Originally published Friday, January 2, 2009 at 12:00 AM

DVDs released this week

A weekly listing of new DVDs.

Here are some of this week's DVD releases. Star ratings are by Seattle Times movie reviewers, freelancers or wire services (for full reviews, search the movie title on seattletimes.com).

"Towelhead" (R): An Arab-American teen (Summer Bishil) balances racism at school, her growing curiosity about sex, and life with her strict Lebanese father in Alan Ball's faithful adaptation of Alicia Erian's semi-autobiographical 2005 novel. Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette and Maria Bello co-star.

"Pineapple Express" (R): Seth Rogen and James Franco play potheads on the lam in this buddy-action-comedy from the Judd Apatow assembly line, directed by David Gordon Green.

"Righteous Kill" (R): After their faceoff in Michael Mann's immortal "Heat," Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reteam as detectives tracking a vigilante serial killer.

"An American Carol": A Michael Moore-like "Scrooge" (Kevin P. Farley), who wants to ban the Fourth of July, is visited by three spirits.

"Babylon A.D." (PG-13): This post-apocalyptic thriller stars Vin Diesel as a mercenary hired to deliver a "package" — a woman with a secret — from the ravages of post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe to New York City.

"Disaster Movie" (PG-13): This spoof of movies and celebrities features Carmen Electra, Matt Lanter and Kim Kardashian.

"Bangkok Dangerous" (R): Nicolas Cage plays a loner hitman in Oxide and Danny Pang's English-language remake of their 1999 thriller.

TV on DVD

"Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0"

"Greek: Chapter Two"

"Kyle XY: The Complete Second Season"