This Week in Home Video previews all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and on-demand titles hitting the street this week, plus lost gems, crazed Cancon, outrageous cult titles and the best places to rent or buy movies in Toronto.

GI Joe: Retaliation (Paramount)

Big dumb summer movies don't come much bigger and dumberer than GI Joe: Retaliation, but so what? You want nuance, rent Zero Dark Thirty. The plot - The Joe team is framed for a crime they didn't commit by the cunning evil of COBRA - takes a backseat to the sheer childish thrill of high octane action, as any kid who ever played with GI Joes will attest is paramount to the brand.

Extras include a very specific and fascinating commentary from director Jon M. Chu (the auteur behind STEP UP and JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER) which sheds much light on how big budget movies are put together these days, as well as the usual making-of and deleted scenes.
If you like your steak bloody, beer ice cold and explosions that blow up real good, this is your big ticket.

Trance (20th Century Fox)

Mind-bending, hi-tech Hitchcock Noir is the name of the game in this enthralling crime thriller from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, The 2012 Olympics). James McAvoy undergoes hypnosis to remember the location of a stolen $27 million painting, trouble is the line between reality and dream quickly becomes blurred. Extras include a really great look at the making of this "little" picture, shot during Danny's downtime on the Olympics gig, plus a retrospective on his career that shines a light on his other stunning crime drama Shallow Grave).

The Last Will And Testament of Rosalind Leigh (Anchor Bay)

Local horror hound and former publisher of RUE MORGUEmagazine Rodrigo Gudiño wrote and directed this chilling tale focused on the terror of antiques, shouty mothers and cults. Gudiño also supplies a spritely commentary track which should be of interest to all aspiring horror fans - all of your dreams can come true too!

The Fog (Scream Factory)

Antonio Bay is a sleepy sea-side village under attack from supernatural forces hiding in the fog. John Carpenter's atmospheric follow-up to his box office gold dust Halloween tanked when first released, but over the years has developed a cult following and sterling reputation. Scream Factory have done another amazing job, creating a new 1080p HD transfer supervised by the Director of Photographer Dean Cundey and stuffed this package it full of delicious extras such as a commentary from Carpenter himself, tv spots, outtakes, and a rare interview with Jaime Lee Curtis.

The Incredible Melting Man (Scream Factory)

Most famous for the stomach churning special effects from Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London, MIB), this rarely seen b-movie finds astronaut Steve West returning to Earth with a disorder that makes him hungry for human flesh, while his own melts. Gory and strangely spooky, this is the kind of movie that seemed like a half-remembered nightmare in the days before IMBD.com existed to prove it actually exists.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 4 (Paramount)

By 1990, Star Trek: The Next Generation had over-taken original Star Trek in episode count, and had even begun to attract a sizeable mainstream audience unthinkable for most Sci-Fi at the time (long before lens flares were a glint in J.J Abrams' eye). This series contains a healthy chunk of fantastic episodes, including the touching episode "Family" wherein Jean Luc thumps his douche bag brother, and "Brothers", where Data is nearly shanked by his. Special features include a detailed conversation with the Trek art department, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a multi-part documentary about the use of family in this season. All in eye-popping HD!

Power Rangers Season 4-7 (Shout!Factory)

Weighty boxed set featuring seasons 4 ("Zeo"), 5 ("Turbo"), 6 ("In Space") and 7 ("Lost Galaxy") of the hype 90s kid show MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS. "In Space" is arguably the highpoint of POWER RANGERS still ongoing arc, an instant ticket to 90s nostalgialand with the best looking Rangers and most memorably bananas plots. This mammoth set features 183 episodes, and features a bonus disc of outtakes, Power Morphicon convention highlights, a look at the stunt team and an intriguing look at the "lost episode". If you are a Power Rangers fan, Christmas has come 5 months early.

STILL FRESH

• 42
• Evil Dead
• Bullet to the Head
• •Lord of the Flies
• Heavy Traffic
• Battle Creek Brawl/City Hunter

CELEBRATE THE SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER

As yet another summer draws to a close, and yet another crop of 200 million + movies have stunk out the local multiplexes, those boffin programmers at TIFF Bell Lightbox have scheduled a genius series titled
Films in Endless Summer: The Birth of the Blockbuster.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30

Jaws

Alien

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Goonies

Top Gun

Aliens

Back to the Future

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Die Hard

The Thing

Most young people saw these titles on fuzzy VHS tapes growing up, so it will be a revelation to finally see them on the big screen. Summer, we hardly knew ya!