By David Weiner
11:42 AM PST, December 5, 2013
Hugh Jackman slices and dices as The Wolverine; The Smurfs 2 meet The Naughties; Lily Collins battles supernatural fiends in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and more in this week's new releases.
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New on Blu-ray & DVD: December 3
20th Century Fox
Hugh Jackman slices and dices as The Wolverine; The Smurfs 2 meet The Naughties; Lily Collins battles supernatural fiends in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and more in this week's new releases.
The Wolverine
20th Century Fox
Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine in his most exciting adventure yet – in Japan! Out on his own without the X-Men, the eternal warrior and outsider arrives in the Land of the Rising Sun. There, samurai steel clashes with adamantium claw as Wolverine confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed. The film's storyline is inspired by the celebrated Japanese story arc featuring the Silver Samurai that's taken from the 1982 Wolverine comic book. The Wolverine Blu-ray features an alternate ending, The Path of the Ronin immersive featurette and a set tour of X-Men: Days of Future Past! Also an extended, unrated cut of the film is available in The Wolverine Unleashed Extended Edition four-disc set with Blu-ray 3D.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Sony Pictures
Mirror Mirror star Lily Collins faces a variety of decidedly nasty demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures! Based on Cassandra Clare's best-selling book series, City of Bones casts Collins as Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers that she is part of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret force of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), she must embrace her fate and battle supernatural forces in a dangerous alternate New York City called Downworld. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jared Harris, CCH Pounder, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West and Godfrey Gao.
Argo: Declassified Extended Edition on Blu-ray
Warner Bros.
Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning Argo is back with an Extended Edition on Blu-ray with UltraViolet digital copy! Taken from declassified government files about the real-life Iran hostage crisis that consumed headlines at the end of the turbulent '70s, Argo finds Ben playing a CIA "exfiltration" specialist who comes up with an audacious plan to extract the six Americans: devise a fake Hollywood sci-fi movie called Argo as a cover to allow a rescue team in behind enemy lines to pull it off. The Argo Extended Edition includes three brand-new special features: Argo Declassified, Ben Affleck's Balancing Act and the mash-up Argo F*ck! Yourself (in which Affleck leads an all-star review of Argo's classic line). The box set also includes collectible premiums -- a one-sheet poster, a map of Tehran, a reproduction of Tony Mendez's CIA ID card, and a 40-page book with behind-the-scenes photos, production notes, cast bios and more.
The Smurfs 2
Sony Pictures
Tra-la-la-la-la-la – The Smurfs are back in an all-new adventure! This time around, Gargamel (Hank Azaria) creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette (Katy Perry) knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world's greatest sorcerer. Can Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity reunite with their human friends Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays to rescue her in time?
Lilyhammer
Cinedigm
Sopranos favorite Steven Van Zandt returns to gangster territory in this hilarious, offbeat fish-out-of-water series that ran on Netflix, in which he plays former underboss Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano, on the run from the mob after testifying against his cronies and relocated to Lillehammer, Norway. There, he settles into a new life as Giovanni Henriksen and makes new friends – and suspicious enemies – as he does things his way.
Hawaii Five-O: The Complete Series
Universal
Book 'em, Danno! The original, classic '70s series that ran for 12 seasons is finally all on DVD in one complete set! Jack Lord is Detective Steve McGarrett, solving crimes in tropical paradise and fighting the good fight in downtown Honolulu and the seedy Hawaiian underworld. This incredible, 73-disc box set contains all 284 episodes. Bonus features are even cooler, with lots of vintage material including a sales reel, Jack Lord on The Mike Douglas Show, the vintage documentary Hawaii Now: Hawaii Five-O and Entertainment Tonight segments!
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman: The Complete Series
Shout Factory
At long last, all 325 episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman are available on DVD in the incredible 38-DVD box set Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman: The Complete Series -- Louise Lasser delivers a masterful performance in the title role of Norman Lear’s sublimely twisted soap opera -- at once a parody of the format and a twisted satire of America’s media/consumer culture as a suburban housewife seeks the kind of domestic perfection promised by Reader’s Digest and TV commercials, instead suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: mass murders, low-flying airplanes and waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor. Bonus features include new essays by the show’s developer, legendary TV producer Lear and Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Tom Shales, two documentary featurettes, and 10 original episodes of its delirious spinoff Fernwood 2 Night.
Saturn 3 on Blu-ray
Shout Factory
Hot off the heels of 1979's Alien, Hollywood was looking to cash in on the sci-fi horror genre, and we now have Saturn 3 as the perfect example of how not to copy a cinematic masterpiece – unless you want to become an unintentional camp classic! Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett (channeling a little Barbarella and screaming a lot) star in this entertaining 1980 film that takes itself pretty seriously, about scientists looking for new forms of food deep beneath the surface of Saturn's moon, only to have their idyllic Eden interrupted by the arrival of Harvey Keitel's psychopathic astronaut and his malfunctioning, homicidal robot Hector.
The Jack Ryan Collection on Blu-ray
Paramount
Chris Pine is the newest recruit to play Tom Clancy's enduring CIA analyst Jack Ryan in next month's Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and now you can catch up on all Jack Ryan movies in this incredible Blu-ray set that includes all of them so far: The Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin as Ryan; Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford as Ryan; and The Sum of All Fears with Ben Affleck as Ryan.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Rich Mahogany Edition Blu-ray
Paramount
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, David Koechner and Paul Rudd are back with their long-awaited Anchorman sequel this month, and what better way to get reacquainted than with this ultra-classy Rich Mahogany Blu-ray! The two-disc Blu-ray includes two versions of the film; Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie; commentary and introductions; outtakes; 36 deleted and extended scenes; table reads, cast auditions; a Comedy Central "Reel Comedy" special; Ron Burgundy's ESPN SportsCenter audition; the recording session for Afternoon Delight and more. Also included in the Rich Mahogany Edition are collectible trading cards and The Many Months of Burgundy diary. Stay classy, San Diego!
Pain & Gain: Special Collector's Edition
Paramount
Michael Bay's Pain & Gain is back with a Special Collector's Edition Blu-ray! The initial Blu-ray release of Pain & Gain was low on carbs and even lower on bonus features, but the Special Collector's Edition Blu-ray is packed with extras including a digital copy of the film and Still A True Story: Ripped From The Headlines; Back to Basics: Michael Bay’s Vision; American Dreamer: Daniel Lugo; Passion Player: Paul Doyle; Dirty Work: Adrian Doorbal; Victimless Crime: Victor Kershaw; Diamonds in the Rough: Locations and The Real Deal: Law Enforcement. Based on a true story, Pain & Gain follows a trio of Miami bodybuilders (played by Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie) looking to move up in the world, so they hatch a plan to kidnap a local crime boss (played by Tony Shalhoub) and extort him for his money. Of course, once they get to live large, that's where the real pain begins.
Matilda on Blu-ray
Sony Pictures
Danny DeVito's wild adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl novel is now on Blu-ray! Mara Wilson is Matilda Wormwood, an extremely curious and intelligent little girl who is very different from her low-brow, cruel parents (DeVito, Rhea Perlman). As she grows older, she begins to discover that she has telekinetic powers – and realizes that she can use those powers to do something about her sufferings and help her friends as well. Bonus features include the all-new featurette filmed exclusively for the Blu-ray release, Afternoon Tea, A Very Magical Matilda Reunion, plus four previously released making-of featurettes.
The Simpsons: Season 16
20th Century Fox
D'oh!!! Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie are back for another season of witty, hilarious and memorable episodes of the long-running animated FOX series. Special features include bonus episodes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, Easter eggs and more!