By David Weiner
10:07 AM PST, December 18, 2012
Colin Farrell fights the future in Total Recall; Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson are Pitch Perfect; Clint has Trouble with the Curve; Shameless; Californication and more in new releases this week.
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New on Blu-ray & DVD: December 18
Sony Pictures
Colin Farrell fights the future in Total Recall; Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson are Pitch Perfect; Clint has Trouble with the Curve; Shameless; Californication and more in new releases this week.
Pitch Perfect
Universal
Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks and Rebel Wilson star in this hilariously entertaining ensemble piece about the cutthroat world of college music competitions. Loaded with new takes on old favorites to hits seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like you've never heard before, Pitch Perfect also stars Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Ben Platt, Freddie Stroma, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and John Michael Higgins and was directed by Jason Moore (Avenue Q).
Total Recall
Sony Pictures
Colin Farrell is on the run and he's not entirely sure why in this futuristic thriller directed by Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld) and inspired by Philip K. Dick's 1966 short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale. Colin plays a factory worker who seeks out a mind-trip vacation from his frustrating life, only to discover that he may actually just be the super spy he requested to be in his implanted dream. He teams up with Jessica Biel to try to take down relentless pursuer Kate Beckinsale and the evil forces trying to stop him. Bryan Cranston and John Cho also star.
Trouble with the Curve
Warner Bros.
Clint Eastwood takes a turn in front of the camera for good friend and producing partner Robert Lorenz -- who makes his directorial debut with Trouble with the Curve – as Gus Lobel, one of the best scouts in baseball. But age is starting to catch up with him, and he refuses to be benched for the final innings of his career. When the Atlanta Braves front office (which includes Matthew Lillard) starts to question his judgment, he reluctantly recruits his estranged attorney daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) to be his eyes – forcing the two to reconcile and make new discoveries that could change their future. Justin Timberlake also stars as Johnny Flanagan, a rival scout who has his sights on a career in the announcer's booth -- and romance with Mickey.
Killer Joe (out Friday)
Lionsgate
Oscar-winning director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) takes on Tracey Letts' dark stage comedy with Matthew McConaughey delivering a raw, entertaining performance as the title character. A Dallas detective who moonlights as an assassin, Killer Joe is hired by trailer-trash kid Chris (Emile Hirsch) to kill his mother in order to collect her life insurance and pay off his debts. But when Chris is unable to pay for the service upfront, Joe takes Chris' innocent young sister Dottie (Juno Temple) as a retainer until he can be paid. Gina Gershon and Thomas Hayden Church also star in this surprisingly twisted, deep-fried Texas tale. The Blu-ray features the Unrated Director’s Cut of the film, while the DVD will feature an R-rated version.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
20th Century Fox
The family friendly Wimpy Kid series continues with our hero Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) hatching a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club. Still, the dog days of summer are nipping at his heels and he finds himself involved in embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and on a camping trip. Also starring Devon Bostick, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn and Rachel Harris.
The Good Doctor
Magnolia Home Entertainment
Orlando Bloom and Riley Keough star in this story of an ambitious but anxious young doctor whose good efforts turn to obsession when an 18-year-old patient is admitted for a kidney infection and the situation gets dark. Taraji P. Henson and Michael Pena also star.
Shameless: Season Two
Showtime
The outrageous Gallagher family dysfunction of Shameless continues! It's summertime in Chicago and each member of the Gallagher household is cooking up fresh ways to bring home the bacon. Their ventures may not be moral – or even legal – but they certainly are outrageous, from selling alcohol and pot out of an ice cream truck to running a daycare operation from their home! Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Justin Chatwin, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky and Emma Kenney star. Catch up before season three of the hit Showtime series debuts Sunday, January 13.
House of Lies: The Complete First Season
Showtime
Don Cheadle leads a team of highly driven, power-hungry of management consultants who stop at nothing to get business deals done in this wild Showtime series based on Martin Kihn's book, House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time. Also starring Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard, Jr.
Californication: The Complete Fifth Season
Showtime
David Duchovny's Hank Moody is back for a fifth season of entertaining debauchery in Showtime's hit series, with the spotlight on special guest RZA as rap star Samurai Apocalypse. While Hank attempts to tackle writing a big-screen action movie for the rap sensation, he predictably gets sidetracked by Samurai's beautiful but dangerous girlfriend. Also starring Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Pamela Adlon, Madeline Zima and Evan Handler, plus guests stars Rob Lowe, Meagan Good and Drea de Matteo.
Army Wives: Season 6 - Part 2
ABC Studios
Get ready for the dramatic second half of the hit series' sixth season leading up to the stunning season finale. The group is all smiles after Claudia Joy receives good news in the wake of a major operation, but the celebration is short-lived after another member of their tribe finds herself in dire straits. Meanwhile, tragedy erupts at Fort Marshall's 100th Anniversary ceremony, and as the troops prepare to deploy to Afghanistan, emotions reach a fever pitch. The DVD includes the season's final 10 episodes. Kim Delaney, Catherine Bell, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh and Wendy Davis star.
The Sarah Silverman Program: Season Three
Shout Factory
'Tis the season to laugh heartily, and Sarah Silverman is on your side to make sure you double over and snort milk up your nose. All 10 episodes of season three of her irreverent Comedy Central show are on DVD, so if you like serial-pooping pigeons and dry-heaving, you'll love the final season of this critically acclaimed series. Okay?