20th Century Fox / 2011 / 132 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 09, 2011
Overall Grade 
Highly recommendedGenres: Action, superhero based
Starring: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender
Director: Mattew Vaughn
Plot Synopsis: When Bryan Singer brought Marvel's X-Men to the big screen, Magneto and Professor X were elder statesmen, but Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) travels back in time to present an origin story--and an alternate version of history. While Charles Xavier (Laurence Belcher) grows up privileged in New York, Erik Lehnsherr (Bill Milner) grows up underprivileged in Poland. As children, the mind-reading Charles finds a friend in the shape-shifting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Erik finds an enemy in Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), an energy-absorbing Nazi scientist who treats the metal-bending lad like a lab rat. By 1962, Charles (James McAvoy) has become a swaggering genetics professor and Erik (Michael Fassbender, McAvoy's Band of Brothers costar) has become a brooding agent of revenge. CIA agent Moira (Rose Byrne) brings the two together to work for Division X. With the help of MIB (Oliver Platt) and Hank (A Single Man's Nicholas Hoult), they seek out other mutants, while fending off Shaw and Emma Frost (Mad Men's January Jones), who try to recruit them for more nefarious ends, leading to a showdown in Cuba between the United States and the Soviet Union, the good and bad mutants, and Charles and Erik, whose goals have begun to diverge. Throughout, Vaughn crisscrosses the globe, piles on the visual effects, and juices the action with a rousing score, but it's the actors who make the biggest impression as McAvoy and Fassbender prove themselves worthy successors to Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. The movie comes alive whenever they take center stage, and dies a little when they don't. For the most part, though, Vaughn does right by playing up the James Bond parallels and acknowledging the debt to producer Bryan Singer through a couple of clever cameos.
Disc Features:
- Cerebro Mutant Tracker (HD) – This is a game of sorts where you're tasked with finding mutants as Cerebro whizzes by them.
- Children of the Atom (HD, 69 min.) – This is an extensive seven-part documentary that covers quiet a lot of the movie and never ventures into promotional territory. This is the nuts and bolts of the filming and getting the movie made. It's a must watch. "Second Genesis" – The first part of the documentary talks about how the idea of 'First Class' came into being during 'X-2' and how they thought that they were going to do a more "high school" approach with young kids. Thank heavens they didn't go through with that. They also talk about how the idea developed to be a period piece in the 60s and how Vaughn finally tied the whole story in with the real-life missile crisis. "Band of Brothers" – This part talks about how the mutants for the movie were picked and how they really wanted to showcase new mutants and new powers. They talk about how Havoc is really Cyclops' younger brother in the comics, but in the movies the movies follow a different continuity than the comics. If only they could have discussed how dumb Angel really is and how they regretted putting her in this movie. "Transformation" – This is the make-up featurette that discusses the transformations of the actors who played Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Mystique (Lawrence), and Azazel (Jason Flemyng). Lawrence went through six to seven hours of grueling make-up application where she had to be standing the whole time. Pretty eye-opening actually. "Suiting Up" – This is the costume portion of the documentary. They spend most of the time talking about how they dressed the characters for the time period and how they took a lot of inspiration from older 'Bond' films. "New Frontier: A Dose of Style" – This is mostly about the production design and how they built all of their sets because they just couldn't find practical locations for them. More 'Bond' influence going on here too. "Pulling off the Impossible" – This is the visual effects featurette where we learn how instrumental legendary effects man John Dykstra was in getting this film made. In Vaughn's own words he would not have been able to make this film without him. Much of it talks about how the actors had a tough time acting when the effects weren't yet present. There's some great behind-the-scenes footage of Dykstra giving direction to the actors telling them how to play the scene as if the effects were actually happening. The CG effects are also discussed. You'll learn about how they did Emma Frost's diamond look, how Mystique transforms, how they actually ended up doing the flying battle (helicopters), and how they made Shaw look when he was absorbing energy. "Sound and Fury" – The last part of the documentary has to do with Jackman's score. He's funny to listen to and it's interesting to hear him talk about how Vaughn was deeply integrated in the film's score and how he created Magneto's music from a simple bassline. Vaughn and Jackman discuss that it's the score that makes the movie a bit more modern, which is true.
- Deleted Scenes (HD, 14 min.) – There are 13 deleted scenes in all.
- X-Marks the Spot (HD) – A cumbersome set of trivia facts that pops up every now and then during each episode.
- "Dogfight" Stunt Piece (HD)
Universal / 2011 / 111 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 06, 2011
Overall Grade Genres: Action, espionage
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett and Tom Hollander
Director: Joe Wright
Plot Synopsis: Raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Escape from Camp G (HD, 3 min) — Wright narrates this closer look and breakdown of Hanna's escape with clips from the movie, storyboard comparisons and a few behind-the-scenes glimpses.
- Alternate Ending (HD) — Definitely worth a watch for fans of the movie as it tacks on another minute to the story's official conclusion.
- Deleted Scenes (HD) — Three scenes salvaged from the cutting room floor and presented here.
- Trailer (HD)
- Adapt or Die (HD, 13 min)
- Central Intelligence Allegory (HD, 9 min)
- Chemical Reaction (HD, 6 min)
- The Wide World of Hanna (HD, 2 min)
Universal / 1983 / 170 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: September 06, 2011
Overall Grade 
Highly recommendedGenres: Thriller, mafia, action-drama
Starring: Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer
Director: Brian De Palma
Plot Synopsis: Starring Academy Award winner Al Pacino (The Godfather) in an unforgettable performance as one of the most ruthless gangsters ever depicted on film and co-starring Academy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Scarface is the rags-to-riches story of Cuban immigrant Tony "Scarface" Montana, who finds wealth, power and passion beyond his wildest dreams...at a price he never imagined. From acclaimed director Brian De Palma (Carlito's Way) and Oscar-winning writer Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July), this action-packed Blu-ray features an all-new eye-popping remastered picture, explosive 7.1 audio track and never-before-seen bonus features. One of the most influential gangster epics of all time, the Scarface Limited Edition Blu-ray also includes collectible SteelBook packaging, a digital copy of the film, a DVD of the 1932 version of Scarface plus 10 original art cards for a limited time only.
Disc Features:
- Scarface Scorecard
- The World of Tony Montana (SD, 12 min) — A brief conversation with interviews of law enforcement officials and magazine owners on the drug trafficking culture.
- The Rebirth (SD, 10) — The first of a three-part series discusses the origins of the script with producer Martin Bregman, Brian De Palma, Al Pacino and Oliver Stone offering their thoughts and comparisons to the original film.
- The Acting (SD, 15 min)
- The Creating (SD, 30 min) — The third and final piece moves its attention obviously to the filming and shooting locations.
- The TV Version (SD, 3 min)
- The Making of Scarface: The Video Game (SD, 12 min) — Interviews with actors and creators focuses mostly on creating the story as an imaginary "what-if" sequel, character motivations and developing the graphics.
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 22 min)
- Scarface (1932) (SD, 93 min)
Other releases/ Back catalog releases:
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