Today's Pick

With so many dark titles on their way, there must have been a full moon when this week's releases were scheduled. Marvel’s merry mutants are coming home and slashing its way into video stores today, with the release of the live-action film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and two more sets of the classic 1990s animated X-Men series. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was the first big blockbuster of the summer, and directed by Gavin Hood, and stars Hugh Jackman as the title character, along with Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, and Ryan Reynolds. The Buena Vista animated version of Logan can be found in X-Men Vols. 3 and 4 continue to collect the popular Fox Kids series.
Fox came up with an ingenious way to make more money off its "X-Men" property — spin off not just another film, but another franchise. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the 4th installment of the X-Men film series am\nd the 8th-best-grossing film of the year so far, Hugh Jackman returns as the clawed mutant wolverine, who makes a shocking discovery about his family bloodline, and gains a brother in the process. Flash forward to find the mutant siblings battling side by side through two world wars and Vietnam.
DVD extras include two commentary tracks, a interview with Wolverine creators Stan Lee and Len Wein, a featurette on the making of the movie and deleted and alternate scenes. The Blu-ray has all those extras and more, including a look at the helicopter chase sequence, a trivia track and 10 character chronicles.

After all the waiting, the first trailer in blue for James Cameron's hyped new movie "Avatar" is finally here, went online on Apple.com today. It has been a movie ten years in the making, or so we can assume since we haven’t heard much from director James Cameron since the hit "Titanic" in 1997. Now, his highly anticipated creation "Avatar" is about the hit the big screen on December 18.
Tomorrow is Fox’s “Avatar Day” promotion, so get your tickets (crashed on avatarthemovie.com) to preview 15-minute of the new movie in 3D for free at a Imax theater near you worldwide. I expect more coverage and footage to pop up online at some point. Until then, this teaser should tide you over. And already, there are whispers that it could change the course of film-making forever.
The upcoming blockbuster "Avatar" was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago. It has been in production for four years, and the filming of it reportedly involves "revolutionary technology". The 3D sci-fi adventure also reunites movie director James Cameron with actress Sigourney Weaver, as they worked together on Aliens. The film centers on an ex-Marine Jake Sully, who submerges himself into the culture of an alien race. With the help of his Avatar body, he's able to adapt to his new environment even though he’s still present in his human mind.
Meanwhile, the trailer is just two minutes long, but it offers just enough footage to wet your appetite, and blow your mind.

For anyone wondering how Ashley Tisdale is charting her post-"HS Musical" career, all they have to do is look at this week. Tisdale not only has a new album, "Guilty Pleasure," hit shelves Tuesday, but also a new flick from the 20th Century Fox, "Aliens in the Attic," out Friday.
"They are both so different," she told MTV News about her music and her movie. "I want them(fans) to hear one and see the other. They are completely different. My music career is being who I am and connecting with the fans in that way." If you think it's a lot of pressure to have two big releases out in the same week, think again. The 24-year-old Actress/Pop Media princess said in interviews that "I don't put pressure on myself, and I don't like working under pressure. Listening to what I did, putting all that hard work in, I'm really proud of it. I think it's important for me to be happy with what I did." If fans really like "Aliens in the Attic" and "Guilty Pleasure", maybe Tisdale could end up at the top of the box office and the Billboard albums chart all in one week.
Tisdale's new sophomore album, "Guilty Pleasure" breaks out of 'High School' mode, and aimed at a more mature audience. The New Jersey native says she's taking her career to the next level, and the album was set on an edgier rock vibe. The cover features her in a tight black skirt and semi-revealing top, and her inspirations for the album's music. "Guilty Pleasure" might be "American Idol." Not only has Tisdale talked about her obsession with "Idol," but several of the songs on the album show a strong Kelly Clarkson influence.