Blu-ray 1st June Releases

Alice in Wonderland [Blu-ray]

Disney/Buena Vista / 2010 / 109 Minutes
Street Date: June 01, 2010

Overall Grade Highly recommended.




Genres: Fantasy, family, comedy

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, and Emily Blunt
Director: TIm Burton

Plot Synopsis:Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, Alice In Wonderland is an imaginative new twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. This Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you ve seen before. The extraordinary characters you ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever. There s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience Alice In Wonderland is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

Disc Features:
Finding Alice
The Mad Hatter
The Futterwacken Dance
The Red Queen
Time-Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen
The White Queen
Scoring Wonderland
Effecting Wonderland
Stunts Of Wonderland
Making the Proper Size
Cakes of Wonderland
Tea Party Props

Life (narrated by David Attenborough) [Blu-ray]

BBC / 2009 / Unrated
Street Date: June 01, 2010

Genres: Documentary

Starring: David Attenborough

Plot Synopsis: From the award-winning BBC Natural History Unit, makers of Planet Earth and The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this is the original UK broadcast version of Life, with narration by renowned naturalist David Attenborough and music by Oscar® and Emmy® winning composer George Fenton In Planet Earth, we brought you the world as you’ve never seen it before. Now, get closer with Life. Four years in the making, filmed over 3000 days, across every continent and in every habitat, with breathtaking new high definition filming techniques developed since Planet Earth, Life presents 130 incredible stories from the frontiers of the natural world, 54 of which have never been filmed before. Packed with excitement, revelation and entertainment, this remarkable 10-part blockbuster captures unprecedented, astonishingly beautiful sequences and demonstrates the spectacular and extraordinary tactics animals and plants have developed to survive and thrive.

Disc Features:
The 10-episode miniseries on four discs
Life on Location: 10 behind-the-scenes video diaries found at the conclusion of each episode
1080p, except "Plants," which is 1080i


The Wolfman (2-Disc Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

Universal Studios / 2010 / 119 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: June 01, 2010

Overall Grade Great movie






Genres: Suspense, action-thriller

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, and Emily Blunt
Director: Mark Romanek

Plot Synopsis: Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) tear up the screen in this action-packed thriller. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must confront his childhood demons, his estranged father (Hopkins), his brother’s grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) and a suspicious Scotland Yard Inspector (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy). When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death. Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.

Disc Features:

Deleted and extended scenes

Includes 2 exclusive alternate endings

"Return of The Wolfman": See how Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and director Joe Johnston tapped into the tragic roots of the legend and cinematic lore to unleash a new terror

"The Beast Maker": A detailed look at how legendary make-up wizard Rick Baker transformed a classic monster into a modern nightmare

"Transformation Secrets": Whether transforming werewolves, producing hallucinogenic nightmares or recreating the fog-covered streets of Victorian London, we’ll see how the visual effects team created a haunting world of moonlit monsters and unsettling thrills

"The Wolfman Unleashed: The team behind the stunt and action units shares with us the physical challenges of bringing The Wolfman to life, including the climatic werewolf battle at Talbot Hall

Digital copy of the film for a limited time only (expires 6/30/11)

U-Control: Access bonus materials without leaving the movie

Take Control: Special Makeup Artist Rick Baker, Visual Effects Producer Karen Murphy-Mundel and Director of Photography Shelly Johnson ASC take control of the viewing experience by stepping inside the film to reveal details of the filmmaking process and offer a personal visual commentary

"Werewolf Legacy, Legend and Lore": Take a virtual tour through over seventy years of Universal’s Wolf Man films and a thousand years of Werewolf mythology

BD Live™: Access bonus content, trailers and more through an internet-connected player

Exclusive content: Watch the first ever online streaming of the original 1941 Wolf Man for a limited time only

My Scenes Sharing: Share your favorite scenes with your friends

My Chat: Chat with friends while you watch The Wolfman and participate in live events

My Movie Commentary: Create your own text and video commentaries

pocket BLU™: Enhance your Blu-ray™ experience with a mobile app for an iPhone™, iPod Touch™, Smartphones (Blackberry® or Nokia®) or Android™

Advanced Remote Control: Navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease using your mobile device as a sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player

Pop-Up Keyboard: Enter data into the Blu-ray player with this easy and intuitive on screen keyboard

Mobile-To-Go: Add exclusive bonus features to your device to enjoy anywhere, anytime there’s a Wi-Fi network

social BLU™: Connect with friends on Facebook or Twitter to share information on The Wolfman, send messages and more.

Back Catalogue/ Other Blu-ray Releases:

Shrek Still In Smooth #1 Rank

With both of the big new Memorial Day weekend openers debuting to disappointing results, the 3D animated sequel Shrek Forever After remained at number one for a second straight weekend thanks to only a moderate decline. After claiming the top spot on Thursday and Friday, the much-hyped comedy sequel Sex and the City 2 settled for second place for the weekend while the big-budget adventure pic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time finished third. If estimates hold, the Friday-to-Sunday period will slump to the worst showing for Memorial Day weekend in nine years despite theaters charging record-high prices for tickets. Audiences sent a strong message to Hollywood studios - if you keep releasing subpar films and charge us more and more for them, we'll get our entertainment elsewhere.

The DreamWorks Animation toon Shrek Forever After held onto the box office crown by grossing an estimated $43.3M this weekend over three days dropping a respectable 39% from its opening. After ten days, Paramount has taken in $133.1M - boosted in part by 3D surcharges - and could be headed for a final tally of $230-240M. That would make it the lowest-grossing installment of the ogre series despite the extra high 3D and IMAX ticket prices. 2001's Shrek grossed $267.7M, 2004's Shrek 2 took in a mammoth $436.7M, and the 2007 pic Shrek the Third banked $322.7M. All four films were released on the weekend before the Memorial Day holiday session. Third fell by a larger 56% to $53M over the Friday-to-Sunday span in its second frame so Forever is holding up better.

Expected to be the queens of the holiday box office, the ladies of Sex and the City 2 instead managed just a second place debut taking in an estimated $32.1M over the Friday-to-Sunday span. Warner Bros. opened the R-rated sequel in 3,445 theaters and averaged $9,325 per site which nearly matched the $9,926 average of Shrek which is playing in 922 more locations. Bad word-of-mouth quickly affected the Sarah Jessica Parker franchise flick. Opening day on Thursday fetched $14.2M and sales have fallen every day since. Saturday suffered a disturbing 23% fall from the previous day which was truly disastrous since Friday was not helped by the opening day rush and Saturday was a day off for the audience of adult women.

Since its Thursday bow, SATC2 has grossed $46.3M and its five-day launch from Thursday to Monday should reach roughly $52M. That means the sequel will gross less in its five-day holiday opening than its 2008 predecessor made in its three-day non-holiday bow. The first Sex debuted to $56.8M on the weekend after Memorial Day and was generally liked by fans who were expected to show up in larger numbers for the new installment. Reviews were horrendous, but franchise films like these usually can still score big bucks from loyal fans. With the road ahead expected to include large declines, City 2 is not likely to come close to the $152.6M of the first film.

The overseas launch was good but not amazing. SATC2 took in $27.6M from 17 markets including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Brazil. The first Sex opened better with $37.2M from 13 markets, although the dollar was weaker back then.

Opening in third with disappointing results was the expensive action adventure Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which collected an estimated $30.2M in its first weekend of play. Based on the popular video game, the PG-13 pic averaged $8,275 per theater from 3,646 locations and represented one of superproducer Jerry Bruckheimer's worst openings for an action film in recent years. Marketing the historical adventure tale as being from the producer of Pirates of the Caribbean didn't seem to fool too many moviegoers into buying a ticket. Reviews were mixed.

Persia never really sparked much interest among audiences despite a prolonged marketing push aimed at launching a new franchise. With reports putting the production cost in the range of $150M to $200M, a lot was at stake to get this film to sell tickets. Jake Gyllenhaal anchored the pic playing a rogue prince out to prevent a magical dagger from falling into the wrong hands. It wasn't his first time starring in an effects-driven action tentpole launching over the Memorial Day session. In 2004, he co-starred in The Day After Tomorrow which exceeded expectations with a $85.8M four-day debut on its way to a massive $629M score worldwide. Persia opened overseas a week earlier and has seen decent but not spectacular numbers.

#	Title	May 28 - 30				Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	Shrek Forever After	$ 43,345,000				2		$ 133,095,000	Paramount
2	Sex and the City 2	32,125,000				1		46,333,000	Warner Bros.
3	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	30,170,000				1		30,170,000	Buena Vista
4	Iron Man 2	16,035,000				4		274,612,000	Paramount
5	Robin Hood	10,305,000				3		83,025,000	Universal
6	Letters to Juliet	5,900,000				3		36,603,000	Summit
7	Just Wright	2,200,000				3		18,198,000	Fox Searchlight
8	Date Night	1,750,000				8		93,448,000	Fox
9	MacGruber	1,477,000				2		7,127,000	Universal
10	How To Train Your Dragon	1,025,000				10		212,629,000	Paramount

Prince of Persia - Beginning It's Journey This Week!

This week is gonna be a thrill ride of action vs sex: Jerry Bruckheimer's 'Prince of Persia' the highly anticipated adventure video game series come to life stars Hollywood hottie Jake Gyllenhaal is battling with Sarah Jessica Parker sequel of 'Sex & The City 2' which is one of the most respectable and high rating in TV series history. My prediction: Prince of Persia $75million mark while Sex & The City at $55million. Let us see how it goes next Monday.

Prince of Persia
Copyright © 2010 Walt Disney Pictures

From the team that brought the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy to the big screen, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films present "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," an epic action-adventure set in the mystical lands of Persia. A rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess (Gemma Arterton) and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

• Release Date:May 28th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Jake Gyllenhaal
  • Gemma Arterton
  • Ben Kingsley
  • Alfred Molina
  • Steve Toussaint
• Director:Mike Newell
• Writer:Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner
• Studio:Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre: PG-13 Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Official Site:adisney.go.com/disneypictures/princeofpersia/index2.html
• Rating: for intense sequences of violence and action
• Runtime:1 hour 55 minutes

Sex & The City 2
Copyright © 2010 New Line Cinema

The fun, the fashion, the friendship: "Sex and the City 2" brings it all back and more as Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) take another bite out of The Big Apple--and beyond--carrying on with their busy lives and loves in a sequel that truly sparkles. What happens after you say "I do"? Life is everything the ladies ever wished it to be, but it wouldn't be "Sex and the City" if life didn't hold a few more surprises...this time in the form of a glamorous, sun-drenched adventure that whisks the women away from New York to one of the most luxurious, exotic and vivid places on earth, where the party never ends and there's something mysterious around every corner. It's an escape that comes exactly at the right moment for the four friends, who are finding themselves in--and fighting against--the traditional roles of marriage, motherhood and more. After all, sometimes you just have to get away with the girls.

• Release Date:May 27th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Sarah Jessica Parker
  • Kim Cattrall
  • Kristin Davis
  • Cynthia Nixon
  • Chris Noth
• Director:Michael Patrick King
• Writer:Michael Patrick King
• Studio:New Line Cinema
• Genre:Comedy
• Official Site:sexandthecitymovie.com
• Rating: R for Some strong sexual content and language
• Runtime:2 hours

Blu-ray 25th May Releases

True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series) [Blu-ray]

HBO / 2009 / Unrated
Street Date: May 25, 2010

Overall Grade Highly recommended




Genres: Drama, thriller, TV Series

Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, and Ryan Kwanten

Plot Synopsis: Welcome back to Bon Temps, home to mystery, Southern sensuality and dark secrets. For Sookie Stackhouse, life is more dangerous than ever after she and Bill become more deeply involved. Meanwhile, Tara finds herself under a lover's spell; Sam puts his trust in an unlikely ally; Jason becomes involved with an anti-vampire sect; Eric becomes interested in Sookie after he recruits her to investigate the disappearance of his 2,000-year-old maker; and Maryann is revealed to possess a power that can control almost everyone in town. Then, after making a shocking discovery, Sookie, Bill and Sam must form the last line of defense against a diabolical plan that raises this award-winning series to bloody new heights.

True Blood: The Complete Second Season includes all 12 episodes of this critically acclaimed series from Alan Ball, writer of the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture American Beauty and creator of Six Feet Under. Loaded with special features, this essential 5-disc set is certain to quench the curiosity of True Blood fans everywhere.

• Audio Commentaries
• The Vampire Report: Special Edition (HD, 23:50)
• Fellowship of the Sun: Reflections of Light (HD, 12:14)
  

• Enhanced Viewing Option
  
• Character Perspectives (HD, 122:14)
  

The Road [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / 111 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 25, 2010

Genres: Drama, thriller

Starring: Viggo Mortensen,
Director: John Hillcoat

Plot Synopsis: From Cormac McCarthy, author of No Country For Old Men, comes the highly anticipated big screen adaptation of the beloved, best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Road. An all-star cast are featured in this epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father and his young son as they journey across a barren America that was destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm. A masterpiece adventure, The Road boldly imagines a future in which men are pushed to the worst and the best that they are capable of - a future in which a father and his son are sustained by love.

Disc Features:
BD Exclusive: movieIQ+sync™ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Director's Commentary
Deleted and Extended Scenes
The Making of The Road
Theatrical Trailer #1
Theatrical Trailer #2

Dear John [Blu-ray]

Sony / 2010 / 105 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 25, 2010

Genres: Romance, drama

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Skye
Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Plot Synopsis: Dear John brings together a totally believable and charming cast--the lovely Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum--with a tried-and-true romantic plot that will have a new generation of movie fans and lovers reaching for their hankies. Director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, My Life as a Dog) again proves his deft handling of young actors portraying feelings and emotions far beyond their years. His direction, along with the stellar performances of the cast, will have Dear John lingering in the memory long after viewing. Tatum plays a soldier home on leave (the John of the title), when he meets Savannah (Seyfried), a college student. The two may not have been looking for love, but love finds them anyway. Then the September 11 attacks happen, and John is torn between love for Savannah and duty to country. Because this is an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, there will be drama and heartbreak, and Dear John doesn't tread lightly in this emotional battlefield. But there's a delicacy in the performances, especially Seyfried's, which transcends the almost-cookie-cutter character outlines given to the actors. Also worthy of mention are supporting cast members Richard Jenkins (as John's quiet, autistic dad) and Henry Thomas (as Tim, a single dad who goes to nearly impossible lengths to avoid breaking the heart of his son). See Dear John with an open heart, and know that it will be deeply touched. --A.T. Hurley

Disc Features:

BD Exclusive: movieIQ+sync™ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Alternate Ending
Outtakes
A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and Lasse Hallstrom
Transforming Charleston
Military in Movies: Dear John's Military Advisors
Mr. Tyree, The Mule, and Benny Dietz
The Story of Braeden Reed

Back Catalogue/ Other Blu-ray Releases:

Shrek Forever After Wins Box Office Race!

The fourth film in the Shrek series took the box office crown in the third weekend of the 2010 summer movie season, but with a much smaller gross than anticipated. Meanwhile, the SNL curse continued as Universal's MacGruber crashed and burned on impact.

Shrek Forever After took charge of the box office this weekend, debuting to $70.8M from 4,359 locations (which includes 194 IMAX and 2,373 3D screens) for a per theater average of $16,251, according to final studio figures. The opening, while extremely good for most movies, is a big let down for the franchise. Below is a chart of select DreamWorks Animation titles over the last few years:

Title	Opening Weekend	Final Gross	Opening Weekend as a % of Final Gross
Shrek	$42.3M	$267.7M	15.8%
Shrek 2 (Wed. open)	$108.0M	$441.2M	24.4%
Shrek the Third	$121.6M	$322.7M	37.7%
Kung Fu Panda	$60.2M	$215.4M	27.9%
Madagascar	$47.2M	$193.6M	24.3%

As you can see, each film in the Shrek series had a higher opening weekend gross than the previous one (taking into account that Shrek 2 opened on a Wednesday). While Shrek Forever After wasn't expected to meet the heights of Shrek the Third, with the 3D and IMAX surcharges added in to a huge theater count, the $70.8M has to be seen as disappointing. As you can also see, the opening weekend percentage of the final total has been going up as well, as the grosses become more and more front loaded. With less-than-stellar reviews it is distinctly possible that Shrek Forever After may not make as much money as stablemate How To Train Your Dragon, which is currently at $211M and counting.

After two weeks in the top spot, Robert Downey, Jr. and Iron Man 2 took a step back into the second spot this weekend, falling 49% to $26.4M, bringing its cume to $251M. By comparison, the original Iron Man had grossed $223.1M by the end of its third weekend back in 2008. Third place belonged to fellow hero Robin Hood which fell 48% from last weekend to $18.8M, bringing its total to $66.6M. Look for a final gross in the $115-120M range.

We're now at fourth place with still no sighting of MacGruber... Taking up residence in the fourth spot was Summit Entertainment's Letters to Juliet, which took in $9M this weekend, a drop of only 34% from last weekend's opening. Its cume now stands at $27.3M and it looks to end its run in the $55-60M range. Fifth place finds fellow sophomore Just Wright which fell 48% from last weekend to $4.3M, bringing its total to $14.7M. Look for a final gross in the $25-30M range.

Who is that I see trying to defuse a bomb with only seconds remaining? It's MacGruber! Oh no, he didn't make it! Crashing into sixth place this weekend, the Saturday Night Live sketch-turned-movie bombed at the box office, pulling in only $4M from 2,551 theaters for an average of $1,585. The opening is one of the worst of all time from a film with at least 2,500 locations. How bad was this opening? 1999's Chill Factor, starring that dynamic duo of Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Skeet Ulrich opened to $4.5M from 2,558 theaters. Here's a chart of other films based on Saturday Night Live sketches:

Title	Opening Weekend	Screen Count	Release Year
The Blues Brothers	$4.8M	594	1980
Coneheads	$7.1M	1,978	1993
The Ladies Man	$5.4M	2,022	2000
Superstar	$8.9M	1,943	1999
Wayne's World	$18.1M	1,768	1992

Seventh place belonged to the film that just wouldn't quit, Date Night, which had the best hold in the top 10, dropping a slim 24% to $2.9M. Its total now stands at $90.7M. In eighth place was the horror remake A Nightmare on Elm Street which fell 50% to $2.3M, bringing its cume to $60M. It looks to end its run with a total nearly identical to 2009's remake du jour, Friday the 13th which finished with $65M.

DreamWorks Animation's second film in the top 10 ended up in ninth place this weekend as How to Train Your Dragon fell sharply with the latest animation offering taking most of its business. The dragon tale took in $1.9M this weekend bringing its cume to a robust $211M.

Rounding out the top 10 was another new title to the charts, the Bollywood film Kites. Distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures, the crossover hit opened with $1M from 207 playdates, for a per theater average of $4,632.

The top ten films grossed $141.4M which was down 16% from last year when Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian opened in the top spot with $54.2M; and down 15% from 2008 when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opened at number one with $100.8M. However in both previous years, this weekend was part of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

#	Title	May 21-23			Theaters	Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	Shrek Forever After	$ 70,838,207			4,359	1		$ 70,838,207	Paramount
2	Iron Man 2	26,361,258			4,177	3		251,026,061	Paramount
3	Robin Hood	18,769,220			3,505	2		66,615,690	Universal
4	Letters to Juliet	9,006,266			2,975	2		27,332,507	Summit
5	Just Wright	4,290,431			1,831	2		14,697,071	Fox Searchlight
6	MacGruber	4,043,495			2,551	1		4,043,495	Universal
7	Date Night	2,913,504			1,869	7		90,748,818	Fox
8	A Nightmare on Elm Street	2,321,388			2,125	4		59,967,500	Warner Bros.
9	How To Train Your Dragon	1,901,211			1,751	9		210,990,918	Paramount
10	Kites	958,773			207	1		958,773	Reliance BIG Pictures
11	The Back-up Plan	942,930			1,079	5		35,919,707	CBS
12	Babies	725,266			395	3		5,102,395	Focus
13	Death at a Funeral	537,573			561	6		41,463,030	Sony
14	Furry Vengeance	531,018			1,369	4		16,131,784	Summit
15	Alice in Wonderland	484,757			411	12		332,194,266	Buena Vista
16	The Secret in Their Eyes	446,549			141	6		2,692,960	Sony Classics
17	City Island	423,423			234	10		4,191,605	Anchor Bay
18	Clash of the Titans	365,731			412	8		160,965,313	Warner Bros.
19	Oceans	351,178			524	5		18,524,665	Buena Vista
20	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo	342,837			178	10		6,274,044	Music Box