By David Weiner
9:59 AM PDT, March 13, 2012
George Clooney's The Descendants and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe; The Adventures of Tintin; Happy Feet Two; Charlize is Young Adult; AMC's The Killing and much more this week in new releases.
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Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
Warner Bros.
The Story: This brand-new animated Scooby-Doo adventure finds the classic characters traveling to the super spooky parts of the Deep South for the Vampire-Palooza Festival – where in no time the fun is interrupted by a real vampire who threatens the townsfolk and tries to take Daphne for his vampire bride!
Notable Special Features: Sing-A-Long with Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and the rest of the cast from the movie in the Scooby-Doo Vampire Sing-A-Long; an Ultraviolet digital copy.
Notable Special Features: Sing-A-Long with Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and the rest of the cast from the movie in the Scooby-Doo Vampire Sing-A-Long; an Ultraviolet digital copy.
Dancing with the Stars: Cardio Dance for Weight Loss
Lionsgate
The Story: Dancing with the Stars returns for season 14 this coming Monday, and now pro dancers Kym Johnson and Mark Ballas show you how to dance your way to a lean body with three easy-to-follow routines based on the fat-burning moves from the show -- perfect for beginners and with no partner needed! The all-new workout includes a Samba to boost your heart rate and blast calories; the 1-2-3 rhythm of the Salsa to give you a full-body workout and tight tummy; and the Swing -- combining the Jitter Bug, Lindy Hop, and Jive all in one for the ultimate leg work out.
Wizards on Blu-ray
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
The Story: Legendary animator Ralph Bakshi's trippy, epic fantasy turns 35 with a special 24-page Blu-ray book and first-time release on the hi-def medium! Star Wars icon Mark Hamill lends his vocal talents to this story set on a post-apocalyptic Earth where goblins, wraiths, elves and faeries roam freely. When a kindly, eccentric sorcerer-ruler named Avatar is attacked by his evil, power-hungry brother Blackwolf, Avatar must enter the darkness of his brother's land to save his own world with the help of a spirited young woman and a courageous elf.
Notable Special Features: Commentary by Ralph Bakshi; never-before-seen artwork; "Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation" and more.
Notable Special Features: Commentary by Ralph Bakshi; never-before-seen artwork; "Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation" and more.
Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention
Lionsgate
The Story: The claymation-animated Wallace & Gromit have a cracking good time as your hilarious hosts of this new series, presenting a number of amazing, real-world contraptions, from gadgets that help around the home to the mind-boggling world of space travel. All six parts of the BBC1 TV series are here!
Notable Special Features: Build six of your own cracking contraptions, from the Fin Ray Grabber and Wind-powered railway to the Upside-down-o-scope!
Notable Special Features: Build six of your own cracking contraptions, from the Fin Ray Grabber and Wind-powered railway to the Upside-down-o-scope!
The Killing: The Complete First Season
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
The Story: Who killed Rosie Larsen? AMC's critically acclaimed show follows three perspectives following a single murder in Seattle: the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents, everyone has a secret, and no one can outrun the past. Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Joel Kinnaman, Michelle Forbes and Brent Sexton star.
Notable Special Features: An extended season finale; filmmaker commentary; "An Autopsy of The Killing"; gag reel and more.
Notable Special Features: An extended season finale; filmmaker commentary; "An Autopsy of The Killing"; gag reel and more.
Melancholia
Magnolia Pictures
The Story: Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgård lead an all-star cast in the newest film by controversial director Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark, Antichrist). Dunst and Skarsgard play Justine and Michael, a couple whose wedding becomes a fiasco despite their best efforts. As family tensions mount and relationships near the breaking point, a planet called Melancholia hurtles towards earth, threatening the very existence of all mankind. Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling and John Hurt also star.
Notable Special Features: "The Universe"; "The Visual Style"; "HDNet: A Look at Melancholia" and more.
Notable Special Features: "The Universe"; "The Visual Style"; "HDNet: A Look at Melancholia" and more.
My Week with Marilyn
The Weinstein Company
The Story: Michelle Williams channels Marilyn Monroe with her Oscar-nominated performance, revealing a brief window in the life of the Hollywood legend. The film follows Monroe during her 1956 visit to London, when she was filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh). The chemistry between the two screen titans was notoriously tense during their movie match-up, and Monroe was on her honeymoon with her new husband, playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott). After Miller left London, film set assistant Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) introduced Marilyn to some of the pleasures of British life in an effort for her to get away from the pressures of Hollywood life -- and the two produced an unexpected chemistry. Emma Watson, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper and Julia Ormond also star.
Notable Special Features: Filmmaker commentary; "The Untold Story of an American Icon."
Notable Special Features: Filmmaker commentary; "The Untold Story of an American Icon."
The Three Musketeers
Summit Entertainment
The Story: Orlando Bloom plays the heavy in the action-adventure spectacle The Three Musketeers, which updates the Alexandre Dumas' classic 17th century adventure with a lot more irreverence and poetic license. Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief ) plays the young D'Artagnan, who teams up with wily musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis (Matthew MacFadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans) to prevent the villainous Cardinal Richelieu (Inglorious Basterds baddie Christoph Waltz) from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war. The exciting update is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator, Death Race) and also stars Mads Mikkelsen as Rochefort and Milla Jovovich as M'lady De Winter.
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD; deleted and extended scenes; cast and crew stories; "17th Century Action"; commentary and more.
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD; deleted and extended scenes; cast and crew stories; "17th Century Action"; commentary and more.
Young Adult
Paramount
The Story: Oscar winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody reunites with director Jason Reitman for this wickedly funny film. Charlize Theron plays teen lit writer Mavis Gary, who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, she forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school either.
Notable Special Features: Filmmaker commentary; deleted scenes; "The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene"; "Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult" Blu-ray exclusive and more.
Notable Special Features: Filmmaker commentary; deleted scenes; "The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene"; "Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult" Blu-ray exclusive and more.
Happy Feet Two
Warner Bros.
The Story: The Happy Feet penguins are back with an all-new sequel to the Academy Award-winning animated smash hit -- featuring the voices of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink, Hank Azaria, and Hugo Weaving. This time, Mumble (Wood), The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik (Ava Acres), is choreophobic. When the world is shaken by powerful forces, Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures – from tiny krill to giant elephant seals – to put things right.
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD (all with UltraViolet); "Helping Penguins and Pals"; Pink's new song; "How to Draw a Penguin"; I Taut I Saw a Putty Tat animated short and more. Plus, look for the free Happy Feet Two movie app on iTunes!
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD (all with UltraViolet); "Helping Penguins and Pals"; Pink's new song; "How to Draw a Penguin"; I Taut I Saw a Putty Tat animated short and more. Plus, look for the free Happy Feet Two movie app on iTunes!
The Adventures of Tintin
Paramount
The Story: Director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson bring the classic Herge comic adventures to life in this high-octane, action-packed, motion-capture thrill ride. Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Defiance) plays Tintin, a young reporter whose interest in a particular miniature pirate ship thrusts him into the crosshairs of the nefarious Red Rackham (Daniel Craig), who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the mysterious miniature and its treasured contents. Also starring Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD (all with UltraViolet); "Toasting Tintin: Part 1"; "The Who's Who of TinTin"; "Collecting Tintin" and much more.
Notable Special Features: Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD (all with UltraViolet); "Toasting Tintin: Part 1"; "The Who's Who of TinTin"; "Collecting Tintin" and much more.
The Descendants
Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Story: In the new film from Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election), George Clooney delivers an Oscar-nominated performance as Matt King, an indifferent dad forced to wrangle his kids when his wife falls into a coma after a boating accident in Waikiki. As King weighs a heavy decision involving royal family legacy and inherited land in Hawaii, he discovers that his wife was having an affair behind his back. Nominated for a total of five Academy Awards and winner of Best Adapted Screenplay, The Descendants also stars Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Beau Bridges and Shailene Woodley.
Notable Special Features: "Everybody Loves George" and "Hawaiian Style" featurettes; deleted scenes; music videos; "A Conversation with George Clooney and Alexander Payne"; a digital copy and much more.
Notable Special Features: "Everybody Loves George" and "Hawaiian Style" featurettes; deleted scenes; music videos; "A Conversation with George Clooney and Alexander Payne"; a digital copy and much more.