C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It's a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation--it really wants to be so much more than just a kids' movie--for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson). Starring: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell Directed by: Andrew Adamson Written by: Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Produced by: Andrew Adamson, David Minkowski Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English, German Subtitles: Spanish, French Region: Region 1 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio : Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney DVD Release Date : 2006-04-04 Run Time : 143 minutes ASIN/ISBN : B000E8M0VA Retail $19.99 The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition)

A more accessible and less heavy-handed movie than Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk, Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk is a purely popcorn love affair with Marvel's raging, green superhero, as well as the old television series starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the beast within him. Edward Norton takes up where Eric Bana left off in Lee's version, playing Bruce (that's the character's original name) Banner, a haunted scientist always on the move. Trying to eliminate the effects of a military experiment that turns him into the Hulk whenever his emotions get the better of him, Banner is hiding out in Brazil at the film's beginning. Working in a bottling plant and communicating via email with an unidentified professor who thinks he can help, Banner goes postal when General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and a small army turn up to grab him. Intent on developing whatever causes Banner's metamorphoses into a weapon, Ross brings along a quietly der! anged soldier named Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), who wants Ross to turn him into a supersoldier who can take on the Hulk. The adventure spreads to the U.S., where Banner hooks up with his old lover (and Ross' daughter), Betty (Liv Tyler), and where the Hulk takes on several armed assaults, including one in a pretty unusual location: a college campus. The film's action is impressive, though the computer-generated creature is disappointingly cartoonish, and a second monster turning up late in the movie looks even cheesier. Norton is largely wasted in the film--he's essentially a bridge between sequences where he disappears and the Hulk rampages around. As good an actor as he is, Norton doesn't have the charisma here to carry those scenes in which one waits impatiently for the real show to begin. --Tom Keogh Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Christina Cabot Directed by: Louis Leterrier Written by: Produced by: Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Region: Region 1 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio : Universal Studios DVD Release Date : 2008-10-21 Run Time : 113 minutes ASIN/ISBN : B001DHXT20 Retail $29.98 Incredible Hulk (Widescreen Edition)

The feverish Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a very busy sequel that might have looked unhinged in the hands of a less visionary director than Guillermo del Toro. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, aka "Red," the Dark Horse Comics demon-hero with roots in the mythical world but personal ties in the human realm. Still working, as he was in Hellboy, for a secret department of the federal government that deals (as in "Men In Black") with forces of the fantastic, Red and his colleagues take on a royal elf (Luke Goss) determined to smash a longtime truce between mankind and the forces of magic. Meanwhile, Red's relationship with girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), who can burst into flames at will, is going through a rocky stage observed by Red's fishy friend Abe (Doug Jones), himself struck by love in this film. Del Toro brilliantly integrates the ordinary and extraordinary, diving into an extended scene set in a troll market barely hidden behind the façade of typical city streets. He also unleashes a forest monster that devastates an urban neighborhood, but then--interestingly--brings a luminous beauty to the same area as the creature (an "elemental") succumbs to a terrible death. Del Toro's art direction proves masterful, too, in a climactic battle set in a clockworks-like stronghold tucked away in rugged Irish landscape. But it's really the juxtaposition of visual marvels with not-so-unusual relationship issues that gives Hellboy II a certain jaunty appeal hard to find in other superhero movies. --Tom Keogh Starring: Roy Dotrice, Doug Jones, Thomas Kretschmann, Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor Directed by: Written by: Produced by: Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Region: Region 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio : Universal Studios DVD Release Date : 2008-11-11 Run Time : 120 minutes ASIN/ISBN : B001F7MSFM Retail $19.98 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Widescreen)

The third film in the The Mummy series freshens the franchise up by setting the action in China - There, the discovery of an ancient emperor's elaborate tomb proves a feather in the cap of Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford). The young archaeologist and son of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the role from Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, a curse that turned the emperor (Jet Li) and his army into terra cotta warriors buried for centuries is lifted, and the old guy prepares for world domination by seeking immortality at Shangri La. The O'Connells barely stay a step ahead of him (climbing through the Himalaya mountains with apparent ease), but the action inevitably leads to a showdown between two armies of mummies in a Chinese desert. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a lot to offer: a supporting cast that includes the elegant Michelle Yeoh, Russell Wong, and Liam Cunningham, the unexpected appearance of several Yeti, and a climactic battle sequence that is nightmarishly weird but compelling. On the downside, the charm so desperately sought in romantic relationships, as well as comic turns by John Hannah (as Evelyn's rascal brother), is not only absent but often annoying. Rarely have witty asides in the thick of battle been more unwelcome in a movie. Rob Cohen's direction is largely crisp if sometimes curious (a fight between Fraser and Jet Li keeps varying in speed for some reason), but his vision of Shangri La, in the Hollywood tradition, is certainly attractive. --Tom Keoghbr> Stills from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Click for larger image) Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh Directed by: Written by: Produced by: Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Region: Region Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio : Universal Studios DVD Release Date : 2008-12-16 Run Time : 112 minutes ASIN/ISBN : B001HQZJMU Retail $29.98 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Widescreen)

The CIAs hunt has begun for the mastermind of a wave of terrorist attacks and Roger Ferris is the agencys man on the ground, moving from place to place, scrambling to stay ahead of ever-shifting events. An eye in the sky a satellite link watches Ferris. At the other end of that real-time link is the CIAs Ed Hoffman, strategizing events from thousands of miles away. And as Ferris nears the target, he discovers trust can be just as dangerous as it is necessary for survival. Leonardo DiCaprio (as Ferris) and Russell Crowe (as Hoffman) star in Body of Lies, adapted by William Monahan (The Departed) from the David Ignatius novel. Ridley Scott (American Gangster, Black Hawk Down) directs this impactful tale, orchestrating exciting action sequences and plunging viewers into a bold spy thriller for our time. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Alon Aboutboul, Vince Colosimo, Giannina Facio Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Produced by: Format: Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Region: Region 1 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: R (Restricted) Studio : Warner Home Video DVD Release Date : 2009-02-17 Run Time : 128 minutes ASIN/ISBN : B001N44BVQ Retail $28.98 Body of Lies (Widescreen Edition)