Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Blu-ray 31st March Release

Slumdog Millionaire [Blu-ray]

Fox Home Entertainment / 2008 / 120 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: March 31, 2009







Genres: Drama, Musical

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto, Dev Patel
Director: Danny Boyle

Plot Synopsis: The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Intrigued by Jamal's story, the jaded Police Inspector begins to wonder what a young man with no apparent desire for riches is really doing on this game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out...

Disc Features:
• Audio commentaries: Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel / Producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy
• Featurettes: "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire," "From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene," "Slumdog Cutdown"
• Deleted Scenes
• Indian Short Film: "Manjha"
• Music video: "Bombay Liquid Dance"
• Digital Copy

Marley And Me (3-disc Bad Dog Edition) [Blu-ray]

Fox Home Entertainment / 2008 / Rated PG-13
Street Date: March 31, 2009







Genres: Comedy, family, animal

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston
Director: David Frankel

Plot Synopsis: When a dog wriggles his adorable rear end into a human's life, the human will never be the same. And both Marley, the dog, and Marley & Me, the movie, manage to endear themselves deeply despite a few wee flaws. Readers of the John Grogan bestseller already know the raffish charm of the incorrigible yellow lab puppy, Marley, adopted by Grogan and his wife because she's "never seen anything more adorable in my life." But Grogan's simple tale of love, in all its forms, shines on the big screen, thanks to deft comic turns by Jennifer Aniston--in top form here--and Owen Wilson. Their chemistry is utterly natural and believable as Marley's owners, as is their interaction with the very naughty but ultimately irresistible Marley. As Marley grows up, the film follows his escapades--flunking out, spectacularly, from puppy training at the hands of a wickedly funny Kathleen Turner. And as Marley grows up, John and Jenny build their life together and weather some tough emotional blows. Like My Dog Skip, which it resembles in its affection for its subject, Marley & Me is a tear-jerker, but in the sweetest, most lovely way--because it, and its four-legged star, have wriggled into our hearts.

Seven Pounds [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / 123 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: March 31, 2009







Genres: Drama, life

Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson
Director: Gabrielle Mucchino

Plot Synopsis: The mysteriously titled Seven Pounds stars Will Smith as Ben Thomas, who flashes his badge as an IRS agent to gain entrance into the lives of seven strangers in need. To each, he offers something that will reverse their troubles, seeking to atone for a haunting past mistake. But when Ben starts falling in love with a young woman with heart trouble (Rosario Dawson), his carefully laid plans threaten to collapse. To reveal more of the story would diminish it. Smith is an engaging, charismatic presence, but the impact of Seven Pounds comes from Dawson--she has the kind of emotional transparency that shimmers off the screen. Which is crucial, because Seven Pounds requires considerable suspension of disbelief; some scenes push and pull at plausibility, and you may question a few plot turns after the movie is over. But as the story unfolds, the performances can carry you over these bumps. If you surrender to its gently circling rhythms and its luminous images (including the glowing undulations of a poisonous jellyfish), Seven Pounds will pack an emotional wallop, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.

Disc Features:
  • Audio Commentary

  • Featurette: "Seven Views on Seven Pounds" (HD, 27 minutes) - The first of six featurettes, this is exactly what the title promises. We get seven different viewpoints on 'Seven Pounds' from seven of the filmmakers, divided into seven sections -- "The Director," "The Writer," "The Producers," "The Location Manager," "The Designer," "The Editor" and "The Composer."

  • Featurette: "Creating the Perfect Ensemble" (HD, 13 minutes) -The next featurette tackles the film's casting.

  • Featurette: "The Box Jellyfish: World's Deadliest Co-Star" (HD, 5 minutes) -

  • Featurette: "Emily's Passion: The Art of the Printing Press" (HD, 9 minutes)

  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 4 minutes) - There are four scenes in all, but they only total four minutes: "Ben Leaves Message for Dan," "Dr. Gatsinaris Confronts Ben," "Ben Gets Duke" and "Ben Watches Ezra at the Mall #2."

  • Digital Copy (SD) - Finally, a bonus DVD disc includes a Digital Copy of the film (in standard-def only).

Back Catalogue Blu-ray:






"Twilight" takes lead in '09 video sales


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Twilight" has quickly become the biggest home-video release of the year, selling 5.6 million units during its first eight days, according to trade publication Home Media Magazine.

The vampire romance took the crown from "Madgascar: Escape 2 Africa," which has sold an estimated 5.3 million units since its February 6 release, according to Home Media research.

"Twilight," like the "Madagascar" sequel, wasn't released on the traditional Tuesday street date. Rather, the film arrived on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Saturday, March 21 ("Madagascar" came out on a Friday).

The release sold 3 million units its first day in stores, according to distributor Summit Entertainment, enough to send it to the top of the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart for the week ended March 22.

Just 3 percent of the film's total unit sales came from Blu-ray Disc, not surprising given the "Twilight's" Blu-ray Disc edition is being sold only at Target Stores and Best Buy until May 5. [Source from: reuters.com]

Monday, March 30, 2009

Monsters Attacks with $58M Box Office Debut

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LAST WEEKEND Following a very pricey marketing campaign, DreamWorks Animation's 3D animated film Monsters vs. Aliens delivered on its promises and attracted the largest opening weekend of any film this year leading the overall marketplace to its best performance in over a month. Big muscles were also flexed by Lionsgate which enjoyed one of its biggest horror openings ever with The Haunting in Connecticut which landed in second place with a powerful launch of its own. The top ten films sold $135M worth of ticket stubs making it the best non-holiday tally of 2009.

As the main event at the multiplexes this weekend, Monsters vs. Aliens captured an estimated $58.2M over the Friday-to-Sunday period to lead a busy frame at the box office. Paramount released the PG-rated hit in an ultrawide 4,104 locations averaging a stellar $14,181 per location. The numbers were helped by higher-priced tickets from the 1,550 theaters that featured the 3D presentation with most charging an extra $3 or so per stub. Many exhibitors allocated screens for both the 2D and more expensive 3D versions offering their customers a choice although most moviegoers chose to pay more for the extra dimension. Real D, the leading supplier of 3D equipment, reported that its screens accounted for about $25M, or 43%, of the total weekend gross.

Produced for $165M, Monsters got off to a superb start with $16.8M on Friday followed by a 45% surge on Saturday to $24.4M and an estimated 30% dip on Sunday to $17M.

It was the best opening of the year so far surpassing the $55.2M of Watchmen from the beginning of the month. For DreamWorks, it was the second largest opening for a non-sequel toon trailing Kung Fu Panda's $60.2M from last June by a slim margin. And for the month of March, Monsters delivered the third highest bow after 300 ($70.9M) and Ice Age: The Meltdown ($68M). Looking at admissions however, Monsters attracted about as many people as the first Ice Age and Shark Tale reached in their debut frames. Fox's Ice Age opened to $46.3M in March 2002 which would amount to roughly $58M at today's 2D ticket prices. The DreamWorks hit Shark Tale bowed to $47.6M in October 2004, or roughly $56M today.

But with schools taking breaks for Easter in the coming weeks, the long-term outlook seems bright for Monsters vs. Aliens. Fox has routinely scheduled family-friendly toons around the spring holiday with past March titles like Horton Hears a Who, Robots, and the Ice Age pics finishing with at least three times their opening weekend takes. That would put Monsters on course to reach the neighborhood of $175M domestically. Overseas markets should also generate plenty of heat given how strong toons do abroad. DreamWorks vaulted past the $400M mark overseas twice last year with Panda and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, although each had an internationally-set story. A global box office gross north of $500M for Monsters would not be surprising.

Young women looking for a scare powered the new supernatural thriller The Haunting in Connecticut to a stellar second place debut spending an estimated $23M over the opening weekend. With a teen-friendly PG-13 rating, the Lionsgate spookfest averaged a muscular $8,422 from 2,732 sites giving the distributor its best horror movie opening ever outside of the Saw franchise. Studio research indicated that 62% of the audience was female while 44% was between the ages of 17 and 24. Friday got off to a solid start with $9.6M, Saturday dipped 9% to $8.7M, and Sunday is estimated to fall by 46% to $4.7M. A creepy marketing campaign helped to excite the target audience which helped Haunting score the second biggest debut of the year for a fright film after only Friday the 13th's $40.6M from last month.

Last weekend's trio of new releases got bumped down two notches each but remained in the same order. The Nicolas Cage hit Knowing enjoyed a solid second weekend hold dropping just 40%, a low decline for a critically-panned sci-fi actioner, grossing an estimated $14.7M. After ten days, Summit has banked a solid $46.2M and could be headed for a $75-80M finish.

The smallest dip in the top ten was generated by the buddy comedy I Love You, Man which slid only 29% to an estimated $12.6M giving Paramount $37M after ten days of play. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen witnessed a larger 46% fall for their spy pic Duplicity which followed with an estimated $7.6M for a cume of $25.6M. Final grosses should reach around $70M and $45M, respectively. Starpower may help Universal's caper flick do better in international waters.

With families getting their 3D kick this weekend, Disney's Race to Witch Mountain took a big hit falling 56% to an estimated $5.6M. Total is $53.3M in 17 days.

Opening poorly in seventh with an estimated $5.3M was the cop actioner 12 Rounds which averaged a mere $2,274 from 2,331 locations. Starring wrestler/actor John Cena, the PG-13 film played to young males and came in below the $7.1M bow his film The Marine from 2006. Though drawing big numbers on television and even pay-per-view, producer World Wrestling Entertainment has struggled to make the leap to the big screen with its ventures. Fox handled distribution duties on 12 Rounds.

# Title Mar 27 - 29

Theaters

Cumulative Distributor










1 Monsters vs. Aliens $ 58,200,000

4,104

$ 58,200,000 Paramount
2 The Haunting in Connecticut 23,010,000

2,732

23,010,000 Lionsgate
3 Knowing 14,700,000

3,337

46,215,000 Summit
4 I Love You, Man 12,600,000

2,717

37,007,000 Paramount
5 Duplicity 7,556,000

2,579

25,639,000 Universal
6 Race to Witch Mountain 5,637,000

3,268

53,295,000 Buena Vista
7 12 Rounds 5,300,000

2,331

5,300,000 Fox
8 Watchmen 2,755,000

2,010

103,296,000 Warner Bros.
9 Taken 2,700,000

1,961

137,074,000 Fox
10 The Last House on the Left 2,611,000

2,251

28,459,000 Universal

Friday, March 27, 2009

In Theaters This Week 27th March

Monsters Vs Aliens
Copyright © 2009 Dreamworks Animation

When California girl Susan Murphy is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a "monster" named Ginormica. The military jumps into action, and she is captured and held in a secret government compound. The world learns that the military has been quietly rounding up other monsters over the years. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country.
March 27th, 2009
Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd
DreamWorks Animation
Animation
MonstersvsAliens.com
PG sci-fi action, some crude humor and mild language
1 hour 34 minutes


The Haunting In Connecticut
Copyright © 2009 Lionsgate Pictures

Based on a chilling true story, Lionsgate's "The Haunting in Connecticut" charts one family's terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Now unspeakable terror awaits, when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the powerful dark forces of the supernatural, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.
March 27th, 2009
Peter Cornwell
Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe
Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew
Lionsgate
Horror, Thriller
hauntinginconnecticut.com
PG-13 some intense sequences of terror and disturbing images
1 hour 32 minutes


12 Rounds
Copyright © 2009 20th Century Fox

WWE star John Cena headlines his sophomore action picture as a police officer whose wife is kidnapped in New Orleans. Daniel Kunka provides the script, with Deep Blue Sea's Renny Harlin handling the directing duties for the 20-million-dollar Fox Atomic/WWE Films production.





March 27th, 2009
Renny Harlin
Daniel Kunka
John Cena, Steve Harris, Aidan Gillen, Brian White, Gonzalo Menendez
20th Century Fox
Action, Adventure, Thriller
12rounds-movie.com
PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking
1 hour 48 minutes

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Blu-ray Chart 21st March

Top Blu-ray Sales 21st March 2009

**All previous top sales will be announce on every Thursday
Please visit http://astore.amazon.com/screamvideobl-20

Twilight [Blu-ray]

RANKTITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR, SRP)
1 TWILIGHT (SUMMIT, $34.99)
2 PINOCCHIO 70TH ANNIV. ED. (DIS, $35.99)
3 PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (LG, $39.99)
4 TRANSPORTER 3 (LG, $39.99)
5 ROLE MODELS (UNI, $39.98)
6 THE DARK KNIGHT (WB, $35.99)
7 THE PRINCESS BRIDE (MGM/FOX, $34.99)
8 IRON MAN (PAR, $39.99)
9 AUSTRALIA (FOX, $39.99)
10 WALL-E (DIS, $35.99)

DVD Chart 21st March

Top DVD Sales 21st March 2009

**All previous top sales will be announce on every Thursday
Please visit http://astore.amazon.com/screamvideobl-20
Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)
THIS WEEK


TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR)



RATING

BOX OFFICE*
1

TWILIGHT (SUMMIT)

PG-13191.4
2

PINOCCHIO 70TH ANNIV. ED. (DIS)

G45.3
3

BARBIE PRESENTS THUMBELINA (UNI)

NR-
4

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA (DIS)

PG94.5
5

ROLE MODELS (UNI)

R67.3
6

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (LG)

R8.1
7

TRANSPORTER 3 (LG)

PG-1331.7
8

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (DWA/PAR)

PG179.6
9

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (DIS)

G90.6
10

AUSTRALIA (FOX)

PG-1349.5
11

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS (DIS)

PG-139.0
12

MILK (UNI)

R31.6
13

WALL-E (DIS)

G223.7
14

CADILLAC RECORDS (SONY)

R8.2
15

SOUTH PARK: SEASON 12 (PAR)

NR-
16

FIREPROOF (SONY)

PG33.5
17

JAG: SEASON 8 (PAR)

NR-
18

BODY OF LIES (WB)

R39.4
19

THE DARK KNIGHT (WB)

PG-13530.7
20

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (SONY)

R12.7

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - BD Preorder

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced the technical specs and special features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop', which is due to hit store shelves on May 19th, day-and-date with the DVD release. For this two-disc set, video will be presented in 1080p AVC accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

This movie is a huge box-office hit, which had already collected US$141Million [figures as on 22nd March 2009 box office tally, within 10 weeks]. It is definitely a must have collection for the whole family.



Extras for this release include:
  • Deleted Scenes
  • “Fun on Set” – Fun, wacky moments on-set including hilarious outtakes
  • Commentary with Kevin James and Producer Todd Garner
  • “Kevin James: Not Your Average Mall Cop” – A look at Kevin James and his many roles as actor, producer and co-writer
  • “Stunts” – Stunts in the film
  • “The Mall” – Experience of shooting in a shopping mall
  • “On Set with Mike ‘Rooftop' Escamilla” – Behind-the-scenes footage from a pro BMX biker
  • “Action Sports Junkies” – A look at the film's extreme sports actors
  • “Mall Cop Response” – A mall security guard takes on a pro skater
  • “Mike V. vs. Mall Cop” – A pro skater takes on mall security while spray painting the mall
  • “Free Running vs. Parkour” – A look at the extreme sports of parkour and free running
  • “Thoughts with Kevin James” – Kevin James gives his random thoughts on malls, moustaches and how to become a mall cop
  • “Sugar” – Follow a free runner through the mall as he races to get Kevin James sugar for his coffee
  • Digital Copy of the film for the PC, PSP, Mac or iPod (BD Exclusive)
  • cinechat – Send onscreen messages to friends around the world while watching the movie together (BD Exclusive)
Synopsis: A single, suburban dad tries to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It's a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa's helpers at the mall stage a coup, shutting down the megaplex and taking hostages (Paul's daughter and sweetheart among them), Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.

Pre-order your copy today:


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Blu-ray 24th March Release

Quantum of Solace [Blu-ray]

MGM Home Entertainment / 2008 / 106 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: March 24, 2009

Overall Grade 3.5 out of 5 Must have!





Genres: Action packed, espionage

Starring: Daniel Craig, Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench
Director: Marc Forster

Plot Synopsis: Daniel Craig hasn't lost a step since Casino Royale--this James Bond remains dangerous, a man who could earn that license to kill in brutal hand-to-hand combat… but still look sharp in a tailored suit. And Quantum of Solance itself carries on from the previous film like no other 007 movie, with Bond nursing his anger from the Casino Royale storyline and vowing blood revenge on those responsible. For the new plot, we have villain Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), intent on controlling the water rights in impoverished Third World nations and happy to overthrow a dictator or two to get his way. Olga Kurylenko is very much in the "Bond girl" tradition, but in the Ursula Andress way, not the Denise Richards way. And Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, and Giancarlo Giannini are welcome holdovers. If director Marc Forster and the longtime Bond production team seem a little too eager to embrace the continuity-shredding style of the Bourne pictures (especially in a nearly incomprehensible opening car chase), they nevertheless quiet down and get into a dark, concentrated groove soon enough. And the theme song, "Another Way to Die," penned by Jack White and performed by him and Alicia Keys, is actually good (at times Keys seems to be channeling Shirley Bassey--nice). Of course it all comes down to Craig. And he kills.

Disc Features:
  • Featurette: "Bond on Location" (HD, 25 minutes) - This is the main making-of, and boasts a healthy runtime. On-set and press junket interviews are provided with director Marc Forster, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric and Gemma Arterton, and other crew.

  • Additional Featurettes (HD, 15 minutes) - The five additional vignettes are: "Start of Shooting" (3 minutes), "On Location" (3 minutes), "Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase" (2 minutes), "Director Marc Forster" (3 minutes) and "The Music" (3 minutes).

  • Crew Files (SD, 46 minutes)

  • Music Video (HD) - A clip is included for the Jack White and Alicia Keyes duet, "Another Way to Die."

  • Theatrical Trailers (HD) - Finishing the extras are the film's original teaser and theatrical trailers, both in HD.

Big Stan [Blu-ray]

Warner Home Video / 2007 / 105 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: March 24, 2009







Genres: Comedy

Starring: David Carradine, Rob Schneider

Plot Synopsis: In this hilarious and outrageous, marital arts comedy, Rob Schneider stars as Stan Minton a two bit con man that is found guilty of cheating mostly elderly women out of their retirement saving on fraudulent vacation properties. With the help of his crooked lawyer, Lew Popper (M. Emmet Walsh), Stan is able to postpone his jail sentence for six months in order to tidy up his affairs. Stan quickly goes into a depression that not even his gorgeous and bubbly wife, Mindy (Jennifer Morrison), can pull him out of. However, when Stan receives news from an ex-prison inmate that his frail and weak body will be targeted and "loved" by all of the large men in jail, Stan realized his "tender parts" are on the line and as a last ditch effort he enlists the help of a mysterious martial arts guru know only as The Master (David Carradine).

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood (+ Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

Warner Home Video / 2009 / Unrated
Street Date: March 24, 2009






Genres: Action, Comic Book

Starring: Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson
Plot Synopsis: Contains two full features: "Tales of Black Freighter," and "Under the Hood"

Disc Features:
• 2 Featurettes
• Digital Copy

Back Catalogue Blu-ray: