DVD REVIEW OF NEW RELEASES YOU REALLY CAN'T GO WRONG WITH MEN POSING AS NUNS.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Perhaps it's not in good taste to praise a film that takes comic shots at the Catholic Church in light of Pope John Paul II's death, but ``Nuns on the Run,'' which is being released for the first time on DVD this week, is often flat-out funny.

The 1990 film starred starred Eric Idle as Brian and Robbie Coltrane as Charlie, who play a couple of crooks who hide out in a Catholic convent after stealing $1 million in drug money from their own gang and an Asian gang. The pair pose as Sister Euphemia of the Five Wounds (Idle) and Sister Inviolata of the Immaculate Conception (Coltrane).

Explaining they have been sent from another convent, the two are put to work teaching high-school girls. Besides the obvious humorous moments of the gifted Idle and Coltrane trying to dress and talk like sisters (not to mention the depilatory question and the temptations of the girls' locker room), there's also Charlie, who was raised Catholic, trying to explain the mysteries of the Church to a confused Brian.

``You've got the father, the son and the holy ghost,'' Charlie tells Brian. ``But the three are one - like a shamrock, my old priest used to say. 'Three leaves, but one leaf.' Now, the father sent down the son, who was love, and then when he went away, he sent down the holy spirit, who came down in the form of a ...''

A few moments of back and forth, and then:

``Let me try and summarize this,'' says Brian. ``God is his son. And his son is God. But his son moonlights as a holy ghost, a holy spirit and a dove. And they all send each other, even though they're all one and the same thing.''

``You've got it,'' exclaims Charlie. ``You really could be a nun!''

Written and directed by Jonathan Lynn (``My Cousin Vinny,'' ``The Whole Nine Yards''), ``Nuns on the Run'' isn't a heavyweight comedy - no dark satire or an attack on the Catholic Church. It's just light fun and never a drag.

The 1965 film ``Viva Maria'' was not one of the better works of the great French New Wave director Louis Malle. But the sight of Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau running around in bustiers as a song-and-dance team during a revolution in Latin America in 1907 is pretty inspiring. Malle apparently tried to inject a little social consciousness into this frothy mix of sex and revolution by noting the plight of the peasants, but for the most part the focus is on Bardot and Moreau - and for that, all I can say is, vive la revolution.

Some people found Lawrence Kasdan's ``Silverado'' a bit too hip to be considered a good Western, even though it had all the accouterments - a rousing score, gunplay and a strong, silent type (Scott Glenn) as a hero. Plus the numerous story lines make the film as chaotic as a stampede. However, if you let the Western dust clear, you'll see ``Silverado's'' tone is more akin to ``Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (which Kasdan wrote) than to a John Wayne oater. Taken that way, the 1985 film is a decent ride. Among the extras included as part of a new two-disc set are a deck of cards for you poker fans.

As Hollywood is about to have another big-screen go at it, ``The Amityville Horror Collection'' is released on DVD. The set includes the original film - ``The Amityville Horror'' - plus ``Amityville II: The Possession,'' ``Amityville 3-D'' and a bonus disc - ``Amityville Confidential.'' Whose bonus, they're not saying. The first film about a possessed house was no great shakes. The director, Stuart Rosenberg, had done better work, like ``Cool Hand Luke,'' and the cast - including James Brolin, Margot Kidder and an overacting Rod Steiger - was clearly there for the paycheck. It's been downhill ever since.

``Nuns on the Run'' (Anchor Bay; $14.95) includes commentary by Lynn.

``Viva Maria'' (MGM; $14.95).

``Silverado Gift Set'' (Columbia; $19.94) includes commentary, featurettes and that deck of cards.

The Amityville Horror Collection (MGM; $39.96) with - believe it or not - extras.