsay Lohan) arrives in school, the first thing they do is make fun of her. Then they try to win her over. Cady is torn between social cliques. She befriends the punky rebels Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese). But the guy Cady wants to date is friends with the Plastics-Regina (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert), and Karen (Amanda Seyfriend)-so she has to be resourceful. Problem is, the two groups hate each other. Just trying to fit in, Cady jumps through hoops for the Plastics and becomes a mean girl in the process. Though her transformation is radical, when the final act of meanness is done, she learns a few valuable lessons. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE writer Tina Fey contributes the script and also stars as a teacher, quietly smirking at her own jokes throughout the antics. Directed by FREAKY FRIDAY's Mark Waters, MEAN GIRLS doesn't miss a beat, following the faithful formula of teen fare such as SIXTEEN CANDLES and HEATHERS. The soundtrack features songs by Blondie, Missy Elliot, Pink, The Donnas, and Janis Ian.

Warner Brothers' presentation of Any Given Sunday is billed as a Special Edition Director's Cut and contains a handful of additional pieces of footage not seen theatrically. Visually, the film is very well presented. The colors are exceptionally bright, if a bit too red. This could have been the intention of director Oliver Stone, however, and not a fault of the transfer. The video is shown in an anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The details, especially in anamorphic mode, are extremely crisp. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is light on surround usage but full of pulse-pounding bass; each hit and tackle is rendered thunderous. Several special features are included: a documentary on the making of the film, an L.L. Cool J music video, trailer, and biographies. Unfortunately, there is no commentary. Any Given Sunday is also enhanced for DVD-ROMs with web events, chat-room access, Web-site links, reviews, and more. Although the extras are large in number, their quality is limited. As with any feature by a renowned director, some type of commentary would have been welcome. The trailer and bios are one-time views, if that, and the DVD-ROM features are hardly compelling. This DVD, however, is all about the presentation of the film. In this area it succeeds wonderfully. With added scenes, an incredible video transfer, and heavy-hitting sound, there is enough here for both fans of the film and newcomers to Stone's football opus.