DVD/Blu-ray releases, Jan. 15

This week in new releases on DVD/Blu-ray

30 Nights Of Paranormal Activity With The Devil Inside The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (R)
This parody film with a very long title boasts French Stewart as its biggest name, and tries to pack a lot of pop-culture references in. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, a young woman returns to the house where her father killed the entire cast of The Artist during his exorcism.

Branded (R)
Starring Ed Stoppard, Leelee Sobieski, Jeffrey Tambor and Max von Sydow, this is a trippy fantasy set in a dystopian society where corporate brands have unleashed a monstrous global conspiracy to get inside our minds and keep the population disillusioned, dependent and passive.

I Am Bruce Lee (NR)
This documentary takes a look at the popularity of Bruce Lee, from his death over three decades ago to present day and captures what made him such a popular martial artist. It also takes a look at how he pioneered martial art films and includes archived footage as well as new and old interviews.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (NR)
Must be a popular week for movies about people getting kidnapped! This 1934 version directed by Alfred Hitchcock is about a man and wife who receive a mysterious clue about an assassination attempt. However, they discover that their daughter has been kidnapped in order to keep them quiet. Classic Hitchcock suspense and drama all finely detailed and transferred in this Criterion Collection release. The CC release also has a new commentary from film historian Paul Kemp as well as an extensive interview from Alfred Hitchcock in 1972, just to name a few.

The Possession (PG-13)
Supposedly based on a true story, The Possession is about a young girl who buys a mysterious box at an antique sale. But what is inside the box is a dark ancient spirit. Now her father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his ex wife try to find a way to end the curse and save their child. If you check out the bonus features, aside from two commentaries, there is a featurette ‘The Real History of the Dibbuk Box’ which promises to be chilling, so check that one out.

Taken 2 (R)
Who doesn’t enjoy seeing Liam Neeson beat the stuffing out of everyone? In this sequel, Liam Neeson returns as retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and are taken hostage by father of kidnapper Bryan killed while rescuing his daughter in the first movie. Very Die Hard with a Vengence-esque.

TV


Being Human (BBC): Season 4 (NR)
A lot of things have changed in this season of the BBC supernatural drama. Aidan, George and Nina are gone, and ghostly Annie takes on new roomies Hal and Tom. Vampires try hatch a plot to take over the world, and it's up to Annie and a visitor from the future to save the world.

Ghost Hunters Academy (NR)
The spin-off from the popular Ghost Hunters series, GHA features a group of young, inexperienced ghost hunters as they travel the world and investigate some of the most haunted locations. They are led by veterens and TAPS members Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves in this 12 episode season, along with some never before seen footage as a bonus feature.

Life's Too Short (NR)
This comedy from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant is about "showbiz dwarf" Warwick Davis (who is a giant in nerdy circles)/ The series follows a fictionalized - conceited - version of Davis as he runs a small person talent agency, and basically behaves in the way that would make him good company with Larry David and Gervais (who also appears on the show).

Merlin Season 4 (NR)
The fourth season of the popular BBC show is now on video. In this season, our beloved wizard struggles to protect King Arthur as he faces new adversaries. This season is sure to be more thrilling and dramatic than the others.

-Andrew Peters, Aaron Sagers