DVDs: The Gifts that Keep on Giving

For ages 13+

She's The Man (PG-13 for some sexual material)
Adding a splash of adolescent angst to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, this charming romantic comedy follows the efforts of teenage Viola (Amanda Bynes) to convince the students at her twin brother's boarding school that she's actually her brother (James Kirk). But things get complicated when Viola falls for her handsome roommate (Channing Tatum), who's in love with a beautiful girl (Laura Ramsey) who's in love with Viola …in drag as her brother! Got all that? Bynes, who came to fame in Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show, is adorable and a master at physical comedy and great timing.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence including frightening images)
The loopy Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back, caught in yet another tangled web of undead pirates lurking deep in the ocean. Before he's able to get any real pleasure from his ship, the Black Pearl, Jack discovers he owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), ruler of the ocean and captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. Unless Jack can figure a way out of this mess, he'll be doomed to an afterlife of eternal damnation and slavery. Thankfully, he has help from friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and fiance Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly), who have their own problems. Angry cannibals, ghostly pirates, peril and action…it's pure escapism.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand (PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, some sexual content and language)
When scientists develop a miracle drug to treat unwanted mutations, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his heroic band of X-Men must battle a group of mutants known as the Brotherhood, led by Xavier's former ally (Ian McKellen). Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romjin reprise their roles from the first two movies. But even if you haven't seen those, this movie has plenty of action, awesome special effects, and fun characters to keep everyone happy.

Eight Below (PG for some peril and brief, mild language)
One loner, eight sled dogs, and the wonderful world of Disney: it all adds up to an edge-of-your seat movie that gives new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." When an unforeseen accident forces an Antarctic scientist (Paul Walker) to leave behind his team of beloved sled dogs, the animals must survive a cruel and punishing winter on their own. It's an old-school Disney heartwarmer.