A & E

'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

• It must be fascinating -- maybe even a bit scary -- to consider the imagination of Guillermo Del Toro. Consider all of the creepy creatures or uncanny crawlers running through the "Pan's Labyrinth" director's head at any given time. Better yet, check out Del Toro's latest: "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" brings the viewer into a magical underground world of trolls, ghastly beasts and man-eating fairies. This sequel to the 2004 comic book-based film is a blend of enchanting visuals. "Hellboy II" passes its predecessor quickly, mixing an entertaining and action-packed story, timely humor and a strong cast of characters. The film has the protagonist Hellboy, played wonderfully by Ron Perlman, and his crew -- Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) -- from the first film. This time, however, he has a new boss in the gaseous Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). Together, they'll need to stop old world power Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), a unique warrior with undeniable skill. With the creative del Toro's direction and screenplay, and Perlman's attitude, the film packs every punch -- and cool weapon -- necessary to measure up against the best of this genre. The film is available in one- and three-disc packages. The extras on the three-disc set get into del Toro's imagination with several tours of the set, footage detailing the creation of the film, an art gallery and a production workshop. Additional entertaining extras also are on board. PG-13; 2008. Our Take: 3 Stars.

Buy It: A significant improvement over Hellboy's last outing. -- Garrett Conti/Tribune-Review

'Beer for My Horses'

• Hoping to find some crossover fame, Toby Keith stars in the screwball buddy comedy "Beer for My Horses," based on Keith's 2002 hit song of the same name. In addition to taking center stage as the film's protagonist, Keith helped write the screenplay with co-star Rodney Carrington. Unfortunately, Keith's success in the studio won't be carrying over to the silver screen. "Beer for My Horses" is an annoying and unoriginal piece of work that's all too predictable. The action and the dialogue are shallow, and the idea of two small-town cops taking down a Mexican drug cartel is beyond ridiculous. The story follows Rack (Keith) and Lonnie (Carrington), two police officers in a small Southwestern town. When they -- along with the weapon-crazed Skunk (suitably played by Ted Nugent) -- collar a group of drug dealers, the bust includes Tito Garza (Greg Serano), the brother of a ruthless Mexican drug lord (Carlos Sanz). Tito's brother retaliates by kidnapping Annie (Claire Forlani), an old flame of Rack's. A road adventure grows out of the kidnapping, as the boys hit the road to Mexico to save Annie and put a stop to the cartel. Extras include an introduction to the cast and a featurette on Keith's move to the big screen. A blooper reel also is available. PG-13; 2008. Our Take: 1 Star

Skip It: A sure candidate in the race for the 2008 Razzie Awards. -- GC

'Love Songs'

• It's easy to figure out why "Love Songs" received positive feedback on the award circuit. The French musical, also known as "Les Chansons d'amour," is artistically offbeat and successfully envelops elements of four different genres -- romance, drama, comedy and musical. Directed and written by Christophe Honore, "Love Songs" establishes a specific flow and allows the viewer to make a connection to the characters. The musical's weak points outnumber its strengths, though. Perhaps the toughest negative is a lack of depth. Honore never really goes the distance in covering the feelings of love and loss. He presents the issues, only to scratch the surface, and the characters and plot suffer. The story covers the three-way relationship between Ismael (Louis Garrel), Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) and Alice (Clotilde Hesme). It's an interesting bond, but it shatters when Julie dies. With the loss, Ismael is thrown out of whack and delves into a number of seedy relationships. Julie's family and Alice try to help Ismael, but it will take the loving arms of a young man to find his way. "Love Songs" isn't Honore's best work. If he wants to re-establish French new wave, he's has to try harder. No special features are included. Unrated; 2008. Our Take: 2 Stars.

Rent It: Somewhat captures the romance perpetually on display in Paris. -- GC

'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'

• There really wasn't any need for another trip through the galaxy with Yoda, Jabba the Hut, Anakin Skywalker and the other assorted characters that make up George Lucas' Jedi-centered imagination. But, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" gives fans of this franchise a different look, opting for an animated feature. Unfortunately, a plot that's all too easy to figure out and the Lucas' usual brand of unforgivable dialogue bring this one crashing down to Dagobah. Plenty of action is all "The Clone Wars" has going for it, though most of those sequences have the feel of those old "G.I. Joe" cartoons in which bullets and lasers are flying each and every way, but none of the main players get hit. The time line for "The Clone Wars" comes between "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." It finds Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and an army of soldiers battling against an evil force of androids lead by Count Dooku. Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson lead a cast of those lending their voices. As usual these days, the film is available in one- and two-disc packages. The two-disc package is loaded with extras, including featurettes on everything from the animation process to scoring the picture. Deleted scenes, webisodes and a digital copy also are on board. PG; 2008. Our Take: 1.5 Stars.

Skip It: This one is in no way out of this world. -- GC

• "The Perfect Holiday": This holiday-centered feature starring Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut isn't going to make anyone forget "It's a Wonderful Life," but it's an above-average tale about a blossoming relationship during the season of giving. Benjamin (Chestnut) is falling for Nancy (Union), but can't seem to find his way into the good graces of her oldest son. Also, Benjamin hasn't been forthcoming with Nancy. A few holiday wishes just might turn things around, though. Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Katt Williams and Charlie Murphy also star in supporting roles. Extras include commentary and a couple of solid featurettes. PG; 2008. Our Take: 2.5 Stars.

• Paramount Classics: Paramount kicks off its Centennial Collection with three classics today. "Sunset Boulevard" (William Holden, unrated, 1950), "Roman Holiday" (Gregory Peck, unrated, 1953) and "Sabrina" (Humphrey Bogart, unrated, 1954), all highly respected titles, make their way to DVD again today. Each film is available in a two-disc set with an abundance of special features and an eight-page collectible booklet. Additionally, each film has been digitally restored for much better audio and video.

• More movie releases: "Mister Foe" (Jamie Bell, R, extras), "This Christmas" (Delroy Lindo, PG-13, extras), "Kidulthood" (Aml Ameen, R, extras), "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" (Marcia Gay Harden, PG, extras), "The Boys in the Band" (Peter White, R, extras), "Noelle" (David Wall, PG), "The Director's Series: Rossellini" ("Escape by Night" and "Where is Freedom?" unrated, extras), "Opium: Diary of a Madwoman" (Ulrich Thomsen, unrated, extras), "Planet of the Apes: 40 Year Evolution" (Features all five films, including the 1968 original, unrated, extras) and "Operation Valkyrie: The Stauffenberg Plot to Kill Hitler" (documentary, unrated, extras).

• TV releases: "Studio One Anthology" (six discs, 17 episodes, extras), "Scrubs: The Complete Seventh Season" (two discs, 11 episodes, extras), "Son of the Beach: Volume 2" (three discs, 21 episodes, extras), "Mind of Mencia: Season Four" (two discs, 10 episodes, extras), "7th Heaven: The Seventh Season" (five discs, 22 episodes), "Streets of San Francisco: Season Two, Volume Two" (three discs, 12 episodes), "MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge: Volumes 4 and 5" (four discs, 26 episodes) and "UFC Classics Collection: Volume 2" (four discs, four bouts, extras).

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