Sometimes a director will torpedo ticket sales for his own movie because he feels it just didn't live up to its promise, as Matthieu Kassovitz did when his Babylon A.D. sucked like a Hoover. It's rarer that a director will discourage fans from seeing a movie because he feels it's really good. Rarer, and you might say, downright illogical. But there is sort of a method to Robert B. Weide's madness when he tells us we shouldn't buy the Region 1 DVD for his film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Weide believes in the movie, loves the movie, but the DVD just doesn't cut it.

Do you still have a couple of Christmas gifts to buy and not a lot of money to spend? Well, good news! Christmas movies are not only thematically appropriate in most cases, they're also a relatively cheap way to say, "I love you." Sometimes they also say, "I hate you, but I'm pretending to love you for the holidays." But which movie to choose to send just the right message to the recipient? Consult the following pitiless Christmas movie-buying guide for handy tips.

I don't know how many of you hit the stores on Black Friday for the crazy deals and even crazier lines (personally, I can't get past the parking lot mayhem), but for movie lovers, even in this crap economy, this Friday may be the day you want to show up at Best Buy at 5 a.m. and get that Blu-ray player for $150 or whatever they're going for. It was just announced today that Japan's Panasonic Corporation has submitted a proposal to the Blu-ray Disc Association (the body that oversees the format's standardization, etc.) to create a "Blu-ray Disc standard to store three-dimensional imagery formed of left-/right-eye two-channel full-High Definition images (1920x1080 pixels)." And what does that mean for you? 3-D on Blu-ray, baby!

Just in case you're not reading our DVDs Unwrapped blog, we thought we'd clue you in on the latest DVDs we've gotten the chance to review. We were going to review Sukiyaki Western Django, but we decided to keep our sanity.

Whatever happened to killer kids in horror movies? I remember during the '70s and '80s, horror movies were filled with children who made those little brats in Lord of the Flies look like altar boys. The Swedes have an answer to my opening query, a vampire film called Let The Right One In. It sounds like a cross between Bergman and Hammer Studios. The plot has a lonely 12-year old boy befriending his next-door neighbor, a 12-year-old who turns out to be centuries old, yet trapped in an adolescent's body. Sort of like Dakota Fanning, whom I'm sure will be tapped to play the vampire for the American remake. The critical praise bestowed upon the film got me thinking about some of the old killer kid movies of my past. Note that none of these kids would have remained the way they do if the parents had called my mother to assist them.

Just in case you're not reading our DVDs Unwrapped blog, we thought we'd clue you in on the latest DVDs we've gotten the chance to review. Sadly, we were turned down for a review copy of The Complete Fraggle Rock, but we'll keep trying.

Get Smart -- Too silly to be an action movie, to serious to be a comedy. It does, however, have Steve Carell in a fat suit.

Futurama: Bender's Game -- A sci-fi cartoon full of Star Trek references, injected with extensive Dungeons and Dragons humor. Is there anything more geeky? No. No, there is not.

The 4400: The Complete Series -- It's like a much better Heroes! Except this one's already been canceled!

Shrek the Halls -- If you're a completist when it comes to Shrek, animated holiday specials or Scottish Mike Myers movies, here's another 22 minutes for your collection.

30 Rock: Season 2 -- Now that the new season's started, you know you want to buy it.

Check out more DVD reviews in DVDs Unwrapped!

It's not hard to find a glamorous vampire, or a kickass vampire. You can find scary ones, creepy ones, ones that make you want to sleep with garlic in your pajama pockets. But the movies are full of sexy, seductive immortals, too. Sure, the bloodsuckers in Interview With a Vampire and those in all the variations of Bram Stoker's Dracula are well-known, but what about those who toil away in box office obscurity? Before the cool teen vampire flick Twilight comes out later this month, here are a few vampires you may not have met before.

Just in case you're not reading our DVDs Unwrapped blog, we thought we'd clue you in on the latest DVDs we've gotten the chance to review. Sadly, we were turned down for a review copy of Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter, but we'll keep trying.

Journey to the Center of the Earth -- Possibly the greatest 3-D movie made entirely to show off the wonders of 3-D you'll see this year. Of course, it's no The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, but then, what is?

The Strangers -- When Dave Chappelle (dressed as Lil Jon) talked about giving himself "a stranger," I don't think he meant breaking into his own home and terrorizing himself for the better part of a night. But maybe he did. We don't know his life!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- Love it or loathe it, this is an out-of-this-world DVD set. Above and beyond. To the moon, Alice. In other words, it may have been created by aliens.

The Incredible Hulk -- A pretty incredible collection of extras, including an alternate opening where you can see Captain America stuck in a block of ice. Be prepared to "freeze"-frame. Get it?

Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Edition -- It's the newest edition of the Disney classic, straight outta the vaults and fully restored with bonus songs and some sweet documentaries. Fun for a girl or a boy! (Boys, be prepared to fast-forward.)

Check out more DVD reviews in DVDs Unwrapped!

Just in case you're not reading our DVDs Unwrapped blog, we thought we'd clue you in on the latest DVDs we've gotten the chance to review. In addition to a few new movies, there are also some kick-ass reissues out this week. Sadly, no Slumber Party Massacre 2 Special Edition yet, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

As much as my Jersey upbringing makes me love dirty politics, I'm still sick of the U.S. Presidential race. It's the one reality program more drawn out than Flavor of Love. "Be over already, for God's sake!" I scream at the TV. I'm hoping tonight's debate suddenly becomes an episode of Dancing With the Stars. Seeing the two candidates put aside their differences to dance an ass-kicking version of the lambada (it's the FORBIDDEN DANCE, y'know) would do so much to heal America's wounds. Especially if they dance with each other. But I digress. In honor of tonight's sure-to-be-boring rehash of promises neither side will keep, here are some political movies you can enjoy.