Blu-ray Disc Movies

This colorful remake of the 1935 version again concerns the crew and treatment of the HMS Bounty by a cold hearted sadistic captain. Captain Bligh (Trevor Howard) boards the ship in Portsmouth, England, to embark on a mission to bring tropical breadfruit trees to Jamaica. Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando) is the aristocratic second mate who welcomes the new captain aboard. Christian's view of the captain sours with the cruel treatment of the crew and the dangerous decision to round Cape Horn. The Bounty sails into the teeth of a ferocious winter storm which is another in a long line of indignities suffered on the journey. John Mills (Richard Harris) is punished for stealing cheese. A sailor is ordered to stay aloft in the crow's nest, nearly resulting in death. The crew finds temporary paradise in Tahiti before Bligh's behavior becomes intolerable for the once faithful Christian. The crew revolts and sends the captain on his way in a small rowboat. Settling on Pitcairn Island, the crew soon realizes they may never see England again. Mills burns the ship to insure the trip is never made. Christian attempts to save the only means of transportation of their new island home. Lewis Milestone directed the film which was plagued by constant cost overruns to the tune of 18 million dollars. Brando's legendary ego clashed with results as turbulent as the fictitious trip around stormy Cape Horn. The movie retained slightly over half the cost of the production price tag in its initial release. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Matt Leutwyler directs this adaptation of David James Duncan's novel surrounding a young man's (Zach Gilford) search for a rainbow trout. William Hurt co-stars as the man's father, while Amber Heard fills the role of the character's tomboy love interest. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Jack and Melissa thought nothing of their son's ominous birthday, 11/11, until he began to show terrifying and disturbing signs of evil. As his increasingly bizarre behavior gives way to full on supernatural horror, it soon becomes apparent that their child is a gateway to what will become the apocalypse - on his birthday. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited was offered to television viewers in this 11-part adaptation that originally aired on the U.K.'s ITV network. The miniseries, like the book, lays bare the eccentricities of the young British aristocracy, concentrating upon several Oxford students. The story is told from the point-of-view of Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons), who is sucked into decadence by the "magically beautiful" Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews). Flyte is the son of Lord Marchmain (Laurence Olivier), master of Brideshead Castle, where most of the story (covering the years 1924 through 1944) takes place. Brideshead Revisited was brought to America on PBS' Great Performances series, beginning its run on January 18, 1982. The miniseries created a stir in the U.S. because of its mild nudity and profanity; the presentation had to be re-edited when it was shown for a second time on PBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This sequel to the 2006 hit follows racing legend Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his trusty sidekick, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) as they secure their passports and take part in the biggest race on the planet. As the first-ever World Grand Prix approaches, cars from every continent prepare for the ultimate competition. But who will have what it takes to become the fastest car on the planet? Just as Lightning McQueen edges up to the starting line, however, his old pal Mater gets sidetracked on a top-secret spy mission that takes him from Japan to Europe as the entire world watches. Thankfully Mater's friends are always willing to lend a helping wheel, and as the race gets under way, everyone shifts into high gear to help out an old friend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Chuck Barris is best known to most Americans as the guy who used to host The Gong Show. He was also the creator and producer of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and a handful of other successful game shows in the 1960s and 1970s. But was he also a hired killer working with the CIA? That's the take-it-or-leave-it premise of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the memoir of the same name by Chuck Barris. Barris (Sam Rockwell) grows up dreaming of success in show biz and winning the hearts of beautiful women, but early on, he meets with plenty of resistance from both women and the television industry, despite writing the hit tune "Palisades Park" and scoring a job with Dick Clark on American Bandstand. The 1960s proves more fortunate for Barris; he meets the love of his life, Penny (Drew Barrymore), and sells ABC on the idea of The Dating Game. However, after the show has made him wealthy and successful, Barris is approached by the mysterious Jim Byrd (George Clooney), a CIA agent who wants to recruit Barris as a covert operative. Barris finds the notion of playing spy games intriguing and agrees, but soon discovers what Byrd and his partners really want is for Barris to assassinate uncooperative figures around the world. Soon, Barris finds that his life has been all but taken over by Byrd and another CIA agent, the mysterious and sexy Patricia (Julia Roberts). As he hops the globe, killing people in the name of American security (using his status as a Dating Game chaperone as a cover), Barris learns that the KGB has discovered his not-so-little secret and that his own life is in great danger. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked the directorial debut of actor George Clooney, working from a screenplay adapted by Charlie Kaufman from Barris' book. Dick Clark, Dating Game host Jim Lange, frequent Gong Show panelist Jaye P. Morgan, and Gene Gene Patton appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sad-sack divorcée Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) finds his second wind in life after meeting a handsome young ladies' man who teaches him how to become a master of the modern dating scene. A devoted family man who married his high school sweetheart, Cal had a great house and a stable job when his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), left him to be with another man. When Emily announces that she's filing for divorce, Cal finds himself awkwardly thrust into the dating scene and begins drinking his nights away at the local pub. Just when it's starting to look as if there's no hope for Cal, confirmed bachelor Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) decides to add some much-needed excitement to the sulking, newly single father's life. Before long, Cal's rough edges have all been smoothed out; he's mastered the fine art of flirting and develops a distinct sense of style that sets him apart from the pack. But just as Cal starts to turn heads, his adolescent son, Robbie, develops a big crush on his teenage babysitter, Jessica. Unfortunately for Robbie, Jessica only has eyes for Cal. Meanwhile, Cal can't help but feel like something substantial is missing from his life, and decides that the only way to set things straight is by listening to his heart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fantastic Four star Jessica Alba headlines director Marilyn Agrelo's feature-film adaptation of author Aimee Bender's popular novel An Invisible Sign of My Own. The story centers on Mona Gray, a young girl who turned to mathematics as a means of dealing with a devastating family illness. Years later, Mona teaches the subject, and does her best to help her students contend with their own personal crises. An Invisible Sign of My Own was adapted for the screen by Wedding Planner scribes Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The descendants of two 19th century spiritual sisters struggle to maintain their enduring bond by exploring their ancestral connection in modern-day Shanghai. Connected as "laotong" (old sames) at the tender age of seven, Snow Flower and Lily grow up in isolation and develop a language all their own. In the folds of a white silk fan, they exchange furtive messages that only they can decipher. Meanwhile, in 21st century China, Flower's and Lily's descendants Nina and Sophia find the growing demands of their respective careers and their complicated love lives threatening to drive them apart. Only by focusing on the timeless messages hidden between the folds of that cherished fan will Nina and Sophia find the secrets to keeping their friendship alive, and avoid letting the demands of modern living shatter an ancient bond of friendship. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was adapted from author Lisa See's best-selling novel of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A group of London teens find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion and fight to defend their tower block from some evil extraterrestrials in this stylish sci-fi romp from the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Beset by a gang of young thugs as she passes through a South London housing estate, Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is in the midst of being robbed when a ball of light falls out of the sky, and destroys a nearby car. Frightened, she flees from the scene just before an unearthly beast emerges from the wreckage and attacks Moses (John Boyega), the leader of the youthful gang. In retaliation, Moses and his crew slay the creature, and take it to a local drug den owned by ruthless gangster Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter) for safe keeping. Later, as the police assist Sam in pursuing her assailants, strange lights start to rain down on the streets, heralding the arrival of a second, more ferocious, wave of creatures. With the city under siege, there's no place left to run. Quickly realizing she's going to have to fight if she wants to survive, Sam once again crosses paths with the street-tough teens, but instead of running away vows to battle alongside them to the bitter end. Meanwhile, Moses becomes the primary target of the aliens, and the group arms themselves with everything from baseball bats to high-powered fireworks in the fight to save the human race. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Made for television, The Christmas Blessing is a sequel to the earlier CBS holiday offering The Christmas Shoes, with Rob Lowe briefly reprising his portrayal of Robert Layton, a lawyer whose life was forever changed by a pair of "enchanted" shoes. This time around, the shoes have passed into the hands of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), the son of a seriously ill youngster named Charlie (Angus T. Jones. As fate would have it, Charlie is a student of schoolteacher Meghan (Rebecca Gayheart), who is endeavoring to set up a day-care center for single moms in the small town where she lives. At the same time in the same town, young medical resident Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris), his self-confidence shattered by the death of a teenage patient on the operating table, has returned home to work in the garage owned by his dad Jack (Shaun Johnston). In due course, Nathan meets Meghan and Charlie, and becomes intimately involved in the trials and tribulations of both, leading to an emotional climax in which Nathan must decide whether or not to summon his dormant medical skills to save Charlie's life. Singers NewSong and Blake Shelton appear as themselves, respectively performing the title song and the new composition "Nobody But Me". The Christmas Blessing originally aired on December 18, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi