Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week
"Frankenweenie"
What's It About? Tim Burton's early short film about a boy and his dearly departed-then-resurrected dog gets remade as a black-and-white 3D stop-motion animated feature.
See It Because: Tim Burton's output has been wearing thin with audiences for awhile now and as a result, "Frankenweenie" didn't get much of a theatrical reception. Which is a shame because it's really enjoyable and is much more reminiscent of good Burton ("Pee-wee's Big Adventure") than bad Burton ("Alice in Wonderland"). "Frankenweenie" is a cute and clever mix of animal hijinks, goofy kids and lots of homages to classic horror cinema. This is a great watch for any kid who has a soft spot for Halloween.
Moviefone's Blu-ray Pick of the Week
"Two-Lane Blacktop" (Criterion Collection)
What's It About? James Taylor and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson star as street racers who get caught up in a cross-country race along Route 66 with classic cinema tough guy Warren Oates.
See It Because: "Two-Lane Blacktop" is maybe one of the most overlooked movies of the legendary '70s output of classic, game-changing filmmaking. This new edition from Criterion (who put together the best collections) gives you loads of special features on the importance of this film, and the high-definition transfer beautifully preserves this snapshot of America's wide, open roads.
New on DVD & Blu-ray
"Compliance"
What's It About? This little-seen, but incredibly tense drama recreates the bizarre true story of a fast-food employee who was subjected to an invasive and humiliating strip search by her manager, who gullibly accepted that the prank caller giving her directions was actually a police officer looking for a thief. It's uncomfortable, tense filmmaking and scary to realize that someone actually did all this without questioning anything.
See It or Skip It: See it.
"Dredd"
What's It About? The second attempt to bring Britain's cult comic book anti-hero to the big screen does better than Sly Stallone's laughably wrong interpretation from 1995... but it still replaces the source material's subversive dark humor about authority with cartoonish cheese.
See It or Skip It: Skip it, unless you're a die-hard rabid, comic book movie completest.
Watch an Exclusive Blu-ray Clip from "Dredd"
"Game Change"
What's It About? Julianne Moore does an (as usual) terrific job dramatizing Sarah Palin, in HBO's biopic of the McCain/Palin Presidential campaign, but the movie lacks anything resembling subtlety.
See It or Skip It: Does it matter? Ardent Palin supporters reject it on principle, while critics will watch it and laugh no matter what.
"Hit & Run"
What's It About? Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper star in a romantic comedy-car chase-crime caper that's only "just okay" and not worth going out of your way to pay to watch.
See It or Skip It: See it when it winds up on cable.
"House at the End of the Street"
What's It About? A mind-numbingly stupid thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence before she filmed "The Hunger Games" attempts to cash in on her new-found fame with a trumped-up release. The only reason it's not 100 percent predictable is because the movie's twists don't make any sense.
See It or Skip It: Skip it.
"Stolen"
What's It About? Nic Cage stars in a generic action flick about something or other.
See It or Skip It: Are you still unsure?
New to Blu-ray
"Cape Fear" (1962)
"Driving Miss Daisy"
"The Jazz Singer" (1927)
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