The week in home video is heating up, even if it’s freezing outside for much of the country. Real Steel, one of the surprise smashes of 2011, arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD as does the instant horror legend Paranormal Activity 3, the true-to-life 50/50, The Whistleblower, Restless and a foreign treat in Punished.
Paranormal Activity 3: The third installment of the Paranormal Activity series goes back to the beginning to discover how a pair of sisters become targeted for a life of horror. Katie and Kristie, as we well know from Paranormal Activity and its sequel, have a small little issue with a certain supernatural power that seems to live for ruining their lives. In Paranormal Activity 3, audiences are taken back to when the two were children in the 1980s and how a little game of Bloody Mary may have unleashed hell.
The extra that stands out in particular is the Lost Tapes segment. Think the film itself is scary? Try sitting through Lost Tapes without leaping out of your chair. The Blu-Ray contains two versions, the theatrical and an unrated version… if you can handle it!
Real Steel: Hugh Jackman stars with a scene stealer in Dakota Goyo in a heartwarming tale of father and son bonding over a boxing robot. Yes, you read that right. The astonishing film is powerful in every way, not the least of which is the Oscar-nominated special effects (don’t miss our exclusive interview with effects master John Rosengrant). In a world where boxing was deemed too dangerous for humans, robots have taken over and Jackman’s former boxer believes he has a winner in a ‘bot that his estranged son discovered. The two will bond over boxing and life on the road.
Extras on the Real Steel Blu-Ray include a feature on how champ Sugar Ray Leonard helped choreograph the fighting sequences, plus deleted and extended scenes, bloopers and two features that show how the magic of Real Steel was achieved: Building the Bots and The Making of Metal Valley.
50/50: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star in the movie based on the true story of the film’s screenwriter, Will Reiser. The writer is a longtime friend of Rogen and the film follows closely to what really happened when Rogen found out his friend had cancer and a 50/50 chance of beating it. You will be surprised how funny this film is while delving deeply into a serious subject. Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston co-star in roles that should have been considered for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars. The best extra on the entire disc is the audio commentary of Rogen and Reiser.
The Whistleblower: The true story of a Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac -- played by Rachel Weisz -- who heads to Bosnia to help with the U.N. peacekeeping efforts. She encounters a cover-up of a sex scandal and as the title suggests, prepares to tell the world. The film was released limitedly in 2011 and hopefully will find a larger audience on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Restless: Mia Wasikowska is the sole reason to see Restless. The actress continues to astound in her work and she manages to make a decent film great, simply with her talent. Wasikowska portrays a terminally ill teenager who finds love in the final days of her life.
Punished: Now available on DVD, Digital Download and Movies on Demand, Punished is the story of a real estate tycoon (Anthony Wong) who has his life suddenly turned upside down when his daughter is kidnapped. When Wong turns to his bodyguard to bring his daughter home, his charge heads off to find her and achieve justice. As his bodyguard gets closer to the truth, Wong gets personally involved and decides to extol revenge himself. A powerful, action-packed film that is sure to thrill the home video audience.
