Wire Entertainment - Video Reviews

It's almost axiomatic to say that Pixar movies are just as enjoyable for adults as they are for kids. But in the case of Pixar's most recent hit, "Up," out on Blu-ray and DVD this week (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, $39.99 2-disc DVD/$45.99 4-disc Blu-ray combo, rated PG), the path-breaking Emeryville, Calif.-based animation studio may have made a film that's even more pleasurable, and meaningful, for grown-ups than for children.

I must admit I've sometimes called him SquareBob SpongePants, but I say it with affection.

Top-selling U.S. games for the week of Oct. 24:

"Borderlands" aims to transplant the loot-gathering and character-creating mechanics of "Diablo II," more or less, into a first-person shooter, and it hits that target dead-on. It may have action-RPG underpinnings, but "Borderlands" is a fine shooter.

ASTRO BOY: THE VIDEO GAME

One of 2009's most intriguing documentaries played so briefly that you probably missed it.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA 2 1/2 stars (Paramount, '09) $29.98. 117 mins. Another '80s toy hits the big screen as G.I. Joe (here, the name for an elite military team) crosses the world in pursuit of a corrupt arms dealer. With Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller. PG-13 (strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout)

I'm sure "Glee" is responsible, but "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey seems to have made quite a comeback lately.

These were the Top 10 DVD rentals at Redbox kiosks from Oct. 26-Nov. 2:

Where God Left His Shoes (NR, 2008, IFC Films)

Following is a partial schedule of coming movies on DVD. Release dates are subject to change:

News of a new, extra-large, extra-priced portable from Nintendo was met more with confusion than enthusiasm when it was unveiled last week.

RENTALS

The following games are scheduled for release this week, according to VGReleases.com:

A Tom Hanks classic, "Forrest Gump" (Paramount, 1994, $39.99); a knockout of a set, "Rocky: The Undisputed Collection" (MGM, 1976-2006, $99.98); and a pair of holiday favorites, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (Warner Brothers, 1989, $39.92) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (Paramount, 1946, $29.99) top this week's sparkling lineup of new Blu-ray titles.

"That's funny." (Man at prairie crossing)

Just like millions of other children, my kids, Cady, age 10, and Hudson, 8, ride a bus to school each morning. Yet we never really thought about its mechanical marvels until we watched "How'd They Build That? School Bus."

After being crushed by his own set, Eddie Riggs awakens to a bizarre world of heavy metal that would be nightmarish for some but not for him. He feels right at home in a dimension of demons, hot rods and monoliths.

After being crushed by his own set, Eddie Riggs awakens to a bizarre world of heavy metal that would be nightmarish for some but not for him. He feels right at home in a dimension of demons, hot rods and monoliths.

DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION

Top-selling U.S. games for the week of Oct. 17:

ORPHAN 3 stars (Warner Home Video, '09) $28.98. 123 mins. After their third child is stillborn, a married couple adopts a 9-year-old Russian girl, who is nothing that she appears to be. With Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman. R (disturbing violent content, some sexuality and profanity)

These are the Top 10 renting video game titles at U.S. BLOCKBUSTER stores for the week that ended Oct. 25:

These were the Top 10 DVD rentals at Redbox kiosks from Oct. 19-25:

RENTALS

Here's a look at some notable TV shows now out on DVD:

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (NR, 2009, Universal)

Following is a partial schedule of coming movies on DVD. Release dates are subject to change:

NEW YORK - Nights in New York City's upscale Soho neighborhood always offer something at which to gawk.

A television cult classic, "The Prisoner" (A&E, 1968, $99.95), leads this week's new titles arriving on the DVD Blu-ray high-definition format.