DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES MOORE TURNS UP THE HEAT.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Spin, spin, spin. The political season is like a saucer ride at an amusement park. Now comes Michael Moore's ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' out on DVD with four weeks before the presidential election.

Can we find some balance?

It is argued, quite rightly, that the presence of a camera alters reality. So there is no such thing as a true or objective documentary - even one on birds.

Of course, Moore doesn't claim ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' is objective. He admits it is an anti-Bush editorial. It does however - and here's the important part - contain a number of pertinent and salient facts and talking points that are worth checking out whether you are a supporter of the president or not.

But immediately after the film came out in May, spin doctors and pundits tried to pick it apart, even if they hadn't seen it, like conservative columnist and talk-show host Bill O'Reilly.

He called the Daily News two days after one of our reporters had seen the film and asked her to talk about it. O'Reilly prefaced the interview with our reporter by comparing Moore to Nazi minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who was known for saying, ``If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth.'' O'Reilly had decided - before viewing the film or examining any of the filmmaker's assertions (even to refute them) - that everything Moore said was a lie. (Simple journalistic procedure would require you to at least be familiar with the material.) This is from a man who calls his show ``The No Spin Zone.''

Spin, spin, spin.

Yes, Moore's film has its anti-Bush spin. And it has its errors. Assertions that the members of the Bin Laden family were allowed to leave the country after 9/11 without being interviewed and cleared by the FBI were not true. And other points Moore makes need to be fact-checked (as did statements made by both presidential candidates during the first debate).

But Moore's filmmaking genius, if you call it that, comes from his common man vs. big business-big government, etc., approach. More than his section tying the Bush family to Saudi oil interests or the part on our problems with homeland security, the parts of ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' that resonate most deal with soldiers or their families. It's hard not to be moved by a patriotic mother reading the last letter she received from her son before he was killed in combat in Iraq in which he said that he was angry at the president for taking the country to war. Later, Moore follows military recruiters around as they look for prospects among the less prosperous malls, knowing the youths headed for college and careers aren't likely to join up. One young man says he wants a career in music. Maybe we can help, the recruiters tell him. It's a reminder that wars are often fought on the backs of the poor.

In the end you may decide Moore is full of it. And even if you agree, it is not wise to buy what he says lock, stock and barrel. But if you find yourself talking about ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' without having seen it, well, then it's just spin, spin, spin.

Also out this week are the ``Michael Moore DVD Collector's Set,'' which includes two of his acclaimed earlier films - a two-disc special edition of the Oscar-winning ``Bowling for Columbine'' and ``The Big One'' - and ``The War Room,'' directed by D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, an insightful documentary on the men who worked behind the scenes on Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign.

``Fahrenheit 9/11'' (Columbia; $28.95) includes the documentary ``The Release of Fahrenheit 9/11,'' the ``Iraq, Pre-War'' featurette and other extras.

``Michael Moore DVD Collector's Set'' (Miramax; $29.98).

``The War Room'' (Universal; $14.98).

`Saved!'

Making fun of religion is tricky at best. So ``Saved!'' - a teen comedy set in a Christian high school, may strike you as nasty and funny or just plain nasty. I lean toward the former - not because I'm anti-Christian or anti-religion. I just believe every institution is ripe for parodying and satirizing.

``Saved!'' stars Jena Malone as Mary, a high-school senior whose boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), tells her he may be gay. She then decides to ``cure'' him. Whether her curing him results in the baby she is carrying or whether there was some other intervention - like hip Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan) - is never completely clear, but it does draw the condemnations - some quite funny - of her fellow students, led by the self-righteous Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore).

Hypocrisy abounds - as it does in most institutions and religions. If you watch the extras on ``Saved!'' you'll see that a number of scenes were edited out that would have made the film very nasty. So in a way ``Saved!'' was saved by taking the high road and offering a more forgiving and human vision.

``Saved!'' (MGM; $26.98) includes two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers and a featurette.

`Aladdin - Special Edition'

The voices of big-name stars can help an animated film, especially comedians like Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers in ``Shrek'' or Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks in ``Finding Nemo.'' Others from Meg Ryan to Mel Gibson are less than memorable. But nowhere has a voice had such an impact as Robin Williams' as the Genie in Disney's 1992 hit ``Aladdin.''

Williams' rapid-fire mad ad libs and impersonations (including one of Arnold) were worked into the film. ``Aladdin'' is back on a special edition two-disc DVD, which contains a ton of extras mostly aimed at young ones but includes features for adults as well, including an interesting making-of documentary and another feature devoted to Alan Menken, who composed the Oscar-winning score as well as the Oscar-winning song (with lyrics by Tim Rice) ``A Whole New World.''

For kids there are a number of games and activities, including ``Aladdin's Magic Carpet Adventure,'' a virtual game. There are also two deleted scenes and four deleted songs - ``Proud of Your Boy,'' ``Humiliate the Boy,'' ``You Can Count on Me'' and ``Why Me'' - which are all shown in their early form, since the animation was never finished. At a recent event Menken mentioned how ``Proud of Your Boy'' has surfaced to become a song used in numerous Broadway auditions even though it wasn't in the film. ``American Idol's'' Clay Aiken does a music video of it. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey perform a version of ``A Whole New World'' that has nothing on the two original versions in the film.

And while all the extras on this new edition are great, the real treat is ``Aladdin'' itself. The film, which is out for the first time on DVD, was a highlight of Disney animation, and that's saying a lot. It was entertaining then (when I was raising my children), and it still is today.

``Aladdin - Special Edition'' (Disney; $29.99).

`Tanner '88,'

`Dame Edna,'

`Dawson's Creek,'

`Farscape,'

`North and South,'

`Roswell'

On the TV front, ``Tanner '88,'' the fascinating faux documentary series on the presidential elections, is the best of the bunch. It includes a new discussion between series creators Robert Altman and Garry Trudeau. Originally airing on HBO, the series followed the campaign of Democratic hopeful Sen. Jack Tanner (Michael Murphy) as he crossed paths with other candidates such as Jesse Jackson, Gary Hart and the eventual nominee, Michael Dukakis. Emmy winner Cynthia Nixon (``Sex and the City'') plays one of his key aides. Tonight the Sundance Channel will begin airing Altman's sequel ``Tanner on Tanner'' starting at 9 p.m., which takes on this year's campaign.

Fans of Dame Edna (Barry Humphries in drag) and her BBC talk show can can enjoy her bawdy wit as she puts the likes of Joan Rivers and Sean Connery in the hot seat with the complete collection of ``The Dame Edna Experience.''

The ``Dawson's Creek'' crew hits senior year and gets ready for college in the fourth season.

Fans of ``Farscape'' can check out the complete fourth season before the Sci Fi Channel brings it back as a miniseries later this month.

The miniseries ``North and South'' only seemed like it ran as long as the Civil War, but now you can budget your time watching the TV adaptation of John Jakes' best-seller starring Patrick Swayze.

The mystery deepens on the second season of the teen E.T. show ``Roswell.'' What planet did Max, Isabelle, Michael and suddenly Tess come from anyway, and why don't they get zits?

``Tanner '88'' (Criterion; $29.95) on two discs.

``The Dame Edna Experience - The Complete Collection'' (Warner; $79.98) on five discs.

``Dawson's Creek - The Complete Fourth Season'' (Columbia; $49.95) includes 23 episodes with commentary on four discs.

``Farscape - The Complete Fourth Season'' (A.D. Vision; $149.98).

``North and South - The Complete Collection'' (Warner; $69.98).

``Roswell - The Complete Second Season (Fox; $59.98) on six discs.

Rob Lowman, [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

GEORGE W. BUSH, right, in ``Fahrenheit 9/11''