New on DVD & Blu-ray, Week of Dec. 6: 'The Help,' 'The Hangover Part II,' 'Cowboys & Aliens'

It's another banner week for home video. There's five major theatrical releases and one foreign film coming to DVD -- a mixed bag that includes something for everyone: melodrama 'The Help,' comedy 'The Hangover Part II,' sci-fi Western 'Cowboys & Aliens,' spy thriller 'The Debt,' family film 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' and the delicious French thriller 'Point Blank.' Read on. 'The Help' What It's About: This compelling story of a group of Southern women during the early 1960s incorporates melodrama, politics and plenty of powerhouse acting. The drama revolves around young white writer Skeeter (Emma Stone) who returns home to Mississippi, only to become involved in the cause of the local black women -- maids, live-ins and all around nannies -- who have served their white mistresses for generations. Hoping to expose the horrors of segregation -- and make a name for herself -- Skeeter decides to write their stories; soon the "help" secretly meet her to tell their tales to her -- learning from their "tellings" how better to stand up for themselves and throw off their domestic chains. It's Kinda Like: 'Corinna, Corinna' meets 'Driving Miss Daisy' What We Say: 'The Help' offers a stellar cast of actors (in addition to Stone, there are standout Academy Award-level performances by Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain) who rub up against a solid, believable and heartwarming script. The result: a genuine tug at the heart strings. It's a first-rate women's film that gives us a peek into an inequitable world of second-class citizens and the privileged white women who controlled their black help's lives. Like 2009's 'The Blind Side,' this is an uplifting film "that they just don't make anymore." • Extras: Deleted scenes and a pair of featurettes. Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue Watch a trailer: 'The Hangover Part II' What It's About: The "fearless foursome" of 'The Hangover' travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding (Ed Helms) and, naturally, all hell breaks loose when what begins as an innocent round of beer around the campfire turns into another lost weekend. This one involves drug dealing, a crazy monkey, Buddhist monks, motorcycle hit men, tattoos and wild women. Director Todd Phillips transposes the original characters and story structure, adds more filth and raunch, and comes up with the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. It's Kinda Like: 'The Hangover' meets 'The Big Boss' What We Say: 'The Hangover Part II' is to 'The Hangover' as 'Bruno' was to 'Borat': a pale imitation of the original. This is a nasty film that wallows in bathroom humor and "dirty" jokes. If you like the idea of a monkey licking a simulated penis, then the humor of this beastly outing is for you. Please make this the last one. • Extras: Several behind-the-scenes featurettes and a gag reel. Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue Watch a trailer: 'Cowboys & Aliens' What It's About: In this melding of science fiction and Western genres, Daniel Craig plays a wanted man who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no memory of his past and a mysterious metal shackle encircling his wrist. Turns out the nearby town of Absolution is under attack by aliens from outer space, who are abducting people for nefarious reasons -- experimentation, natch -- and the gunslinger, the townspeople, a tribe of Native Americans, a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde) and the local land baron (Harrison Ford) and his minions team up to stymie the monsters. It's Kinda Like: 'War of the Worlds' meets 'The Searchers' What We Say: Director Jon Favreau and executive producer Steven Spielberg studied tons of Westerns and sci-fi films while working on this big-budget 'B' film, but it was all for naught -- the genre-bending oateater has none of the excitement of its forbearers. It's also humorless, slow-moving, predictable and, at times, just plain stupid. There's only one twist in the movie, and even that one is a dud. What a shame -- it's a great idea that certainly worked much better as a graphic novel. • Extras: Commentary by Favreau and a couple behind-the-scenes featurettes. Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue Watch a trailer: Other New December 6 Releases: 'Bobby Fischer Against the World': (2011) A searing portrait of a brilliant, yet troubled man -- chess prodigy Bobby Fischer -- using news clips and archival footage, as well as rare interviews with Fischer himself. 'The Debt': (2011) Story of three Mossad agents who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal -- the Surgeon of Birkenau -- in a secret Israeli mission in 1966 that resulted in the man's death. The film jumps back and forth between the past and the present, where a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced. Stars Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain. 'Dragon Tattoo Trilogy Extended Edition': (2009) A four-disc set with all three 'Dragon Tattoo' films, encompassing nine hours with characters and plot developments only seen in European versions. 'Mangus!': (2011) Trailer trash comedy revolves around a high school senior who will do anything to fulfill his family's tradition of playing Jesus in the local annual production of "Jesus Christ Spectacular." 'Mr. Popper's Penguins': (2011) Jim Carrey's career takes another icey turn in this story about a driven businessman divorced from his wife and kids who's clueless when it comes to the important things in life until he inherits six, "adorable" and mischievous penguins from his arctic explorer father. 'Point Blank': (2011) A happily married male nurse working in a Paris hospital who saves the life of a wounded criminal must help the gangster escape or face the death of his kidnapped wife (and unborn child) in this exciting French thriller that takes viewers on an exhilarating non-stop ride through Paris' streets, subways, hospitals, warehouses, and police stations. 'Triple Tap': (2010) Hong Kong actioner about a cop who makes it his mission to bring down a media hero who single-handedly stopped an armored van robbery when it becomes apparent he was actually the mastermind behind the crime. Check out more December 6 DVD releases at OnVideo.

Beau Garrett falls in 'Lust for Love'

"Tron: Legacy" thesp Beau Garrett has joined the cast of helmer-scribe Anton King's indie "Lust for Love." Garrett, who also appeared in the cancelled CBS series "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior," will star alongside "Dollhouse" alum Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Enver Gjokaj and Miracle Laurie. Aussie star Caitlin Stasey ("Tomorrow When the War Began") also stars. "Lust for Love" tells the story of a bashful man (Kranz) who, after being dumped by his childhood crush, enlists help from the ex-girlfriend's best friend to win her back. Garrett will play the ex-girlfriend. Jack Wylson is producing along with King. Adam J. Yeend co-produces. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

TV Ratings: Saints vs Lions Wins Sunday for NBC, While 'Once,' 'Desperate,' 'Pan Am' Sink

Chris Graythen/Getty Images The New Orleans Saints' 31-17 victory over the Detroit Lions during Sunday Night Football was also a win for NBC. Preliminary ratings show the game giving the network a 5.2 among adults 18-49 for the night and an audience of 13.7 million, topping closest rival Fox -- which got a significant boost from football overage. NBC was down from three percent from the previous week's match-up, with the game bringing in an average 6.5 rating in the key demo and 16.9 million viewers. PHOTOS: Fall TV Death Pool: Which New Show Will Be Axed? The OT gave Fox's animation block a sturdy lead-in, helping struggling freshman series Allen Gregory tie its premiere high of a 2.4 in adults 18-49. Overall, the network averaged a 5.1 among adults 18-49 for the night and 12.6 million. The 7:00 p.m. block of overage was the night's highest-rated program. It averaged a 9.0 rating in the key demo and brought in 24.55 million according to early numbers. The Simpsons (4.0), Family Guy (3.5) and The Cleveland Show (2.5) were all up among adults 18-49 as well, posting double-digit gains from last week. ABC's Sunday line-up of America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives and Pan Am hasn't appeared in full in three weeks, and the return marked lows across the board. The network averaged a 2.2 rating for the night in adults 18-49, narrowly edging out CBS and pulling in the night's lowest total viewership of 7 million. Once Upon a Time, still strong, hit a new series low of 3.1 among adults 18-49, while Desperate Housewives and Pan Am fell to just a 2.6 and 1.6 rating, respectively. Third place CBS was also back with its regularly scheduled line-up after a block of Person of Interest repeats last Sunday. 60 Minutes (1.8) The Amazing Race (2.7) and The Good Wife (1.9) were all down a tic in adults 18-49 from their last original episodes, while CSI: Miami saw a boost to a 2.2 rating for the night. Sunday, Dec. 4, Preliminary Overnight Ratings: 7 p.m. Fox: The OT/Football overage (24.55 million viewers, 9.0 rating among adults 18-49) NBC: Football Night in America (6.3 million, 2.2) CBS: 60 Minutes (11.9 million, 1.8) ABC: America's Funniest Home Videos (5.95 million, 1.4) 8 p.m. NBC: Football Night in America (14.2 million, 5.1) ABC: Once Upon a Time (9.6 million, 3.1) CBS: The Amazing Race (9.6 million, 2.7) Fox: The Simpsons (9.0 million, 4.0) 8:30 p.m. NBC: Sunday Night Football - Lions at Saints (18.5 million, 6.7) Fox: Allen Gregory (5.2 million, 2.4) 9 p.m. NBC: Sunday Night Football - Lions at Saints (17 million, 6.5) Fox: Family Guy (7.05 million, 3.5) ABC: Desperate Housewives (8.1 million, 2.6) CBS: The Good Wife (9.8 million, 1.9) 9:30 p.m. Fox: The Cleveland Show (4.4 million, 2.5) 10 p.m. NBC: Sunday Night Football - Lions at Saints (15.2 million, 6.3) CBS: CSI: Miami (10.4 million, 2.2) ABC: Pan Am (4.7 million, 1.6) TV Ratings

Rogert Ebert's At the Movies Goes on Indefinite Hiatus

Roger Ebert Roger Ebert's At the Movies will go on an indefinite hiatus at the end of the year, Ebert announced on his blog. "Our public television program Ebert Presents At The Movies will go on hiatus while we find necessary funding," Ebert wrote Wednesday. "It was a sad but necessary moment of realism." Roger Ebert: We can't afford to finance At the Movies anymore Last month, Ebert pleaded for financial support as he explained that the series has been financed solely by a $25,000 backing from Kanbar Charitable Trust. The rest has come from the pockets of Ebert and his wife Chaz, both of whom are executive producers of the show."We hope our hiatus will be brief," Ebert added. "You have told us you like the show. And we now have options. A touching number of viewers offered to send us money directly...We will let you know as soon as that is worked out." At the Movies, which is hosted by film critics Christy Lemire of The Associated Press and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of mubi.com, has produced 50 episodes since its January debut.

Jeremy Renner: 'Hansel And Gretel Witch Hunters' Is 'Gritty' And 'Fun'

Films like "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Jack the Giant Killer" and last year's "Red Riding Hood" all are part of Hollywood's recent trend in taking popular fairy tales and turning them into grown-up fare. Not to be exempt from the fun, Hansel and Gretel turn their interests from eating candy to killing witches in the upcoming film "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," due out on March 2. The film has certainly evolved since it was first announced. At one point producer Adam McKay told MTV News he was eyeing some actors from the "Twilight" cast to star in the film under director Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow"). But that notion never moved forward. Ultimately Wirkola found his leading man and lady in the form of Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, and the movie finished shooting earlier this year. I caught up with Renner when he was promoting "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," and he admitted that the film was definitely a spin on the classic fairy tale for the MTV generation. And that's exactly why he took it on. "It's in a wonderful fairy tale world that's a bit gritty, a bit fun. It should be a good ride," he said. "It's one of those movies that I wanted to do because of Gemma and because it was a fantasy, which is lighter fare than the other movies I've done, and I thought it would be fun to be a part of that world." Unlike other films of its ilk, "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" takes place many years after the fairy tale look place. Let's just say having a witch almost eat them when they were children left the young candy-happy kids a bit emotionally scarred. "Fairy tale endings. Doesn't it sound like they're supposed to be happy? Well it's not. So it takes Hansel and Gretel, we last left them killing a witch as children after they were left in the forest to die," Renner said, setting up the plot. "It's many years later and they have a grudge against witches so they decide to become bounty hunters and they kill witches for a living. Sounds actually kind of the right thing, I suppose." Are you looking forward to "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters"? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

'Dallas' Trailer Featuring Cast Interviews Premieres (Video)

The Grammy Honours have simplified lower this years groups to a much more workable 78 groups, but that's not to imply that Wednesday's nominations didn't obtain share of surprises -- and snubs.our editor recommendsBruno Mars on 6 Grammy Nominations: 'It Feels Incredible'Grammy Nominations: Kanye Tops With 7 Nods Adele, Beyonce Among Album of the season Contenders'Bon Iver': Failing in the Album's Visual Helps (Video)Grammy Attacker and classy-Hop Ad Guy Steve Stoute round the 'Tanning of America' (Q&A) Surprises: Bon Iver personifies indie might: Possibly Kanye warrants some credit for showing Justin Vernon for the public when he labored with while using singer on his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, and indie rockers Arcade Fire, too, for winning Album of year last February, but it's Bon Iver's self-titled second album that made audience, experts, industry players and fellow artists swoon. Epic soundscapes coupled with Vernon's genteel singing style hit all the sweet spots since the Wisconsin native totalled up four Grammy honours including Record of year, Song of year, Best New Artist and greatest Alternative Artist. PHOTOS: Grammy Award Nominees Chris Brown rules rap groups? Remember "Forever," "Yeah 3x" and "Together With YouInch -- all tunes that harken a noticeably different picture of Chris Brown, the R&B singer. But due to "Have A Look At Me Now," his collaboration with Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne, Brown has acquired themselves a location inside the rap race. He's getting paper, okay, as three Grammy nods including Best Rap Performance and greatest Rap Song. The querry continues to be: could he perform around the program or are recollections of Grammy weekend 2009 still too fresh inside the minds of industry players? STORY: Grammy Nominations With the Amounts Skrillex makes his presence known: It is not everyday the electronic music producer is called just like a Best New Artist contender. Really, as DJs go, it's rarely happened, which can make La native Skrillex's five (!) Grammy nods much more unforeseen. Bloggers indicate title recognition among the elder Recording Academy membership. May be, or even people voters' youngsters are by means of saying thanks to. Snubs: Beyonce can get the Grammy brush-off: For that videos she's released this year along with multiple singles, honours show performances together with a four-evening stand at NY City's Roseland Ballroom, Beyonce only be capable of squeak out two nominations, one for top Rap/Sang Collaboration for "Party" with Andre 3000, another for top Extended Form Video. Being fair, B's 4 will be a late arrival, striking stores in June, but the fact it not successful to attain momentum after untold millions were spent marketing and marketing the album is tough to disregard. STORY: Complete Report on Grammy Nominees Tony Bennett is not any Herbie Hancock: While using high-profile collaborators he useful for his Duets II album (Rhianna, Mariah Carey, Willie Nelson as well as the late Amy Winehouse, incorporated within this) many expected legendary crooner Tony Bennett being this years Herbie Hancock and sweep multiple groups. Alas, the geriatric set appears like it is a less influential block laptop or computer reaches 2008 as Bennett received two nominations, one for top Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Body and Soul" (with Winehouse) and greatest Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Where for are thou, Promote individuals? Maybe Skrillex snapped up the most effective New Artist place from L.A. band Promote individuals, whose all pervading "Pumped Up Kicks" was commonplace in r / c both terrestrial and satellite across multiple genres. The beginners didn't go entirely unacknowledged, however. They're up for top Alternative Album against Dying Cab for Cutie, Bon Iver, My Morning Jacket and Radiohead. For most likely probably the most expected moment of nominations evening? It's title wasAdele, who was simply essentially a shoo-in entering the voting process, and, predictably, collected most likely probably the most nods for just about any female artist -- six in general, including Album, Song and Record of year. Beating the 21-year-old for the trophy will probably be a continuing climb for nearly any artist, but crazier all things have happened. Lest we forget a year ago when Katy Perry got shut within the her nominated groups, Eminem was banished for the rap category after delivering the finest seller of year, Arcade Fire needed the most effective prize then one stylish hop internet internet marketer put a easily fit into the NY Occasions. Update: An early on version need to know , incorrectly pointed out that Adele had 7 nods which Bon Iver was nominated for Album of year. Twitter: @shirleyhalperin PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 54th Annual Grammy Nominees: Kanye, Adele, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Katy Perry Related Subjects Beyonce Chris Brown Herbie Hancock Kanye Tony Bennett Arcade Fire Adele Grammys 2012 Bon Iver

Ten Animated Shorts Move Ahead in Oscar Race

The Academy of movement Picture Arts and Sciences introduced the ten animated short films which will move ahead within the voting process for that 84th Oscars.our editor recommendsPixar's La Luna, Sony's Arthur Christmas Preview: Siggraph Animation FestivalOscars 2012: 18 Movies to Vie for Animated Feature Film Award The area continues to be whittled lower in the 44 films which were initially qualified for that category. One of the remaining 10 really are a Pixar short, a Warner Bros. Tweety and Sylvester cartoon in three dimensional along with a short from award-winning children's author William Joyce, The Great Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Pixar has formerly won three Academy awards within this category. PHOTOS: Pixar's La Luna, The new sony's Arthur Christmas Preview: Siggraph Animation Festival Short Films and have Animation Branch people will choose 3 to 5 nominees from one of the 10 game titles around the candidate. Branch tests is going to be locked in La, NY and Bay Area in The month of january 2012. The Ten films competing for that title are: Dimanche/Sunday -- Patrick Doyon, director (National Film Board of Canada) The Great Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore -- William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, company directors (Moonbot Galleries LA, LLC) I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat -- Matthew O'Callaghan, director and Mike Register, executive producer (Warner Bros. Animation Corporation.) La Luna -- Enrico Casarosa, director (Pixar Animation Galleries) PHOTOS: It's a Zoo This Year -- 23 Honours Challengers Featuring Creatures Luminaris -- Juan Pablo Zaramella, director (JPZtudio) Miracle Piano -- Martin Clapp, director and Hugh Welchman, producer (BreakThru Films) A Morning Stroll -- Grant Orchard, director and Sue Goffe, producer (Studio Also known as) Pathways of Hate -- Damian Nenow, director (Platige Image) Specky Four-Eyes -- Jean-Claude Rozec, director and Mathieu Courtois, producer (Vivement Lundi!) Wild Existence -- Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, company directors (National Film Board of Canada) The 84th Oscars nominations is going to be introduced survive Tuesday, The month of january 24, 2012. The Oscars for outstanding film accomplishments of 2011 will be provided on Sunday, Feb 26, 2012, in the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Pixar's La Luna, Sony's Arthur Christmas Preview: Siggraph Animation Festival Academy awards Pixar Academy awards 2012 Honours Season Preview