Three movies go into wide release today! Why, it’s a Chanukah miracle!

“The Adventures of Tintin“: Finally opening in English Canada and the U.S., Steven Spielberg’s delightful mo-cap adventure brings Tintin, Snowy and Cap’n Haddock to vivid almost-life in a movie that expertly meshes the worlds of Herge, Indiana Jones and the Pirates of the Caribbean — and makes doing so look like child’s play.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”: David Fincher remakes/reinterprets the Swedish blockbuster for an audience that doesn’t like subtitles but is apparently just fine with prolonged sexual violence. I remain unconvinced of the merits of this franchise, literary or otherwise, but Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig are solid, Stellan Skarsgard is great and Christopher Plummer was more appealing in a handful of scenes here than he was in all of “Beginners”. That said, pulp remains pulp no matter how much money you spend on it. Susan feels much the same way.

And “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” begins its 35mm and digital engagements today. I don’t know how Simon Pegg ended up with key roles in two of the season’s purest entertainments — I’m not even sure he does, come to think of it — but I’m delighted to see him there, in the real and virtual flesh.

Also, my latest MSN DVD column is out, discussing a couple of not-entirely-appropriate holiday offerings. Because really, you can’t write about “Die Hard” every year.

… well, you can, but eventually people will notice.