01.30.12 | Chris Cummins | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
There's nothing quite like relaxing with a movie! So why not kick off your week by checking out some of the new and classic films that are hitting DVD and Blu-ray this week. There's a bunch of offerings now available that will satisfy you no matter what type of movies you enjoy kicking back with. But don't take my word for it, let the new releases speak for themselves. Here we go!
To Kill A Mockingbird (50th Anniversary Edition)
Three Oscars, including a Best Actor award for Gregory Peck, went to this dramatic look at life in the '30s South, as seen through the eyes of two children whose father defends a black man charged with raping a white woman. Also stars Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall; based on Harper Lee's award-winning novel.
What drives a man like the Driver (Ryan Gosling)? The character at the center of this brutal modern noir is a true enigma--stunt car operator and mechanic by day, and behind the wheel for criminal activities at night. He soon develops strong feelings for an attractive neighbor (Carey Mulligan), even as he hurtles towards a dangerous assignment involving mobsters, big money, and violent mayhem. With Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, and Albert Brooks.
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz star in this unsettling thriller, playing a couple that moves from New York City to a "dream house" in New England to raise their two young daughters. They soon learn that their new home comes with a grisly past involving a ghastly multiple murder, with Craig desperate to piece together what remains unknown about the lurid mystery after his youngest girl sees a shadowy visitor outside. With Naomi Watts,Elias Koteas, and Jane Alexander.
In the not-too-distant future, genetic manipulation has allowed humans to stop aging at 25. But time has become the new currency which people must earn if they hope to go on living, making the wealthy nearly immortal. An ordinary man (Justin Timberlake) and a beautiful young heiress (Amanda Seyfried) team up for a series of daring bank robberies designed to crash their corrupt system, in this exciting sci-fi thriller from the director of "Gattaca." WithCillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde.
While waiting for their better halves to arrive, novelist Nate and beauty Jenny meet in a New York City restaurant and immediately hit it off. When fate intervenes in their lives, they wind up becoming friends, roommates, and, eventually, lovers. But will Nate and Jenny's storybook romance have a happy ending? Engaging comedy stars Steve Guttenberg, Shannon Elizabeth, Milena Govich, Jeffrey Ross.
Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") plays the title role in this moving drama, a 13-year-old who is just meeting her musician father (Alessandro Nivola) for the first time as his career is slumping. Left in his custody by her drug-addled mother (Elisabeth Shue), young Janie joins her dad on his latest tour, and the two begin to bond despite--or perhaps because of--the difficult circumstances of their reunion. Peter Stormare, Frances Fisher co-star.
Leave It to Beaver: 20 Timeless Episodes
Twenty "fan favorite" episodes--including "Beaver Gets 'Spelled,'" "Wally's New Suit," "Beaver Takes a Bath," "Beaver Finds a Wallet," "The School Picture," and "Family Scrapbook"--are featured in a two-disc set.
Christopher Reeve stars in this provocative and controversial drama as a neophyte American priest working for the Vatican treasury during World War II. After saving the cash-strapped Church via deals with the Mafia and the Allied black market, the clergyman rises through the clerical ranks. But will his financial machinations--and a forbidden affair with a nun (Genevieve Bujold)--lead to his downfall?Fernando Rey, Jason Miller, Joseph Cortese also star.
All 10 first-season episodes--including "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook," "Four and Twenty Blackbirds," "The Third Floor Flat," "The Incredible Theft," and "The Dream"--are presented in a three-disc set.
All nine second-season episodes--including "Peril at End House," "The Veiled Lady," "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "Double Sin," and "The Adventure of the Western Star"--are presented in a three-disc set.
Poldark: The Complete Collection
During the late 1770s, Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis), a rebellious man who fought in the Revolutionary War, seeks love and political change in Cornwall, England, a beautiful but unpredictable place rife with social injustice, civil disorder, and ancestral rivalries. Angharad Rees, Jill Townsend co-star in this sweeping and romantic 1975-77 "Masterpiece Theatre" series.
In this nail-biting thriller, Sam Worthington plays a Texas detective who teams up with a New York cop (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to solve the mystery surrounding multiple corpses discovered in the marshes of the Lone Star state. When the serial killer responsible for the crimes catches wind that the two lawmen are on his trail, they become the murderer's next targets. Jessica Chastain and Chloe Grace Moretz co-star in this film that was based on actual events.
Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson combine their comedic talents in this warm and funny romp about three amateur bird watchers who engage in a year-long contest to see who can spot the most species of North American birds. But what starts as a friendly competition quickly turns into an all-out, cross-country race for the prize that forces each man to come to grips with his life. Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, JoBeth Williams co-star. Includes both the theatrical and extended versions.
The murder of a U.S. senator bears the stamp of a notorious Soviet-era assassin retired CIA agent Richard Gere was convinced he had killed years earlier. With the threat of this lethal murderer revived, Gere is asked to return to duty alongside rookie colleague Topher Grace--who is certain he knows as much about the hit man as Gere does...perhaps more. With Martin Sheen, Stephen Moyer, and Stana Katic.
In this spine-tingling prequel to John Carpenter's cult shocker, the members of a multi-national science team discover a seemingly dead alien frozen beneath Antarctica. But when the creature escapes from its icy coffin very much alive, its ability to imitate humans makes it nearly impossible to find, let alone kill. Can the monster be stopped before it's too late? Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ulrich Thomsen star.
Talking pups Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Buddha, and Mudbud travel to Egypt in search of treasure located somewhere in the ancient ruins. Can they sniff out its secret location before a bad cat gets his claws on it first? This action-packed installment of the family-friendly adventure series stars Richard Riehle, Mason Cook, Ranya Jaber.
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
In city streets throughout the United States and as far away as South America are strange tiles embedded into the asphalt that read "Toynbee Idea In Kubrick's 2001 Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter." But what does this message mean and who is responsible? This captivating documentary from director Jon Foy follows Philadelphia-based artist Justin Duerr and several friends as they set out to solve the riddle of the so-called "Toynbee tiles."
For details and availability of more of this week's new releases, click here.
Here's a look at last week's DVD and Blu-ray releases.
