Unfortunately, it seems the studios have chosen to keep Halloween Day big-release free. The one major DVD release this week (and coincidentally the only “Must-Have” of the week) actually opted to hit the streets on Monday Oct. 30th, rather than face the horror of trying to get the trick or treating masses to come out and pick it up in the stores. Anyway, read on below to find out which new release I’m talking about as well as this week’s honorable mentions!

This Week’s Must-Haves -

I’m not quite sure why Paramount chose to release this DVD a day before the normal Tuesday release day, maybe they were afraid to compete with the Halloween holiday. Whatever the reason, they may have good reason to be a bit worried since this flick didn’t as hot at the box office as everyone had expected it do. It was one of the first summer flicks to come racing out of the gate, so there was plenty of hype. And despite being better in every way than the last installment in the Spy/Action film franchise, people still didn’t flock to it. Whether that’s because the movie-going public is just sick of super spy Ethan Hunt or tired of not-so-superstar Tom Cruise’s antics off the screen is certainly up for debate, but not here. I thought the first two-thirds of the flick were fantastic, truly a team-based MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE adventure that tapped into what made the original TV series so fun. The last third turned into Tom Cruise the movie and completely lost me. I guess even ALIAS/LOST creator J.J. Abrams couldn’t completely overcome Cruise’s ego. Despite this, the overall flick is still worth checking out thanks to Abrams’ mostly-awesome script and direction, and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villainous performance. And Keri Russell’s small part as a disavowed agent culminates in one of the best sequences in the entire flick. And be sure to pick up the two-disc set while you’re at it.

Honorable Mentions -