Blu-ray 9th August Releases

Paul (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Universal Studios / 2011 / 104 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: August 09, 2011

Overall Grade Recommended




Genres: Comedy, sci-fi

Starring: Joan Cusack and Seth Green
Director: Greg Mottola

Plot Synopsis: Everything you know about aliens from pop culture is true. At least that's the message from Paul, a swift, sharp, and very funny movie from the creative minds that also brought us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Superbad, and Adventureland. The British stars of the first two, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, also wrote the snappy screenplay, and director Greg Mottola shows that he can make human and sentimental both the slapstick and the subtle, self-referential humor the same way he did in Superbad and Adventureland. The premise Pegg and Frost have laid out for themselves as likable, sci-fi fanatic supernerds is a dream vacation starting at Comic Con, then continuing through the American Southwest in an RV visiting historic UFO sites like Area 51, the Black Mailbox, and Roswell, and finishing up at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, the iconic centerpiece from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After their inauspicious start, they happen upon an escaped alien who is 4 feet tall, and has the big head, classic diamond eyes, and features we've come to recognize as both the benevolent and evil kinds of space aliens from movies and TV. He is also the titular character, and as voiced by Seth Rogen, this CGI creature spouts a never-ending string of wisecracks, insider secrets, and frat-boy humor that comes loud and clear as classic Rogen in tone and attitude. As an aside and terrific example of the very clever throwaway punch lines that run throughout, there's a brief flashback to 1980 showing Paul on a conference call with Steven Spielberg (really), giving him advice about script development issues for E.T. Paul crash-landed in the late 1940s and has been held prisoner by the government's men in black. They've not only been pumping him for knowledge, they've also leaked the fabric and features of his being to people who want to believe, especially the ones in Hollywood. Now Paul wants to go home, and he's found the perfect getaway with the want-to-believe team of Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost), who take him to his rendezvous (at Devil's Tower, of course). The road movie that unfolds is consistently hilarious, moving nimbly through one-off gags and inside jokes, but also creating larger relationships and drawn-out humor that relies on us believing that the little CGI Paul is real. And mostly we do, again thanks to Rogen's delivery and distinctive vocalizing. Paul constantly quips, makes fun, gets drunk, smokes dope, and spouts a steady stream of patter about how aliens have been bowdlerized and reimagined in entertainment and the minds of people like Graeme and Clive. There's a jam-packed supporting cast that complements and complicates the story (in a good way), including Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as the bumbling men in black, and Jason Bateman as the scary man in black. Also passing through are some fun familiar faces like Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jeffrey Tambor, John Carroll Lynch, and an iconic sci-fi actress who shall remain unnamed. Especially good is Kristen Wiig as a fundamentalist Christian whose mind is literally blown by Paul. Amid the broad humor and nonstop punch lines there's also a sweetness that stays with each finely drawn character (including Paul) and gives Paul an amiable sentimentality that runs throughout. Everyone clearly had fun making this movie, and that's exactly how it is to watch.
Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary — Mottola, Pegg, Frost, Hader, and producer Nira Park are all present for the audio commentary on 'Paul.'
• Bloopers (HD, 11 min.)
• The Evolution of Paul (HD, 15 min.) — Plenty of scenes from the movie are spliced into interviews of the VFX department talking about creating and animating Paul.
• Simon's Silly Faces (HD, 1 min.)
• Who the Hell is Adam Shadowchild? (HD, 2 min.)
• Galleries (HD) — Storyboards and movie posters are included in these still galleries.
• Credits — A page of text with credits for the crew. 
• Bonus Contents
  
  • Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of 'Paul' (HD, 40 min.) — Everything from the genesis of the project to the filming is talked about here. 
• RV Doorway: The Cast of 'Paul' On-Location (HD, 20 min.)
• Runaway Santa Fe: An Interview with Nancy Steiner (HD, 6 min.)
• Smithereens (HD, 2 min.)
• 5th Date Level Direction: The Cast on Greg Mottola (HD, 5 min.)
• Mexico Zero: The Locations of 'Paul' (HD, 13 min.)
• The Many Pauls (HD, 9 min.)
• 'Paul' the Musical (HD, 2 min.)
• The Traveler Beagle (HD, 4 min.) 

Mars Needs Moms (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo)

Disney/Buena Vista / 2011 / 88 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: August 09, 2011

Genres: Family, adventure

Starring: Joan Cusack and Seth Green
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Plot Synopsis: From Disney and Academy Award-winner Robert Zemeckis (best director, Forrest Gump, 1994) comes the craziest adventure this side of the galaxy Mars Needs Moms. Take out the trash, eat your broccoli who needs moms anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out how much he needs his (Joan Cusack) when she's nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. In a race against time and oxygen, his quest to save her knows no bounds. And with some unexpected help, Milo just might find his way back to her in more ways than one. Complete with intergalactic bonus features, it's a thrilling journey that's pure, out-of-this-world crazy fun.

Disc Features:

• Fun With Seth (HD, 2 min) - This is a quick behind-the-scenes look at actor Seth Green working on-set in his motion capture outfit.
  
• Martian 101 (HD, 3 min) - The made up Martian language used in the movie is the focus here, and the cast and crew talk about developing the fictional vocabulary.
  
• Discover Blu-ray 3D with Timon and Pumbaa (HD, 4 min)
  

• Life on Mars - Full Motion Capture Experience with Audio Commentary - This is a pretty cool feature that allows one to watch the film with a picture-in-picture box showcasing the movie's raw motion capture footage and early animatics.
• Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Director Simon Wells (HD, 29 min) - Seven deleted scenes are available to view separately or together.

Other releases/ Back catalog releases: