TouchStone Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (Blu-ray)

Here's the absolutely hysterical, wonderfully wild, cosmic adventure comedy "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy." Based on Douglas Adams' worldwide best-selling novel, and starring an outrageous intergalactic cast, this is one ride you don't want to miss. Seconds before Earth is destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace express route, mild-mannered Arthur Dent is whisked into space by his best friend (an alien posing as an out-of-work actor). And so the misadventures begin as he and fellow travelers, including the cool but dim-witted President of the Galaxy, the Earth girl Trillian, and Marvin the paranoid android, search for answers to the mystery of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Fifty years into the future a team of astronauts are sent to deploy a device to reignite the dying sun.System Requirements:Running Time: 110 Mins.Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/RACE AGAINST TIME Rating: R UPC: 024543485537 Manufacturer No: 2248553

UPC:786936715545
DESCRIPTION: Kill Bill: Volume 1, the critically acclaimed film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), now packs even more of a punch in high definition on Blu-ray disc! Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction), Lucy Liu (Charlie s Angels, Chicago) and Vivica A. Fox (Two Can Play That Game) star in this astonishing, action-packed motion picture about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta. Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and decides it s time for payback...with a vengeance! Determined to finish the kill-or-be-killed fight she didn t start, she hunts down her former boss, Bill (David Carradine), and the deadly squad of international assassins who perpetrated the bloody attack. END

Suit up for action with Robert Downey Jr. in the ultimate adventure movie you’ve been waiting for, Iron Man! When jet-setting genius-industrialist Tony Stark is captured in enemy territory, he builds a high-tech suit of armor to escape. Now, he’s on a mission to save the world as a hero who’s built, not born, to be unlike any other. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges, it’s a fantastic, high-flying journey that is "hugely entertaining" (Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal).

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Pg13

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Rating: Pg

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 12/02/2008 Rating: Pg13

The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective, but soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

J.J. Abrams The greatest adventure of all time begins with Star Trek, the incredible story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with action, comedy and cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind. The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk (Chris Pine), is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock (Zachary Quinto), was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before.

Andrew Adamson Disney The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Blu-ray) Based on the second novel in C.S. Lewis's beloved CHRONICLES OF NARNIA series, PRINCE CASPIAN finds the four Pevensie children—Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)—once again whisked away from WWII-era England into the realm of Narnia, where the siblings once ruled as royalty. However, the Pevensies soon discover that 1,300 years have passed since they left, and the world is now controlled by the Telmarines, humans who long ago banished the magical creatures of Narnia to the wilderness. When the heir to the Telmarine throne,Caspian (Ben Barnes), survives an assassination attempt plotted by his scheming uncle, Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), the noble youth stumbles across Narnia's exiled enchanted population, and decides tolead them in an uprising, aided by Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Considerably darker and more action-packed than THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE, this 2008 sequel, once again directed by Andrew Adamson, is driven by the struggle between the Telmarines and the banished Narnians, resulting in many fierce battle sequences. While the newcomer Barnes and the established quartet of Moseley, Popplewell, Keynes, and Henley are all in fine form, CASPIAN is largely enhanced by its supporting cast,which includes indie mainstay Peter Dinklage as the dour dwarf Trumpkin and revered British comedian Eddie Izzard as the voice of the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep. Also briefly reprising their roles from the previous film are Liam Neeson, as the voice of Aslan, and Tilda Swinton, as the White Witch, actors who bring their familiar personas to this engaging and entertaining second chapter in theNARNIA saga.

Michael Bay Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 09/02/2008 Run time: 143 minutes Rating: Pg13

Timur Bekmambetov Universal Pictures Wanted (Blu-ray) Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (JamesMcAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.

Peter Berg Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006) stars in this action-packed comedy as Hancock, a sarcastic, hard-living and misunderstood superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public. When Hancock grudgingly agrees to an extreme makeover from idealistic publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, Juno), his life and reputation rise from the ashes and all seems right again—until he meets a woman (2003 Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron, Best Actress, Monster) with similar powers to his and the key to his secret past.

Darren Lynn Bousman Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 01/20/2009 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: R

Tim Burton

Francis Ford Coppola With dizzying cinematic tricks and astonishing performances, Francis Coppola's 1992 version of the oft-filmed Dracula story is one of the most exuberant, extravagant films of the 1990s. Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder, as the Count and Mina Murray, are quite a pair of star-crossed lovers. She's betrothed to another man; he can't kick the habit of feeding off the living. Anthony Hopkins plays Van Helsing, the vampire slayer, with tongue firmly in cheek. Tom Waits is great fun as Renfield, the hapless slave of Dracula who craves the blood of insects and cats. Sadie Frost is a sexy Lucy Westenra. And poor Keanu Reeves, as Jonathan Harker, has the misfortune to be seduced by Dracula's three half-naked wives. There's a little bit of everything in this version of Dracula: gore, high-speed horseback chases, passion, and longing.

Clyde Geronimi Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character—how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. —David Kronke

On the Blu-ray

Sleeping Beauty was the last and most lavish of Walt Disney's animated fairy tales. He told the artists not to hurry and to give him "a moving illustration": The film required almost four and one-half years and one million finished drawings. Instead of the 19th century storybook illustrations that had influenced the look of Snow White and Pinocchio, the artists adapted the flattened perspective and jewel-like colors of 15th century French illuminated manuscripts. The results remain unmatched for sheer visual opulence. However, Sleeping Beauty suffers from a weak story: the vision of an ageless princess slumbering in a vine-shrouded tower was replaced with elements of Snow White and a boy-meets-girl musical. The evil Maleficent and the three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) dominate the film, rather than Princess Aurora and Prince Philip. Sleeping Beauty was originally released in 70mm, and the Blu-ray edition restores the film to its original splendor. (Many earlier releases trimmed the wide-screen images and/or muted the glowing palatte.) The Bonus DVD looks good on a flat screen monitor, but it pales in comparison to the richness of the Blu-ray. In addition to the commentaries and a making-of documentary, the set includes myriad extras that vary widely in quality. Nostalgia buffs will enjoy the recreation of the old Sleeping Beauty's Castle attraction in Disneyland, and the TV program "Four Artists Paint One Tree" provides a welcome showcase for key talents from the film. But the CG animation of the dragon and the voice imitations of the Good Fairies fail to capture the magic of the originals in the "Dragon Encounter"; the "Maleficent's Challenge Game"—a hi-tech Twenty Questions—sounds only vaguely like the redoubtable sorceress. The BD-Live features require an awful lot of bother: after wading through (or ignoring) 130 screens of legalese, participants must enter their Social Security number or other personal information in the drawn-out sign-on process. Once that's finally done, viewers can send special messages to pop up during the film, chat online with others who are watching, and view it in synch with others. The question is whether or not you want to. (Rated G: violence) —Charles Solomon

Stills from Sleeping Beauty (Click for larger image)

David Hackl How do you keep a horror franchise going when your villain has been unquestionably and irrevocably killed off? That's a conundrum any number of genre series have tackled—to varying degrees of success—and the problem facing the sadistic Saw films in its latest entry, Saw V. The filmmakers' answer—faithful henchmen—is at first blush a savvy idea, as it allows the mayhem of original bad guy Jigsaw to continue unabated, despite the fact that he was dissected on a morgue slab in the previous film. Saw V extends the premise by having disgraced detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor from the previous two films) don the pig mask to unleash horrific tortures on another group of seemingly unconnected strangers. Scott Patterson (Aliens in America) also returns as Hoffman's Javert, a dogged fellow agent who escapes death in the fourth film and an ugly fate in this entry to continue his pursuit. All the elements that have made the Saw series popular with horror fans—the elaborate killing machines, the trompe l'oeil plotting, and the sociopathic judgments handed down by Jigsaw—are intact in Saw V, which is a positive for its most faithful followers, but a negative for just about everyone else. Saw V covers no new ground, expands no part of the mythology of the series and seems perfectly content to present a lifeless retread of Saw III and IV. It also suffers from the absence of Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, who despite his top billing, is glimpsed only in brief flashbacks. Bell, who could be unsettling even in the stillest moments, gave the series a gravity that kept its least plausible moments in check, and Mandylor, though game, simply cannot provide the same. What's left is dreary and relentlessly downbeat, and to make matters worse, ends on an open note that clearly indicates that a sixth film is in the works, no matter how obvious that the diabolical ingenuity of the original Saw has been worn to the bone by its sequels. Only diehard Saw fans need to sign up for this round of Jigsaw's games. — Paul Gaita

Beyond Saw V on DVD
Saw 1-4 (Amazon.com Exclusive) on DVD
Saw V the Soundtrack

David Hand No film in history has captured the worlds imagination like Walt Disneys first full-length animated masterpiece. Through astonishing Blu-ray high definition technology, experience this timeless classic in its most spectacular presentation ever! With an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney Enhanced High Definition sound, the breathtaking animation and unforgettable music of the most revered Disney film of all time will enthrall you like never before!

Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother, the queen, and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs. But when she falls under the queens wicked spell, only true loves kiss can save her

Bonus Features Include: Snow White Returns Storyboard Featurette Was Walt planning a Snow White sequel? With newly discovered storyboards Disney animators show how this sequel would have played out, Princess and the Frog Sneak Peek Exclusive sneak peek at the 1st 5 minutes before it hits theaters, The One that Started it All Featurette This featurette within Hyperion Studios reveals how Snow White forever changed the world of movies and the world at large, All New Tiffany Thornton Music Video to Someday My Prince Will Come, Audio Commentary with Walt Disney

Mary Harron Bret Easton Ellis' dark and violent satire of America in the 1980s is brought to the screen in this unsettling drama with black comic overtones. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) the son of a wealthy Wall Street financier is pursuing his own lucrative career with his father's firm. Bateman is the prototypical yuppie obsessed with success fashion and style. He is also a serial killer who murders rapes and mutilates both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or reason. Donald Kimble (Willem Dafoe) a police detective questions Bateman about the disappearance of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) whom Patrick murdered several days earlier. As Kimble stays on Bateman's trail Bateman's mask of studied distant cool begins to fall apart. American Psycho also features Reese Witherspoon as Bateman's girlfriend as well as Samantha Mathis Chloe Sevigny and Guinevere Turner; the latter also co-authored the screenplay. Controversy followed the production from the start when speculation that Leonardo Di Caprio would play Bateman sparked concerns that he would lure preteens to an R-rated movie. Di Caprio soon bowed out of the project and original leading man Bale was reinstated. Later a group of Toronto residents attempted to block filming in that city after Canadian serial killer Paul Bernardo claimed that Ellis' novel inspired his murder spree. ~ Mark Deming All Movie GuideSystem Requirements:Run Time: 102 minsFormat: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: UNRATED UPC: 031398203469 Manufacturer No: 20346

Gavin Hood Wolverine, fan favorite of the X-Men universe in both comic books and film, gets his own movie vehicle with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a tale that reaches way, way back into the hairy mutant's story. Somewhere in the wilds of northwest Canada in the early 1800s, two boys grow up amid violence: half-brothers with very special powers. Eventually they will become the near-indestructible warriors (and victims of a super-secret government program) known as Wolverine and Sabretooth, played respectively by Hugh Jackman (returning to his role) and Liev Schreiber (new to the scene). It helps enormously to have Schreiber, an actor of brawny skills, as the showiest villain; the guy can put genuine menace into a vocal inflection or a shift of the eyes. Danny Huston is the sinister government operative whose experiments keep pullin' Wolverine back in, Lynn Collins is the woman who shares a peaceful Canadian co-existence with our hero when he tries to drop out of the program, and Ryan Reynolds adds needed humor, at least for a while. The fast-paced early reels give an entertaining kick-off to the Wolverine saga, only to slow down when a proper plot must be put together—but isn't that perpetually the problem with origin stories? And despite a cool setting, the grand finale is a little hemmed in by certain plot essentials that must be in place for the sequels, which may be why characters do nonsensical things. So, this one is fun while it lasts, if you're not looking for a masterpiece, or an explanation for Wolverine's facial grooming. —Robert Horton

Stills from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Click for larger image)

Ron Howard In Ron Howard's thrilling follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, expert symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) follows ancient clues on a heart-racing hunt through Rome to find the four Cardinals kidnapped by the deadly secret society, the Illuminati. With the Cardinals' lives on the line, and the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor) desperate for help, Langdon embarks on a nonstop, action-packed race through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and the most secretive vault on Earth!

Mark Steven Johnson Columbia Pictures Ghost Rider (Blu-ray) 

Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) was only a teenaged stunt biker when he sold his soul to the devil (Peter Fonda). Years later, Johnny is a world renowned daredevil by day, but atnight, he becomes the "Ghost Rider" of Marvel Comics legend. The devil's bounty hunter, he is charged with finding evil souls on earth and bringing them to hell. But when a twist of fate brings Johnny's long-lost love (Eva Mendes) back into his life, Johnny realizes he just might have a second chance at happiness - if he can beat the devil and winback his soul. To do so he'll have to defeat Blackheart (Wes Bentley), the devil's nemesis and wayward son, whose plot to take over his father's realm will bring hell on earth - unless "Ghost Rider" can stop him.

Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turtorro, Michael Bay "Wal-Mart Exclusive Big Screen Edition" - Immerse yourself in the world of Transformers and maximize your viewing experience with "Wal-Mart Exclusive Big Screen Edition", featuring the biggest on-screen picture available. This 2-disc Blu-ray includes exclusive packaging and over 3 hours of bonus footage including the Blu-ray exclusive feature "The AllSpark Experiment" which lets viewers unleash the power of the All Spark and could unlock a secret about the future of Transformers! Additional features include, extended scenes, confidential files on a dozen Transformers, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, a "making of" documentary and much more! The battle for Earth continues in this action-packed blockbuster from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. When college-bound Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers, he must accept his destiny and join Optimus Prime(R) and Bumblebee(R) in their epic battle against the Decepticons(R), who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy our world. Audio Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes, Featurettes, Behind-the-Scenes Footage, Music Video. Blu-ray Exclusive: "The All-Spark Experiment"; "Confidential Files of 'Transformers'"; 3-D Galleries; "Making of 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen'"; "Back Stories"; "Design Evolution of the Robots From Toys to the Big Screen"; "The Human Factor: Exacting 'Revenge of the Fallen'"; "Giant Effing Movie"; "Linkin Park - 'New Divide'"; "The Matrix of Marketing"; "A Day with Bay: Tokyo"; "25 Years of 'Transformers'"; "NEST: Transformer Data-Hub"; English, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles.

Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon When Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a “Monster” named Ginormica.  The military jumps into action, and she is captured by General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) and held in a secret government compound filled with other “monsters” like herself. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach P.H.D. (Hugh Laurie); the macho half-ape-half-fish The Missing Link (Will Arnett); the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B. (Seth Rogen); and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus.  Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to save the world from imminent destruction.

B.O.B.’S BIG BREAK
B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) and his monstrous crew are on a mission to bust out of Area 52, the government’s top-secret holding cell.  Led by mad-scientist Dr. Cockroach P.H.D. (Hugh Laurie) and macho amphibian The Missing Link (Will Arnett), the trio outwits grizzled General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) to make a triumphant escape…almost.

Bud Luckey, Alvy Ray Smith, Andrew Jimenez, Brad Bird, Dan Scanlon Disney and Pixar invite you to discover these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you TOY STORY MONSTERS INC. FINDING NEMO and many more — now on Blu-ray Disc(R) for the ultimate high definition experience! With revolutionary animation unforgettable music and characters you love these dazzling short films have changed the face of animation and are sure to delight people of all ages for years to come. Experience them now — for the first time on Disney Blu-ray — in remarkable clarity that boasts up to six times the picture quality* and spectacular audio enhancement. Disney Blu-ray is magic in High Definition.*May vary with display.System Requirements:Running Time: 54 Mins. Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR UPC: 786936737820 Manufacturer No: 05460100

Ben Sharpsteen;Hamilton S. Luske Celebrate the 70th anniversary of Walt Disney's Pinocchio! The legendary masterpiece that inspired millions to believe in their dreams has reawakened with an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration that shines brilliantly on 2-disc DVD. Now, for the first time ever, the richly detailed animation, unforgettable award-winning music When You Wish Upon A Star and heartwarming adventure-filled story comes to life like never before. Plus, all-new dazzling bonus features transport you into Pinocchio's fantastic world! Join Geppetto's beloved puppet with Jiminy Cricket as his guide on a thrilling quest that tests Pinocchio's bravery, loyalty and honesty, virtues he must learn to become a real boy. The one and only Pinocchio will live on forever in the heart of anyone who has wished upon a star.

Bonus Features include the Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge, an all-new Making Of Pinocchio, the Sweat Box, Walt Disney's Artistic Review Process, Disney View, Expand Your Viewing Experience Beyond The Original Aspect Ratio Of The Film, Cine-Explore, Disney BD-Live: Connect, Explore And Interact, all-new When You Wish Upon A Star; Music Video Performed By Meaghan Jette Martin, Pinocchio's Puzzles Game, 18 Puzzles In A Multi-Tiered Game, Pinocchio's Matter Of Facts Discover More About Pinocchio's World With Pop-Up Trivia, Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending
DAVE KEHR, NEW YORK TIMES
“The new “Pinocchio” looks magnificent, with a richness of color and a tight definition that evoke the theatrical experience.”

CHRIS NASHAWATY, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“You won't find a sweeter story or a tidier morality tale about the virtues of being ''brave, truthful, and unselfish.'' Grown-ups will eat up the commentaries and featurettes about Disney's band of merry-prankster animators, and kids can spend hours with the disc's interactive puzzles and Pop-Up Video-style factoids. You really couldn't ask for more.”

KENNETH BROWN, BLU-RAY.COM
“Simply put, the 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Pinocchio should already have a comfortable home on every true filmfan's shelves. Buy it without any further delay.”

HARRY KNOWLES, AINTITCOOL.COM
“An absolute must for animation lovers!”

McG In the aftermath of Judgment Day and the machine takeover, resistance leader John Connor (Christian Bale) must counter Skynet’s plan to terminate mankind. Rallying his underground street fighters for a last, desperate battle, he realizes that to save the future he must rescue his own father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). But the most shocking discovery comes with the arrival of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a mysterious loner from the past who challenges Connor with an impossible choice and leads them both on a brutal journey into the heart of the enemy.

Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark. Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home. Crooked cops. Sexy dames. Desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge. Others lust after redemption. And then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care. Their stories — shocking, suspenseful and searing — come to the fore in a new motion picture from co-directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, and special guest director Quentin Tarantino.

Matt Reeves Widescreen Blu-Ray Cloverfield. Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman,Jessica Lucas,T.J. Miller. Director: Matt Reeves. Rating: PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing images

Henry Selick Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/26/2008 Run time: 76 minutes Rating: Pg

Henry Selick Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/21/2009 Run time: 101 minutes Rating: Pg

M. Night Shyamalan You'd expect the end of the world to be no day in the park, but in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, a day in the park is where the end begins. One otherwise peaceful summer morning, New Yorkers strolling in Central Park come to a halt in unison, then begin killing themselves by any means at hand. At a high-rise construction site a few blocks over, it's raining bodies as workers step off girders into space. And all the while, the city is so quiet you can hear the gentle breeze in the trees. That breeze carries a neurotoxin, and what or who put it there (terrorists?) is a question raised periodically as the film unfolds. But the question that really matters is how and whether anybody in the Middle Atlantic states is going to stay alive. The Happening is Shyamalan's best film since The Sixth Sense, partly because he avoids the kind of egregious misjudgment that derailed The Village and Lady in the Water, but mostly because the whole thing has been structured and imagined to keep faith with the point of view of regular, unheroic folks confronted with a mammoth crisis. Focal characters are a Philadelphia high-school science teacher (Mark Wahlberg, excellent), his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and math-teacher colleague (John Leguizamo), and the latter's little girl (Ashlyn Sanchez). Instinct says get out of the cities and move west; most of the film takes place in the delicately picturesque Pennsylvania countryside, with menace hovering somewhere in the haze. There are no special effects (apart from a wind machine and some breakaway glass), but the movie manages to be deeply unsettling in the matter-of-factness of its storytelling. Especially effective is its feel for what we might call the surrealism of banality. One warning sign that someone has been infected by the neurotoxin is irrational or erratic speech and behavior, yet Shyamalan has a genius for dialogue that sounds normal and everyday as it's spoken, yet flies apart grenade-like a second later as its logic (or illogic) sinks in. Then there's Deschanel's eye-rolling dodginess about the messages some guy has been leaving on her cellphone. Or the fellow (Frank Collis) who addresses his greenhouse plants as though they were his children—has a stray toxic zephyr wafted his way, or is this just his idea of normal? —Richard T. Jameson

Beyond The Happening on DVD
Jumper on DVD
Street Kings on DVD
Deception on DVD

Stills from The Happening (Click for larger image)

Kevin Smith Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 02/03/2009

Zack Snyder Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/21/2009 Run time: 128 minutes Rating: R

Steven Spielberg

Andrew Stanton Disney WALL-E (Blu-ray)

John Stevenson, Mark Osborne PO THE PANDA IS THE LAZIEST OF ALL THE ANIMALS IN THE VALLEY OF PEACE, BUT UNWITTINGLY BECOMES THE CHOSEN ONE WHEN ENEMIES THREATEN THEIR WAY OF LIFE.

Quentin Tarantino Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 137 minutes Rating: R

Patrick Tatopoulos Underworld: Rise of the Lycans delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.

Jon Turteltaub Less engrossing than its 2004 predecessor National Treasure, Jon Turteltaub's busy sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets is nevertheless a colorful and witty adventure, another race against overwhelming odds for the answer to a historical riddle. Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), the treasure hunter who feverishly sought, in the first film, the whereabouts of a war chest hidden by America's forefathers, is now charged with protecting family honor. When a rival (Ed Harris) offers alleged proof that Gates' ancestor, Thomas Gates, was not a Civil War-era hero but a participant in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Ben and his father (Jon Voight) and crew (Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger) hopscotch through Paris, London, Washington DC, and South Dakota to gather evidence refuting the claim. The film is most fun when the hunt, as in National Treasure, squeezes Ben into such impossible situations as examining twin desks in the queen's chambers in Buckingham Palace and the White House's Oval Office, or kidnapping an American president (Bruce Greenwood) for a few minutes of frank talk. Helen Mirren, the previous year's Oscar winner for Best Actress, wisely joins the cast of a likely hit film as Ben's archaeologist mother, long-estranged from Voight's character but as feisty as the rest of the family. Returning director Turteltaub takes excellent advantage of his colorful backdrops in European capitals and the always-eerie Mount Rushmore, and oversees some wildly imaginative sets for this dramedy's feverish third act in an audacious and completely unexpected, legendary setting. If National Treasure: Book of Secrets doesn't feel quite as crisp and unique as its predecessor, it is still ingenious and wry enough to laugh a bit at itself. —Tom Keogh

Stills from National Treasure: Book of Secrets (click for larger image)

Gore Verbinski Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 12/04/2007 Run time: 99 minutes Rating: R

Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/14/2008 Rating: R

Rob Zombie Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 01/08/2008 Run time: 109 minutes Rating: R

Rob Zombie