12.28.09 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
New DVD Releases for this week include Paranormal Activity, A Perfect Getaway and the very sexy and wickedly shocking, Jennifer's Body starring America's sexiest bad girl, Megan Fox plus Facing Ali, a new documentary giving insight into the life of Muhammad Ali. Also making its' debut this week is the complete first season of Showtime's runaway hit TV series, United States Of Tara starring Toni Collette.
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Paranormal Activity (2009)
Produced on a scant $15,000 budget and shot documentary style, this surprise box-office hit focuses on Micah and Katie, a young couple who move into a new home where they're terrorized by a demonic spirit that has haunted Katie since she was a child. A video camera set up in the couple's bedroom captures a series of spine-tingling events as well as a possessed Katie's peculiar behavior. Micah Sloat, Katie Featherston, Mark Fredrichs star.
9 (2009)
Expanding upon his 2005 Academy Award-nominated animated short, writer/director Shane Acker takes the numerically named rag doll character known as 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) into a richly imagined postapocalyptic metropolis, where he meets up with his eight predecessors, including the leader, #1 (Christopher Plummer). When #2 (Martin Landau) is kidnapped by a ferocious monster, 9 and the others are dispatched to the rescue. Co-stars the voices of Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, and Crispin Glover.
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
The lives of three couples converge on a remote Hawaiian jungle trail when they decide to hike together after learning that a brutal killer is on the loose. But there may not be safety in numbers after all, as mutual mistrust begins to consume them and one of the couples is not what they appear to be. Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth star in this twist-filled thriller. Includes both the original theatrical and unrated versions.
Jennifer's Body (2009)
Megan Fox is sexy and scary in this mix of horror and dark comedy as stuck-up cheerleader Jennifer, whose body is taken over by a demonic spirit after a botched virgin sacrifice (she not being a virgin!). As Jennifer develops a taste for human flesh and begins feeding on her male classmates, it's up to her nerdy best friend (Amanda Seyfried) to put an end to the terror before anyone else is devoured. With Johnny Simmons, Amy Sedaris, J.K. Simmons. Includes both the original theatrical and unrated versions
The Marine 2 (2009)
Rebel insurgents seize control of a five-star hotel in this in-name-only sequel to the 2006 actioner. But there's one thing they didn't count on--Joe Linwood (third-generation pro wrestler Ted DiBiase, Jr.), vacationing Marine Recon sniper. When the terrorists take a group of guests hostage, his wife among them, Joe snaps into action to save the day. Lara Cox co-stars.
Carriers (2009)
As a virulent plague wreaks havoc on the world, a pugnacious young man (Chris Pine) and his more sensitive, intellectual brother (Lou Taylor Pucci) undertake a dangerous trek across the American Southwest. Though they hope to safely escort two women (Piper Perabo, Emily VanCamp) to a resort they know from childhood, threats of disease and violence loom closer with every step they take. Grim chiller co-stars Christopher Meloni, Kiernan Shipka.
Weather Girl (2009)
An on-air meltdown causes Seattle's "Sassy Weather Girl" Sylvia (Tricia O'Kelley) to lose her job. Unable to secure a new post due to her notoriety on the Internet, Sylvia tries to distance herself from her philandering boyfriend (Mark Harmon) by moving in with her younger brother (Ryan Devlin) and starting over with a waitressing job. Indie romantic comedy co-stars Kaitlin Olson, Patrick J. Adams.
Facing Ali (2009)
He proclaimed himself "the greatest," and it's hard to argue with the point that Muhammad Ali was the best heavyweight boxer of all time. Apparently, many others felt the same way, including those who fought him, and this documentary interviews 10 of Ali's former opponents to learn what it was like to face him. Through profiles of fights with Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, and others, viewers will gain a true understanding of the champion.
Glee: Season 1, Vol. 1: Road To Sectionals (2009)
Fox's quirky blend of musical, comedy, and drama is set at Ohio's fictional William McKinley High School, where idealistic Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) takes over control of the school's glee club. As Will and his misfit singing students try to make the club a success, they constantly clash with the Cheerios, the cheerleading squad led by the vicious coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). Jessalyn Gilsig, Jayma Mays, Lea Michele also star. The first 13 episodes of season one are collected in a four-disc set.
United States Of Tara: The First Season (2009)
Toni Collette shines as Tara Gregson, a wife and mother suffering from dissociative identity disorder whose alternate personalities--flirtatious teenager T, stereotypical housewife Alice, and Buck, a male, beer-swilling Vietnam vet--reveal themselves in times of stress. As Tara copes with the struggles of ordinary life, she tries to manage her illness without medication. John Corbett, Brie Larson, Keir Gilchrist star in this seriocomic series created by "Juno" scripter Diablo Cody. All 12 first-season episodes are collected in a two-disc set.
For details and availability of more of this week’s new releases, click here
