New DVD Blu-ray: ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ ‘The Hobbit’

Moviefone’s Pick of the Week
“Zero Dark Thirty”
What’s It About? Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow documents the recent history we’re all too familiar with in this action blockbuster retelling of the manhunt for Osama bin Laden.
See It Because: It’s an intense and thrilling recreation of events you already know about, but still manages to keep you guessing; and while the film has earned its fair share of controversy, it’s worth watching as a snapshot of a very unique time in American history.

Moviefone’s Blu-ray Pick of the Week
“Badlands” Criterion Collection
What’s It About? Before he became “that ‘Tree of Life’ guy” Terrence Malick changed filmmaking forever with his directorial breakthrough starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as two young lovers who embark on a cross-country killing spree.
See It Because: If you know what Blu-ray does for beautiful cinematography and what Criterion does for historical archiving, then this should be a no-brainer.

New on DVD & Blu-ray
“Bachelorette”
What’s It About? Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, and Rebel Wilson star in a raunchy comedy about jealous bridesmaids that attempted to be a female version of “The Hangover’…. but the main characters are just too mean and selfish to be charming.
See It or Skip It: Skip it.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
What’s It About? It doesn’t quite pop! like any one installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but there’s enough rollicking adventure scenes and familiarity with the Tolkien mythology that it’s a worthy-enough prequel; the jury is still out on the decision to pad out this one story into three separate films, however.
See It or Skip It: See it.

Watch a Behind-the-Scenes Clip from “The Hobbit”

“Les Miserables”
What’s It About? Life! Death! Revolution! Music! Oscars!
See It or Skip It: See it.

“Rust and Bone”
What’s It About? Marion Cotillard stars as a whale trainer who loses her legs, following an accident at a marine park. With her life in shambles, she falls into the arms of a nightclub bouncer she met one drunken night. The film is beautifully shot and captures both the grittiness of their physical trauma and the naked truth of their relationship, with a flair that’s both raw and stylish
See It or Skip It: See it.

“This is 40”
What’s It About? Judd Apatow’s latest semi-autobiographical(?) family comedy starring his real-life wife Leslie Mann and his on-screen alter-ego Paul Rudd has great, strong comedy on par with “Knocked Up” or “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ but the flaws inherent with his films — the navel-gazing look at rich L.A. lifestyles, the bloated running time — are too much to ignore after “Funny People” left a bad taste in peoples’ mouths.
See It or Skip It: Skip it.