Blu-ray Disc Movies

The early days of William Adama as a young and eager Academy graduate during the first Cylon War are chronicled in this prequel to the Battlestar Galactica update that originally aired on Syfy from 2003-09. ~ Megan Walsh-Boyle, Rovi

A high-school senior loses her little brother while trick-or-treating, and recruits three of her classmates to help bring him back home before her mother finds out in this teen comedy from first-time director Josh Schwartz (executive producer of TV's Chuck and Gossip Girl). Sardonic Wren (Victoria Justice) hails from an unusually dysfunctional family. She can't wait until she escapes to college and leaves them all behind, but in the meantime, an invitation to the biggest Halloween party in the area at least offers her an excuse to get out of the house for a night. But when Wren is placed on babysitting duty so her mother can dash out and party with her handsome young boy toy, the dejected teen reluctantly takes her little brother Albert out for a night of trick-or-treating. Later, when Albert vanishes into a sea of costumed kids, his panicked sister enlists the help of her best friend April, wannabe womanizer Peng, and his charmingly geeky pal Roosevelt to track down her missing brother, and get him safely back home while their mother remains none the wiser. Meanwhile, over the course of one wild and unpredictable Halloween night, the group's frantic search lands them in some pretty outlandish situations, and provides Roosevelt with the perfect opportunity to impress his longtime crush Wren. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A Seattle enforcer finds himself on the run from hit-men, mercenaries, and cold-blooded killers while attempting to settle his brother's debt with a powerful mob boss by delivering a mysterious package to a ruthless international crime lord. When Tommy Wick (Steve Austin) isn't busting heads as a bouncer, he's doing the bidding of Big Doug (Eric Keenleyside) - the gangster with the entire city in his back pocket. Recently, Tommy's brother Eddie (Lochlyn Munroe) ran into some serious trouble with Big Doug. Now Big Doug needs Tommy to deliver an important package to The German (Dolph Lundgren), a formidable enemy from the henchman's past. Tommy accepts under the stipulation that once the job is done, his brother's debts will be cleared. Meanwhile, rival gangster Anthony (Michael Daingerfield) is determined to intercept the shipment before it's delivered. Later, when the bullets start to fly, Tommy faces an army of assassins as he prepares to get the job done, and settle an old score in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Environmental activists and a federal agent discover that an enormous root system, which formed from seeds from the Garden of Eden, threatens to destroy the planet. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

An elite Special Forces unit rescues a war correspondent (Diane Kruger) taken hostage by the Taliban, but they find that getting her back home is easier said than done when the terrorists cut off every escape route, and begin closing in from all sides. Djimon Hounsou, Benoît Magimel, and Denis Ménochet co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Douglas Fairbanks is at his most graceful and charismatic in one of the classic silent films of the 1920s. As the thief of Baghdad, his movements are dance-like -- nothing like the athletics he performed in most of his other films. In this Arabian take, the thief ignores the holy teachings and sneaks into the palace of the Caliph (Brandon Hurst). All thoughts of robbery slip away, however, when he sees the beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston). Princes have come from many faraway lands to win the princess' hand (and it's amusing to watch her face growing ever more alarmed at their arrival, because each one is uglier than the last). The thief disguises himself as a prince and the princess falls in love with him. After having a pang of conscience, the thief confesses all to the Holy Man (Charles Belcher), who sends him to find a magic chest. He braves many obstacles to get it, and when he returns he discovers that the Mongol Prince (Sojin) has taken over the city. Using the chest, the reformed thief creates armies of men out of nothingness and recaptures the city. He then uses the cloak of invisibility to spirit the princess away on a magic carpet. Fairbanks stole some of the special effects for his film from Fritz Lang's Der Müde Tod, which he had purchased for American distribution. The Thief of Baghdad, with its look of unrealistic beauty (courtesy of art director William Cameron Menzies), was not fully appreciated in its day. Because of its huge cost (two million dollars -- a real fortune in those days), it made little money. After that, Fairbanks stuck closer to the swashbuckling persona he felt his audience wanted. Available now on DVD, the remastered film features a new score by Carl Davis. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

The football program at Manassas High School in Memphis, TN, has earned a powerful reputation during the school's 110-year history, but unfortunately it doesn't happen to be a positive one. The Manassas team has never been eligible for a single play-off game, and no one expected this to change before Bill Courtney entered the picture. Courtney was a businessman and football fan who took it upon himself to do something about the Manassas football program; he volunteered his services as coach and began shaping a hapless team into one with genuine prospects. Filmmakers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin followed Courtney and his players through the 2009 season, and their documentary Undefeated examines the coach's efforts to give the school a winning record, as well as the sometimes complex relationship between Courtney, a white, wealthy businessman, and his players, who are all black and mostly come from communities stuck in a cycle of poverty and crime. Undefeated received its world premiere at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When the population of a village in rural China must defend themselves against a formidable enemy, a local blacksmith (director/star/co-writer RZA) forges the weapons they need to emerge victorious from the bloody battle to come. Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu co-star in this period action thriller co-written by famed horror director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Author Stephen Chbosky adapts his own best-selling novel about a withdrawn teen who attempts to remain hopeful for the future while dreading every day of the present. Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Logan Lerman star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When a young woman (Adelaide Clemens) loses her father (Sean Bean) to mysterious supernatural forces, she must descend into the bowels of hell to find him and discover her true identity in this follow-up to the 2006 adaptation of Konami's Silent Hill video-game franchise. Solomon Kane's Michael J. Bassett directed from his own script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Adapted from a novel by Shichiro Fukazawa, The Ballad of Narayama is built around an ancient Japanese custom. Centuries ago, it was customary for the younger citizens of a remote Japanese mountain village to shepherd all those over the age of seventy to the snowy crags of Mt. Narayama. There the elders would be left to die from exposure and starvation--a fate they were expected to meet with stoic resignation. As the film observes, this custom was not universally accepted even in ancient times: Some of the old folks put up a physical struggle against their exile, others accept the inevitable under verbal protest, and some of the younger relatives question whether they have the right to go along with this questionable "cleansing" process. Heartbreakingly brilliant, The Ballad of Narayama was remade in 1983; the latter version won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lee Toland Krieger's humorous romantic drama Celeste and Jesse Forever focuses on best friends who stay incredibly close even after they divorce. Celeste (Rashida Jones) is a type-A marketing whiz with a knack for trend spotting, and Jesse (Andy Samberg) is a struggling artist with an irresponsible streak. They've been BFFs since 10th grade, and even though their attempt at marriage together failed, they still spend every day together, enjoying their private jokes and making each other laugh, six months after their separation. He hopes for a reconciliation, she wants him to grow up. Their deep bond takes its first serious blow when Jesse finally does become involved with another woman - causing each of them to wonder how to be in each other's lives. Co-written by Jones and actor Will McCormack, the movie co-stars Ari Graynor, Eric Christian Olsen, and Emma Roberts. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi