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MAGIC MIKE

DIRECTOR:  Steven Soderbergh

Starring:  Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Munn, Cody Horn

Steven Soderbergh’s summer hit was quite a surprise.   The ladies flocked to the theatre for the tale of a male stripper (Channing Tatum) trying to find love and make good with his life, but for any men who actually got dragged to the film, they found a well written, well filmed drama with heart and humor.   Steven Soderbergh, the diverse director of recent films Haywire, Contagion and The Informant proves once again he can direct any style of story and do it well.   Tatum turns in a strong performance as the stripper with a heart of gold and Matthew McConaughey steals the show with the over confident owner of the club, Dallas.   Yes gentlemen, you will have to see male strippers in chaps and cowboy hats, but the stripping, while actually being a very small part of the film, is actually done with a great sense of humor.   Don’t let the movie’s notorious reputation fool you, Magic Mike is not just for the ladies.   And now you don’t have to watch it with strangers. Check out the TFS review.

GENRE: DRAMA

FORMAT: DVD & BLU-RAY

RUNTIME: 110 MINS

RATED: 18A

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

DIRECTOR:  Lorene Scafaria

Starring:  Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, and Adam Brody

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD stars Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley and is the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Lorene Scafaria. Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. As the respective journeys of Dodge (Mr. Carell) and Penny (Ms. Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks if not the world’s brighten. (eOne)

GENRE: COMEDY

FORMAT: DVD & BLU-RAY

RUNTIME: 101 MINS

RATED: 18A

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

DIRECTOR:  Timur Bekmambetov

Starring:  Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell and Dominic Cooper

Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov team up to bring one of the most unlikely literary successes to life.   Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is shockingly much better than it had any right to be. The film has spectacular action and choreography, great vampire makeup and a well-rounded story blending actual history with fictional lore.   The character arc of Lincoln is actually handled very well anchored by a standout performance by Benjamin Walker, bringing heart and emotional weight to an iconic character in an over the top universe.

GENRE: HORROR

FORMAT: DVD & BLU-RAY

RUNTIME: 92 MINS

RATED: 18A

[REC]3: GENESIS

DIRECTOR:  Paco Plaza

Starring:  Leticia Dolera, Diego Martín, Javier Botet

The [REC] series is one of the most consistent and well-loved horror film franchises out there.   The first film gave the found footage sub-genre its biggest hit since The Blair Witch Project and [REC]2 revolutionized how a sequel can be approached with a storyline twist that flipped the series on its head.   With [REC]3 director Paco Plaza takes the story in yet another direction as the virus hits a wedding causing the separated bride and groom to fight their way through hordes of infected quests to reunite and survive.   Plaza ditches the handheld style a quarter of the way into the film and replaces it with traditional filmmaking to tell the remainder of the story as well as injecting a good dose of humor into this installment, making for a wholly different but thoroughly enjoyable experience. Check out the TFS Toronto After Dark Festival review of [REC]3: Genesis.

GENRE: HORROR

FORMAT: DVD & BLU-RAY

RUNTIME: 80 MINS

RATED: 18A

247 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

DIRECTOR:  Levan Bakhia, Beqa Jguburia

Starring:  Scout Taylor-Compton, Travis Van Winkle and Michael Copon

A survival thriller in the vein of Open Water and Frozen, 247 Degrees Fahrenheit finds three friends spending time at a remote cottage who, through a series of unfortunate events, become trapped inside a sauna.   Tension mounts as the three try to find a way out of the sweltering room with the temperature continuing to rise. With a friend passed out drunk outside the sauna and the owner of the cabin away at a party, the friends struggle to survive or find a way out of the scorching room.   Scout Taylor-Compton of Rob Zombie’s Halloween turns in the best performance of the cast, and while the story is intriguing, the tension doesn’t seem to ever reach the crescendo you might expect it to.   A decent time filler with some interesting ideas, 247 Degrees Fahrenheit may not excel to the levels of similarly themed films, but it does keep things warm enough to hold your attention.

GENRE: THRILLER

FORMAT: DVD & BLU-RAY

RUNTIME: 90 MINS

RATED: 18A

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:

Apocalypse ““ Hitler

Cargo

Claustrophobia

Fantasy Island: The Complete Third Season

Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Year Eight

Perry Mason: The Seventh Season – Volume Two

Playback

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 4

The Ernie Kovacs Collection: Volume 2

The Fugitive: The Most Wanted Edition – Complete Series

Upstairs Downstairs Season 2

Wrong Turn 5

WWE Night of Champions 2012

BLU-RAY RELEASES

Blade Runner 30^th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 4

The Terminator Anthology

• Bio
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Bill Howard

A movie geek from birth, Bill has been an avid DVD and Blu-ray collector since the creation of the formats. Writing about movies is Bill’s favorite way of sharing his passion for film. He also runs his own film website and has just finished his first fiction novel.

Latest posts by Bill Howard (see all)

• The Scene At Home: DVD and Blu-ray releases for March 5, 2013 – March 5, 2013
• The Scene At Home: DVD and Blu-ray releases for February 26, 2013 – February 26, 2013
• The Scene At Home: DVD and Blu-ray releases for February 19, 2013 – February 21, 2013