Many weeks, there can be slim pickings on the DVD aisle. And then there are weeks like this where three, er, fantastic movies top the list. Fantastic Mr. Fox may not rise to the absurd and lunatic levels of Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums, but it's a wonderful re-telling of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book. It's that rare thing -- something both children and adults can enjoy (albeit for different reasons). Plenty of critics piled on The Men Who Stare at Goats, but I thought it's daffiness totally worked. The interpretative dance sequence on the Army base was one of the funniest scenes in any movie this year, and I'll say it -- Jeff Bridges did his best work in this movie, not Crazy Heart. While it was mostly overlooked during awards season, Brothers was a solid and depressing piece of drama. Tobey Maguire has never been better, and Natalie Portman solidified her reputation as the best young actress working in studio pictures. Especially in this. Supervan! more ›

In a stunning debut, New Moon blew away expectations by raking in a huge $140.7M to easily win the weekend. Do teenage girls ever flock to good movies? (Incidentally -- for those unfamiliar with the books -- the next films will feature Bella nearly being fucked to death and Jacob falling in love with a baby. Seriously.) Sports pic The Blind Side also topped early estimates, bringing in a robust $34.5M to place a strong second. After that it was last week's champ, the dreadful 2012 ($26.5M | $108.2M) and newcomer Planet 51 ($12.6M). Jim Carrey's so-so A Christmas Carol rounded out the top 5 ($12.2M | $79.7M). more ›

Is it just me or do the weird, little Mormon books by Stephanie Meyer not exactly qualify as a "saga"? And why does no one discuss the awful examples of social behavior (e.g. how awesome it is to date violent, distant men) that the books promote? Nevertheless, here comes Twilight Saga: New Moon. It will make close to a hundred million dollars this weekend, and in a few years people will barely remember it. I'm much more excited about Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Werner Herzog + a fully-caffeinated Nic Cage + a sleepwalking Eva Mendes = awesome. Yes, I am dead serious. Michael Oher has a great story which I'm sure will be watered-down and simplified in The Blind Side. Hey Hollywood -- less accents, more story! more ›