Kingsley leads wacky parade

"The Wackness," Jonathan Levine's coming-of-age tale starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck, is among 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).

"The Wackness" (R): Kingsley gives a comic performance in what's essentially a sad movie, set in 1994 Manhattan. A young man (Peck) escapes his unhappy family through his last summer job before starting college: dealing pot from a vendor cart. He alternates working hours with visits to his therapist (Kingsley), who's happy to be paid in weed. The film's many zonked-out characters include Mary-Kate Olsen, Jane Adams and a cigarette-smoke-choked Famke Janssen.

"Ping Pong Playa" (PG-13): Jimmy Tsai stars as a gangsta-ese-spouting Chinese-American slacker with pipe dreams of becoming an NBA jock in Jessica Yu's comedy.

Recently released

"Towelhead" (R)

"Pineapple Express" (R)

"Righteous Kill" (R)

"An American Carol" (PG-13)

"Babylon A.D." (PG-13)

"Disaster Movie" (PG-13)

"Bangkok Dangerous" (R)

TV on DVD

"Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0"

"Mannix: The Second Season"

"Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season One"

"The Tudors: The Complete Second Season"

"The Waltons: The Complete Eighth Season"

Compiled by Lori Taki Uno: luno@seattletimes.com