Recommended October DVD Releases

1. 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'

Starring Harrison Ford and directed by Steven Spielberg, this is the fourth action-adventure movie in the Indiana Jones series that began with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). This time around, the story is set in 1957, and archeologist Indiana Jones (Ford) goes to South America seeking an ancient skull that has something to do with extraterrestrial aliens. The villains are the Soviets, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett). Accompanying Indy is young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), and Indy's old flame (Karen Allen) is also involved. But the film is mostly about action and spectacle.

2. 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'

Brendan Fraser stars in this action-adventure movie designed to be seen in 3-D on a big screen. It is not a remake of the 1959 film starring Pat Boone and James Mason, nor is it an adaptation of the Jules Verne novel. The premise here is that modern-day geologist Trevor Anderson (Fraser) believes that Verne's book wasn't fiction and sets out to discover a mysterious subterranean world. With his teenage nephew in tow, Trevor travels to Iceland, where he hires a good-looking female guide. This trio then descends beneath the Earth's surface and has fantastic adventures.

3. 'Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'

American Girl is a lifestyle brand with a line of products that includes dolls, books, clothing and accessories. On their Web site, they offer a Kit doll and paperback book for $90, and those are the products that inspired this movie, which stars Abigail Breslin as the nine-year-old title character. The story is set in Cincinnati during the Great Depression, when Kit's dad must leave home to seek work. To make ends meet, Kit's mom is forced to take in boarders. When hobos are accused of committing burglaries, Kit investigates with the hope of writing a newspaper article.

4. 'Mongol'

Offering visual spectacle and bloody battles, this Mongolian-language film directed by Sergei Bodrov is an old-fashioned epic about central Asian ruler Genghis Khan. The story takes place in 1172-1206 when the main character was not yet known as Genghis Khan, and here is still called Temudgin (played as an adult by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano). The movie follows Temudgin from age nine to 43, by which time he has united the Mongol tribes and is poised to begin his conquest of a vast territory. The filmmakers intend this movie to be the first in a trilogy.

5. 'The Incredible Hulk'

Based on a Marvel Comics character, The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 film starring Edward Norton and directed by Louis Letterier (Transporter) that should not be confused with Hulk (2003) starring Eric Bana and directed by Ang Lee. The 2008 movie is more action-oriented, and the title character is computer-generated. Dr. Bruce Banner (Norton) lives in a Rio slum, but he is found by Gen. Ross (William Hurt). Eventually, Banner is reunited with his lost love Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). But the gung-ho Blonsky (Tim Roth) pursues Banner, leading to a climactic showdown in Harlem.

6. 'The Visitor'

Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) stars in this character study written and directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent). Jenkins plays Walter Vale, a 60ish university professor who lives alone in Connecticut, but he also has a Manhattan apartment he rarely uses. When he goes there after a long absence, he finds a guy from Syria and his Senegalese girlfriend living in it. A friendship gradually develops between the two men, and the Syrian teaches Vale to play African drums. Then the Syrian runs afoul of immigration authorities, and the professor tries to help him out.