Short Circuits: 'Cloud Atlas' on video, 'Soul Sacrifice' in games, Sennheiser Momentum headphones

At its simplest, "Cloud Atlas" tells the interlocking stories of several characters over a 500-year span. How these disparate players intersect becomes the labyrinthine game, in which each story line gets its own distinctive look and tone. Those visual cues work well in helping viewers make sense of the dizzying time-trips "Cloud Atlas" takes them on; more controversial is having the same actors, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving and newcomer Doona Bae, portray characters in every subplot.

At its most on-the-nose, the movie suffers from sanctimony that is probably inevitable when evoking the Eternal Now. At its best, though, "Cloud Atlas" represents just the kind of nerve and ingenuity that movies so desperately need these days.

The DVD (Warner, $29) includes "A Film Like No Other," a featurette on how directors Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski worked together, while the Blu-ray ($36) adds more featurettes.

Washington Post

Colin Covert says: Three directors, plus six story lines, times five centuries equals one grandly conceived, impressively mounted megaflop.

Also out Tuesday:

Movies: "Back to 1942," "Texas Chainsaw," "Tomorrow You're Gone."

Blu-ray debuts: "Jubal," "3:10 to Yuma" (1957).

What would prompt Keiji Inafune to leave Capcom, and years of "Mega Man" development? Probably the itch to try something new, which a lot of people are feeling these days. He's done just that with the remarkable "Soul Sacrifice" ($40 for PS Vita; rated Mature). The game is part "Monster Hunter," part "choose who lives or dies" with an ingenious sacrificial system, which can give you a boost either which way. The way your adventure changes based on your decisions is cool, and the visual style is splendid, bringing out the most in the PS Vita. Check it out.

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Sennheiser headphones deliver incredibly crisp sound with great clarity but without head-banging bass. Its new Momentum over-the-ear headphones ($350; www.sennheiser.com) are no different. In addition to the great sound, they look great. A black leather headband makes it comfortable and lightweight on your head, along with the padded leather ear-cups. An Apple-friendly smart remote with mic is on the interchangeable 52-inch cable, letting you control volume, music selections and answer calls hands-free. Non-Apple users can use the 56-inch long standard cable. A hard carrying case is included.