Digital Popcorn

In honor of the long-awaited addition to the "Indiana Jones" series (the last one — "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was released in 1989!), it's worth taking a second look at the three films that led up to this point in Indie's life.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" are available in a convenient DVD set, and feature all kinds of extras and fun tidbits. (Yes, I totally watched all three over the past two weeks.)

Fun trivia:
* Director Steven Spielberg, for example, added a gazillion more snakes than he originally planned to (and a bunch of hoses) in the Well of Souls scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

* In the same scene, Harrison Ford actually had a sheet of Plexiglass separating him from that nasty cobra that hissed in his face.

* Tom Selleck was originally offered the role of Indiana Jones, but turned it down to do "Magnum, P.I."

* "Temple of Doom" was Kate Capshaw's second film.

Production is keeping mum on details about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and the trailer (above) doesn't disclose much, either. But if it's any indication, the new film possesses the usual Indiana Jones elements: action, adventure and, well, cheesiness.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "The Mist": An adaptation of Stephen King's novel about a small town that's engulfed by an evil mist.

* "The Kite Runner": Khaled Hosseini's award-winning novel about two childhood best friends is brought to the big screen.

* "Wristcutters: A Love Story": Souls who committed suicide find that the afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Into the Wild": A young man (Emile Hirsch) leaves his family and friends to find himself in the wilderness.

* "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium": The owner of a magical toy store passes on ownership of the shop to its manager in this fantasy tale.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Beowulf": Scandinavian hero Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel's mom in this digitally-rendered film based on the Old English poem.

* "The Darjeeling Limited": Three brothers take a trip through India to find themselves.

* "30 Days of Night": Vampires take over a town in Alaska.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "The Invasion": Nicole Kidman plays a psychiatrist who discovers an alien virus that turns the population into zombies.

* "Daddy Day Camp": Two dads (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Paul Rae) try to keep their kiddie day camp in business in this sequel to "Daddy Day Care."

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "The Game Plan": Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a tough-as-nails pro football player who learns he has a daughter.

* "Saw IV": Jigsaw is back for another round of blood, guts and gore.

* "Blonde Ambition": A career-minded young woman (Jessica Simpson) sets out to take over the corporate world.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Good Luck Chuck": Serial dater Charlie Logan (Dane Cook) meets the klutzy gal of his dreams (Jessica Alba).

* "Mr. Woodcock": John Farley (Seann Williams Scott) is terrified to learn that his mom (Susan Sarandon) is marrying his scary former high school gym teacher (Billy Bob Thorton).

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Sunshine": A crew of astronauts try to stop the sun from dying in this futuristic thriller.

* "3:10 to Yuma": Russell Crowe plays an outlaw whose comrades stage an ambush after he's thrown in jail.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Resident Evil: Extinction": Alice, a genetically-altered woman played by ex-model Milla Jovovich, decides it's time to take down the Umbrella Corporation because, you know, they turned the majority of the population into zombies.

* "Shoot 'Em Up": Bad boy Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) is left to take care of an orphaned child after its mother dies during a gun fight.

— Korin

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "The Bourne Ultimatum": Jason Bourne continues to try to solve the mystery of his past.

* "Interview": A journalist (Steve Buscemi) and actress (Sienna Miller) explore their lives during a lengthy interivew.

* "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix": Harry and Co. look into rumors that Lord Voldemort has returned to Hogwarts.

— Korin

Slid this 2004 classic into my DVD player last night. It tells the story of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming's trail-blazing trip to the U.S. as a 22-year-old rookie center from Shanghai.

It would be an overstatement to call this 88-minute documentary boring, but it certainly fails to captivate an audience that might be interested in Yao's experience during that rookie campaign six seasons ago, after which he was the NBA's Rookie of the Year.

The subject is fascinating, but the filmmakers, James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, seem to have gone in with little plan, rolling their cameras in the hopes of finding something to choppily edit in as voice-over materials between sound bites from Yao's American translator and the Rockets' p.r. director.

What most intrigues are Yao's clashes with Shaquille O'Neal, then just exiting his prime with the L.A. Lakers.

Unfortunately, the film relies too much on using characters like Shaq, the doubting commentator Charles Barkley (who certainly got his comeuppance), and the self-absorbed teammate Steve Francis as foils to Yao, rather than adequately fleshing out the 7-foot-6 Chinese athlete himself.

--Max Dickstein

Thinking of staying in this weekend? Check out the latest DVD releases:

* "Superbad": Two teenage best friends do just about anything to secure alcohol.

* "The Nanny Diaries": Annie Braddock takes a live-in nanny gig to avoid an office job.

* "Arctic Tale": Follow the lives of Seela the walrus and Nanu the polar bear in this heart-warming documentary.

— Korin