"Shadows" was shunned at theaters, perhaps because it was referred to as a documentary, and everybody knows those aren't any fun.

You can compensate for that mistake by renting or buying the DVD edition (Artisan), an improvement on the film itself.

Directed by Paul Justman and inspired by a book on Motown bassist James Jamerson written by co-producer Allan Slutsky, "Shadows" shone when interviewing the surviving musicians (three of whom had passed away by the time the film was released). It stumbled when it resorted to re-creations of famous anecdotes. And the reunion concert sequences were a mixed bag, relying on guest appearances by second-string singers.

The DVD, however, is another story. The two-disc set has a wealth of material not seen in the movie, including "Dinner with the Funk Brothers," a story-filled meal to be savored; a tribute to the musicians who died before the film was made; a half-hour's worth of footage deleted from the film, and "How It Began," the reel of clips and interviews Slutsky used to shop the film around.

But the real attraction is the soundtrack, which remixes the songs you know and love into 6.1 DTS-ES and 5.1 Dolby Surround. This not only makes them sound shiny-new but lets you to savor the players' individual contributions. If you slip the disc into your computer's DVD-ROM, you can access a virtual recording studio that lets you remix Funk Brothers contributions to various Motown tracks to your taste. Great option; great job all around.

Hooray for Hollywood

Soundtrack remixes also provide a reason to own five new titles in Warner Home Video's "Classic Musicals" series: "Broadway Melody of 1940," with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell; 1953's "Kiss Me Kate," with Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel in a variation on "The Taming of the Shrew"; 1957's "Ninotchka" remake, "Silk Stockings," with Astaire and Cyd Charisse; 1956's "High Society," with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly; and 1957's "Les Girls," with Gene Kelly and Mitzi Gaynor.

And what do these films have in common besides singing and dancing? Music by Cole Porter, and a documentary, "Cole Porter in Hollywood." They are also remixed into 5.1 Surround. Thankfully, the songs themselves — "Broadway Melody" introduced "Begin the Beguine"; "Too Darn Hot" is the centerpiece of "Kate"; "High Society" features Crosby and Kelly doing a "True Love" duet — have been remixed on a separate soundtrack.

For those who can't get enough of show tunes, Warner has also released the TMC special "The Great American Songbook," hosted by archivist and throwback Michael Feinstein and featuring classic performance clips of Hoagy Carmichael, Arthur Freed, Bessie Smith and Fats Waller.

Pre-monk incarnation

If the idea of the god-like Chow Yun-Fat reduced to sharing the screen with an "American Pie" star in the current "Bulletproof Monk" makes you nauseated, you can find him in fighting trim in "Once a Thief" (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment). This 1994 caper from John Woo failed to get U.S. distribution, perhaps because it was so different in tone from Woo's and Chow's violent Hong Kong dramas.

Chow has the Cary Grant suave cat-burglar role in this obvious homage to Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief," playing the leader of a gang of art thieves on that proverbial last job. Woo remade the movie for Canadian television, but this is a real romp.

From 'Sunday' to Sundance

Of recent theatrical releases, the best is "Bloody Sunday" (Paramount), a stunning re-creation of the events of Jan. 30, 1972, when British troops fired on an Irish march in Derry and 13 people were killed. Like "Black Hawk Down," the film puts you right in the middle of the chaos and its aftermath. It's exquisitely directed by Paul Greengrass, who participates in one of the two commentaries included.

"The Believer" (Trimark Home Video) is a standout, primarily for its searing performance by Ryan Gosling as a charismatic neo-Nazi hiding a secret: He's Jewish. Based on true events, this 2001 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner almost didn't get a theatrical release after some Jewish groups objected to its based-on-fact story. It had a brief, limited release last year.

Last year's Sundance audience award went to "Real Women Have Curves" (HBO Video), a story of a full-figured Latina teenager (America Ferrera) who wars with her mother (Lupe Ontiveros) over her size and future. Originally made for HBO, it had a theatrical release after Sundance, but it still plays like your typical uplifting made-for-cable movie.