New on Blu-ray & DVD This Week

TED takes over Mark Wahlberg's life; Jeremy Renner is The Bourne Legacy; HBO's Girls; Ice Age: Continental Drift and much more this week in new releases.

There was never just one… Jeremy Renner picks up the Bourne franchise where Matt Damon left off as the next assassin from Treadstone, recruited and trained for the shady purposes of the government project. This time, his life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. Series screenwriter Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) takes the helm for the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise, also starring Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Oscar Isaac, Stacy Keach, Corey Stoll alongside returning originals David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn and Albert Finney.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's first live-action film is a crack-up from start to finish, with Mark Wahlberg as a man who wished his childhood teddy bear would come to life – and his wish was granted. At first the real-life miracle made news the world over, but now Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) is just like any other washed-up celebrity – unemployed, hooked on recreational drugs and a bit too ornery. But Mark and Ted are still best buds -- and their unbreakable friendship comes at a price when Mark's life is stuck in second gear and his ultra-cool, ultra-cute girlfriend (played by Mila Kunis) of four years is forced to give him an ultimatum: It's her or the teddy bear. Also starring Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Warburton and Flash Gordon himself, Sam Jones.

Season two of HBO's critically acclaimed breakout comedy series from executive producer Judd Apatow is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to catch up on the first season of this sexy, witty and brutally honest look into the lives of four twentysomething girls in New York City. Lena Dunham (who also writes or co-writes every episode), Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams and Zosia Mamet are still not quite sure what they want in life -- from boys, from each other, from themselves -- and things aren't getting any clearer. The answers aren't always easy, but the search is profoundly relatable and infinitely amusing. Hilarious bonus features including gag reels, deleted scenes, cast interviews and much more.

Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary are back for more prehistoric animated fun! The fourth movie in the popular franchise finds Scrat the prehistoric squirrel's nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn -- which he's been after since the dawn of time -- having world-changing consequences: a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home. The movie also features the vocal talents of, Seann William Scott, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Josh Peck, Peter Dinklage, Drake, Josh Gad, Alan Tudyk, Nick Frost, Joy Behar, Wanda Sykes and Jennifer Lopez.

There's a stocking full of laughs to be had from these two animated holiday releases from DreamWorks! In Kung Fu Panda Holiday, Master Shifu calls on Po to host the year’s biggest event: The Winter Feast. Po and the Furious Five must team up to throw the best celebration the Valley of Peace has ever seen. Can Po pull off the perfect party, impress his heroes, and discover the true meaning of the Winter Feast?


Three animated shorts tie together in DreamWorks Holiday Classics, featuring Shrek and the gang (Shrek the Halls and Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular), the stars of How to Train Your Dragon (Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury) and the stars of Madagascar (Merry Madagascar and The Penguins in A Christmas Caper!).

Join the crew of the undersea vessel Manta Ray – Captain Cornelius Cartoon, Wet Willy Jones and Alex Rodd McGee – as they plumb the depths of the Cartoon Lagoon to find the best and the worst cartoons ever made. It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000 for kiddie set – more so for adult-sized kids – with this fun and hilarious show that makes fun of oldies but goodies, from Casper the Friendly Ghost to Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Superman, Gumby and more.

Les Miserables hits theaters Christmas Day, and the 1998 version of the epic tale of love, honor and obsession starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush and Uma Thurman is now on Blu-ray to get you in the mood! Based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, Neeson plays Jean Valjean, a Frenchman imprisoned for stealing bread. After breaking his parole in order to start a new life for himself, Valjean must evade the persistent Inspector Javert (Rush). The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in 19th century France.

Also available separately for fans: Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert Special Edition from BBC Home Entertainment.

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained blasts its way into theaters Christmas Day – time to bone up on the original B-movie classics that inspired him, courtesy of Shout Factory! The influential Spaghetti Western series is featured as two double-features on two separate releases.

Release One: In A Man Called Django (1971): After Django's wife is raped and killed by a group of ruthless renegades, Django (Anthony Steffen) rescues the only man who can identify the murders, a loud mouthed thief who is about to be hanged. The men team up and head west, looking for revenge! In Django and Sartana Showdown in the West (1970): A vicious gang of outlaws abduct Jessica Colby and flee to Mexico! Django (Franco Borelli) the bounty hunter and Sartana the gunslinger join forces to rescue her from the gang!

Release Two: Django Kills Silently (1967): A small caravan of colonists are fighting off an attack by a band of Mexican outlaws, when a young cowboy named Django (George Eastman) happens to come to their aid. After saving a young woman, Liana, they travel to Santa Anna to find the outlaws and avenge her husband’s death! And Django's Cut Price Corpses (1971): Bounty hunter Django (Jeff Cameron) is hot on the trail of infamous bank robbers, the Cortez Brothers. But he's not alone. Fulton is sent by the bank to get the money back; Pickwick is after a saddle stolen from him; Pedro and Dolores, saloon owners, also would like to get the stolen loot!

Miami Connection is back in action after nearly two decades with a gut-wrenching performance starring a fearless clan of Tae Kwon Do motorcycle ninjas! Drafthouse Films stirs up a raging crime scene of daredevil '80s martial arts masters who wreak havoc in the streets of Orlando. Directed by black belt/author/inspirational speaker Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, this forgotten cult classic has made a powerful comeback and is an absolute must-see. Also available on limited edition VHS -- only 400 copies -- or for digital download. And you won't want to miss special features including over 20 minutes of deleted scenes, the 25th Anniversary Dragon Sound Reunion Concert, and the infamous making of Miami Connection.

Named Best International Film at the 2012 Fant-Asia Film Festival, this groundbreaking film and much-anticipated sci-fi anthology finally hits Blu-ray and DVD. Directors Kim Ji-woon (I Saw the Devil, The Good, The Bad, the Weird) and Yim Pil-sung (Hansel & Gretel) embark on a journey into the future with three different interpretations: Brave New World, Heavenly Creature, and Happy Birthday. From a family to a lost billiard ball to a misguided internet order, Doomsday Book presents a daring collision of tales that delves into the core theme of man vs. technology.

Shout! Factory is unleashing this highly celebrated sci-fi series just in time to hide under the Christmas tree!
Emerging from a massive underground complex near Mt. Fuji, an elite unit of the Terrestrial Defense Force stands outright with the Ultra Hawks in full throttle to combat the aliens who are threatening our precious planet earth. Dan Moroboshi reveals his secret identity to his teammates, which throws an unsuspected curveball in the battle to save humanity.

Based on the renowned novel of freedom and seduction by Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman is now on Blu-ray for the first time ever with special bonus features! Kidman plays Isabel Archer, a young woman of headstrong innocence and fierce desires, which doesn't mesh well with the personalities of Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey) and Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). Writer/director Jane Campion (The Piano) recreates an epic tale of seduction, betrayal, and hopeful triumph, with an all-star cast including Sir John Gielgud, Shelley Winters, Christian Bale, Viggo Mortensen and Mary-Louise Parker.