This week's new DVDs have hit the shelves and that means it's time to run down the best...and the rest.

As always, resident film expert (and former Massachusetts high school football great)Videoport Jones is here to lend a helpful hand.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

Videoport Jones: "Here's one way: continually make poor role choices, thus squandering the cult-like devotion of the fans of your earlier work. But I kid Simon Pegg. But not really. The writer/star of such Videoport Jones household staples as 'Spaced,' 'Hot Fuzz,' and the damn-near-perfect 'Shaun of the Dead' has succumbed to the hand-tied lure of American stardom, which is fine, I guess, if you bring your heretofore-unerring artistic taste along with you. But not if your first two US starring vehicles are 'Run Fatboy Run' and, well, this one. Based on a memoir by some loudmouthed boor who used to work at 'Vanity Fair,' 'HTLFAAP' suffers from sitcommy characters, the dulldulldull Kirsten Dunst, and a congenital inability to decide whether its central character is a bumbling boob, a smarter-than-everyone-else rebel, or just a loudmouthed boor. Trapped and flailing in this ill-written mess struggles the Pegger (as I'm sure he likes to be called). He's not bad. In fact, he's really very winning (and Jeff Bridges is menacingly hilarious as the head of the magazine) but this is the sort of mediocre Hollywood dud that's going to derail his career if he's not careful. My prescription is to get back with director Edgar Wright and costar/sidekick Nick Frost before all his indie geek capital is spent."

Justin: "It's funny, with this and 'Run Fatboy Run,' I think my mind just overlooked the fact that Pegg was part of the cast. I think that's partially because I want to always remember him from 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz,' but also because he seems strangely out of place in these Hollywood flicks. It's not that he can't do a 'Hollywood" flick, it's just that he doesn't seem to fit. You put him in as the romantic (or comedic, or both) lead opposite pretty ladies like Dunst and Thandie Newton and things are a bit off. It feels like boxing above his weight class, and I say that as a guy who is a big fan. You never want to pigeonhole someone to certain roles and characters, but there is something to be said of the idea of playing to your strengths. He'll rebound. Give it time."

Flash of Genius

VPJ: "Greg Kinnear stars in this true story of the guy who invented the intermittent setting on your windshield wipers. Next up, he's playing the guy who invented the darkness/lightness knob on your toaster! But I kid movies that seem to have insufficient weight to get made at all. It's actually a pretty nice story about the little guy battling against the big guy (in this case the auto industry) who tried to steal his intermittent windshield wiper setting. Kinnear's always reliable, watchable, and, well, nice. And so's the movie."

JE: "For the longest time I could not get a straight read on Kinnear, whether I liked him, hated him or had no need for him. Maybe that's the power of Greg Kinnear. When you like him, good, when you don't, no big deal. He's not a guy whose movies I'm always going to rush out and see, but he seems pretty reliable in supporting roles. This movie looked sweet, had an interesting and identifiable (if not timeless and overworked) plot. I think most people can get behind a David vs. Goliath story, even if it's a part of history they don't know. And if it makes you appreciate your windshield wipers even more, that's all the better."

Body of Lies

VPJ: "Russell Crowe gets his tough guy on in this spy thriller from his best pal, director Ridley Scott who has guided the surly Aussie through movies both massively-overrated ('Gladiator'), and accurately middlingly-rated ('A Good Year,' 'American Gangster'). Now the action duo take on a sidekick in the I-still-haven't-made-up-my-mind-about-him Leonardo Dicaprio in this tale of tough guys, what with the guns and the terrorists, and the sand and whatnot. I'll probably see it at some point, because Crowe and Scott, for all my bitching, are usually capable, and Leo continues to grow on me. (He's been growing for a decade, so I'd like it if he could turn into whatever he's turning into already). Still, Scott's three best films were 'The Duelists,' 'Alien,' and 'Blade Runner' which were 30 years ago. Ouch."

JE: "You have this amazing, yet-ruthless, ability to just cut to the point and take the legs out from under the table. 'He's a capable director and watchable...but his best days were in the past. The distant past.' Ouch, indeed, my friend. I got no problem with Leo, especially after 'The Departed.' He makes for a sticky action character because you have a hard time imagining him throw a punch or take a shot at someone. And yes, I will go on record with you saying I think Scott is a capable director, and in that respect better than most. But the biggest problem I had with this movie - which will probably prevent me from seeing it - is that it's not easy to pinpoint what the whole thing is about. You don't have to telegraph the whole story for me. I'm a guy that loves twists and surprises, but really, if you can't give me an idea why I would want to spend $8-$12 on a film, then we're done. Seriously, what is going on in this movie? It involves bad guys, gun play, possibly betrayal...and what else? Just give me something to work with."

Choke

VPJ: "The always-more-than-watchable Sam Rockwell continues to take on the daring projects with his turn as the protagonist of this dark comedy adapted from the novel by ''Fight Club' author Chuck Palahniuk. He's a desperate guy trying to make ends meet by making himself, um, choke on restaurant food and then sponging off of the people who heimlich him. That's the premise all right. I'll watch Rockwell in anything (I even saw 'Charlie's Angels'), and him, plus Palahniuk equals me watching this, and probably being at least slightly wigged out. Fun."

JE: "It takes some serious devotion to watch 'Charlie's Angels' just for the sake of Sam. I'm not going to argue because I'm a big fan as well. He made the weird, ambling story of 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' extremely fun to watch. Also, he secured 'Galaxy Quest' as one of my favorite movies of all time. And yes, I'm a fan of Palanhniuk as well. That was secured for me while listening to him read his audiobook version of 'Stranger Than Fiction' on a 24-hour trip from Maine to Minnesota. Sick, twisted, hilarious and truthful. You combine these two men and yes, I will be watching."

Changeling

VPJ: "Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie to Oscar-nominated possible glory in this based-on-a-completely-mental true story about a woman whose son goes missing and then gets jerked around by the image-conscious police who try to pass some random munchkin off as hers years later. I dunno, Clint can bring it (usually about every third time), and Jolie is almost as competent as she is unearthly beautiful, but this one left me flat. It's fine, and any movie that lets its star scream 'Give me back my son!!!!!' as many times as she wants is always fun for me."

JE: "GIVE ME BACK MY SON!!! That's always a winner. I have mixed feelings about this one, mostly because I think I'm supposed to feel motivated to see it for a host of reasons, namely Jolie and Clint. But they both leave me kind of cold. I like Clint, and I have no ill-will towards the Jolie, but I'm just not feeling this one. Still, the story is just bizarre enough that I could be roped in. Plus it has The Malkovich, which is always a treat, and the underrated up-and-coming everyman, Jeffrey Donovan. I'll file this one under 'maybe.'"

Quarantine

VPJ: "It's 'Blair Witch'-meets-'28 Days Later!' Or so said some coked up exec at some point, I'm certain. A newslady and her cameraman get trapped in a...dum-dum-dum...quarantined building when a virus makes everyone therein go all murderously loopy. It's got a nice, claustrophobic griminess to it, and when the faux documentary horror technique is done even remotely well, it's pretty effective. Above average horror is all I can hope for these days..."

JE: "You set the bar so low, my friend. I worry for you. I'm sure it's a decent enough movie, but honestly I feel like I've seen this plot done to death (no pun intended) and just about every science fiction-based TV show I've ever watched or flipped channels to for a few minutes. 'What's happening to the crew/staff/precinct/agents/monkeys/etc. I'll take a pass."

Religulous