Blu-ray 31st August Releases

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]















Genres: Horror, mystery, suspense

Starring: Nina Dobrey, Ian Somerhalder

Plot Synopsis: It's Elena's first day back at Mystic Falls High School since the tragic death of her parents. Along with her Aunt Jenna, Elena tries her best to look after her troubled younger brother, Jeremy, and salvage what family they have left. The first day is already shaping up to be a struggle for Elena until she meets the mysterious new kid at school, Stefan. Elena is touched that he can relate to what she's going through. What Elena doesn't know is that Stefan is a vampire, constantly resisting the urge to taste her blood. As their undeniable connection grows deeper, Stefan's dangerous older brother, Damon, shows up to wreak havoc on the town of Mystic Falls - and claim Elena for himself. The Vampire Diaries is based on the bestselling book series from Alloy Entertainment.

Disc Features:
Into Mystic Falls: Bringing Vampire Lore and the High School Experience from Page to Screen
When Vampires Don’t Suck!: The Popularity of Vampires and the Fans Who Love Them
The Vampire Diaries: A New Breed of Vampires -- Casting the Series
The Vampire Diaries: Vampires 101 – The Rules of the Vampire
Creators/director pilot commentary
Unaired scenes
The Vampire Diaries: A Darker Truth Webisodes
Second Bite: gag reel
Downloadable Audiobook of the Bestselling Novel The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith
Sons of Anarchy: Season Two [Blu-ray]

20th Century Fox / 2009 / 596 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: August 31, 2010

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Action
Starring: Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Charlie Hunnam

Plot Synopsis: From the creative mind of Kurt Sutter (“The Shield”), the adrenalized drama centers on a notorious outlaw motorcycle club intent on protecting their sheltered small town against encroaching drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. The club is equally determined to protect their ruthless and illegally thriving arms business. Charlie Hunnam stars as Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller, a man whose love for the brotherhood is tested by his growing apprehension for its lawlessness. Katey Sagal stars as Gemma Teller Morrow, Jax’s force-of-nature mother, who along with Ron Perlman as Clarence ‘Clay’ Morrow, Jax’s stepfather and MC president, have their own darker vision for the club.

NCIS: Los Angeles - The First Season [Blu-ray]

Paramount / 2009 / Unrated
Street Date: August 31, 2010

Genres: TV series, action, thriller, suspense

Starring: Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J, Peter Cambor, Daniela Ruah
Director: Shane Brennan

Plot Synopsis: The Office of Special Projects (OSP) is a clandestine division of NCIS and is located in Los Angeles, California. They go deep undercover to capture criminals that are threatening national security. They have access to the latest technological developments. The team includes G Callen, the chameleon; Sam Hanna, Callen's partner and a surveillance expert; Kensi Lo, the adrenalin junkie and Nate Getz, the Psychologist to help the team with the mission and their own mental health. Together with the woman who manages their special technical equipment, this team will do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]

Universal / 2009 / Unrated
Street Date: August 31, 2010

Genres: TV series, comedy

Starring: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein

Plot Synopsis: Get ready for a full dose of medical mysteries with 21 episodes of the riveting drama series House. Hugh Laurie is joined by James Earl Jones (Star Wars) Laura Prepon (That ?70s Show) and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum) in guest appearances as he returns to his Golden Globe®-winning and Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated role as Dr. Gregory House. In this brilliant sixth season House finds himself in an uncomfortable position?away from the examination room. As he works to regain his license and his life his coworkers deal with the staff shakeups moral dilemmas and their own tricky relationships with House. And when House returns more obstinate than ever Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital will never be the same again.Starring: Hugh Laurie Lisa Edelstein Omar Epps Robert Sean Leonard Jesse Spencer Jennifer Morrison

Disc Features:

Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes & Episode Commentaries

The Idiots Guide to Diagnostic Medicine PIP Feature

Crazy Cool Episode: “Epic Fail” Special Effects Featurette

Pocket Blu Functionality

Marmaduke [Blu-ray]

20th Century Fox / 2010 / 88 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: August 31, 2010

Genres: Comedy, Family
Starring: Owen Wilson, George Lopez, Kiefer Sutherland, Fergie
Director: Tom Dey

Plot Synopsis: Marmaduke is a lighthearted comedy based on the comic strip by Brad Anderson. When Phil gets a job with an organic pet food company in California, he moves his family, including his huge Great Dane Marmaduke and Balinese cat Carlos, from their home in Kansas in order to pursue his new job opportunity, but he's so wrapped up in his new job that he doesn't really take time to listen to his wife and kids and consider their needs. Marmaduke knows exactly what's going on, but he can't get Phil to listen, and besides, he's got his own problems trying to fit in at the local dog park. Phil and Marmaduke each struggle to impress their peers and reinvent themselves in the image of what they think others want them to be, but they only wind up hurting themselves and their family. Marmaduke is full of classic, if overused comic moments--the oversized dog passing gas while lying on Phil and Debbie's bed, Marmaduke and his dog friends trashing the house at an out-of-control dog party, and a crazy dog-surfing scene--but the gags manage to not completely overwhelm the plot, as happened in Furry Vengeance, and the film leaves viewers with an important message about the value of family, being true to oneself, and taking time to really listen to those you love. Marmaduke could almost be classified as Marley and Me light: it combines silly gags with a serious message like Marley and Me, but it lacks a high level of emotional investment. Voice talent includes Owen Wilson, George Lopez, Fergie, Emma Stone, and Kiefer Sutherland. Marmaduke isn't a great film, but the kids will be entertained by it and most adults will find it palatable enough. (Rated PG for some rude humor and language, but appropriate for most ages 7 and older.)

Back Catalogue/ Other Blu-ray Releases:
Harry Brown [Blu-ray]











Why Did I Get Married Too? [Blu-ray]











Red Riding Trilogy [Blu-ray]











9TH COMPANY (original and English language) [Blu-ray]

Exorcism and Takers Lead with Surprising Power

The summer movie season saw its first - and last - horror title to debut at number one with the devilish thriller The Last Exorcism which edged out an equally impressive debut by the heist thriller Takers which enjoyed a solid bow of its own in second place while playing in fewer theaters. With a razor-thin $300,000 margin between the two, rankings could change on Monday when final grosses are counted. Characteristic of the final weekend of August, box office sales slumped to their worst level of the entire summer with the top ten failing to break the $100M mark - and even the $90M mark - for the first time all season.

The mock documentary The Last Exorcism scared up big numbers at number one grossing an estimated $21.3M from 2,874 theaters for a sturdy $7,411 average per location. Rated PG-13, the Lionsgate release downplayed the doc format in its marketing and used Hostel director Eli Roth's name in the ads as the presenter to help pull in fans of hardcore horror. Opening night audiences were turned off by what they got - probably differing greatly from what they expected - as sales fell sharply on Saturday by a troubling 24%. Reviews were particularly good for a film of this genre, however.

The urban action thriller Takers also enjoyed a surprisingly potent debut grossing an estimated $21M this weekend from a not-so-extravagantly-wide 2,206 playdates for a sizzling $9,519 average leading all films in wide release. The PG-13 film about a cop investigating a criminal enterprise stars Matt Dillon who got top billing, but was mostly absent from the marketing materials like trailers and posters. The heist film, which also stars Idris Elba, Paul Walker, rapper T.I., and singer Chris Brown, was not expected to be much of a force, especially given its late August release slot, but excited action fans of all ethnicities with starpower and style. The two music stars also were executive producers. It caps off a sensational summer for Sony which has had no losers this season.

Sylvester Stallone's two-week run at the top ended but The Expendables still held up relatively well for an action title dropping 44% to an estimated $9.5M bumping the 17-day total to $82M for Lionsgate. The distributor has commanded the number one spot for three weeks in a row now thanks to Stallone and Exorcism. Sony enjoyed a slightly smaller decline for its estrogen flick Eat Pray Love which grossed an estimated $7M, down 42%, for a $60.7M cume.

The hit comedy The Other Guys followed in fifth with a slim dip of only 35% to an estimated $6.6M thanks to a marketplace with few big comedy alternatives. Total is $99.3M. Tumbling 57% to an estimated $5.3M, the spoof pic Vampires Suck gave Fox a mediocre $27.9M sum to date.

#	Title	Aug 27 - 29			Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	The Last Exorcism	$ 21,300,000			1		$ 21,300,000	Lionsgate
2	Takers	21,000,000			1		21,000,000	Sony
3	The Expendables	9,500,000			3		82,010,000	Lionsgate
4	Eat Pray Love	7,000,000			3		60,716,000	Sony
5	The Other Guys	6,600,000			4		99,300,000	Sony
6	Vampires Suck	5,300,000			2		27,912,000	Fox
7	Inception	5,105,000			7		270,749,000	Warner Bros.
8	Nanny McPhee Returns	4,743,000			2		17,020,000	Universal
9	The Switch	4,658,000			2		16,484,000	Buena Vista/Maple
10	Piranha 3D	4,308,000			2		18,272,000	Weinstein Co.

Blu-ray 24th August Releases

Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season [Blu-ray]

Disney/Buena Vista / 2010 / 714 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: August 24, 2010

Genres: TV, Mystery, Drama, Sci-fi

Plot Synopsis:
It all comes down to this. Television’s most innovative and compelling series comes to a stunning conclusion in ABC’s LOST: The Complete Sixth And Final Season. The critically acclaimed epic drama will finally reveal the fate of the Oceanic 815 survivors and all who have joined their journey, and will uncover even more secrets with never-before-seen content available only on Blu-ray and DVD!

In the aftermath of a monumental explosion, reality shifts for everyone associated with the mystical island. Discover their ultimate destiny on Blu-ray and DVD, complete with exciting bonus features and a fascinating recap to catch you up on everything you need to know about the celebrated series. Complete your LOST collection with this spectacular 5-disc set, and experience the final 16 episodes of a landmark in television history.

Disc Features:

Plus: A Lost Blu-ray & DVD exclusive - Go deeper into the world of LOST with a much-anticipated new chapter of the island's story from Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse... and starring some very familiar faces

The End: Crafting A Final Season - Join the LOST team along with other producers of some of television's longest running shows as they examine the challenges of ending a landmark series

A Hero's Journey - What makes a hero? Which survivors of Oceanic 815 are true heroes? These questions and more are explored

See You In Another Life, Brotha - Unlock the mysteries of this season's intriguing flash sideways

Deleted Scenes

Audio Commentaries

Lost University: The Masters Program

The Back-Up Plan [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures / 2009 / 106 Minutes / PG 13
Street Date: August 24, 2010

Genres: Romantic comedy

Starring: Jennifer Lopez and Eric Christian Olsen
Director: Alan Poul

Plot Synopsis: Jennifer Lopez stars as Zoe, a single New Yorker who dreams about meeting Mr. Right, having a baby and living happily ever after. But after a string of Mr. Wrongs, Zoe commits to her back-up plan: to take on motherhood alone. Zoe's plan proves far from foolproof when moments after her procedure she's swept up into a whirlwind romance with Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), the man of her dreams. Can Zoe hide her pregnancy until Stan is ready for the truth? Or will the truth send him packing? The Back-Up Plan is a hilarious romantic comedy about courtship, love, marriage and parenthood - but not necessarily in that order!

George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead (Ultimate Undead Edition) [Blu-ray]

Magnolia / 2009 / 90 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: August 24, 2010

Genres: Horror

Starring: Kenneth Welsh, Wayne Robson, Joris Jarsky, Alan Van Sprang, George Stroumboulopoulos, Kathleen Munroe
Director: George A. Romero

Plot Synopsis: A war-weary band of soldiers is lured to a remote island that promises to be the last paradise on earth, only to discover that even here, miles away from civilization, peace is shattered by the arrogance of men and the lust to kill.

Time Bandits [Blu-ray]











The Simpsons: The 13th Season [Blu-ray]











Dorian Gray [Blu-ray]











The Square [Blu-ray]











City Island [Blu-ray]











The Long Good Friday [Blu-ray]











The Great Rift: Africa's Greatest Story [Blu-ray]











Abandoned [Blu-ray]











2:22 [Blu-ray]











$5 a Day [Blu-ray]











Shogun Assassin (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Expendables Expend For The 2nd Week Frame

The arrival of five new enemies didn't stop Sylvester Stallone and his band of mercenaries from topping the North American box office with their action hit The Expendables. A variety of new titles were met with weak to moderate results as the end-of-summer funk dragged the marketplace down to its worst showing of the season.

Despite the expected large decline, The Expendables still ruled the charts with $17M in its second mission falling an understandable 51% from its muscular debut. The R-rated kill-a-thon has pulled in an impressive $65.4M in ten days and looks headed for the $100M mark. It was the first time in 17 years that Stallone spent back-to-back weekends at number one with a live-action film. 1993's Demolition Man was his last. Expendables did, however, post the second lowest gross this year for a number one film beating just the $15.4M of How to Train Your Dragon in its fifth weekend over the April 23-25 frame.

For Stallone, who at 64 is witnessing a career resurgence, Expendables will outgun the $42.8M of 2008's Rambo and the $70.3M of 2006's Rocky Balboa. He directed and starred in all three. While the last two films relied on well-known characters to attract business, Lionsgate's Expendables used the starpower of an army of action heroes to grab audience attention. It could become Stallone's first film in a lead role to break $100M since 1985's Rocky IV.

Leading the five-pack of new releases was the spoof comedy Vampires Suck which debuted to $12.2M over the Friday-to-Sunday period and $18.6M over the five days since its Wednesday launch. Crucified by critics, the Fox release managed a mild $3,774 average over the weekend but with a very wide opening in 3,233 locations, was able to slide into the number two spot. The PG-13 pic actually debuted at number one on Wednesday before falling to third on Thursday after the upfront teen audience had already come out. Suck, which makes fun of the Twilight saga plus other pop culture favorites of the moment, earned some of the worst reviews of any film this year.

Julia Roberts took third place with her Italy-India-Bali travelfest Eat Pray Love which dropped 48% in its second weekend to $12.1M and $47.2M in ten days. Produced for about $60M, the Sony release is headed for the vicinity of $75M from North America which would make it the highest-grossing live-action film for the actress in a lead role since 2001's America's Sweethearts which grossed $93.3M nine summers ago.

Debuting to solid results in fourth was the comedy Lottery Ticket which grossed $10.7M from 1,973 theaters for a good $5,399 average - the best for any wide film. The Warner Bros. release enjoyed the second best opening among the new films despite having the fewest theaters. Starring Bow Wow, the PG-13 pic attracted lackluster reviews. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg fell to fifth with the action-comedy The Other Guys which took in $10.2M, off 42%, for a $88.3M total in 17 days. The Sony release will break $100M before Labor Day weekend.

Close behind with a $10.1M opening was the horror remake Piranha 3D which averaged a decent $4,092 from 2,470 sites. The R-rated Weinstein Co. release won strong reviews and connected with an audience that had no other scary films to see. Still it did not come close to last year's late-August horror pics The Final Destination (which also had higher 3D ticket prices) and Halloween 2 which opened against each other with $27.4M and $16.3M, respectively.

Opening softly in seventh place was the Jennifer Aniston-Jason Bateman artificial insemination comedy The Switch which bowed to $8.4M. The Buena Vista release averaged $4,193 from 2,012 theaters and attracted mixed reviews.

Family audiences showed little interest in the Emma Thompson sequel Nanny McPhee Returns which debuted to $8.4M from 2,784 theaters for a weak $3,020 average. Despite today's higher ticket prices, the average was less than half of the $7,270 that the first McPhee generated in January 2006 when it bowed to $14.5M. But the $35M Returns has already grossed $62.9M overseas from its international release which began in March. Reviews were generally good.

#	Title	Aug 20 - 22				Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	The Expendables	$ 16,968,032				2		$ 65,357,117	Lionsgate
2	Vampires Suck	12,202,831				1		18,566,733	Fox
3	Eat Pray Love	12,111,162				2		47,214,078	Sony
4	Lottery Ticket	10,652,297				1		10,652,297	Warner Bros.
5	The Other Guys	10,163,337				3		88,253,482	Sony
6	Piranha 3D	10,106,872				1		10,106,872	Weinstein Co.
7	The Switch	8,436,713				1		8,436,713	Buena Vista/Maple
8	Nanny McPhee Returns	8,407,685				1		8,407,685	Universal
9	Inception	7,838,179				6		262,031,594	Warner Bros.
10	Scott Pilgrim vs. The World	5,201,970				2		20,898,255	Universal
11	Despicable Me	4,662,065				7		231,056,990	Universal
12	Dinner for Schmucks	3,520,805				4		65,800,919	Paramount
13	Salt	3,410,012				5		109,895,105	Sony
14	Step Up 3D	3,150,401				3		36,868,951	Buena Vista
15	Cats & Dogs: The Revenge...	1,701,134				4		39,660,611	Warner Bros.
16	Toy Story 3	1,523,124				10		403,803,642	Buena Vista
17	The Kids Are All Right	818,213				7		18,239,725	Focus
18	Get Low	713,794				4		1,697,877	Sony Classics
19	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	566,864				8		297,216,798	Summit
20	The Sorcerer's Apprentice	476,035				6		60,605,526	Buena Vista

Summer Comes To An End With Piranha 3D

Piranha 3D
Copyright © 2010 Dimension Films

Jaws...lots and lots of jaws. From acclaimed director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) comes the new action thriller PIRANHA 3D, in the latest eye-popping 3D technology. A new type of terror is about to be cut loose on beautiful Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area’s new razor-toothed residents. But our heroine (Elisabeth Shue) is seriously outnumbered, and with only one chance to save the lake and her family from totally being devoured, she must risk everything to destroy the aquatic carnivores herself.

• Release Date:August 20th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • Ving Rhames
  • Elisabeth Shue
  • Christopher Lloyd
  • Eli Roth
• Director:Alexandre Aja
• Writer:Pete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg
• Studio:Dimension Films
• Genre:Horror, Thriller
• Official Site:piranha-3d.com
• Rating: R for for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use
• Runtime:1 hour 29 minutes

Nanny McPhee Returns
Copyright © 2010 Universal Pictures

In Nanny McPhee Returns, Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world.

In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave.

Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

• Release Date:August 20th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal
  • Oscar Steer
  • Asa Butterfield
  • Lil Woods
  • Eros Vlahos
• Director:Susanna White
• Writer:Emma Thompson, Christianna Brand
• Studio:Universal Pictures
• Genre:Adventure, Comedy, Children, Family, Fantasy
• Official Site:nannymcphee.co.uk
• Rating: PG for Rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements.
• Runtime:1 hour 40 minutes

The Switch
Copyright © 2010 Miramax Films

Based on a short story by Middlesex author Jeffrey Eugenides, the comedy centers on a 40-year-old unmarried woman who decides to become pregnant by inseminating herself using a turkey baster and sperm from a married friend.

• Release Date:August 20th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Jason Bateman
  • Victor Pagan
  • Jennifer Aniston
  • Jeff Goldblum
  • Juliette Lewis
• Director:Josh Gordon, Will Speck
• Writer:Allan Loeb, Jeffrey Eugenides
• Studio:Miramax Films
• Genre:Comedy
• Official Site:theswitch-movie.com
• Rating: PG-13 for Mature thematic content, sexual material including dialogue, some nudity, drug use and language.
• Runtime:1 hour 40 minutes

Vampires Suck
Copyright © 2010 20th Century Fox

A spoof of vampire-themed movies, where teenager Becca finds herself torn between two boys. As she and her friends wrestle with a number of different dramas, everything comes to a head at their prom.

• Release Date:August 18th, 2010
• Starring:
  • Ken Jeong
  • Matt Lanter
  • Anneliese van der Pol
  • Charlie Weber
  • Chris Riggi
• Director:Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
• Writer:Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
• Studio:20th Century Fox
• Genre:Comedy, Horror
• Official Site:vampiressuckmovie.com
• Rating: R for crude sexual content, comic violence, language and teen partying.
• Runtime:1 hour 20 minutes