The Princess and the Frog (Blu-ray) - Set in New Orleans, The Princess and the Frog is about a young woman who kisses a frog after he tells her he's a prince. Instead of him turning into Prince Charming, she ends up turning into a frog herself. Together the pair have to find out how to break the curse that has been cast upon them or risk staying green forever. It's a fun, vibrant film that returns Disney to hand-drawn animation (their first since Home on the Range in 2004). The Blu-ray release is crystal clear and makes the beautiful colour palette jump off the screen. Special features include deleted scenes, a making-of, art galleries, the featurettes The Return to Hand-Drawn Animation and Bringing Life to Animation, plus more. A regular DVD and digital copy of the film are also included. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).

Watch an interview with Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Princess Tiana) below.

Broken Embraces (Blu-ray) - Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar reunites with Penelope Cruz for this film noir about a former film director who is now blind and working as a screenwriter under a pseudonym. Lots of twists and turns and jumping back and forth in time makes Broken Embraces a little hard to get in to, but if you give it time you'll find one very stylish thriller and one of Almodóvar's best films. Spanish with English subtitles. Special features include deleted scenes, a look at Almodóvar directing Cruz, the Almodóvar short film The Cannibalistic Councillor, plus more. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Blu-ray) - It doesn't really matter what I say about The Twilight Saga: New Moon because the "Twihards", "Twilighters", "Twibies" (Twilight zombies) or whatever other name you can come up with for Twilight fans have already seen this flick and love it, and will no doubt be lining up, ready to fork over their money for the DVD or Blu-ray. Since I am not the target demographic for this series, I was shocked that I liked the first film at all. That said, New Moon was far superior to the first film. It is a tad slow to start, and Bella's visions of Edward are silly, but the werewolves make up for it. For the fans, the Blu-ray release is the way to go as it showcases the superb cinematography and soundtrack perfectly. Special features include commentary with director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert, a six-part behind-the-scenes documentary, music videos, and rehearsal footage with the band Muse. Film *** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars). Note: This title does not come out until March 20.

Astro Boy - After Dr. Tenma's son dies in an accident he builds a robotic replica of him. The new boy doesn't live up to Tenma's memories of his real son and he sends him off to be decommissioned. However, Astro, as the boy has become known, possesses human emotions and ends up going on the lam to avoid death. Astro Boy is an alright movie for kids, but for fans of the original 1960s Japanese version there is definitely something off-putting about it. It could be the animation style they went with or the voices (which include Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, and Donald Sutherland), but it didn't pull me in the way I had hoped. Special features include an image gallery, a look inside the recording booth, making-of featurettes, plus more. Also available on Blu-ray. Film ** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).

Ninja Assassin (Blu-ray) - Produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, and directed by James McTeigue, Ninja Assassin is a very stylish, slick film. Like McTeigue's first film V For Vendetta, it's very dark and takes the genre it's working in seriously. Sure, the dialogue and acting could have been better, but this is a ninja film first and foremost, and a kick-ass one at that. If you want to see a ton of blood and dismemberment, Ninja Assassin is a must-see. Special features include the featurettes The Myth and Legend of Ninjas and The Extreme Sport of a Ninja, additional scenes, plus more. A regular DVD and digital copy of the film are also included. Film *** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).

Read an interview CityNews.ca did with Ninja Assassin star Rain

Armored (Blu-ray) - For a so-called action movie, there is not a lot of action in Armored, a film about a group of armored truck guards attempting to steal $42 million dollars while making it look like they were robbed. Weak script, poor acting and the lack of action make this a very forgettable film. Starring Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, and Skeet Ulrich. Special features include the featurette Crash Course: Stunts, a making-of, producer and cast commentary, a digital copy of the film, plus more. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).

Good Hair - Chris Rock stars in this documentary on African-American hairstyles that is, for the most part, a funny film. I did find myself drifting from the material at times as it can get tedious and boring. The DVD case promotes that the film was 94% fresh on RottenTomatoes.com as of January 21, 2010 so maybe it's just me that feels this way (I checked the site and it is still holding strong with only four rotten reviews out of 69). Special features include commentary with Rock and producer Nelson George and the trailer for the film. Film *** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).

Wonderful World - Matthew Broderick plays a forty-something Ferris Bueller-type role in his portrayal of a former children's folk singer Ben Singer. He smokes pot, hates "The Man", and pushes everyone away -- even his daughter. When his friend and roommate goes into a diabetic coma he starts to evaluate the important things in life. Wonderful World is promoted as a "dark comedy", but it's really just a downer that doesn't go anywhere. Special features include behind-the-scenes footage, an HDNet look at the film, plus more. Film ** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).

More new DVD releases this week: The White Stripes Under Great Northern Lights, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, The Fourth Kind, Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray), The Neverending Story (Blu-ray), Bandslam

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

Top image: A scene from Broken Embraces. Courtesy Sony Pictures.