New DVD releases include 'The Wolverine' and 'Smurfs 2'

At long last, The Wolverine is finally out on Blu-ray and DVD. If you're like me, and you skipped out on watching this one when it came out in theaters earlier this year, now's your chance to see it and decide for yourself if it's a worthy installment in the overall X-Men story. But if this doesn't excite you, you've got plenty of other new DVDs to rent or buy.

For X-Men fans, The Wolverine DVD offers the usual extras, including commentary with director James Mangold, several featurettes and even an alternate ending. And honestly, with the prices on these Blu-ray and DVD offerings, the extras are needed. I have trouble justifying paying full price for almost anything these days, much less a Blu-ray movie that I can just as easily rent for a couple of bucks. But hey, if you've got a Wolverine fanatic in the family, I just helped you with your holiday shopping!

If a Hugh Jackman as a super hero isn't to your liking, do not despair. This weeks other new DVD releases include The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The Smurfs 2 and Drinking Buddies. Stop snickering: The kiddos love the Smurfs movies, even if most of us can't stand them. If it gives mom and dad some extra time to themselves this month, it's worth it.

I'll tell you right now that despite the dismal reviews, I'm going to see The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. I liked the first couple of books, so I feel compelled to at least sit through this film to see whether any of the great aspects of the novels came through on screen. I'm not optimistic. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised?

And finally, I absolutely need to mention that Drinking Buddies, the indie drama written and directed by Joe Swanberg, might be worth our time. This film boasts a very impressive cast, including Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. Reviews were actually really good.

Has anyone seen any of these films, and if so, are they worth renting and/or possibly buying? Let's hear about it in the comments, please.

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