I can't say that I ever really take chances in my movie buying. With over 400 discs in my collection and barely enough space to store them all, I try to be very selective.
However, a coworker of mine has been very insistant on me borrowing some of her movies. I just watched one the other day,
Everything is Illuminated, that I would never have chosen on my own.
It's about a young American Jew, played by Elijah Wood, who travels to the Ukraine in search of the woman who helped to save his grandfather from the Nazis. He ends up hiring a young man and the man's grandfather as his guide and translator and eventually finds that the three of them and the story of his own grandfather are all deeply connected.
It's actually a very funny movie that is also very warm and touching. But the emphasis seems to be on humor, which is a very welcome thing considering the subject matter.
Here's a quote from the movie (spoken by Alex, the translator.)
"
This is Sammy Davis Jr. Jr... She is Grandfather's Seeing Eye bitch. Father purchased her for him not because he believes Grandfather is blind, but because a Seeing Eye bitch is also a good thing for people who pine for the opposite of loneliness. In truth, Father did not purchase her at all, but merely retrieved her from the home for forgetful dogs. Because of this, she is not a real Seeing Eye bitch, and is also mentally deranged."