Sure, Jet Li takes on Jason Statham in War (January 1), Timothy Olyphant’s Hitman is on the way in February, and even Gary Busey turns up in Beyond the Ring (January 8). But we humbly recommend Jacky Wu Jing in the little-known Fatal Contact (DVD only). A young national champion mixes it up in a fight club and—no surprise—gets in over his head. You’ll be glad we introduced you to this rising Chinese star, who has the moves and comedic sensibility of a young Jackie Chan.

As seen in Penthouse Magazine Feb. 2008

Clive Owen teams up with super-hottie Monica Bellucci to protect a newborn child, a logical follow-up to protecting a pregnant chick in Children of Men. This thriller is a bit lighter than that futuristic tale, not to mention a bit more fun, and Paul Giamatti is, as always, fascinating to watch. Of course, how can you go wrong with a sexy hooker, big fucking guns, and a bonus doc called “Ballet of Bullets�?

As seen in Penthouse Magazine Feb. 2008

In one of the most inexplicably compelling docs we’ve seen, two guys compete for the world record in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. You won’t believe how funny it can be watching guys take a videogame way, way too seriously, or how strongly you’ll pull for them. And don’t miss the animated short “A Really, Really Brief History of Donkey Kong.� (DVD only)

As seen in Penthouse Magazine Feb. 2008

More hot chicks (Milla Jovovich, of course, now with superhuman strengths, is joined by Ali Larter and Ashanti), more zombies, more evil schemes from the Umbrella Corporation…. You know exactly what to expect here, and Extinction delivers on all of it, plus it has killer crows! There also will be a high-def trilogy box set with
the first two installments, Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, available on Blu-ray for the first time.

Zodiac
Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.Plenty of people must be waiting to catch this on DVD, since it pulled in only $42 million. Director David Fincher and company surely didn’t want that, but they’ve put together a release that was worth the wait. The two-disc collector’s edition delves even further into the real-life tale of a media-savvy serial killer who took the lives of at least 13 and was never caught. It’s perfect for any true-crime buff.

The Astronaut Farmer
Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen

If all you know about this is what you saw in ads, you might be as disappointed as we were to discover that Thornton’s character is considerably less subversive than it appeared. Yes, he’s a farmer who builds his own rocket, but he’s also a former NASA aeronautics engineer who left the agency so he could save his family farm. Although we have no desire to see a family-friendly Billy Bob ever again, at least we get the beautiful Madsen as the hottest cougar to ever roam the prairie.

-By Barbara Rice Thompson

Blue Planet

HD-DVD and Blu-Ray If you feel the need to justify your upgrade to high-def, this doc will shut up even the biggest Luddite. You get 44 minutes of footage of earth shot from the space shuttle using IMAX’s 15/70 format; translated, the images are crisp, clean, and absolutely gorgeous. You also get The Dream Is Alive, which documents a shuttle mission that included the crew catching and repairing a satellite and the first space walk by an American woman. By Barbara Rice Thompson

Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror
Danny Trejo, Aries Spear, Ernie HudsonLooking for a little mindless entertainment to set up when you’re sitting around getting buzzed with the boys? You could do a whole lot worse than this. There’s pretty much no plot to get in the way of the grisly deaths, so you don’t have to pay attention, and you won’t believe how crazy the murderous mayhem gets. One of the grossest moments will make it impossible for you to make fun of those little old ladies who fear their pets will eat them after they die.

By Barbara Rice Thompson

Hot Fuzz
Simon Pegg, Nick FrostPegg’s previous film with Frost and director Edgar Wright, the zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, exploded on DVD after barely making a dent at the box office; we’re expecting the same kind of post-theatrical success for this oh-so-British take on the most American of film genres: the buddy-cop action flick. The movie’s good-natured jabs at Hollywood stereotypes and conventions are some of the funniest moments we’ve seen on film in recent years, but that doesn’t take away anything from the action. Hot Fuzz will fit right in—even alphabetically!—between Bad Boys and Lethal Weapon.

The Monster Squad
Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen MachtBack in the late eighties, when films about groups of geeky kids were a fleeting trend, writer/director Fred Dekker made this movie in which Dracula and other monsters try to take over the world. Man kind’s last line of defense is a bunch of outsiders called the Monster Squad. It was a cult hit, and fans have been clamoring for a DVD release for ages. This 20th-anniversary edition, with its five-part retrospective and other bonuses, is likely to make them monstrously happy.

By Barbara Rice Thompson

Ghost Rider
Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes

This wasn’t the best comics adaptation, but the making-of bonuses can be worth watching when there are this many special effects. The two-disc extended edition includes three behind-the-scenes featurettes, plus one on the comic’s 40-year history. It also boasts 15 minutes of new footage. We’ll let you decide whether or not that’s a good thing.

By Barbara Rice Thompson