Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks star in the suspense thriller "The Da Vinci Code."

From blockbuster intrigue to cult comedy, an all-over-the-map itinerary awaits on ...

The big screen scene: An all-star team (led by Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard) cracks "The Da Vinci Code" (Sony), as a Harvard symbologist (Hanks) and a Paris cryptologist (Audrey Tautou) investigate a labyrinthine cover-up that could shake Christianity to its core.

From there, it's off to campus for two comedies. "Accepted" (Universal) focuses on a slacker (Justin Long), dissed by multiple colleges, who creates his own institution of higher learning. And a hunky high school heartbreaker (Jesse Metcalfe of "Desperate Housewives") gets a well-deserved comeuppance in "John Tucker Must Die" (Fox).

Venturing off the studio track, "Strangers with Candy" (Velocity/Thinkfilm), a prequel to the Comedy Central series, follows 47-year-old ex-con Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), a self-described "user, boozer and loser," back to high school.

And, on the foreign-language front, the Oscar-nominated "Joyeux Noel" (Sony) recounts the spontaneous World War I cease-fire that finds combatants sharing Christmas Eve.

Critic's choice: Intriguing independents that never played local theaters dominate, led by the Oscar-nominated, fact-based World War II drama "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" (Zeitgeist), about a German student whose anti-Nazi activities lead to her arrest.

Edward Burns, meanwhile, focuses on aging high school buddies as writer, director and star of the comedy "The Groomsmen" (Bauer). Jay Mohr, John Leguizamo, Brittany Murphy and Donal Logue co-star. And the generation gap plagues a dysfunctional Chinese-American family in the comedy "Red Doors" (Lightyear).

Hot docs: A remarkable ongoing project continues in "49 Up" (First Run), the latest chapter in Michael Apted's documentary series, which has followed the same 14 people since they were 7 years old. Visionary director Werner Herzog's "The Wild Blue Yonder: A Science Fiction Fantasy" (Subversive Cinema), meanwhile, blurs the lines between fact and fiction as it focuses on the links between earth and outer space.

"Who Killed the Electric Car?" (Sony), by contrast, chronicles the battery-powered EV-1's disappearance. "Stolen" (Hart Sharp) focuses on the largest art heist in modern history. And "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" (Lionsgate) inducts audiences into the singer-songwriter's cult of personality.

Kidvid corner: The screen's biggest dog star returns in a heartwarming new British version of "Lassie" (Classic Media), with Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, Peter Dinklage and Edward Fox leading the human cast.

Cartoon favorites, meanwhile, celebrate the holiday season in "Mickey's Clubhouse: Mickey Saves Santa" (Disney), "A Sesame Street Christmas Carol" (Sony Wonder) and "Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas" (Warner).

Other 'toon stars arriving on DVD include "Blue's Clues: Blue's Room -- Meet Blue's Baby Brother" (Paramount), "Bratz: Glitz 'n' Glamour" (Goldhil), "Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Vol. 2" (Disney), "DuckTales: Vol. Two" (Disney) and "Strawberry Shortcake: Cooking Up Fun" (Fox).

TV transfers: Before "Superman Returns" hits DVD in two weeks, Warner Home Video provides a warm-up with the original "Adventures of Superman: The Complete Fifth and Sixth Seasons" and "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman -- The Complete Fourth Season."

More good guys are on hand in "Columbo: The Complete Sixth and Seventh Seasons" (Universal), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- The Complete Sixth Season" (Paramount), "Gunsmoke: The Directors Collection" (Paramount), "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service -- The Complete Second Season" (Paramount) and "Quantum Leap: The Complete Fifth Season" (Universal).

Turning to comedy, "Northern Exposure: The Complete Fifth Season" (Universal) joins such sitcoms as "Family Guy, Vol. 4 -- Season 5" (Fox), "The Golden Girls: The Complete Sixth Season" (Touchstone), "Home Improvement: The Complete Fifth Season" (Touchstone), "Reba: Season 4" (Fox), "That Girl: Season 2" (Shout! Factory) and "3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 6" (Anchor Bay).

Vintage vault: Legendary leading men headline three new DVD sets, with "The Paul Newman Collection" (Warner) spotlighting one of Newman's iconic roles, private eye Lew Harper, in "Harper" (1966) and its 1975 sequel, "The Drowning Pool."

"The Last Sunset" (1961), with sheriff Rock Hudson trailing outlaw Kirk Douglas, dominates Universal's five-title "Rock Hudson Screen Legend Collection." And Bing Crosby's "Screen Legend Collection" (also from Universal) features the crooner in such romps as "Here Come the Waves" (1944) and "Waikiki Wedding" (1937).