By David Weiner
3:00 PM PST, December 17, 2013
The Lone Ranger, Elysium, Indiana Jones, Prisoners, One Direction, Percy Jackson, Justified, Shameless and much more available this week's new releases!
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New on Blu-ray & DVD: December 17
Walt Disney
The Lone Ranger, Elysium, Indiana Jones, Prisoners, One Direction, Percy Jackson, Justified, Shameless and much more available this week's new releases!
Elysium
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
In the futuristic Elysium, Matt Damon is a landlocked everyman whose life as a menial technician at a droid factory is dramatically altered when he's soaked with a deadly dose of radiation, forcing him to make his way to the orbiting space station Elysium to receive life-saving medical attention. The future planet's wealthiest citizens have constructed the ultimate paradise in space where there's no poverty, illness or war, and Jodie Foster's anti-immigration official is determined to stop Matt at all costs. The Elysium Blu-ray Combo Pack contains bonus features that include an extended scene and behind-the-scenes featurettes such as In Support of the Story: The Visual Effects of Elysium; Collaboration: Crafting the Performances in Elysium; Visions of 2154; The Journey to Elysium and more.
The Lone Ranger
Walt Disney
Hi-Yo, Silver! Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer are Tonto and The Lone Ranger in the new action-packed revisionist western from director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer , now on Blu-ray Combo Pack! Putting a new spin on the classic western heroes of old, The Lone Ranger is told from the point of view of Tonto (Depp), a spirit warrior on a personal quest who joins forces in a fight for justice with John Reid (Hammer), a lawman who has become a masked avenger with a belt full of silver bullets. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include a blooper reel, deleted scene and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Prisoners
Warner Bros.
How far would you go to protect your child? Hugh Jackman finds himself pushed to the limit when his worst nightmare is realized in Prisoners. Set in New England at Thanksgiving, the film follows small-town couple Keller and Grace Dover (Jackman and Maria Bello), whose jovial get-together with good friends (played by Terrence Howard and Viola Davis) is ripped apart when their daughters suddenly disappear. Despite help from police and a detective named Loki (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), there is insufficient evidence to detain the prime suspect, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), the driver of a dilapidated RV seen at the time of the two young girls' disappearance. With time running out and few other options, Keller takes matters into his own hands to try to save the children. But is it justice, or has he just become a vigilante?
One Direction: This Is Us
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Morgan Spurlock directs the big-screen biopic that follows U.K. sensations One Direction members -- Liam Payne (from Wolverhampton), Louis Tomlinson (from Doncaster), Niall Horan (from Ireland), Harry Styles (from Cheshire) and Zayn Malik (from Bradford) -- on stage, backstage, at home and abroad.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
20th Century Fox
Percy Jackson is back in the all-new adventure! The follow-up to Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief finds the demi-god son of Poseidon (Logan Lerman) and his friends from Camp Half-Blood on a quest to find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece in the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters (known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle). There, they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies and the ultimate evil in order to save the world!
Gatchaman Complete Collection on Blu-ray
The '70s Japanese anime classic is back! Known to American audiences as Battle of the Planets, Gatchaman finds G-Force – and elite strike force known as the Science Ninja Team – assembling on the spaceship Phoenix to battle monsters and alien forces from another galaxy, bent on world domination! This brand-new, complete collection on DVD contains episodes 1-105, plus the previously unreleased OVA episodes 1-3, in both dubbed English and Japanese with subtitles. There are plenty of great commentaries and bonus features, including a tribute to Battle of the Planets; the differences between that show and Gatchaman; international music from the series; making-of storyboards; voice-over featurettes and much more!
The Family
Relativity Media
Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer play on their previous mob movie roles in this entertaining, fish-out-of-water crime comedy from director Luc Besson, also starring Glee star Dianna Agron as their capable daughter. The film casts De Niro as a former mafia don who ratted on his cronies and is now in The Witness Protection Program with his family (Pfeiffer, Agron and John D'Leo), with Tommy Lee Jones cast as the beleaguered agent who is trying to keep them in line. When the family is relocated to a sleepy French village, they still can't help but to resort to old habits by handling their problems the "family" way. When their old mafia pals finally track them down, chaos and comedy ensues.
Kick-Ass 2
Universal
This ain't The Avengers… The sequel to 2010's down 'n' dirty amateur superhero spoof Kick-Ass finds Chloe Grace Moretz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse back for the follow-up tale of a teen who decides to fight crime and quickly finds himself way out of his league. This time Kick-Ass (Taylor-Johnson) and Hit-Girl (Moretz) need to assemble more amateur-hour superheroes to take on Red Mist (Mintz-Plasse), who is out to avenge the death of his gangster dad as "The Mother F---er" with the help of a horde of super-baddies. Among the masked vigilantes fighting side-by-side with Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl are Colonel Stars and Stripes, played by Jim Carrey, and the returning Clark Duke as Battle Guy.
The Last Letter
Image Entertainment
ET’s own Rocsi Diaz shows her dramatic side in this suspenseful shocker that follows a newlywed couple, Catherine and Michael (Sharon Leal and Omari Hardwick), whose marriage is threatened by Michael's disapproving mother (played by Lynn Whitfield) and Catherine's terrifying secret -- a crippling sleep disorder that blurs nightmare and reality that surfaces when she's under tremendous pressure. When a terrifying incident from her past returns to haunt her, Catherine turns to her foster brother and closest confidant, George (played by Gary Dourdan), for help. But will his methods and her handling of her problems ultimately be her own undoing? Directed by Paul D. Hannah, The Last Letter also stars Tatyana Ali, Richard T. Jones, Bill T. Cobbs, Marc Singer and Lynn Whitefield.
Indiana Jones Movies Individually Available on Blu-ray
Paramount
For the first time ever, the first three films in the Indiana Jones saga, all directed by Steven Spielberg, are available individually in high definition -- on Digital HD and on Blu-ray with a digital copy available through iTunes! From Raiders of the Lost Ark to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, relive all your favorite moments from the greatest adventure of all time—from the deserts of Egypt to the jungles of South America—as everyone’s favorite archaeologist (Harrison Ford) travels the globe thwarting evil villains to retrieve history's most famous artifacts. 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is also available on Digital HD and in a two-disc Blu-ray set. All Blu-rays are packed with special features!
Shameless: The Complete Third Season
Warner Bros.
The outrageous Gallagher family dysfunction of Shameless continues! Season three picks up 137 days since viewers last spent time with the Gallaghers. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is scrounging for cash and finds herself in a succession of jobs, including club party promoter, grocery store cashier, and office worker. Lip is sentenced to community service after stealing a laser, while Ian struggles to prevent Mickey from marrying a woman his father is forcing him to wed. Jimmy contemplates returning to medical school; Veronica and Kevin are determined to have a baby; Carl becomes part of a scheme to cheat a children’s foundation; and Frank, after partying harder than usual, wakes up in Mexico without the papers or cash to get back home. As if their daily struggles weren’t enough, Fiona and her siblings have to deal with Child Protective Services threatening to take away the kids. William H. Macy, Justin Chatwin, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky and Emma Kenney co-star.
Burn Notice: The Complete Series
20th Century Fox
Watch the entire series again! Covert intelligence operative Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) has been punched, kicked, choked and shot. When Michael receives a "burn notice", blacklisting him from the intelligence community and compromising his very identity, he must track down a faceless nemesis without getting himself killed in the process. Meanwhile, Michael is forced to double as a private investigator on the dangerous streets of Miami in order to survive. Fully loaded with sly humor, Burn Notice is a fresh spin on the spy genre with plenty of precarious twists to keep you guessing and enough explosive action to keep you riveted! Includes all episodes from Seasons One through Seven.
Also available: Burn Notice: Complete Season 7
Also available: Burn Notice: Complete Season 7
Justified: The Complete Fourth Season
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Timothy Olyphant is back as U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens for another gunslinging season of the Emmy Award-winning FX hit show. Picking at the thread of a cold case more than 30 years in the making, Givens unravels a riddle that echoes all the way back to his boyhood and his criminal father's bad dealings. Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) finds his own criminal grip on Harlan County loosening due to a Pentecostal preacher with a penchant for theatrics and a knack for manipulation.
Family Guy: Volume 12
20th Century Fox
The fan-favorite animated FOX comedy reaches new heights of hilarity in this outrageous collection of 22 uncensored episodes, including Into Fat Air, where the Griffins rock Mount Everest, plus the comedy jackpot Roads to Vegas and the milestone 200th episode Yug Ylimaf, in which Brian and Stewie develop a curious case of reverse aging thanks to a time machine foul-up. It's a complete season of laughs with celebrity guest voices Johnny Depp, Jon Hamm, Sofia Vergara and more.
Ghost Team One
Paramount
The horror found-footage horror genre gets a shot of horny hilarity in Ghost Team One, pushing the boundaries of good taste at every turn, following two pals (J.R. Villarreal and Carlos Santos) looking to impress a beautiful girl (Fernanda Romero) who decide to make a documentary about a murder that took place in their house years ago. While their minds are clearly focused on getting laid, the horny ghost of a vengeful madam is also focused on doing the same – and scaring the crap out of them in the process.