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.

NEW RELEASES

Olympus Has Fallen (VVS Films)

The other 'White House under siege' movie released this year before WHITE HOUSE DOWN tows a refreshing Hard R-rated line towards the subject matter and at least delivers grown up mayhem as opposed to the usual kid friendly PG-13 foisted upon the public by box office weary bean counters. Shame that the content doesn't approach the ferocity of the violence, as once you strip away the blood and guts it's yet another hollow exercise in grind house patriotism. Sadly a chance to relive the brainy rum punch of 1987's DIE HARD seems further away than ever. Extras include "Creating The Action: VFX and Design", "Ground Combat: Fighting The Terrorists", "The Epic Ensemble", "Under Surveillance: The Making Of Olympus Has Fallen", "Deconstructing The Black Hawk Sequence" and Bloopers.

Oblivion (Universal Home Entertainment)

After the failed pulp action of JACK REACHER Cruiser returns to Sci-Fi genre with an interesting variation on WALL*E, but with humans instead of robots. Extras include deleted scenes, an isolated score, and a truly surreal feature length commentary from a potty mouthed Cruiser.

To the Wonder (VVS Films)

Visual maestro Terrence Malick delivers yet another ponderous and slick meditation on the human condition, this time his emo ciphers are Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, and Javier Bardem. Utter genius or tedious snoozer, depending on your persuasion and tolerance for European style film making.

TV

Girls: Season 2 (HBO)

Lena Dunham's televisual quest to exploit her imperfect body continues with this second batch of meandering episodes which is amazingly even more pointless than the much-adored first series. Apologists decry that anyone who doesn't love the show just doesn't get it, and while that may be true at least SEX AND THE CITY didn't leave viewers reaching for eye bleach.

CULT CLASSICS

Swamp Thing (Scream Factory)

Wes Craven's southern fried adaptation of the popular DC Comic is crazy good sweaty summer fun, with a cast including such luminaries as Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, and Ray Wise hamming it up beyond belief - fun for the whole family! Extras include an audio commentary from Craven and a fun interview with the lovely and talented Ms. Barbeau.

Seconds (Criterion Collection)

Rock Hudson delivers an electrifying turn in this sinister, science-fictiony thriller from the paranoid and turbulent Sixties. Directed by John Frankenheimer and featuring dazzling editing, cinematography and sound-effects, SECONDS arrives in the prestigious halls of the Criterion Collection restored with a new 4K scan, audio commentary featuring director John Frankenheimer, Alec Baldwin on Frankenheimer and the movie, a new program on the making of, an interview with Frankenheimer from 1971 and a new visual essay by film scholars R. Barton Palmer and Murray Pomerance.

The Muppet Movie (Walt Disney)

Timely Bluray re-release of Jim Henson's debut Muppet Movie which does just about everything right, and leaves you with an incredible sense of happiness as Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal embark on a very 70s road trip to follow their Hollywood dreams. Great extras include Doc Hopper's commercial, Jim Frawley's Extended Camera Test, original trailers and Frog-E-Oke Sing-Along.

A Boy And His Dog (Shout!Factory)

A dim witted youth and his hyper-intelligent dog scour the wastelands looking for food and things to do in the year 2024. Based on the Sci-Fi novel by noted author Harlan Ellison, this rarity presents an a-typical Post Apocalyptic vision, a kind of MAD MAX meets A CLOCKWORK ORANGE in drag. Hugo award winning, too. Feature length commentary from director L.Q Jones is as weird as the film itself.

Sword in the Stone (Walt Disney)

The 50th anniversary of Disney's retelling of the story of "Wart" and the mighty wizard Merlin. According to legend, only someone with the purest character and inner strength can pull the enchanted sword from the stone and claim the throne of England. Extras include a new alternative opening: "Where Wart Meets Merlin", "Music and Magic: The Sherman Brothers", "Sing-along with The Movie", "All About Magic" (excerpt), "A Knight for a Day" & "Brave Little Tailor".

STILL FRESH

• GI Joe: Retaliation
• Trance
• The Last Will & Testament of Rosalind Leigh
• The Fog
• The Incredible Melting Man
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 4
• 42
• Evil Dead
• Bullet to the Head
• Lord of the Flies
• Heavy Traffic
• Battle Creek Brawl/City Hunter

MISERY LOVES COMPANY

The Way We Were

Friday, August 23, 2013.
8:30 PM

David Pecaut Square

Free screening of the epic and tragically depressing love story starring Robert Redford and Barbra Steisand. Rather fittingly rained out of its original date but presented now to see out the final weeks of summer. Bring a sweetie, and some extra tissues.