Short circuits 10/4: 'Fast Five' off to a fast start

Few Hollywood franchises produce their finest installment on the fifth try, but the burly, brawny "Fast Five" bucks the trend. The "Fast and Furious" series has followed the dangerous exploits of monotone street racer Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), the ex-cop who gradually became Dom's high-flying partner in crime. The duo's latest impossible mission takes place in and around Rio de Janeiro's congested favelas, where Toretto's crew uses vital information stored on a stolen microchip to rob a sadistic drug kingpin (Joaquim de Almeida), all while avoiding Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), the road-raging federal bounty hunter ordered to bring the fugitives to justice. Director Justin Lin's elaborately planned and eye-popping automobile stunts butter this movie's bread. The DVD and Blu-ray (Universal, $30-$35) include commentary and deleted scenes.

Out Tuesday on DVD:

Out on Blu-ray:

"Resistance 3" ($60 for PS3; rated Mature), the third entry in the alternate-history tale of American life in the aftermath of World War II, is grim. Thankfully, the story isn't all based in typical American urban centers. Battles rage in small, dusty Midwest towns and swamps in the South, reminding you that America is not all Los Angeles or New York. One of the legacies of "Resistance" is the fantastic weapon systems. Standards like the magnum and auger are back, as well as some new handy entries that electrocute or freeze those pesky Chimerans. The seamless way the guns and the secondary fire can be upgraded is a feature of the franchise that is copied repeatedly for a reason. It's that good. The online multiplayer is again top-notch. "Resistance 3" is a must-own.

After the wild success of its mobile application, the Internet Movie Database is branching into games and releasing its first title, a trivia game that draws on the company's extensive movie and TV database. Inspiration for the app came from trivia questions on IMDb's website. They generate more than 100 million page views a year, with visitors spending more than 4 million hours a year answering the trivia questions about movies, TV shows and actors. "We thought, 'Let's provide the same content in a fun, entertaining way,'" said Kintan Brahmbhatt, head of mobile products at IMDb. The app is available for free via iTunes. Expansion packs with additional questions are 99 cents.