October DVD Releases

1. 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed'

Ben Stein co-wrote and stars in this op-ed piece, which argues that discussion of intelligent design (ID) is unjustly suppressed by the intellectual establishment. A major tenet of ID is that the nature of complex biological organisms is best explained by viewing them as products of an intelligent designer. The film presents scientists and educators said to have lost their positions because they take ID seriously. The movie links the issue to the Berlin Wall and Nazism. The film's high point comes when Stein confronts atheist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion.

2. 'Hell Ride'

A tribute to biker movies of the 1960s and '70s, this actioner was written, directed and produced by Larry Bishop, who also stars. He was in some of those old films, including The Savage Seven and Chrome and Hot Leather. Hell Ride is about a war between two rival motorcycle gangs and features violence and nubile young women. The movie centers on Pistolero (Bishop), leader of the Victors, who set out to get revenge on the 666ers. One of the Victors is the Gent (Michael Madsen), who wears a tuxedo. There are cameos by Dennis Hopper and David Carradine.

3. '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.

4. '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.

5. '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.

6. '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.

7. 'The Happening'

Mark Wahlberg stars in this film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie opens in New York's Central Park on a fine day, but then the people there begin killing themselves. Soon the phenomenon of inexplicable suicides is spreading throughout the northeastern US. In Philadelphia, high-school science teacher Elliot Moore (Wahlberg), his wife (Zooey Deschanel), his friend and his friend's young daughter join a mass exodus. They end up traveling on foot in rural Pennsylvania, trying to figure out what they're fleeing from as they have strange experiences.

8. '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.

9. 'The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie'

This is an animated children's movie from the VeggieTales franchise, which features talking vegetables. It's the franchise's second feature film, the first having been Jonas (2002), but the newer movie doesn't use source material from the Bible, although it's still a morality tale. This time around, three dinner-theater waiters (Larry the Cucumber, Pa Grape and Mr. Lunt, a gourd) go back to the 17th century and help a princess whose brother is being held captive. Their journey is fraught with perils, including rock monsters and cheese curls, and there are several lively musical numbers.

10. 'The Strangers'

Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star in this creepy horror film, the debut feature of writer-director Bryan Bertino. The movie opens with a young couple, Kristen (Tyler) and James (Speedman), just having been to a wedding. There is some awkwardness between them because James has proposed to Kristen, but she has turned him down. They go to the country residence he uses as a getaway and begin to get ready for bed when there's an ominous knock at the door. This is only the beginning of a night of terror at the hands of three sinister intruders wearing masks.

11. '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.

12. 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan'

Adam Sandler stars in this crude comedy. Zohan (Sandler) is an Israeli special ops commando who gets fed up with the life he's leading, fakes his own death and makes his way to New York. There he renames himself Scrappy Coco and becomes a hairstylist in a salon run by a Palestinian woman. He gives elderly ladies 1980s hairdos and has sex with them in a backroom. Zohan is pursued by a Palestinian cabbie (Rob Schneider) and a fast-food entrepreneur (John Turturro), but a real estate developer poses the biggest threat. Hummus plays a key role in the movie.