As I mentioned in my last column, the magic of movies can transport us to some wildly unique settings and offer incredible experiences. This issue, we'll look at two new releases featuring con men and spies. What else do you need to know?

"The Brothers Bloom"
(PG-13, Now Available)

Two young boys, Stephen Bloom, age 13, and Bloom Bloom, age 10, are not typical kids. They talk different, they dress different, and they can never seem to find a set of foster parents willing to put up with their shenanigans.

Life has been hard for the boys and they have difficulty connecting with others and finding something they are good at. But when Stephen comes up with a fantastic story designed to help Bloom make friends and, more importantly to Stephen, make the brothers some money, the brothers Bloom find their calling. The first con doesn't quite work out the way they had hoped, but there's no going back for these two.

The story picks up nearly 25 years later with Bloom (Adrien Brody) vowing to walk away after a con in Berlin. Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) knows Bloom will come back. He always does. But this time it will take something special to get Bloom to return to the life. It takes Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz).

Penelope is a lonely shut-in living on the spacious estate left to her by her billionaire parents. For Stephen, she is the perfect mark. Like the first con they ever had, this one begins with, "Bloom talks to girl." He gets to know the eccentric Penelope who fills her days "collect[ing] hobbies." Bloom convinces Penelope to come along with him on a little adventure, giving her a chance to get out and live, and making the brothers rich.

"The perfect con," Stephen explains, "is one where everybody gets what they want."

As they set sail for their adventure, Penelope is introduced to Stephen and the mysterious Bang Bang ("Babel's" Rinko Kikuchi).

"The Brothers Bloom" is the second film from writer-director Rian Johnson. 2006's "Brick" was an inventive modern day noir that never quite came together as a whole. With this Johnson realizes his full potential as a storyteller and filmmaker. The tale is as expertly crafted as it is fun to watch. The snappy dialogue, colorful costumes, and quirkiness of the characters all serve to immerse us in the movie's world. There are no quirks for the sake of quirks. The characters are fully developed and the relationships between the four are interesting and revealing.

Johnson gets terrific performances from his actors. As the cautious and more tender of the brothers, Brody is outstanding. His weary face says so much about Bloom's state of mind. Ruffalo is a blast to watch as the more mischievous Stephen, and in their scenes together, they are totally believable as brothers. Like most sibling relationships, complexity and simple love go hand in hand.

Weisz provides depth to the kooky Penelope. She shows us a woman who is about to burst with excitement after spending her whole life inside. But it's Kikuchi who just about runs away with the movie. As Bang Bang, she says almost nothing, but that only makes her more interesting. With the range she displays with a simple facial expression, Kikuchi doesn't need words. "She just showed up one day," Bloom explains. "And one day we figure she'll just disappear."

It may not be your typical summer movie fare, which likely explains its poor showing at the box-office, but "The Brothers Bloom" does have explosions and action to go along with the quotable lines, wonderful story, terrific performances, and sharp filmmaking.

For some reason the DVD and Blu-Ray for this film are only available for rental and its availability has received zero publicity. This is a movie that deserves far better from its studio, which didn't do a great job of advertising its theatrical release either.

"The Brothers Bloom" is easily one of my favorite films of 2009 and it's impossible not to be entertained. Don't miss this one.

9/10.

"The Prisoner": The Complete Series

If you've ever gotten sucked into a thrilling dramatic television series that challenged you and demanded you pay close attention to detail, you should thank Patrick McGoohan. When he created and starred in "The Prisoner" in 1967, he showed the world that television could be something more than what it had been up to that point. It could produce genuine art.

McGoohan plays a British secret agent who resigns only to find himself drugged and awakening on a mysterious island, in a place known only as the Village. He is assigned Number 6. No one in the Village has names and no one knows where they are or how they got there. "I am not a number," he insists. "I am a free man!"

But he's not free and someone is quite literally always watching. Week after week of its 17-episode run (McGoohan had actually intended the series to be even shorter than that), Number 6 attempts to outwit the new Number 2 and escape. Meanwhile, each Number 2 stops at nothing to break him and find out just why he resigned, a bit of information he's not giving up.

Much more than an exercise in very unique sixties style (which it has in spades), "The Prisoner" is a fast moving and highly cerebral series that is a far cry from Bond. Books have been devoted to its meaning, which is hardly surprising given just how much there is under the surface. This is one of the best and most important shows in the history of television. Essential viewing.

"The Prisoner" has been released on DVD before, but this is its first time on Blu-Ray.

New to DVD and Blu-Ray
Now Available:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13)
Cheri (R)
Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered ("Don't mention the war!")
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: Wubbzy's Christmas Adventure

Available October 27:
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG)
Whatever Works (PG-13)
Orphan (R)