What do you call the part-prequel/part-remake of a remake of an adaptation of a short story? How about the most promising streaming rental of the week?

The following titles enter the VUDU stream this week:

• ‘The Big Year’ (1/31)
• ‘The Big Year – Extended Cut’ (1/31)
• ‘Dream House’ (1/31)
• ‘In Time’ (1/31)
• ‘Janie Jones’ (rental 10/27/11, purchase 1/31/12)
• ‘Love in Space’ (1/31)
• ‘The Mill and the Cross’ (1/31)
• ‘Outrage: Way of the Yakuza’ (rental 10/28/11, purchase 1/31/12)
• ‘Texas Killing Fields’ (1/31)
• ‘The Thing’ [2011] (1/31)
• ‘Thunder Soul’ (1/31)
• ‘A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas’ (2/3)
• ‘A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas – Extra Dope Edition’ (2/3)

No, I still haven’t seen the new premakequel of ‘The Thing‘ yet. And yes, the film was a box office bomb that has suffered very mixed word of mouth. But both Luke here and Roundtable contributor Adam from DVDTalk insist that the movie has gotten a bad rap. I think that makes it worth a rental. Plus, I’ve been in love with Mary Elizabeth Winstead since the Extended Cut of ‘Death Proof‘, and that helps a lot.

Also potentially interesting is ‘Outrage: Way of the Yakuza‘, the latest from Japanese cult icon Takeshi “Beat” Kitano. As I explained in Tuesday’s Blu-ray post, I’ve seen very little of Kitano’s work and have some catching up to do. I suppose that this is as good a place as any.

I’m tempted to recommend ‘A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas‘, but VUDU doesn’t offer it in 3D, at least not yet. The movie’s original title was ‘A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas’ and it exists for almost no other reason than to exploit goofy 3D gags. Much like ‘Pinanha 3D‘, I just don’t see the point of watching this one in 2D.

Josh’s Random VUDU Pick:

I have no themes or tie-ins this week. Today’s random pick from the VUDU catalog is genuinely random. How much so? Let’s try Aardman Animations’ stop-motion prison camp spoof ‘Chicken Run‘. The comedy failed to click (or cluck) with audiences like the studio’s famous ‘Wallace & Gromit’ films, but it’s a fun time all the same. It’s not yet available on Blu-ray here (though I believe a Region B edition was released in Europe), but VUDU offers it in 1080p HDX, which is pretty essential to appreciate the detail in the clay sculpting.

All dates provided refer specifically to rental availability. Check VUDU for sell-through availability, if interested. Be sure to also check for VUDU’s $0.99 Movie of the Day offers, which are announced each day on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages.