COUCH THEATER

Keira Knightley in "The Duchess" PICK OF THE WEEK

. "Ghost Town" - This is one of those little gems that seem to come and go really quickly at the theaters, but hopefully find new life on home video as people discover them.

"Ghost Town" is a wickedly funny romantic comedy starring Ricky Gervais (star and creator of the original "The Office") as Bertram Pincus, a surly dentist who, after having a near-death experience, discovers he can see and speak with ghosts.

One of the spirits he meets is Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), who wants Pincus to prevent Frank's widow (Tea Leoni) from marrying a lawyer he believes is only pursuing her for her money. Needless to say, high jinks aplenty ensue.

What sets "Ghost Town" apart from most run-of-the-mill romcoms is that the story doesn't go for cheap, sappy sentimentality. It's refreshingly honest and human, and the performances by Gervais and Leoni are wonderful. It's a rare date movie that even guys will love.

ALSO

. "The Duchess" - Oh look: It's Keira Knightley in a period costume drama! This time she's stuck in the 18th century as Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales. And like Diana, Georgiana was also the subject of much scandal, gossip and marital intrigue. You have a choice: You can rent or buy this DVD, or you could just slap a big white wig and corset onto a box kite and make Monty Python noises at it. Guess which one I'm gonna do? Oh, come on. I'm just kidding. I don't own a box kite.

DOG OF THE WEEK

. "Eagle Eye" - Shia LaBeouf has the dubious honor of being in two of 2008's big-budget stinkers. The first, obviously, was "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Suck," the second being "Eagle Eye," possibly one of the worst films of the year.

Basically, the story is this: A computer that can control everything has gone bat-dookie insano, and then there's a plot to assassinate the president using a boy's trumpet, and Stupid McStuperson (LaBeouf) gets led by the nose by a disembodied voice to save the day while avoiding Billy Bob Thornton cuz ... that's what you do. Seriously. I think it's a law or something, because I bought a wallet last month and the picture that came with it was of Billy Bob Thornton, and stamped on it was "Avoid This Guy." True story.