Movies
Wolfman - "Even a man who is pure at heart/And says his prayers by night/May become a wolf when the wolf-bane blooms/And the moon is full and bright." Upon first hearing these words, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) dismisses them as childish folderol. After all, this is the 20th Century; how can a human being turn into a werewolf? Talbot soon learns how when he attempts to rescue Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) from a nocturnal attack by a wolf. Collapsing, Talbot discovers upon reviving that Jenny is dead-and, lying by her side, is not the body of a beast, but of a gypsy named Bela (Bela Lugosi). The son of fortune teller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), Bela was a lycanthrope, or "wolf man." And now that he has been bitten by Bela, Talbot is cursed to suffer the torments of the damned whenever the moon is full. Arguably the best of the "original" Universal horrors (original in the sense that it was not based on an existing literary property, a la Frankenstein, Dracula and The Invisible Man), The Wolf Man boasts one of the most stellar casts ever to grace a "B" picture: Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Warren William, Patric Knowles, Maria Ouspenskaya and Bela Lugosi. The man-to-wolf transformation sequences-one of which took a full 24 hours to film-are thoroughly convincing, thanks to the cosmetic genius of Jack P. Pierce (Chaney had wanted to emulate his father by developing his own werewolf makeup, but existing union rules would not permit this). Alas, after this powerhouse opening volley, the Wolf Man character was relegated to a series of cheap sequels, teaming him with other Universal shock stars: Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). The final ignominy was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1945), in which Lawrence Talbot (Chaney again), having been cured of lycanthropy in House of Dracula, reverts to his werewolf status-and has to endure the one-liners of Lou Costello to boot!
Psycho - In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock was already famous as the screen's master of suspense (and perhaps the best-known film director in the world) when he released Psycho and forever changed the shape and tone of the screen thriller. From its first scene, in which an unmarried couple balances pleasure and guilt in a lunchtime liaison in a cheap hotel (hardly a common moment in a major studio film in 1960), Psycho announced that it was taking the audience to places it had never been before, and on that score what followed would hardly disappoint. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is unhappy in her job at a Phoenix, Arizona real estate office and frustrated in her romance with hardware store manager Sam Loomis (John Gavin). One afternoon, Marion is given $40,000 in cash to be deposited in the bank. Minutes later, impulse has taken over and Marion takes off with the cash, hoping to leave Phoenix for good and start a new life with her purloined nest egg. 36 hours later, paranoia and exhaustion have started to set in, and Marion decides to stop for the night at the Bates Motel, where nervous but personable innkeeper Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cheerfully mentions that she's the first guest in weeks, before he regales her with curious stories about his mother. There's hardly a film fan alive who doesn't know what happens next, but while the shower scene is justifiably the film's most famous sequence, there are dozens of memorable bits throughout this film.
X-Men Originals – Wolverine - The gruff, adamantium-clawed Marvel superhero Wolverine strikes out on his own in this XMen spin-off starring series regular Hugh Jackman. The story gets under way as the boy who will become Wolverine makes a shocking discovery about his family bloodline, and gains a brother in the process. Flash forward to find the mutant siblings battling side by side through two world wars and Vietnam -- where they are sentenced to death for killing a commanding officer -- and Logan (Hugh Jackman) and his brother, Victor Creed (aka Sabretooth, played by Liev Schreiber), have joined a top-secret government task force. When their targets begin to include innocent civilians, conscientious Logan escapes to the Canadian Rockies, where he builds a home with pretty schoolteacher Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). Informed by his old commanding officer William Stryker (Danny Huston) that the members of his old team are being targeted for death, Logan is heartbroken when Victor finds and kills Kayla. Vowing revenge, Logan agrees to take part in a dangerous experiment that will fuse his bones with a powerful metal alloy called adamantium, which makes him virtually indestructible and gives him the strength needed to defeat his powerful brother. Subsequently betrayed by Stryker, Logan (now Wolverine) sets out to find his blood-lusting brother and stop the cycle of violence once and for all. Along the way, the temperamental hero is joined by fellow mutants John Wraith (Will.i.Am) and Remy LeBeau (aka Gambit, played by Taylor Kitsch). But before Wolverine can seek vengeance against Striker and his brother, he'll have to do battle with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) a formidable mutant instilled with many powers.
Grace - One couple's dream turns into the worst nightmare imaginable when their unborn child is declared dead in utero, and the devastated mother insists on carrying the stillborn baby to term. Madeline Matheson (Jordan Ladd) is eight months pregnant. She's determined to have a healthy child, and as such, she's adapted a pure-body lifestyle and decided to have a natural childbirth. Though her outspoken mother-in-law is adamant that Madeline receives standard hospital care during the delivery, the expectant mother has instead opted for the caring companionship of an experienced midwife. When the unborn baby is fatally injured during a sudden and tragic accident, Madeline remains determined to carry her stillborn daughter to term. Later, when the child is delivered, Madeline miraculously wills the tiny corpse to life. In the aftermath of the devastating experience, Madeline grows increasingly isolated from her family and friends, gradually realizing that something is terribly wrong with the little baby Grace. Now, if Madeline hopes to keep Grace alive, she will be forced to make a series of dreadful sacrifices.
Camille - Sienna Miller and James Franco star in first-time producer/director Gregory Mackenzie's twisted romance about a honeymooning couple who discovers that sometimes love is stronger than death. Recent parolee Silas (Franco) has just been blackmailed into marrying the beautiful Camille (Miller), and he's none to happy about the arrangement; despite the fact that he can't stand her, she still worships the ground he walks on. But now the law is family, and should the union fail, Silas' new uncle-in-law, Sheriff Foster (Scott Glen), will ensure that the disgruntled groom is sent back to the slammer in a flash. Immediately after the wedding, however, things get complicated when Silas and Camille are run off the road by a reckless truck driver. When Silas regains conscious and stumbles over to Camille's contorted body, it's obvious that she's suffered a fatal injury in the accident. After fleeing the scene and attempting to summon help, Silas returns to the sight of the crash and finds Camille nursing a serious neck injury down by the river while frantically trying to get the grass stains out of her wedding dress. Desperate, the couple hitches a ride with the nomadic Cowboy Bob (David Carradine), eventually realizing that Camille didn't survive the accident despite the fact that she's somehow able to walk and talk with the living. As Camille's body begins to decay, the situation grows complicated when the couple learns that the police are on their trail for an imagined robbery and murder.
Blood and Bone - Director Ben Ramsey and writer Michael Andrews team for this martial arts action thriller concerning a mysterious drifter (Michael Jai White) who becomes ensnared in the seedy world of underground street fighting. In the back alleys of Los Angeles, life is cheap and to go against the grain is to take on the most powerful criminal organization on the West Coast.
Animated TV on DVD Releases
Astro Boy Volumes 1 through 5 - Five volumes of Astro Boy are being released separately.
Barney: Jungle Friends the Movie - This release is of a new Barney movie about the rainforest. It is a DVD set with a music CD.
Dragonball: Season One - This release is a five disc set. This includes the first 31 episodes uncut.
Ghost Hunt: The Complete Series Box Set - This release is a 4 disc set.
Go, Diego, Go! Diego's Arctic Rescue - This release is of a new Diego adventure. Probably also has a few episodes as bonus features.
Magikano: The Complete Series Box Set - This release is a two disc set.
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack Volume 1 - This is the first release of this Cartoon Network show. It has five episodes and 4 featurettes as bonus features.
Monster Force: Volume 1 - This release includes seven episodes of Monster Force.
Nick Jr Favorites: Animal Friends - This release features animal themed episodes of Nick Jr shows like Ni Hao, Kai-lan, Go, Diego, Go!, Dora the Explorer, and Yo Gabba Gabba!
Nickelodeon Big Box of Play Dates - This release is of three Nick Jr Favorites discs. The included sets are All Star Sports Day, Celebrate Family, and Animal Friends.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Clone Commandos Season 1 Volume 2 - This release is just the next four episodes of the show.
The Strawberry Shortcake Movie: Sky's the Limit - This release is a movie featuring the Strawberry Shortcake characters.
Transformers: Season Two Volume 1 - This release four disc set with 28 episodes. This is a 25th Anniversary Edition.
X-Men: Volume Three - This release is a two disc set with 15 episodes.
X-Men: Volume Four - This release is a two disc set with 14 episodes.
Comedy TV on DVD Releases
Affairs of the Heart: Series 2 - This release is of a British comedy series.
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season - This release is a 4 disc set with the 23 episodes in the show's second season.
The Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection - This release includes 4 episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 4 - This release is a 3 disc set of the fourth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The special features include The Nightman Cometh Live!, Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, Blooper Reel, and Easter Egg.
The IT Crowd: The Complete Third Season - This releases is a single disc set of the six episodes in the third season of The IT Crowd.
My Name is Earl: Season Four - This release is a four disc set. The special features include deleted scenes, gag reel, and Earl's Fan Mail. This is also being released on Blu-Ray.
Documentary TV on DVD Releases
Animal Armageddon: Target Earth - This release is an Animal Planet documentary mini series about natures impact on the prehistoric animals and what followed.
In the Company of Whales - This release is a Discovery Channel documentary.
Mysteries of the Freemasons - This release is a History Channel documentary about the freemasons.
Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment - This release is of the Discovery Channel show.
Treasure Quest: Season One - This release is a three disc set of the Discovery Channel show.
Your Life, Your Money - This release is a PBS documentary about money management for young adults.
Drama TV on DVD Releases
The Beiderbecke Tapes - This release is of the second in a made for TV trilogy.
Bonanza: The Official First Season - This season is being released in two volumes, but at least they come out on the same day. They can be bought packaged together or separately.
Crash: Season 1 - This release is includes the 13 episodes of the show and bonus features.
CSI Miami: The Complete Seventh Season - This release contains the 25 episodes in the seventh season of CSI Miami.
Fame: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 - This release is seven disc set. The DVDs in this set are double sided.
Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fifth Season - This release is a seven disc. This season includes the show's 100th episode. The special features include Behind the Scenes of the 100th Episode, interview with Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, Jeffery Dean Morgan, extended episodes, unaired episodes, and bloopers.
Heartland: Season 1 Part 1 - This release is a two disc set of the first 7 episodes of the show. This is of the Canadian series and not the American series about the heart surgeon.
Laramie: Final Season - This release is a six disc set of the show's final season.
Poirot Murder Mysteries Collection - This release is a set of 4 Agatha Christie murder mysteries adapted to film. The four are The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Lord Edgware Dies, Evil Under the Sun, and Murder in Mesopotamia.
Private Practice: The Complete Second Season - This release is a six disc set. The special features include behind the scenes, bloopers, extended scenes, and deleted scenes.
Horror TV on DVD Releases
Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood - This release is of the ABC television show.
Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse - This release is of the television vampire movie.
Fear Itself: The Complete First Season - This release is a four disc set.
Science Fiction TV on DVD Releases
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor - This release is of the show's 2008 Christmas Special.
Knights of Bloodsteel - This release is of a television movie that some have compared to the Lord of the Rings, but low budget.
One Step Beyond: The Official First Season - This release is a three disc set. The first season has 22 episodes.
Primeval Series 3 Volume 2 - This release is a three disc set. It contains 10 episodes and an interview with Douglas Henshall.
Sanctuary: The Complete First Season - This release is a four disc set. The special features include audio commentaries on all 13 episodes, 3 making of featurettes, webisodes, bloopers, and season 2 sneak peeks.