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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases Get the latest DVD release information (free) every Tuesday morning. Subscribe here. Last Week's Releases: December 15-21 Tuesday, December 22 -- Monday, December 28 All DVD Releases District 9 Medium-budget science fiction film about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth took the boxoffice by storm this past summer. It's an intelligent use of sci-fi motifs to explore racism, colonialism and exploitation in South Africa (and the world). Story line: Twenty-eight years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The beings were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's "District 9" as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare -- they are only interested in the tremendous profits they'll get if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA, and with the sanction of the government, they decide to evict the aliens and move them to another camp further way from the city. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable -- he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: "District 9." The filmmakers chose to make the film using hand-held cameras and cinema verite interviewing techniques to add to the realism. Successfully, we might add. Vitals: Director: Neill Blomkamp. Stars: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner, William Allen Young, Vanessa Haywood, Marian Hooman. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $114.873 million, Sony. Advertisement (500) Days of Summer An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman (Zooey Deschanel) who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who falls for her. This postmodern love story is never what we expect it to be -- it's thorny yet exhilarating, funny and sad, a twisted journey of highs and lows that doesn't quite go where we think it will. When Tom (Gordon-Levitt), a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer (Deschanel) dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days "together" to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life. Vitals: Director: Marc Webb. Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Rachel Boston, Matthew Gray Gubler, Chloe Moretz. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 05 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $31.969 million, Fox. It Might Get Loud Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White come together to play, compare notes and talk about music and their mutual love of the electric guitar. Directed by Davis Guggenheim and conceived by producer Thomas Tull, the film, through the words and music of three generations of musicians, celebrates the love affair these men and countless others have with the electric guitar, perhaps the most innovative and challenging instrument ever created. Filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, audiences get up close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit, a studio musician and a painter from London and a seventeen-year-old Dublin schoolboy, each used the electric guitar to develop their unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar. Rare discussions are provoked as we travel with Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White to influential locations of their pasts. Born from the experience is intimate access to the creative genesis of each legend, such as Link Wray's "Rumble's" searing impression upon Jimmy Page, who surprises audiences with an impromptu air guitar performance. Vitals: Director: Davis Guggenheim. Stars: Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 98 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $1.486 million, Sony. All About Steve Comedy about a blind date gone wrong. When eccentric, but lovable, crossword puzzle constructor Mary gets set up with Steve, a news channel cameraman, she falls hard but he doesn't. Mary decides to follow Steve on a cross-country hunt for breaking news and soon finds herself entangled in the story. But despite the media storm surrounding her, Mary may just discover her true place in the world ... and the man of her dreams. Vitals: Director: Phil Traill. Stars: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Katy Mixon, Howard Hesseman. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $33.368 million, Fox. Extract Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman) is sitting pretty. With a beautiful wife, a comfortable home and the almost finalized acquisition by General Mills of the culinary extracts business he has built with his loyal lieutenant Brian (J.K. Simmons), Joel seems to have it all. Except his wife is about as interested in him as she is in her career (supermarket coupon design), his employees want a piece of the pie and the sweet young thing with designs on him (Mila Kunis) is really a wily con-artist. On the advice of a drug-addled confidante (Ben Affleck), Joel cooks up a scheme to cheat with impunity by hiring a gigolo to seduce his wife -- ­only to discover the young object of his affection is behind a lawsuit by long-time employee Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.) that will scotch the General Mills deal and leave Joel penniless. The best-laid plans unravel with unsuspected results in this off-the wall comedy about life in the not-so-fast lane. Vitals: Director: Mike Judge. Stars: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins Jr., Gene Simmons. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $10.814 million, Miramax. All DVD Releases All About Steve (2009) Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Katy Mixon, Howard Hesseman. Read more about "All About Steve" in the December Calendar. Available as a single-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray. Extras: Commentary by writer Kim Barker, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong and director Phil Traill; "All About All About Steve" featurette; deleted scenes; gag reel; crew snapshots to "Mary's Rap." Blu-ray adds "Take A Stab At Vocab!" "Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session," digital copy. (Fox). American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009) Eugene Levy, Rosanna Arquette, Bug Hall, Kevin M. Horton, Curtis Armstrong. Latest direct-to-video chapter in the "American Pie" franchise. Three high school buddies discover a legendary guide to seduction -- written by some of the school's previous generations -- hidden in the school library. Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, "On the Set of American Pie Presents: The Book of Love," "Just the Tips: The Love Manual," more. (Universal).Also available on Blu-ray Disc. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2009) Georgia Groome, Eleanor Tomlinson, Aaron Johnson, Alan Davies. Soon-to-be-15-year-old Georgia has her sights on Robbie, a new guy at school she dubs "a gorgeous sex-god." But Robbie is dating Georgia's arch rival, the blonde, perfect and evil Lindsay, so Georgia sets a series of mad schemes in motion to nab Robbie and have the best birthday party ever. Extras: Commentary by director Gurinder Chadha, eight featurettes, video diaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, gallery, Stiff Dylans music video "Ultraviolet." (Paramount). Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) Dir.: Peter Hyams; Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Orlando Jones, Joel Moore. Remake of the 1956 film noir classic in which a writer's plan to expose a corrupt district attorney takes an unexpected turn. High profile District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney's perfect record is up for scrutiny. Extras: Commentary by writer-director-cinematographer Peter Hyams and actor Jesse Metcalfe; "The Whole Truth -- The Making Of Beyond a Reasonable Doubt"; "Criminal Forensics -- The Burden Of Proof."; and the theatrical trailer. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Anchor Bay Entertainment). Blind Date (2007) Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson. Don and Janna, a married couple struggling to reconnect after the death of their daughter, answer each other's phony classified ads to begin an elaborate game of pretend blind dates, hoping this ruse will allow them finally to talk openly about the demise of their relationship in the wake of tragedy. (E1 Entertainment). Call of the Wild 3-D (2009) Christopher Lloyd, Ariel Gade, Wes Studi, Aimee Teegarden, Devon Graye, Kameron Knox, Jaleel White, Joyce DeWitt, Veronica Cartwright, Timothy Bottoms. This modern-day adaptation of Jack London's classic follows Ryan (Ariel Gade) a 9-year old girl visiting her grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) in Montana. When a wild hybrid wolf/dog shows up injured on the back porch one night, Ryan wants to take him back to Boston as a pet, but her grandfather knows the animal will eventually have to return to the wild. To help his granddaughter understand, he begins to read her Jack London's "Call of the Wild" each night ... but Ryan has ideas of her own, and helps a local boy train the magnificent animal to become a sled dog leader. (Vivendi Entertainment). Chasing Butterflies (2009) Amy Brienes, J. Mandy Brown, Maria Cellario, Matt Loney, Zach Myers, Gabriel Vaughan, Eric Walton. A screwball comedy roller coaster, with one unexpected plot twist: Nina, a runaway bride, is unaware that her mother has married her fiance in her stead, and that the two have set out to bring her back. Nina's escape lands her in a car with a joy-riding 15-year-old who is subsequently car jacked by two lovesick convicts. They all end up at a remote motel, run by a Bible-thumping divorcee. (Vanguard Cinema) District 9 (2009) Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner, William Allen Young, Vanessa Haywood, Marian Hooman. Read more about "District 9" in the December Calendar. Available as a single-disc DVD, a two-disc DVD special edition, and on Blu-ray. Extras: Single disc: Commentary by director/co-writer Neill Blomkamp, deleted scenes, "The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log" three-part documentary that explores the pre-production process and creation of the world of District 9, Peter Jackson's role in producing the film, the unorthodox approach to using South Africa as the setting for the film, the shooting style using small handheld cameras, and the sound effects editing. The special edition adds four featurettes: "Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus" (the special effects used to transform the protagonist from a human to an alien), "Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9," "Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9" and "Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9. The Blu-ray adds an interactive map "Joburg from Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9," a digital copy of the film, and BD-Live features Cinechat and movieIQ. (Sony). Extract (2009) Dir.: Mike Judge; Stars: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins Jr., Gene Simmons. Read more about "Extract" in the December Calendar. Extras: "Mike Judge's Secret Recipe" featurette Blu-ray Disc. adds extended and deleted scenes. (Miramax). (500) Days of Summer (2009) Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Rachel Boston, Matthew Gray Gubler, Chloe Moretz. Read more about "(500) Days of Summer" in the December Calendar. Extras: Commentary by director Marc Webb, writer Michael Weber, co-writer Scott Neustadter and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt; "Lost Days of Summer": Deleted and extended scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Fox). Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Darkside (2009) Family Guy animated "retelling" of "The Empire Strikes Back." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Fox). In Search of Mozart (2009) Made to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, this is the first feature-length documentary on Mozart's life. Produced with the world's leading orchestras and musicians, it traces the composer's life through his music and extensive correspondence, dispelling the many common myths about Mozart's genius, health, relationships, death and character, to present a new image, very different from Milos Forman's "Amadeus." $40.00 (Microcinema). It Might Get Loud (2009) Documentary in which rock legends Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White come together to play, compare notes and talk about music and their mutual love of the electric guitar. Read more about "It Might Get Loud" in the December Calendar. Extras: Deleted scenes, commentary by director Davis Guggenheim, producer Lesley Chilcott and producer Thomas Tull; Toronto Film Festival Press Conference with Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White, Davis Guggenheim, Lesley Chilcott and Thomas Tull. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Sony). Kyle XY: The Complete Third and Final Season (2009) Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.99. Extras: Deleted scenes, commentaries, "Kyle XY: Future Revealed" look at what would have happened in Season 4. (Disney). Loser (1999) Kirk Harris Chamaco. Tragic tale of 23 year-old James Dean Ray, a small-time drug dealer bent on self-destruction, who spends his final hours hanging out and selling drugs, with, of course, an occasional robbery, oblivious and indifferent to his pending doom. (Vanguard Cinema). Off the Ledge (2009) Justin Whalin, Anne Ramsay. Comedy-drama revolves around a New Years Eve Party where most of the partygoers are oblivious to the true atmosphere of pain amid their celebration of life and renewal. As off beat partygoers spontaneously ring in the New Year at a Hollywood Hills home, four hapless individuals intertwine as they do their best to survive the evening. (Vanguard Cinema) The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Three (2009) Three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.99. Extras: "Hat Chat" with cast members, sneak peak at Season 4, "Make It or Break It" pilot episodes. (Disney). Staten Island (2009) Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Seymour Cassel, Julianne Nicholson. Three lives intersect in the forgotten borough of New York City. Sully Halverson (Hawke) is a septic tank cleaner who is desperate to give his unborn son the chance he never had. Jasper Sabiano (Cassel) is a deaf-mute deli worker who wants to escape the mobsters that have infiltrated his life and business Parmie Tarzo (D'Onofrio) is a local mob boss who dreams of crushing the competition and achieving infamy any way he can. Once their lives intersect, nothing will ever be the same.Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (National Entertainment Media). | Contents/Site Map | Home | Resources | Sell-Through | Reviews | Links | E-mail: mail@onvideo.org © 1996 -- 2009 OnVideo. All rights reserved December 20, 2009