Five years after Antwone Fisher, Denzel Washington gets behind the camera again, directing an uplifting period drama about an underdog black college debate team in 1930s Texas that wins its way to a throwdown against Harvard. While solid and well-shot, the Oprah Winfrey– produced drama is hobbled by too many subplots. (Genius, $30)

FBI agent and mother Jennifer (a strong Diane Lane) tracks a killer who snatches Portland, Oregon, citizens and slays them live on the Internet. Inevitably, the fiend targets our tough girl with a gun in an increasingly unbelievable cat-and-mouse game. Beware: The thriller has its share of Saw-style torture scenes. Ick! (Sony, $29)

In this clever batch from 2005–2006, loutish Charlie (Charlie Sheen) swears to finally commit to a woman (Emmanuelle Vaugier). He also has sex with his stalker (Melanie Lynskey). The highlight? A visit from Charlie's dad (played by real-life pop Martin Sheen). (Warner Bros., $45)