Hi Bryan Here…

Sorry for the lack of this column over the past few weeks.  Been so busy with the holiday season, the website moving to different bigger servers, planning on some big contests and info to dish out to yall, and a few other surprises here and there.  But alas, the Bluray/DVD column is back on track and will be out weekly again.  So i hope you enjoy this abundance of releases.  Tons of great stuff here.

As usual, you will get some info about the disc and the extras that come with the movie as well as a personal opinion about the movie and a link to purchase the film over at AMAZON where you can save quite a bit of money, and it will give a small percentage kick back to this site so we can continue bringing you excellent stories and sales.

Enjoy and Here We Go!!

DECEMBER 14TH, 2010 RELEASES

24: SEASON 8 (BLURAY)

Now I liked this final season and it was a good way to end the series, but something tells me that this is not the last we will hear of Jack Bauer.  Hang on for the adrenaline rush of a lifetime as Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) unveils darker secrets, faces deadlier conspiracies, and is thrust into more extreme action than ever before in Season 8 of 24! As Day Eight unfolds, Bauer races against the clock to prevent the assassination of a Middle Eastern leader on a vital peace-making mission. Meanwhile, a deadly terrorist threat against New York City intensifies and builds towards an explosive climax. Relive the electrifying final season of TV’s most groundbreaking series ever, including a must-see ending!

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THE A-TEAM (2010) (BLURAY)

A fun movie, but one you will soon forget.  There’s more action, more adventure — and more attitude — in The A-Team Extended Edition, which includes a never-before-seen version of the film with spectacular added footage not shown in theaters!

Buckle up for an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Sharlto Copley. Convicted by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, a daring team of former Special Forces soldiers must utilize their unique talents to break out of prison and tackle their toughest mission yet. It’s going to take guts, split-second timing and an arsenal of explosive weapons…this is a job for The A-Team.

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CYRUS (BLURAY)

I really enjoyed this dark comedy with John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill.  It made my top 10 list this year.  Highly recommend this movie for any fan of John or jonah or dark comedies with heart.  John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Oscar® Winner Marisa Tomei star in this quirky, hilarious story about love, family and cutting the cord. Not-so-recently divorced John (Reilly) thinks he’s finally found the perfect woman when he meets the sweet and sexy Molly (Tomei). There’s just one problem – Molly’s son Cyrus (Hill) clings to his mom like lint on a T-shirt, and he’s not about to let another man come between them. It’s one hysterically awkward moment after another as John and Cyrus fight for the right to be Molly’s #1 man.

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DESPICABLE ME (BLURAY)

Haven’t seen this yet, but I hear very good things.  I don’t know how I missed this, but I cannot wait to check it out.  “**** This Year’s COOLEST Animated Comedy!” – Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview

Get ready for a minion laughs in the funniest blockbuster hit of the year!

Vying for the title of “World’s Greatest Villain”, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) – along with his hilarious crew of mischievous minions – plots to pull off the craziest crime of the century: steal the moon! But when Gru enlists the help of three little girls, they see something in him nobody else has ever seen: the perfect dad. From executive producer Chris Meledandri (Horton Hears a Who, Ice Age), and featuring the voices of an all-star comedic cast, including Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove and Julie Andrews, Despicable Me is “rousingly funny, heartfelt and imaginative” (Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine).

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HARD BOILED (BLURAY)

John Woo’s best film to date.  Chow Yun Fat is a complete badass in this film, and it is one hell of a ride though out the whole film.  I fyou want some badass action violence, then see this, but my guess if you are reading this, then you already have.  “Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film.”

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– commentary

JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK (BLURAY)

A great documentary about the life and career of Joan Rivers.  I love the fact that she can make fun of herself and have a good sense of humor about it.  This was made as Joan turned 75 years old.  A really good doc.

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MICMACS (BLURAY)

The next film from famed director of Amelie, City of Lost Children, and Delicatessen, comes Micmacs.  This is one hell of a cool film, and I just think this director can do no wrong.  He definitely has an eye for beauty.  See this movie.  First it was a mine that exploded in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Years later, it was a stray bullet that lodged in his brain… Bazil doesn’t have much luck with weapons. The first made him an orphan, the second holds him on the brink of sudden, instant death. Released from the hospital after his accident, Bazil is homeless. Luckily, our inspired and gentle-natured dreamer is quickly taken in by a motley crew of junkyard dealers living in a veritable Ali Baba’s cave. The group’s talents and aspirations are as surprising as they are diverse: Remington, Calculator, Buster, Slammer, Elastic Girl, Tiny Pete, and Mama Chow. Then one day, walking by two huge buildings, Bazil recognizes the logos of the weapons manufacturers that caused all of his misfortune. He sets out to take revenge, with the help of his faithful gang of wacky friends. Underdogs battling heartless industrial giants, our gang relive the battle of David and Goliath, with all the imagination and fantasy of Buster Keaton…

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TRUE GRIT (1969) (BLURAY)

Finally the original John Wayne film is out in hi-def.  See the amazing transfer to high definition on this newly restored version of the western classic.  John Wayne just owns in this film and he won the OSCAR for it.  This came out to get people hyped up for the Coen Bros. remake.  In 1970, John Wayne won an Academy Award. for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn’s employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced but enthusiastic Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.

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DECEMBER 17TH, 2010 RELEASES

LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE (BLURAY)

Now I did not get a chance to see this one, but a few friends did, and said it was very pretty and had a decent story.  I am looking forward to watching this and seeing the amazing CG.  The trailer of this film sort of reminded me of The Secret of Nimh.  Can’t wait to see this.  “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, 300 director Zack Snyder’s debut animated feature, is based on Kathryn Lasky’s juvenile novel series Guardians of Ga’Hoole. Soren (voice by Jim Sturgess), a young owl, has grown up listening to his father’s stories about the Guardians, a legendary band of heroes who fought to keep owldom free. But when he and his jealous older brother Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) are kidnapped, Soren learns the evil Pure Ones are once again plotting to enslave owlkind. Escaping from their clutches, he and a typically mismatched group of friends set out to find the Guardians, the only owls capable of defeating the Pure Ones. The first feature from the Animal Logic studio since the Oscar-winning Happy Feet, Legend of the Guardians quickly degenerates into an unsatisfying muddle of elements borrowed from Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and The Lion King. The storytelling borders on the inept: The Pure Ones are using bats to create some sort of blue electricity that paralyzes owls, but no one ever explains what it is, how it works, or why the bats created it. The first battle between the Pure Ones and Guardians is presented as an ancient myth, yet many of the participants are still alive. Soren and his friends look up at the stars to navigate their way to the Guardians’ island, but when the camera pans down to them flying, the sky is the blue of a summer afternoon. The vocal cast includes Helen Mirren, Miriam Margolyes, and Geoffrey Rush, who somehow manage to read hokey lines like “listen to your gizzard” without snickering. Despite Snyder’s elaborate use of swooping 3-D pan shots to energize the visuals, the film feels achingly slow at 91 minutes. Too scary for small children and too clichéd for their older siblings and parents, Legend of the Guardians ranks among 2010’s most disappointing animated films.”

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THE TOWN (BLURAY)

Ben Affleck did a great job again in the director’s chair with this heist film.  Ben Affleck follows his acclaimed Gone Baby Gone directorial debut by directing, co-writing and starring in a taut thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope and escaping a past that has no future. He plays Doug MacRay, leader of a Boston bank robber gang but not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. When Doug falls into a passionate romance with the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) briefly taken hostage in their last heist, he wants out of this life and out of the town. As the Feds close in and the crew questions his loyalty, he has one of two choices: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves. Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper also star.

EXTRAS

Includes theatrical version plus extended cut not seen in theaters
Commentary on both versions by Ben Affleck
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 on both versions; French Dolby 5.1 and Spanish Dolby 5.1 on theatrical version only
Ben’s Boston: Actor-director Ben Affleck takes you through the moviemaking process in his hometown. Segments include: The Cathedral of Boston; Nuns with Guns: Filming in the North End; Pulling Off the Perfect Heist; The Town: and more

DECEMBER 21ST, 2010 RELEASES

DEVIL (BLURAY)

The first film in the M. Night Shyamlan produced films comes this horror film called Devil.  It is worth seeing, but is not the best thing I have ever seen nor does it change the horror genre.  However, it is great to have a group watch the film at night.  Trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, five people discover that the Devil is among them – and no one can escape their fate. This chilling, supernatural thriller from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way to a heart-stopping ending with a truly wicked twist.

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EASY A (BLURAY)

Still have not seen this movie, but everyone I have talked with has said  this movie is very very good.  Extremely funny and overall just well done.  This movie could have been horrible, but from the reviews I have gotten, I think this film more than met everybody’s expectations.  Cannot wait to see this movie.  “Easy A is a frothy, fizzy, and funny romantic comedy for teens–and adults will love it too. Not since Clueless has a high-school heroine been able to delight both audiences, and Easy A‘s Olive (the sparkling Emma Stone) is a stellar young star. But Easy A benefits from a great script by writer Bert V. Royal and assured direction by TV veteran Will Gluck. Olive is a smart girl happy to stay in the shadows of high school, until her good friend, Brandon (Dan Byrd), who’s gay, begs her to pretend to have sex with him so the rest of the school will stop picking on him. She obliges, but soon she picks up not one but two reputations–as the girl who sleeps around, and, on the down-low, as the girl who’ll pretend to sleep with a guy so he won’t be branded a virgin. Soon Easy A‘s complications pile up higher than the entrance of Olive’s high school, and her two story lines, neither of which reflects the real Olive, take on lives of their own. There are backlashes and blacklists and repercussions galore. “I always thought pretending to lose my virginity would feel a little more special,” muses Olive. “Judy Blume should have prepared me for that.” Stone is accompanied by a strong supporting cast: Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her bemused parents, Gossip Girl‘s dreamy Penn Badgley, the freshly unretired Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, and Malcolm McDowell. And it’s to the cast’s and the writer’s credit that the audience is kept engaged, and guessing, till the very end. Easy A should be awarded exactly that.”

EXTRAS

movieIQ+sync (logo) and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Extra Credit: Pop-Up Trivia Track
Commentary with Director Will Gluck and Emma Stone
The Making of Easy A
The School of Pop Culture: Movies of the Eighties
Vocabulary of Hilarity
Gag Reel
Emma Stone Audition Footage

DECEMBER 28TH, 2010 RELEASES

THE AMERICAN (BLURAY)

A somewhat unexpected BADASS film with Clooney.  Violent, fast paced, thrilling, and very good writing bring this film to excellent status.  See it.  “Academy Award® winner George Clooney is The American in this sexy suspense thriller from director Anton Corbijn. After a job ends more violently than expected, Jack (Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside and accepts one last assignment to construct a deadly weapon for a mysterious contact. But when he pursues a relationship with a beautiful local woman, he may be tempting fate by stepping out of the shadows. Jack soon finds himself in an escalating battle to escape from his secretive past, in the film critics are calling “4 Stars! Riveting and irresistible!”

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JANUARY 4TH, 2011 RELEASES

BACKDRAFT (BLURAY)

I really liked this movie when it came out all those years ago.  I still remember how tense those insane fire scenes were.  They still hold up today.  Now this excellent movie gets the hi-def treatment and is worth of ownership.  “A somewhat contrived screenplay doesn’t stop this thriller from serving up some of the most spectacular fire sequences ever committed to film. Like any Ron Howard production Backdraftis impressively slick and boasts a stellar cast, including Kurt Russell and William Baldwin. The actors play sibling rivals who have been at odds since the death of their firefighter father years earlier. Robert De Niro is the veteran fire inspector who is tracking a series of mysterious and deadly arsons, and Donald Sutherland is effectively creepy as the former arsonist who understands the criminal psychology of pyromaniacs. Rebecca De Mornay, Scott Glenn, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are featured in supporting roles. Backdraft is a triumph of stunt work and flaming special effects.”

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BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 8 THE MOTION COMIC (BLURAY)

For all of you Buffy fans out there like me, pick up this motion comic bluray of season 8 by Joss Whedon.  It picks up right where season 7 left off.  Proving once and for all that you can’t keep a good Slayer down, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight Motion Comic picks up where the smash hit TV show left off! Based on the Dark Horse comic book series, these eye-popping motion comic adventures breathe new life into the Buffyverse for long-time fans and new “watchers” alike.

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CATFISH (BLURAY)

I have not seen this film yet, but I really want to.   I had this film sort of spoiled for me which is why I haven’t seen it yet.  Let me tell you.  The less you know about the film, the better when you see it.  Cannot wait to see this movie.  “The slipperiness of truth and lies on the Internet gets played out in unexpected ways in the documentary Catfish. When Nev Schulman receives a painting based on a photograph of his from an 8-year-old girl named Abby in Michigan, he doesn’t realize this is going to lead to a long-distance romance with Abby’s older sister Megan… and that this romance, conducted over the phone and the Internet, will lead to something far more troubling. It would be unfair to reveal more details of Catfish, as the process of discovery is one of its pleasures–but even if you do know the sequence of events, the movie’s ultimate reward is not the revelation of secrets but the surprising and very human interactions of the movie’s last third. While there is a thriller aspect to the movie–and the suspense at points is indeed nail biting–the revelation isn’t the bang that Hollywood movies lead you to expect. Instead, Catfish turns sad, unsettling, and sure to inspire arguments about motivations and human nature.”

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Interview with the Filmmakers

EL MARIACHI/DEPERADO TWO PACK (BLURAY)

Man these films just own.  Just love that cool nature of these films.  The films that brought us Robert Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, and Selma Hayek.  Love that these are on bluray now.  I smell a double feature night coming on. Deperado – Antonio Banderas, Joaquim De Almeida, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin and Quentin Tarantino star in this stylish shoot-’em-up described as a south-of-the-borderPulp Fiction, now remastered in high definition for Blu-ray™. Writer/director Robert Rodriguez follows up his legendary debut film, El Mariachi, with this sexy sequel about a mysterious guitar player (Banderas) searching for vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend.

El Mariachi – All he wants is to be a mariachi, like his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather before him. But the town he thinks will bring him luck brings only a curse of deadly mistaken identity. Forced to trade his guitar for a gun, the mariachi is playing for his life in this critically acclaimed film debut from writer/director Robert Rodriguez, now remastered in high definition for Blu-ray™.

EXTRAS

• The Cutting Room
• movieIQ
• BD-Live Functionality
• Interactive Bookmark

THE LAST EXORCISM (BLURAY)

An excellent addition to the horror genre and exorcist category.  This plays out as a documentary where in a documentary crew follows a likable guy who performs exorcisms for a living, but does not believe in God or anything like of an exorcism.  It’s all smoke and mirrors to him until…..When he arrives on the rural Louisiana farm of Louis Sweetzer, the Reverend Cotton Marcus expects to perform just another routine “exorcism” on a disturbed religious fanatic. An earnest fundamentalist, Sweetzer has contacted the charismatic preacher as a last resort, certain his teenage daughter Nell is possessed by a demon who must be exorcized before their terrifying ordeal ends in unimaginable tragedy. Buckling under the weight of his conscience after years of parting desperate believers from their money, Cotton and his crew plan to film a confessionary documentary of this, his last exorcism. But upon his arrival at the already blood-drenched family farm, it is soon clear that nothing could have prepared him for the true evil he encounters there. Now, too late to turn back, Reverend Marcus’ own beliefs are shaken to the core as he and his crew must find a way to save Nell – and themselves – before it is too late.

EXTRAS

• Audio Commentary by Producers Eli Roth, Marc Abraham and Thomas A. Bliss
• Audio Commentary by Director Daniel Stamm and Actors Ashley Bell, Patrick Fabian and Louis Herthum
• “The Devil You Know: The Making of The Last Exorcism” Featurette (approx 20:04)
• “Real Stories of Exorcism” Featurette (approx 14:30)
• 2009 Cannes Film Festival Teaser Trailer
• Ashley Bell Audition Footage
• Patrick Fabian Audition Footage
• 2009 Cannes Film Festival Teaser Trailer (SD)
• Theatrical Trailer
• LIONSGATE LIVE™ (Ringtones/Wallpapers/Facebook/Twitter)
• BD Touch Enabled

MACHETE (BLURAY)

This film is just a hell of a lot of fun with tons of gore, over the top violence, and hilarity.  Machete owns you.  See this movie!!  From director Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Sin City), and featuring an all-star cast including Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro and Jessica Alba, comes an action-packed, bare-knuckled fistful of carnage asada! Set up, double-crossed and left for dead, Machete (Trejo) is an ass-kicking ex-Federale who lays waste to anything that gets in his path. As he takes on hit men, vigilantes and a ruthless drug cartel, bullets fly, blades clash and the body count rises. Any way you slice it, vengeance has a new name–Machete.

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Disc 1: Widescreen Theatrical Version

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT (BLURAY)

Am I the only one who really truly loves this movie.  I just love seeing Sam Jackson and Geena Davis kick some serious ass.  This was action packed, funny, and all around cool.  Loved it.  Pure guilty pleasure.  After eight years of amnesia, schoolteacher Samantha Cain (Davis) learns she was once a lethal assassin for the CIA… and now her former employers want her dead. Pursued by a hi-tech army of corrupt government renegades, Samantha teams up with a wise-cracking detective (Jackson) who helps her uncover her past before it buries them both.

PIRANHA (2010) (BLURAY)

A ridiculous over the top horror movie about man eating evil fish.  Tons of boobs, butthole, blood, and balls make this a film enjoyable for the whole family.  One of those films that you screen for drunk friends at midnight and play drinking games with.  “Debating the merits of Piranha 3D, director Alexandre (Mirrors) Aja’s testosterone-driven valentine to Joe Dante’s 1978 original and the excesses of ’80s genre films in general, is a fool’s errand; it is, after all, a movie about prehistoric fish preying on hormonal partygoers in various states of undress–and in 3D, mind you–so any review must answer the question–does it deliver what its key audience (young men, ages 14 to 24) require? On that front, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Special effects creators Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger present a veritable buffet of gruesome ways for the thinly drawn characters to die, from a piranha burrowing through a swimmer’s head to the horrible encounter between a boat propeller and a longhaired victim. The sheer amount of nudity on display rivals a week’s worth of Cinemax late-night screenings, rendered all the more excessive in 3D; as for the gimmick itself, it lends some unsettling depth to the underwater attacks. In short, if one attends Piranha 3D for grindhouse-style yucks, it’s bound to be a rollicking good time. All others may find its relentless, Red Bull drive wearying; the whole affair is clearly meant to be a goof, just as Dante’s original (produced by Roger Corman and penned by John Sayles) was, but where Dante’s target was monster movie camp of the ’50s and ’60s (as well as Jaws), Aja and writers Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg take aim at either cynical zeitgeist elements like the Girls Gone Wild series (with Jerry O’Connell striking the right tone as its craven creator) or hapless partygoers, which leaves an unpleasant aftertaste of misanthropy. Where the film does succeed is in its supporting cast, which strikes the same winking tone as Dante’s version; Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd poke fun at their Jaws and Back to the Future roles, while Adam Scott, comic Paul Scheer, and Eli Roth give appropriately broad turns. Elizabeth Shue, of all people, is the sheriff hero and acquits herself well to the absurd story line, as do Steven R. McQueen (yes, Steve’s grandson) and Gossip Girl‘s Jessica Szohr as the film’s Young Lovers. Again, taking issue with Piranha 3D is like finding fault with a cheeseburger for being greasy, but for those expecting a full-course meal, the fish get all the big bites here.”

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RAGING BULL (BLURAY)

A classic film that will rock you to your core.  One of the best boxing films ever made.  Scorsese proved that he is one of the best filmmakers out there.  And this film was made over 30 years ago.  A must own. Raging Bull is even more raw, riveting, shocking and brilliant on Blu-ray! Nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and winner of two, including Best Actor for Robert De Niro, this “tough, compelling, powerfully made” film (Halliwell’s Film Guide) is a “brilliantly photographed film of extraordinary power and rare distinction” (The Wall Street Journal). De Niro gives a tour-de-force performance as Jake La Motta, a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring.

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THE SOCIAL NETWORK (BLURAY)

Pretty sure this has a good chance of getting nominated or winning Best Picture at the Oscars this year.  See the Facebook movie.  David Fincher’s The Social Network is the stunning tale of a new breed of cultural insurgent: a punk genius who sparked a revolution and changed the face of human interaction for a generation, and perhaps forever. Shot through with emotional brutality and unexpected humor, this superbly crafted film chronicles the formation of Facebook and the battles over ownership that followed upon the website’s unfathomable success. With a complex, incisive screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and a brilliant cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, The Social Network bears witness to the birth of an idea that rewove the fabric of society even as it unraveled the friendship of its creators.

EXTRAS

• Audio Commentary with David Fincher
• Audio commentary with Writer Aaron Sorkin and cast