The new batch of DVDs this week has everything to offer from war crimes, bridezillas, ghosts and even cute little puppies. Don’t panic, we have the scoop on which to buy, rent, or skip.

Buy it: The Reader is the film adaptation of the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. Kate Winslet stars in the film and has won a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and an Oscar for her role. The story centers on a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the 1950s, had an affair with an older woman. She disappears abruptly after their affair and surfaces years later as a trial defendant accused of war crimes when she was a guard at a concentration camp. It is obvious why Winslet was recognized for her performance. She plays a complicated character, not a typical villain, which is fascinating. The emotional story is full of love and war, but without showing either in the physical sense.

Rent it: Bride Wars. Best friends since grade school, Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) have always dreamed of having their weddings at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. However, there is a scheduling glitch and if both women want The Plaza they will have to have their weddings on the same day at the same time, or wait another three years for an opening. This turns friendship into an all out war, as the ladies try to sabotage each other’s weddings in order to book The Plaza. The problem is Hudson and Hathaway are not the epitome of mean; we have trouble buying their hate for one another. The film does have some funny moments and also some touching scenes between BBFs, but Hudson and Hathaway are just not believable bridezillas. 

Rent it: Hotel for Dogs. Even though the plot is predictable and simplistic, who can resist puppies and homeless orphan children? That alone has enough sweetness to make your teeth rot. Kevin Dillon and Lisa Kudrow are want-to-be rockers and lousy foster parents to a brother-and-sister pair, played by Jake T. Austin and Emma Roberts. Kudrow and Dillon won’t let the children keep their pet dog, and it just so happens there is an abandoned hotel next door. So the children fix it up and invite all their furry friends to come and stay. This is a great wholesome, family film filled with adorable puppies!

Skip it: The Uninvited. The latest teen horror fails to give goose bumps. Anna Rydell (Emily Browning) returns home to her sister and father after spending time in a mental hospital following the unexpected death of her mother. She soon realizes that her dad’s new girlfriend is not who she seems with the help of her mother’s ghost. This film is a remake of the 2003 South Korean film, A Tale of Two Sisters. The major problem with the redo is that the final five minutes are the only part worth watching. The plot twists are entertaining, but overall is scores below average.

—Jessica Delli Santi