The Princess and the Frog – 6.9/10 – Trailer
Voiced by Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis, John Goodman, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Cody, Peter Bartlett, Terrence Howard
A modern day retelling of the classic story The Frog Prince. The Princess and the Frog finds the lives of arrogant, carefree Prince Naveen and hardworking waitress Tiana crossing paths. Prince Naveen is transformed into a frog by a conniving voodoo magician and Tiana, following suit, upon kissing the amphibian royalty. With the help of a trumpet-playing alligator, a Cajun firefly, and an old blind lady who lives in a boat in a tree, Naveen and Tiana must race to break the spell and fulfill their dreams.

To Save $10 of the Blu-ray version head over to PrincessAndTheFrogCoupon.com to print your coupon.

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Deleted Scenes
• The Making of
• Conjuring the Villain
• The Return to Hand-Drawn Animation
• The Disney Legacy
• Disney’s Newest Princess
• Bringing Life to Animation
• Art Galleries
• Music Video by Ne-Yo
• The Princess Portraits Game
• Audio Commentary
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Buy (with the $10 off coupon)

Ninja Assassin – 6.4/10 – Trailer
Starring Rain, Naomie Harris
Trained since childhood to be a lethal killer, Raizo has since turned his back on the Ozunu clan that raised him and now seeks revenge for their heartless murders. Teaming up with Europol investigator Mika, Raizo steadily butchers his enemies while inching ever closer to the long-awaited bloody reunion with his former master.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Additional Scenes

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• “The Myth and Legend of Ninjas”
• “The Extreme Sport of a Ninja”
• “Training Rain”
• Additional Scenes

Recommendation:  Rent

Did You Hear About the Morgans? – 4.4/10 – Trailer
Starring Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Kelly, Wilford Brimley
In New York City, an estranged couple who witness a murder are relocated to small-town Wyoming as part of a witness-protection program.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• A Bear of a Scene
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary with Marc Lawrence, Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker
• Location, Location, Location
• Cowboys and Cosmopolitans
• Park Avenue Meets the Prairie
• Outtakes

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• movieIQ
• BD Live

Recommendation: Pass

Armored – 5.3/10 – Trailer
Starring Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Milo Ventimiglia, Skeet Ulrich, Columbus Short
A newbie guard for an armored truck company is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $42 million. But a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Cast and Crew Commentary
• Planning the Heist: Making of
• Crash Course: Stunts
• Armed and Underground: Production Design

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• movieIQ
• BD Live

Recommendation: Pass

The Fourth Kind – 5.7/10 – Trailer
Starring Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton
In 1972, a scale of measurement was established for alien encounters. When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind. When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind. The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. Modern-day, Alaska, where-mysteriously since the 1960s-a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year. Despite multiple FBI investigations of the region, the truth has never been discovered. Here in this remote region, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients and unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. The Fourth Kind exposes the terrified revelations of multiple witnesses. Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details, the validity of which is investigated throughout the film.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
• Deleted Scenes

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
• Deleted Scenes
• BD Live
• D-Box Motion Control
• pocket Blu App

Recommendation:  Pass

Re-Releases

Vengeance Trilogy

• Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
• Oldboy
• Lady Vengeance
• Available on DVD and Blu-ray (Blu-ray only available at Best Buy)

Recommendation: Rent (especially Oldboy)

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Breaking Bad (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD/Blu-ray
• Clash of the Gods (Complete 1st Season) – DVD/Blu-ray
• Destination Truth (Complete 1st Season) – DVD
• Hawaii Five-0 (Complete 8th Season) – DVD
• Monk (Complete 8th Season) – DVD
• My Two Dads (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Volume 17) – DVD
• South Park (Complete 13th Season) – DVD/Blu-ray

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Feb 23rd, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 29th, 2009

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire – 7.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd
In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.  This film just won 2 Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Mo’Nique) and Best Adapted Screenplay.  It was also nominated for Best Director (Lee Daniels), Best Editing, Best Actress (Gabourey Sidibe) and Best Picture. 

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Lee Daniels
• “From Push to Precious”
• “A Precious Ensemble”
• “Oprah and Tyler: A Project of Passion”
• A Conversation with author Sapphire and director Lee Daniels
• Deleted Scenes: The Incest Survivor Meeting
• Audition: Gabourey Sidibe
• Reflections on Precious

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Rent (or you will make Oprah cry)

Up in the Air – 7.1/10 – Trailer
Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride
Ryan Bingham’s job is to fire people from theirs. The anguish, hostility, and despair of his “clients” has left him falsely compassionate, living out of a suitcase, and loving every second of it. When his boss hires arrogant young Natalie, she develops a method of video conferencing that will allow termination without ever leaving the office – essentially threatening the existence Ryan so cherishes. Determined to show the naive girl the error of her logic, Ryan takes her on one of his cross country firing expeditions, but as she starts to realize the disheartening realities of her profession, he begins to see the downfalls to his way of life.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Jason Reitman, Eric Steelberg and Jason Blumenfeld
• “Shadowplay: Before the Story”
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailers

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD, plus:
• More Deleted Scenes
• Music Video: “Help Yourself” by Sad Brad
• Storyboards
• American Airlines Prank

Recommendation: Rent

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – 7/10 – Trailer
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins Jr, Julie Benz, Judd Nelson, David Della Rocco, Peter Fonda, Billy Connolly
For the last 8 years the brothers have been living with their father on a sheep farm deep in isolated Ireland. One day their uncle tells them that they have been framed for the murder of a Bostonian Catholic priest. The boys must return to Boston to not only clear their names but find the men who framed them

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary with Cast and Crew
• Behind the Scenes
• Billy Connolly and Troy Duffy: Unedited
• Inside the Vault: The Weapons
• The Cast Confesses: Secrets from the Set
• Comic-Con

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD, plus:
• movieIQ
• BD-Live

Recommendation: Rent (buy for lovers of the Saints)

Planet 51 – 5.7/10 – Trailer
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese
Lem is just an average teenager working on getting the girl and furthering his career at the local planetarium – except that he’s an alien. At least to U.S. astronaut Captain Charles T. Baker who lands on Lem’s planet hoping for a quick flag plant and a hasty return to earth and his millions of screaming fans. But on this alien planet the media has tagged spacemen as brain-eating, zombie-creating monsters, causing Baker to run for his life and into Lem’s house. Now it’s up to the green native to get the clumsy astronaut back to his spaceship before military dictator General Grawl and mad scientist Professor Kipple manage to exterminate the Earthly visitor.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• “Run Rover Run” Game
• Planetarium – The Voice Stars
• Extended Scenes
• “The World of Planet 51″
• “Life on Planet 51″
• Music Video Montage
• Animation Progression Reels
• Want More Fun?

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD, plus:
• Target 51 Game with optional iPhone controller App
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Pass

Old Dogs – 5.2/10 – Trailer
Starring John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Lori Loughlin, Bernie Mac, Matt Dillon
Two friends and business partners find their lives turned upside down when strange circumstances lead to them being placed in the care of 7-year-old twins.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Walt Becker, Andrew Panay, David Diamond, David Weissman
• Deleted Scenes
• Bloopers

Single Disc Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Music Video: “Every Little Step” by John Travolta and Ella Bleu Travolta

2-Disc Blu-ray Features:

• All of the features of the Single Disc Blu-ray, plus:
• Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks
• Music Video: “You’ve Been a Friend to Me” by Bryan Adams
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Pass

Capitalism: A Love Story – 7.2/10 – Trailer
Capitalism: A Love Story examines the impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world). The film moves from Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan. With both humor and outrage, the film explores the question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore goes into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere. What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal…and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story also presents what a more hopeful future could look like. Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Featurettes: “The Man Who Might Save Flint”, “US Congressman Elijah Cummings on Why We Should Consider Discarding Capitalism”, “Capitalism: The Killer”, “Why the Rich Man Can’t Buy His Way Into Heaven”, “What If We Had Listened to Jimmy Carter”, “People Who Grow Food without Capitalism”, “You Talkin to Me?”, “The Ideas Behind a Worker-Owned Business”, “The People’s Bank of North Dakota”, “Miami Max Has a House for You”

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren on “How Wall Street Got Away with Murder”
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Commish (Complete 1st Season) – DVD
• Hannah Montana: Miley Says Goodbye – DVD
• In Plain Sight (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD
• Matt Houston (Complete 1st Season) – DVD
• Tremors (Complete Series) – DVD
• Walker Texas Ranger (Complete 7th Season) – DVD
• Wanted: Dead or Alive (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – March 16th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 29th, 2009

Where the Wild Things Are – 7.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker
An adolescent named Max has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don’t go along with what he wants. Max – following an incident with Claire (his sister) and her friends, and following a tantrum which he throws as a result of his Mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him – runs away from home. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Series of “Where the Wild Things Are” Shorts by Lance Bangs

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• Series of “Where the Wild Things Are” Shorts by Lance Bangs
• Higglety Piggety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life
• HBO First Look: Where the Wild Things Are
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Buy (on blu-ray because you also get a dvd copy)

2012 – 5.4/10 – Trailer
Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Zlatko Buric, Morgan Lily, Liam James, John Billinglsey, Thomas McCarthy, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson
Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth’s core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world’s population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world’s leaders race to build “arks” to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentary with Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser
• “Roland Emmerich: Master of the Modern Epic”
• Music Video: Adam Lambert – ‘Time For Miracles’

Single Disc Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Alternate Ending
• Commentary with Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser
• movieIQ
• PiP: Roland’s Vision
• BD-Live Enabled

2-Disc Blu-ray Features:

• All of the features of the Single Disc Blu-ray, plus:
• Deleted Scenes
• Countdown to the Future
• Interactive Mayan Calendar
• “Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar”
• “Designing the End of the World”
• “Science Behind the Destruction”
• “The End of the World: The Actor’s Perspective”
• Music Video: Adam Lambert – “Time for Miracles”
• Making of the Music Video
• Digital Copy for the Playstation Portable
• Digital Copy of the Film (PC, Mac & iPod)

Recommendation: Rent (stuff blows up)

Ponyo – 7.2/10 – Trailer
Starring (English Voicing) Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cloris Leachman, Betty White, Lily Tomlin
The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses her father’s magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo’s father sends the ocean’s mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo’s dreams of becoming human.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Featurette: The World of Ghibli
• Featurette: Behind the Studio
• Meet Ponyo
• Storyboard Presentation of the Movie

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• DVD Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Buy (if you love Miyazaki, and who doesn’t? otherwise rent)

Bitch Slap – 4.6/10
Starring Julia Voth, Erin Cummings, America Olivo, Michael Hurst, Lucy Lawless, Kevin Sorbo, Renee O’Connor
When three curvaceous babes arrive at a desert hideaway to steal from an underworld kingpin, things quickly spiral out of control. Allegiances are switched, truths are revealed, criminals are unmasked and nothing is quite what it seems as the fate of the world is precariously balanced among this trio of sexy femmes fatales.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Rick Jacobson, Eric Gruendemann, Brian Peck, Julia Voth, Erin Cummings and America Olivo
• Buidling a Better B-Movie Documentary

Recommendation:  Pass (yes i know it has both Hercules and Xena in it)

Gentlemen Broncos – 5.5/10 – Trailer
Starring Michael Angarano, Jermaine Clement, Sam Rockwell, Jennifer Coolidge, Suzanne May, Halley Feiffer
Benjamin (Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Coolidge), is a loner whose passion for writing leads him on an journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town’s most prolific homespun filmmaker.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess and Munn Powell
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes Reel: A Buttload of Keepsakes
• One Nutty Movie: Behind-the-Scenes

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Mini-Docs

Recommendation: Pass (sorry Jermaine)

Re-Releases

The NeverEnding Story (Blu-ray) – 7.2/10
Starring Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Moses Gunn, Thomas Hill
Bastian is a young boy who lives a dreary life being tormented by school bullies. On one such occasion he escapes into a book shop where the old proprieter reveals an ancient story-book to him, which he is warned can be dangerous. Shortly after, he “borrows” the book and begins to read it in the school attic where he is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Available for the first time in 5.1 surround sound

Recommendation: Rent (HD and 5.1 audio, that’s it?)

Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray) – 6.8/10
Starring Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress
Perseus is the favored son of the god Zeus, but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis. Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis’s son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished.

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
• A Conversation with Ray Harryhausen
• Myths and Monsters Gallery

Recommendation: Pass

TV 0n DVD/Blu-ray

• Alice (Complete Mini-Series) – DVD/Blu-ray
• Alice in Wonderland (TV Movie) – DVD
• Designing Women (Complete 3rd Season) – DVD
• King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (Complete Series) – DVD
• Matlock (Complete 4th Season) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Feb 23rd, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 15th, 2009

The Informant! – 6.9/10 – Trailer
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Richard Steven Horvitz
Mark Whitacre has worked for lysine developing company ADM for many years and has even found his way into upper management. But nothing has prepared him for the job he is about to undertake – being a spy for the FBI. Unwillingly pressured into working as an informant against the illegal price-fixing activities of his company, Whitacre gradually adopts the idea that he’s a true secret agent. But as his incessant lies keep piling up, his world begins crashing down around him.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Additional Scenes

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z Burns
• Additional Scenes
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Rent

The Box – 5.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella
Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Richard Matheson: In His Own Words

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Richard Matheson: In His Own Words
• Commentary with Richard Kelly
• The Box: Grounded in Reality
• Visual Effect Revealed
• Music Video Prequels
• DVD Copy of the Film
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Pass

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant – 7/10 – Trailer
Starring Chris Massoglia, John C Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Ray Stevenson, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek
A young boy named Darren Shan meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak and become a Vampire.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Deleted Scenes
• Guide to Becoming a Vampire
• Tour du Freak

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• U Control – PiP
• My Scenes
• D-Box Motion Control
• BD Live Enabled
• pocket BLU app

Recommendation: Pass

Sorority Row – 5/10 – Trailer
Starring Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrian Partridge, Julian Morris, Carrie Fisher
After finding out a guy cheated on their sister, sorority house Theta Pi play a simple prank on him. They trick him into thinking that he has killed his girlfriend, then take him into the middle of nowhere to ‘dismember” the body, only then revealing it was a prank. However, the prank goes horribly wrong and all involved swear never to speak of it again. A year later at graduation though, they are all reminded of the past.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Sorority Secrets: Stories from the Set
• Killer 101
• Kill Switch
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• PiP Commentary with Cast and Crew

Recommendation: Pass

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Starring Mark Harmon, Alyssa Milano, William Baldwin, James Woods, Chris Noth, Gina Torres, Gary Cole, Nolan North, James Patrick Stuart
In a parallel universe, the lone survivor of Earth’s Justice League – Lex Luthor – travels through other-world dimensions to join forces with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and J’onn J’onzz to save his world and its people. But the villainous Crime Syndicate controlled by Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman will stop at nothing to maintain their domination.

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• “A First Look at the next DC Universe Movie”
• Green Lantern First Look
• Superman/Batman Public Enemies First Look
• Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess First Look
• Trailers

2-Disc DVD Features:

• All of the features of the Single Disc DVD, plus:
• DC Showcase: The Spectre
• “The New World” – Extended Cut
• Bruce Timm’s Top Picks
• Four Justice League Unlimited episodes
• Trailers
• Digital Copy of the Film

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby Digital 5.1
• All of the features of the 2-Disc DVD, plus:
• First Look: Batman Under the Red Hood
• Live-Action Pilot Episodes for the Aquaman and Wonder Woman TV Series
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Rent (for comic book lovers)

Re-Releases

Blu-ray Combo Packs

• Analyze This / Analyze That (Comedy Double Feature)
• Miss Congeniality / Miss Congeniality 2 (Comedy Double Feature)
• Dirty Harry / Magnum Force (Action Double Feature)
• Presumed Innocent / Frantic (Thriller Double Feature)

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Adam 12 (Complete 4th Season) – DVD
• FlashForward (Season 1 Part 1) – DVD
• Ghost Hunters (Season 5 Part 1) – DVD
• Jersey Shore (Complete First Season) – DVD
• Lock ‘N Load with R Lee Ermey (Complete First Season) – DVD
• My Three Sons (Season 2 vol 1) – DVD
• Night Court (Complete 3rd Season) – DVD
• Nurse Jackie (Complete First Season) – DVD/Blu-ray
• Project Runway (Complete 6th Season) – DVD
• The Universe (Complete 4th Season) – DVD/Blu-ray

Coming Soon:

The Informant!

The Box

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 15th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – October 20th 2009

Fame (1980) on Blu-Ray

Warner Brothers Entertainment
Runtime: 133 minutes
Rating: ‘R’
Starring: Irene Cara, Maureen Teefy, Barry Miller, Paul McCrane
Director: Alan Parker
DVD Release Date: January 26, 2010

If you’re sick of seeing modernized dance flicks such as Step Up (2006) and Stomp the Yard (2007) that seemingly plague theaters each year, then the blu-ray edition of Alan Parker’s Fame (1980) is a refreshing change.

For those unfamiliar with the original Fame, it’s a film about students that attend New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts and their struggle to develop their various talents as well as their own personalities. The plot is centered around a handful of main characters, each with their own individual problems and talents. As friendships develop, the characters begin to “discover” themselves and strive to become famous performers. The school offers a place for each student to nurture his or her abilities, but it does not guarantee a future career – that is up to the students to obtain.

Particularly memorable are the characters Ralph and Montgomery, played by Barry Miller and Paul McCrane respectively. Though these characters are not the only ones in the film with very troubled pasts, they are the two that stand out the most. The actors did a fantastic job of displaying realistic emotion, especially Miller’s ability to convey the difficult and hard life that Ralph leads.

Fame’s transition onto Blu-Ray is pretty solid. The film obviously looks much more crisp than it did in its original form, but the cameras used to shoot it weren’t intended for the high definition quality that is present today. However, the film does look good for a movie shot in 1980.

The film comes packaged with a “Soundtrack Sampler” CD which contains three songs and an instrumental version of the song “Fame.” In addition, the blu-ray edition has several special features. A full commentary by director Alan Parker is available for those interested. The “Fame Field Trip” special feature visits the locations used in the shooting of the movie. There is also a “Class Reunion” special feature in which Lee Curreri, Laura Dean, Gene Anthony Ray and Maureen Teefy talk about the making of the film via interviews.

My recommendation: The nice thing about Parker’s Fame is that the film feels very real. All flaws aside, it presents some authentic characters who must adapt themselves to deal with their pasts, present and future. The language and emotions conveyed in Fame are realistic and won’t leave you feeling like you just watched a 1980s film saturated with characters who say things like, “Oh golly!” Flamboyant costumes aside, the original film is entertaining and moving.

If you really liked the original film, the blu-ray edition is probably worth picking up. If you’ve never seen Fame, I’d recommend at least renting it – be sure to get the 1980 original, not the 2009 remake.

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• RA: Renters Anonymous – April 29th, 2008
• Renters Anonymous – April 21st, 2009
• More Sex – DVD News

Law Abiding Citizen – 7.3/10 – Trailer
Starring Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Viola Davis, Bruce McGill
A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Lucas Foster and Alan Siegel
• The Justice of Law Abiding Citizen
• Law in Black and White
• Preliminary Arguments – The Visual Effects
• The Verdict
• Trailers

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Theatrical and Unrated Director’s Cut of the Film

Recommendation: Rent

Black Dynamite – 7.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman, Tommy Davidson
This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Cast and Crew Commentary
• Making-of
• The Comic-Con Experience

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• MovieIQ
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• The ’70s: Back in Action
• BD-Live enabled

Recommendation: Rent

Halo Legends
This 8 episode anthology of 10-15 minute length each, explores the origin and historical events of the HALO universe, and various characters inhabiting the world. Like Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight, each of the 8 episodes will be created by a separate prominent Japanese anime producer.

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• The Making of Halo Legends
• Halo: Gaming Evolved
• Commentary with Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Halo: The Story So Far

Recommendation: Buy (for Halo lovers)

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever – 4.5/10
Starring Rider Strong, Giuseppe Andrews, Judah Friedlander, Noah Segan, Marc Senter, Mark Borchardt, Larry Fessenden
A high school prom faces a deadly threat: a flesh-eating virus that spreads via a popular brand of bottled water.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• The Making of Gore
• Prom Blow Gore Reel

Recommendation: Pass

Women in Trouble – 6.5/10 – Trailer
Starring Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Emanuelle Chriqui, Marley Shelton, Elizabeth Berkely, Cameron Richardson, Adrianne Palicki, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
A serpentine day in the life of ten seemingly disparate women: a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender, a pair of call girls, etc. All of them with one crucial thing in common. Trouble.

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind the Scenes
• Trailer

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Pass

Re-Releases

Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years
Hollywood legend CLINT EASTWOOD has touched generations of filmgoers for over half a century. The five-time Academy Award winner has made an indelible mark as one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors and insightful directors. In honor of Eastwood’s long standing 35 year relationship with Warner Bros. through Malpaso Productions, this definitive collection celebrates Eastwood’s entire filmography at the studio from Where Eagles Dare (1968) throughGran Torino (2008) all packaged in an elegant giftset.  Includes a 24 page Memorabilia booklet.

1. Where Eagles Dare, 1968
2. Kelly’s Heroes, 1970
3. Dirty Harry, 1971
4. Magnum Force, 1973
5. The Enforcer, 1975
6. The Outlaw Josey Wales, 1976
7. The Gauntlet, 1977
8. Every Which Way but Loose, 1978
9. Bronco Billy, 1980
10. Any Which Way You Can, 1980
11. Honkytonk Man, 1982
12. Firefox, 1982
13. Sudden Impact, 1983
14. City Heat, 1984
15. Tightrope, 1984
16. Pale Rider, 1985
17. Heartbreak Ridge, 1986
18. Bird, 1988
19. The Dead Pool, 1988
20. Pink Cadillac, 1989
21. White Hunter, Black Heart, 1990
22. The Rookie, 1990
23. Unforgiven, 1992
24. A Perfect World, 1993
25. The Bridges of Madison County, 1995
26. Absolute Power, 1997
27. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, 1997
28. True Crime, 1999
29. Space Cowboys, 2000
30. Blood Work, 2002
31. Mystic River, 2003
32. Million Dollar Baby, 2004
33. Letters from Iwo Jima, 2006
34. Gran Torino, 2008
35. The Eastwood Factor, 2009

Recommendation: You have to LOVE Clint Eastwood to buy this

Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – 8.1/10
Starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy?

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby Digital 5.1 (no hi-def audio?)
• 34 page Blu-ray Digibook
• Commentary with cast and crew
• Featurettes: “Getting Made”, “Made Men: The Goodfellas Legacy”, “The Workaday Gangster”
• Story to screen comparison
• Trailer
• “Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film”
• Mob of classic gangster-related cartoons

Recommendation:  Rent (this is just a repackage of the 2007 Blu-ray)

Cabin Fever (Blu-ray) – 4.9/10
Starring Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern, Jeff Hoffman
An offbeat horror tale about a group of five college friends on vacation at a remote mountain cabin when one contracts a flesh-eating virus. As it spreads among the friends, their true feelings and personalities emerge as they struggle to survive the virus and each other.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
• Commentary with Eli Roth, Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Cerina Vincent and Joey Kern
• Director’s Shorts: “The Rotten Fruit”
• Director’s Behind-the-Scenes Photos
• Beneath the Skin: The Making of
• Family Friendly Version
• Pancakes!
• Trailer

Recommendation:  Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Barnaby Jones (Complete First Season) – DVD
• Lark Rise to Candleford (Complete Second Season) – DVD
• Small Wonder (Complete First Season) – DVD
• Spectacular Spider-Man (Volume 6 and Volume 7) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – October 20th 2009
• Renters Anonymous – July 7th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009

Southland Season One Review

by Ryan Taljonick

Warner Brothers Television
Starring: Kevin Alejandro, Michael Cudlitz, Ben McKenzie, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King

Writer Ann Biderman’s Southland is a new police drama television series that is unlike any other – and that’s a good thing. Personally, I’m not a fan of police shows. There are a plethora of different police dramas out there that pump out season after season with the only difference between episodes being the way in which someone was murdered or kidnapped. Occasionally someone even steals a baby. Yet Biderman’s Southland offers something much more compelling: characters with a complex background and complex personalities, and a gritty show that seems more realistic than most cop dramas out there.

Southland has a cast of several “main” characters. The first few episodes of season one focus on rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) as he learns what it means to be a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. His patrols with his training officer, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), are far from boring. Both of these characters have less-than-happy pasts which have led to their career choices. Other episodes follow Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King), a woman who is very passionate about her work. Finally, some episodes follow Detective Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) who has an unhappy marriage that interferes with his career, and Detective Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro) who’s hiding some important information from his family.

Many of the episodes in the series are pretty entertaining. Southland is a lot grittier than most cop dramas: the cop actors use language and actions seemingly more realistic than in most television police dramas. Thankfully, Southland doesn’t present anything that’s too hard to believe. Interestingly, NBC canceled the show after airing the first season because of concern that Southland would be unable to produce necessary ratings. TNT has picked up the show and is airing the second season.
The first season of the series is available on an uncensored two-disc set, with each episode being about 40-50 minutes in length. There is some mature language in the uncensored season. The second disc has a special feature called “Southland: Redefining the cop drama” in which the directors, writers and cast discuss the ideas behind the formation of the show.

Southland is unlike any other police drama on television. The show feels more real, the characters feel like real people with real problems, and everything blends together very well. From the camera work to the acting, Southland manages to put together a pretty convincing cop show that you will likely entertain you as long as the action / police drama genre is something you enjoy. Michael Mcgrady, the actor who plays Detective Salinger, describes the show best when he said “it’s not another body-of-the-week type show.”

• DVD Review: Chuck Season 2
• DVD Reviews: TopGear Seasons 11 and 12
• Foreplay and the City: A Sex and the City Prelude
• ‘Pushing Daisies’ Season 2 DVD Review or “Canceled far too soon”
• The Best of the Worst: 3/23/08

The Time Traveler’s Wife – 6.2/10 – Trailer
Starring Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston
When Henry DeTamble meets Clare Abshire in a Chicago library they both understand that he is a time traveller, but she she knows much more than this about him as he has not yet been to the times and places where they have met before. He falls in love with her, as she has already with him, but his continuing unavoidable absences time travelling – and then returning with increasing knowledge of their future – makes things ever more difficult for Clare.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• “Love Beyond Words”

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• “Love Beyond Words”
• “An Unconventional Love Story”
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation:  Rent (for the ladies of course)

The Stepfather – 5.7/10 – Trailer
Starring Dylan Walsh, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard, Sela Ward
Michael returns home from military school to find his mother happily in love and living with her new boyfriend. As the two men get to know each other, he becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Penn Badgley, Dylan Walsh, Nelson McCormick
• Open House: Making the Film
• Visualizing the Stunts
• Gag Reel
• Too Friendly

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• movieIQ
• BD-Live

Recommendation:  Pass

A Serious Man – 6.7/10 – Trailer
Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Wagner Lennick, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff
A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Becoming Serious
• Creating 1967
• Hebrew and Yiddish for Goys

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• My Scenes
• BD Live

Recommendation:  Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Army Wives (Complete 3rd Season) – DVD
• Gary Unmarried (Complete 1st Season) – DVD
• The Guild (Complete 3rd Season) – DVD
• JAG (Complete Final Season) – DVD
• The Sarah Silverman Program (Season 2 vol 2) – DVD
• Stargate Universe (Vol 1.0) – DVD & Blu-ray
• Vegas (Season 1 vol 2) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – October 20th 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Feb 23rd, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – March 16th, 2010

Zombieland – 7.7/10 – Trailer
Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
The horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss — but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying’ bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Ruben Fleischer, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
• “In Search of Zombieland”
• “Zombieland is Your Land”
• Deleted Scenes
• Visual Effects Progression Scenes
• Woke Up Dead Episode “Up and At ‘Em”
• Trailer

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD, plus:
• “Beyond the Graveyeard”
• movieIQ
• PS3 Wallpaper
• BD-Live Enabled
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Buy

Love Happens – 5.4/10 – Trailer
Starring Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Frances Conroy, Dan Fogler, Martin Sheen, Judy Greer
About a widower whose book about coping with loss turns him into a best-selling self-help guru. On a business trip to Seattle, he falls for a woman who attends one of his seminars, only to learn that he hasn’t yet truly confronted his wife’s passing.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Brandon Camp, Mike Thompson, Richard Solomon
• Deleted Scenes
• Giving Romance a New Look

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• BD-Live Enabled

Recommendation: Pass

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning – 6.4/10
Starring Tony Jaa
Tien (Tony Jaa), the son of Lord Sihadecho — a tragically murdered nobleman — goes under the wing of Chernang (Sorapong Chatree), a renowned warrior and leader of the Pha Beek Krut who teaches Tien a variety of deadly fighting styles. Now a master of weapons and combat, Tien seeks out those who slayed his family. Jaa also directs and Sarunyu Wongkrachang co-stars in this martial arts thriller set in 15th-century Thailand.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• HDNet: A Look at Ong Bak 2
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
• Interviews with cast and crew
• Trailers
• Preview of Ong Bak 3

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Rent

Amelia – 5.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Amelia Earhart, a Kansas girl, discovers the thrill of aviation at age 23, and within 12 years has progressed to winning the Distinguished Flying Cross for being the first woman to pilot a plane solo across the Atlantic Ocean. At age 39, she sets out on an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, an adventure that catapults her into aviation myth.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes: “Power of Amelia Earhart”, “Making Amelia”, “Movietone News”

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Featurettes: “The Plane Behind the Legend”, “Re-constructing the Planes of Amelia”
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Pass

Planet Hulk – 6.8
He was a monster, impossible to control, too dangerous to ignore. So Earth’s mightiest heroes exiled him into outer space. But now THE INCREDIBLE HULK crash lands on the distant planet SAKAAR, ruled by the tyrannical RED KING. Sold into slavery, Hulk becomes the planet’s mightiest gladiator – but his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, ruthless rock-man Korg, ex-shadow priest Hiroim, and the noble-born rebel Elloe. Unlike Earth, the desperate people of Sakaar believe a monster is just what they need. But will the Hulk be the one to save their world…or destroy it?

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Joshua Fine, Greg Johnson, Sam Liu, Philip Bourassa and Steve Nicodemus
• “A Whole World of Hurt: The Making of”
• “Let the Smashing Commence! The Saga of Planet Hulk”
• Wolverine and the X-men: “Wolverine vs Hulk”
• Spider-Woman and Astonishing X-Men motion comics
• Digital Copy of the Film

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Rent (for comic book lovers)

Re-Releases

Mystic River (Blu-ray) – 7.5/10
Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney
During a summer in 1975, Dave Boyle and two friends, Jimmy and Sean, are playing on a sidewalk in Boston when Dave is abducted by two men and subjected to sexual abuse over a period of several days. Eventually escaping, but haunted into adulthood by his trauma, Dave becomes a primary suspect when Jimmy’s daughter, Katie, is found murdered. Sean, assigned to investigate the crime, finds himself facing both demons from the past and demons in the present as the circumstances surrounding Katie’s death are uncovered.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Commentary with Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon
• Dennis Lehane tours the Boston neighborhood setting of his novel
• Mystic River: From Page to Screen
• “The Charlie Rose Show”
• Trailers

Recommendation: Rent

The Music Man (Blu-ray) – 8/10
Starring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Ron Howard
Confidence man Harold Hill arrives at staid River City intending to cheat the community with his standard scam of offering to equip and train a boy’s marching band, then skip town with the money since he has no music skill anyway. Things go awry when he falls for a librarian he tries to divert from exposing him while he inadvertently enriches the town with a love of music.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Intro by Shirley Jones
• Featurette: “Right Here in River City”
• Trailer

Recommendation:  Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Volume 3) – DVD
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (Complete 9th Season) – DVD
• Dynasty (Season 4 vol 2) – DVD
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Complete 6th Season) – DVD
• Murder, She Wrote (Complete 11th Season) – DVD
• Spectacular Spider-Man (Volume 6 and Volume 7) – DVD
• Tom and Jerry (Greatest Chases: Vol 4) – DVD
• Wolverine & The X-Men (Volume 4) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• Hulk Smash! – Incredible Hulk DVD/”Green”-ray News
• RA: Renters Anonymous – March 16th, 2010

Warner Brothers Entertainment

If you’re big into luxury vehicles, then you have undoubtedly heard of the popular BBC series TopGear. Jeremy Clarkson and his co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, present the pros and cons of luxury vehicles as well as some “average” cars. These hour-long episodes include plenty of playful bantering betwixt the hosts and many bluntly stated opinions about the vehicles being tested and reviewed, whether good or bad. This show has a bit of a Mythbusters feel to it and provides some interesting information regarding the latest and greatest luxury vehicles.

TopGear is pretty straightforward and follows a fairly linear pattern from episode to episode. Clarkson and crew generally start off the show by poking fun at one another. Shortly after, they display video of a luxury car being raced around a track. This pattern continues until Clarkson interviews a celebrity (generally a British chap) about vehicles. The crew and their celebrity guest then brainstorm to come up with crazy challenges in which each vehicle will be tested. For example, in one episode they provide five different cars with a gallon of fuel each to test how far each vehicle can go at top speed; in another episode, they try to create a more efficient police car out of old banger cars. The hosts of TopGear never seem to have any trouble coming up with grueling challenges.

There are six episodes on the TopGear 11 DVD set, and eight episodes (plus two special episodes) on the TopGear 12 DVD set. Though the TopGear 11 set doesn’t come packaged with any special features, the TopGear 12 set comes loaded with features: two special episodes shot in Botswana and Vietnam (as well as commentary for both episodes), deleted scenes, a photo gallery, and an extended interview with Boris Johnson.

My recommendation: If you’re a big fan of motor vehicles, especially luxury cars, seasons 11 and 12 of TopGear may be DVD sets you’ll want to pick up. For a television series, seasons 11 and 12 of TopGear are relatively inexpensive: approximately $25 or so apiece. If you’re not even remotely interested in motor vehicles and you don’t find it interesting that a $200,000 Lamborghini has some below average handling, then these shows aren’t something you’ll be interested in.

• Review: Comcast’s Fancast [Tech Time]
• DVD Review: Chuck Season 2
• Seven Injured in Crash at G.I. Joe Filming Location
• DVD Review: Southland Season One
• ‘Pushing Daisies’ Season 2 DVD Review or “Canceled far too soon”