Okay, let's take a momentary break from movies about men dressing up as bats to fight crime, superheroes teaming up to stop an alien invasion, and human beings searching for our beginning and finding our end.  It'll only be a quick break, I promise.  Instead, we're going to focus here on 96 Minutes, a drama inspired by real-life events that's set for release on DVD next Tuesday, May 29th. 

Lionsgate scored by far the biggest theatrical hit in its history with The Hunger Games, as the film has now grossed $391.9 million domestically and continues to attract repeat viewers.  For the last few months, we've been focused on Catching Fire, the adaptation of Suzanne Collins' second novel in the series set for theatrical release in November of next year. 

While fans have been justifiably upset by the absence of director Gary Ross on the sequel, today brings happy news: The Hunger Games will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download this August 18th.

Right now, any discussion of Batman movies is obviously centered on The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's much heralded cinmatic Bat-trilogy.  This year, though, Warner Premiere is hard at work adapting one of the most influential comics ever created.  As has long been rumored, Frank Miller's epochal 1986 masterpiece The Dark Knight Returns is getting a DC Universe animated adaptation, and today we have new details.

The moviegoers of planet Earth are currently in the midst of a very enthusiastic makeout session with The Avengers, one that includes heavy petting, blockbusting, and some unnecessary 3D.  As you're doubtless aware, the world has Avengers-fever, as reflected by the movie's global gross of $1.18 billion in under a month and the fact that Joss Whedon's superhero team-up is basically on track to be the third-biggest movie ever (not adjusted for inflation). 

But let's think about the future, a future filled with The Avengers DVDs and Blu-rays packed with special features, all of them arriving on September 25th.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning May 15th is the smash-hit supernatural horror film The Devil Inside, which was directed by William Brent Bell and co-written by Bell and Matthew Peterman (the duo that made '2006s Stay Alive). The movie uses a documentary-style found footage technique to explore exorcisms within the world of the Catholic Church. The film features a cast of mostly unknown actors including Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quaterman, Evan Helmuth, Ionut Grama, Suzan Crowley, Bonnie Morgan, Brian Johnson, Preston James Hillier, and D.T. Carney. 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to attend a special event marking the release of the Blu-ray and DVD at the supposedly haunted Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles. In addition to taking a tour of the facilities and watching a exorcism demonstration featuring The Devil Inside's actress/contortionist Bonnie Morgan, IAR participated in a Q&A with Morgan and fellow actress Suzan Crowley, which was moderated by Los Angeles' very own White Witch. The two actresses discussed the movie, their roles, the Blu-ray and DVD release, acting in a found-footage film, the movie's unsatisfying ending, and the three alternate endings that were shot for the film. 

Found-footage films are not a new concept; especially in horror movies where the idea goes all the way back to ‘1999’s The Blair Witch Project and has been utilized in such recent hits as Cloverfield, the Paranormal Activity franchise and The Devil Inside. However, two films in particular this year, Chronicle, and Project X, have pushed the envelope by incorporating the found-footage concept into entirely new film genres. With Warner Bros.’ Project X, the technique was used to illustrate a high school party movie, and with 20^th Century Fox’s Chronicle, which is available on Blu-Ray and DVD beginning May 15^th, the concept was fused with the super hero genre to great success as the film was an international box office hit.

First time director Josh Trank, along with screenwriter and childhood friend Max Landis, created a found-footage story about three friends who find something mysterious that gifts them with unthinkable super powers. The film follows Seattle high-school seniors Andrew (Dane DeHaan), his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), and Steve (Michael B. Jordan), as they form a close bond after receiving telekinetic abilities from an unknown object. The boys use their newfound abilities for mischief and personal gain until Andrew begins to utilize them for more nefarious purposes. Since the initial success of the film, Trank has been mentioned as a possible director for several upcoming comic book based films including a Fantastic Four reboot, a Venom Spin-off, and an adaptation of Image Comic’s The Red Star.

In honor of the Blu-ray and DVD release of the film, I recently had a chance to chat with director Josh Trank about Chronicle, as well as his rumored involvement in those upcoming comic book adapted film properties. Trank discussed his recent movie, developing the story with screenwriter Max Landis, marrying the super hero and found-footage genres, his actual cinematic inspirations for the film, what the studio wanted him to change, the technical aspects of directing a found-footage movie, and which comic book-based film he will direct next.

The most fun moments in the found footage superhero origin story Chronicle feature the young leads gleefully experimenting with their newfound telekinetic powers.  The trio of high school students played by Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell, telekinetically hurl baseballs at each other, build Legos, and, eventually, move automobiles and learn to fly, all while enthusiastically guffawing at the camera and high-fiving.

At long last a Hollywood tragedy has been corrected … Adam West has finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A few weeks ago the actor best known for his legendary role as Batman, as well as his recent role as himself on Family Guy, finally received his long overdue and well-deserved Hollywood star. On hand to help West celebrate his honor was Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and in fact, the ceremony was recorder and will appear on the upcoming Family Guy Volume 10 DVD, which will be released late this fall.

This Tuesday, April 3^rd We Bought a Zoo will be available on BluRay/DVD. Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) directs a story based on a memoir by British journalist, Benjamin Mee, and stars Matt Damon (Contagion), Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2) and Thomas Haden Church (Sideways). The movie focuses on a single dad, Benjamin Mee (portrayed by Damon), struggling to raise his two children after the loss of his wife. Hoping that a fresh start will restore their family spirit, Mee quits his job and buys an old rural house, but there’s a catch: the house is part of a zoo named the Rosemoor Animal Park, where dozens of animals reside under the care of head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Johansson) and her dedicated team. With no experience and a very tight budget, Mee sets out with the support of his family and his devoted staff to reopen the zoo. 

Featuring an incredible musical score composed by Jónsi of the band Sigur Rós, the We Bought a Zoo Blu-ray is loaded with over 2½ hours of special features including a 28-minute featurette called “The Real Mee” about the real life Benjamin Mee, giving some background on his life and the zoo.

The movie does an excellent job portraying Benjamin Mee’s experiences but his actual story is a bit more harrowing than the movie let’s on. I recently had a chance to speak with Benjamin Mee about We Bought a Zoo. He discusses how hard it really was to buy a zoo, what it was like to have Matt Damon play him on-screen, Do-It-Yourself skills, his animal wish list, close brushes with death, and about how some parts of his life were so dismal that they didn’t make it into the film.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning March 13th is the first season of the hit AMC series The Killing, which will begin its second season on April 1st. The series stars Mireile Eros as Sarah Linden, the police officer in charge of finding Rosie Larsen's killer, and Joel Kinnaman as her reluctant partner Stephen Holder. The show's excellent cast also includes Billy Campbell (USA's The 4400), Michelle Forbes (FOX's 24), Brent Sexton (NBC's Life), Kristin Lehman (FOX's Human Target), Eric Ladin (AMC's Mad Men), Brendan Sexton III (Black Hawk Down), and Brandon Jay McLaren (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil). 

IAR is proud to present an exclusive deleted scene from Season One of The Killing entitled "Prove it," which will be available on the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD on sale March 13th.