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 – December 29th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Nov 24th, 2009

While yesterday (or early this morning for some of us) brought news of possible leaks of nominations, we now have the official nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.  It looks like the leaked list was just best guesses put out by ABC’s editors in preparation for today’s announcement of the official list.  Luckily for them, it appears there aren’t a lot of surprises overall on the list and most of the predictions turned out correct.  Some of the bigger surprises are Woody Harrelson getting a nod for Best Supporting Actor and District 9 getting a Best Picture nod.  Too bad It’s Complicated and The Hangover weren’t the surprise nominees yesterday’s list pinned them to be.

Catch the official nominations list after the jump.

Best Picture
- Avatar (IHM)
- The Blind Side (IHM)
- District 9 (IHM)
- An Education (IHM)
- The Hurt Locker (IHM)
- Inglourious Basterds (IHM)
- Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (IHM)
- A Serious Man (IHM)
- Up (IHM)
- Up in the Air (IHM)

Best Actor
- Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
- George Clooney (Up in the Air)
- Colin Firth (A Single Man)
- Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
- Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Best Actress
- Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
- Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
- Carey Mulligan (An Education)
- Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
- Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

Best Supporting Actor
- Matt Damon (Invictus)
- Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
- Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
- Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
- Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Best Supporting Actress
- Penelope Cruz (Nine)
- Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
- Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
- Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
- Mo’Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)

Best Director
- Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
- James Cameron (Avatar)
- Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
- Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
- Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

Best Adapted Screenplay
- Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (District 9)
- Nick Hornby (An Education)
- Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche (In the Loop)
- Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)
- Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)

Best Original Screenplay
- Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
- Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
- Oren Moverman and (The Messenger)
- Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
- Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (Up)

Foreign Language
- Ajami
- El Secreto de sus Ojos
- The Milk of Sorrow
- Une Prophéte
- The White Ribbon (IHM)

Animated Feature Film
- Coraline (IHM)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (IHM)
- The Princess and the Frog (IHM)
- The Secret of the Kells (IHM)
- Up (IHM)

Cinematography
- Maurio Fiore (Avatar)
- Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
- Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker)
- Robert Richardson (Inglourious Basterds)
- Christian Berger (The White Ribbon)

Film Editing
- Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron (Avatar)
- Julian Clarke (District 9)
- Bob Murawski and Chris Innis (The Hurt Locker)
- Sally Menke (Inglourious Basterds)
- Joe Klotz (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)

• List of Rumored Leaked ABC Oscar Nominations
• Breaking: Did ABC Just Leak the Oscar Nominations?
• Presidential Inauguration > Oscar Nominations
• Trailer: First Teaser Trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar
• Kung Fu Panda Rocks Rotten Tomatoes

If ABC’s possible leak turns out to be true, we’ve got quite a list a bit early of the nominations for this year’s Oscars ceremony.  While we won’t know until later today, catch the best we’ve got to go on so far after the jump.

Best Picture

- Inglourious Basterds

- It’s Complicated

- Avatar

- Precious

- The Hurt Locker

- Up

- Up in the Air

- The Hangover

Best Actor

- Colin Firth – A Single Man

- George Clooney – Up in the Air

- Morgan Freeman – Invictus

Best Supporting Actor

- Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

- Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones

- Matt Damon – Invictus

Best Actress

- Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side

- Helen Mirren – The Last Station

- Carey Mulligan – An Education

Best Supporting Actress

- Meryl Streep – Julia and Julia

- Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air

- Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air

Best Animated

- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

- Fantastic Mr. Fox

We won’t find out if this list is correct for a few hours, but a lot of these picks are common sense choices.  More to come as it happens.

• 82nd Annual Academy Awards Nominations
• Oscars 2009 – Recap
• Jennifer Hudson’s Mother, Brother Found Murdered
• Weird Teaser Trailer for Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness
• Breaking: Did ABC Just Leak the Oscar Nominations?

It looks like ABC has let the Oscar results out a bit sooner than planned.  While they’re not supposed to be released until later tonight (Tuesday February 2nd), a search on ABC’s site for “Oscar” brings up what appears to be the results for Oscar nominated films.  Is it real?  You tell us.  See a larger screenshot after the jump.

Films listed include Precious, The Princess and the Frog, Nine and Crazy Heart.  The leaked results seem logical for what we’d expect to be there, so it seems plausible.  Lists were leaked last year that turned out to be false though, so it’s possible this is a gimmick or a test of how the site will work when the results are actually leaked.

EDIT: A list of the leaked nominations can be viewed here.

• 82nd Annual Academy Awards Nominations
• List of Rumored Leaked ABC Oscar Nominations
• Trailer: Disney’s The Princess and the Frog
• Presidential Inauguration > Oscar Nominations
• Oscars 2009 – Liveblog

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
• Renters Anonymous – July 7th, 2009

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
• ‘Pushing Daisies’ Season 2 DVD Review or “Canceled far too soon”
• WALL-E Sweet Featurette

Michael Jackson’s: This Is It – 8.7/10 – Trailer
A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Making of
• Featurettes: The Gloved One – Costumes
• Memories of Michael
• Auditions: Searching for the World’s Best Dancers

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• movieIQ
• Thriller and Smooth Criminal Vignettes

Recommendation: Rent

Surrogates – 5.1/10 – Trailer
Starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, Jack Noseworthy, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames
People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates — sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It’s an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don’t exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• “I Will Not Bow” Music Video by Breaking Benjamin
• Commentary with Jonathan Mostow

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Hi-Res Audio 5.1
• Commentary with Jonathan Mostow
• “I Will Not Bow” Music Video by Breaking Benjamin
• Deleted Scenes
• A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates
• Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Comes to Life

Recommendation: Pass

Saw VI – 6.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Betsy Russell, Peter Outerbridge, Mark Rolston, Athena Karkanis
Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood.

Special Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Mark Burg, Peter Block, Jason Constantine, Kevin Greutert, Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
• Unrated Cut of the Film
• Jigsaw Revealed
• The Traps of Saw VI
• A Killer Maze: Making Saw Game Over
• Music Videos by Mushroomhead, Memphis May Fire, Hatebreed and Suicide Silence
• Trailer

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.78:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Lionsgate Live
• Touch and Metamenu Remote

Recommendation: Pass (Rent if you are a Saw addict)

Whip It – 6.3/10 -Trailer
Starring Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern
In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

Special Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• Writers Draft with Shauna Cross
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Bridget’s Sexiest Beaches (Complete First Season) – DVD
• MI-5 (Volume 7) – DVD
• The Real Ghostbusters (Volume 2) – DVD
• The Red Green Show (1991-1993) – DVD
• Southland (Complete First Season) – DVD

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 29th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – August 18th, 2009
• Renters Anonymous – July 7th, 2009

Chuck (Season 2)

Warner Brothers Entertainment
Starring: Zachary Levi (Chuck), Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah), Joshua Gomez (Morgan), Adam Baldwin (John Casey)
Everyone’s favorite nerd-turned-spy is available again on DVD with the deluxe six-disc season two box set. The season two set contains 22 episodes filled with action, hot scantily-clad women, and enough nerd culture references to make an eleven year old school girl giggle. 

For those of you not familiar with the awesomeness that is Chuck, I highly recommend you take a trip to your local video store and rent the first season. Chuck is an employee at a Buy More (think Best Buy) who has found himself host to many government secrets when his best ex-friend Brice sends him a top secret e-mail. The CIA and NSA both send agents to watch over Chuck: Sarah, a beautiful women who seems to be falling in love with Chuck (and often enjoys wearing revealing clothing), and Casey, an action-loving grunt who strongly dislikes Chuck’s habit of screwing up missions. The second season picks up where the first season left off, and expands on the indecisive romance between Chuck and Sarah, as well as Chuck’s relationship with several of the other main characters. Look forward to long-awaited answers to many questions and many pleasant plot twists, though some of them are predictable. Even so, the end of the second season will please viewers and surely leave them anticipating the third season of Chuck.

As far as the second season box set goes, it comes packed with some really awesome and funny special features in addition to deleted scenes and bloopers. The feature called “Chuck Versus the Webisodes” contains several promotional clips made for the internet that are very, very funny. If you’re a fan of Dr. Awesome, you’ll enjoy “A Real-Life Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome” in which Dr. Awesome provides the secrets to being… well, awesome. Agent Casey is also on the features list and is willing to share some not-so-common tips for viewers interested in becoming a super deadly spy. There are also actor interviews in which each actor describes his or her character and the role he or she plays throughout the storyline of Chuck (many male viewers will likely be pleased to learn that Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah, has a very cute accent that’s not heard in the show itself). Finally, the season two set comes with a 3D episode on the last disc and two pairs of classic 3D glasses. It’s pretty neat watching a 3D episode on your own television, but because everything is very red/blue, the experience is probably something you will only watch once.

My recommendation: Personally, I have a hard time justifying the expensive cost of a season of pretty much any television series unless it’s something I watch religiously (Example: the way my grandmother watches The Price is Right) and plan on watching multiple times. However, Chuck is a very enjoyable program with likeable characters and witty humor. Chuck offers even more enjoyment to the “geek” subculture, and many viewers will find that several of the characters can easily be related to (minus the spy part). If you’re going to spend money on a television series, season two of Chuck is worth your money.

• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 (Blu-ray review)
• DVD Reviews: TopGear Seasons 11 and 12
• ‘Pushing Daisies’ Season 2 DVD Review or “Canceled far too soon”
• Foreplay and the City: A Sex and the City Prelude
• DVD Insight: Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1942

Lionsgate
Runtime: 100 minutes
Rating: R for some language
Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Pete McCormack
Format: Widescreen
Subtitles: English and Spanish
DVD Audio: 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital

The first thing you should know about Facing Ali before viewing it is that it is a documentary style film. Knowing little about the most famous boxer from the 1960s and 70s, viewers will learn quite a bit about Ali’s boxing career through the recollections of ten of his opponents. Facing Ali is an honest film told by those who fought against Muhammad Ali throughout his career, including fighters like Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Henry Cooper, and more.

Viewers can expect to learn a lot about Ali’s start as a fighter and about his career as a whole, as well as a little bit about his conversion to Islam, the changing of his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, and his stance on the Vietnam War. This film is very touching, especially towards the end as his modest opponents express empathy towards Ali’s Parkinson’s disease and pay their respects to one of the greatest boxers of all time.

The film also comes with several special features. There are animated trivia cards that display basic facts and interesting details about each of the opponents that speak in the film. There is a feature called “Bringing the Fights to Life” in which the production team discusses the creation of (and ideas behind) Facing Ali, as well as the technology and equipment used in the making of the film. The next section is called “Facing Ali: Book to Screen,” in which the producers discuss how they put together the resources necessary to create an authentic film that accurately tells the story of Ali. Finally, there is a feature called “After the Bell” in which the producers discuss how they were able to meet up with the fighters that tell Ali’s story throughout the film, and their experiences interviewing each boxer.

My recommendation: Any fan of Muhammad Ali will want to own this film. It provides a very authentic and honest revisiting of Ali’s legacy through the stories of ten respectable fighters as they recall their bouts with one of the greatest fighters of all time. Their stories are very real, and viewers will notice right away the amount of respect these boxers have for Muhammad Ali, as well as the empathy they share for his continuing struggle with Parkinson’s disease. However, if you’re not particularly interested in Muhammad Ali and his famous fighting career, this film will probably not interest you. For those even mildly curious about Ali’s greatest fights and the stories that can be told by those he fought against, Facing Ali is at least worth a rental.

• God Damn You Dirty Apes: Charlton Heston Has Passed Away
• DVD Review: Chuck Season 2
• RA: Renters Anonymous – April 22nd, 2008
• DVD Review: Trick ‘r Treat
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Season 2 (Blu-ray review)

Gamer – 5.3/10 - Trailer
Starring Gerard Butler, Michael C Hall, Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman, Terry Crews, Ludacris, Kyra Sedgwick
Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player from a game called “Slayers” looks to regain his independence while taking down the game’s mastermind.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Cast and Crew
• “Inside the Game” The Making of
• First Person Shooter: The Evolution of Red
• Trailer

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• I-Con Mode (visual commentary)
• Cheat Codes
• Lionsgate Live enabled
• Metamenu Remote enabled
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Pass

The Invention of Lying – 7/10 – Trailer
Starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis CK, Christopher Guest, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey
A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.

Special Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• “Prequel: The Dawn of Lying”
• “A Truly Honest Making-of Featurette”
• “Meet Karl Pilkington”
• Ricky and Matt’s video podcasts
• Additional Scenes
• Corpsing and Outtakes

Blu-ray Features:

• 1.85:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release, plus:
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Rent

Pandorum – 7.3/10 – Trailer
Starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster
Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• The World of Elysium: Behind-the-Scenes
• What Happened to Nadia’s Team
• Flight Team Training Video
• Commentary with Christian Alvard and Jeremy Bolt
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• Still Galleries

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 Widescreen with Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Rent

Whiteout – 4.6/10 – Trailer
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt
U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko tracks a killer in Antarctica, as the sun is about to set for six months.

Special Features:

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

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• “The Coldest Thriller Ever”
• “Whiteout: From Page to Screen”
• Additional Scenes
• Digital Copy of the Film

Recommendation: Pass

Re-Releases

Che (Criterion Collection) – 7.2/10
Starring Benicio del Toro, Franka Potente, Catalina Sandino Moreno
Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero,  Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh’s most epic vision.

Special Features:

• 2.35:1 (Part 1) and 1.78:1 (Part 2) Widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1
• HD digital masters supervised by Steven Soderbergh
• Commentary with Jon Lee Anderson
• Making ‘Che’
• Interviews with participants and historians of the Cuban Revolution and Che’s Bolivian campaign
• “End of a Revolution”
• “Che” and the Digital Cinema Revolution
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Booklet featuring an essay by Amy Taubin
• Criterion Collection

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.35:1 (Part 1) and 1.78:1 (Part 2) Widescreen 1080p with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• All of the features of the DVD release

Recommendation: Rent (Buy if you’re a Criterion collector)

Boogie Nights (Blu-ray) – 7.3/10
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C Reilly, Heather Graham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, William H Macy, Thomas Jane
Eddie Adams, a young man working in a nightclub, is discovered by porn director Jack Horner, who soon puts Eddie, renamed Dirk Diggler, and his “talent” on the top of the pornography industry. But when the 1980s arrive, Dirk and his colleagues in the porn industry have to cope with a new era as well as the baggage they bring with them from the 1970s.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• Commentary with Paul Thomas Anderson, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, Luis Guzman, William H Macy, Julianne Moore, John C Reilly, Mark Wahlberg and Melora Walters
• Additional Scenes
• Music video: “Try” with Michael Penn
• “The John C Reilly Files”
• Trailer

Recommendation: Rent

Magnolia (Blu-ray) - 7.5/10
Starring John C Reilly, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, April Grace, Luis Guzman, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H Macy, Alfred Molina, Jason Robards, Melora Walters
24 hours in L.A.; it’s raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge’s son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator’s daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl’s young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations. The weather, too, is quirky.

Blu-ray Features:

• 2.40:1 Widescreen 1080p with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• “Magnolia Video Diary”
• “Frank TJ Mackey Seminar”
• “Seduce and Destroy”
• Music Video: “Save Me” by Aimee Mann
• Trailers

Recommendation: Rent

TV on DVD/Blu-ray

• Dallas (Complete 12th Season) – DVD
• Damages (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD
• Law & Order (Complete 7th Season) – DVD
• thirtysomething (Complete 2nd Season) – DVD
• Weeds (Complete 5th Season) – DVD/Blu-ray

Coming Soon:

• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 5th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – February 9th, 2010
• RA: Renters Anonymous – Jan 26th, 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – October 20th 2009
• RA: Renters Anonymous – December 29th, 2009