On a weekend when literally "no" new national releases are coming to first-run theaters, new offerings at discount theaters are similarly sparse. ---

The only fresh face this week isn't even human, but that of the titular odds-beating sea mammal of Dolphin Tale. The loosely fact-based family drama tells the story of a dolphin who, after being trapped in a fishing net, has its tail amputated and could die unless it accepts a prosthetic replacement; Nathan Gamble plays the troubled (naturally) fatherless (ditto) boy who befriends the injured creature. You might feel like a sucker for falling for the familiar boy-and-his-dog premise that's two parts Free Willy and one part How to Train Your Dragon, but the basic material just clicks with an unforced charm. Hey, what other new choices have you got?