December 27, 2011 - Notable New DVD Movie Releases:
Apollo 18 DVD
Tagline: "There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon."
Length: 86 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some disturbing sequences, and language
History books tell us that the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 marked the end of the US program to land humans on the moon, but the conceit of this faux documentary is that there was an 18th Apollo mission which the American government kept secret from the public. The filmmakers purport to have found many hours of footage, which they edited down to 90 minutes, showing what happened during the Apollo 18 mission. There are three American astronauts, played by not-so-well-known TV actors. The astronauts reach the moon with no problems, but there they encounter life forms that cause the mission to come to a bad end.
- Widescreen
Apollo 18 Blu-ray Disc
Selected Blu-ray Disc Special Features:
- Featurettes
- Digital Copy
- Widescreen
Final Destination 5 DVD
Tagline: "We all share a common destination."
Length: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for strong violent/gruesome accidents, and some language
This is the fifth in the Final Destination series of horror movies that began in the year 2000, and the formula remains the same. Before a disastrous event, someone has a premonition that saves the lives of several young people. In previous films, the calamitous event was a plane crash, a huge traffic accident, a roller coaster derailment and an automobile racetrack catastrophe. This time around, it's a group of coworkers riding a bus over a bridge that collapses in a windstorm. But since you can't cheat Death, those whose lives were spared are then shown being killed one-by-one in inventive, horrendous ways.
- Featurettes
- UltraViolet Digital Copy
- Widescreen
Also Available:
Final Destination 5 Blu-ray Disc
Selected Blu-ray Disc Special Features:
- Movie-Only Edition
- UltraViolet Digital Copy
- Widescreen
Final Destination 5 Blu-ray Disc and DVD Combo
Selected Blu-ray Disc Special Features:
- Alternate Scenes
- UltraViolet Digital Copy
- Widescreen
The First Grader DVD
Tagline: "It's never too late to dream. "
Length: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some disturbing violent content and brief nudity
A dramatization of a true story, this heartwarming film is about the oldest person ever to attend primary school. In the Kenyan bush, illiterate 84-year-old Maruge (Oliver Litondo) showed up at a school in 2003, wanting to learn alongside six-year-olds. The school was already not able to accommodate all the children desiring to attend, but Maruge was supported by the teacher, Jane (Naomie Harris), despite opposition from parents and officials. Also, the film flashes back to the 1950s when Maruge, a Kikuyu tribesman, fought to gain his country's freedom from British colonialism in the Mau Mau Uprising.
- Widescreen
Additional DVD Releases of Interest This Week:
Archer - The Complete Second Season DVDSelected DVD Special Features:
- Animated
- Two-Disc DVD Set
- Widescreen
Also Available: Archer - The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Disc
The Borgias - The First Season DVD
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Three-Disc DVD Set
- Widescreen
Also Available: The Borgias - The First Season Blu-ray Disc
Brighton Rock DVD
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Widescreen
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Animated
- Full Screen
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Commentary
- Widescreen
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Widescreen
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Widescreen
Also Available: Inside Out Blu-ray Disc
Jersey Shore Season Four DVD
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Widescreen
Also Available: The Pool Boys Blu-ray Disc
Shameless - The Complete First Season DVD
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Three-Disc DVD Set
- Widescreen
Also Available: Shameless Blu-ray Disc
The Tunnel DVD
Selected DVD Special Features:
- Widescreen