Blu-Ray Round Up, July 22, 2009: ‘12 Monkeys,’ ‘The Unborn’

CHICAGO – It has been a very busy July at HollywoodChicago.com and a few high profile titles have slipped through the cracks of our Blu-Ray coverage. We can’t leave any HD stone unturned, so we wanted to play catch-up and make sure you know about these releases via the legendary Blu-Ray Round-Up column. Horror movies, comedies, and a modern sci-fi classic from Terry Gilliam - there’s something for everyone in July’s Blu-Ray selection.

“Grumpy Old Men” and “The Unborn” were released on July 7th, 2009.

“The Haunting in Connecticutt” was released on July 14th, 2009.

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” was released on July 21st, 2009.

“12 Monkeys” will be released on July 28th, 2009.

“12 Monkeys”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time. This sci-fi masterpiece from the genius mind of Terry Gilliam is a modern-day classic.”

“12 Monkeys” stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Plummer. It was written by David Peoples & Janet Peoples and directed by Terry Gilliam. It is rated R. The film is presented with a 1080P High-Defintion Widescreen 1.85:1 transfer with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include a feature commentary with director Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven, “The Hamster Factor & Other Tales of 12 Monkeys,” and “12 Monkeys Archives”.

“Grumpy Old Men”

Photo credit: WB

Synopsis: “Two elderly, eccentric, next-door neighbors sustain a rancorous relationship that only a wise observer could recognize as a very special friendship. When a lonely, flamboyant, middle-aged widow moves in across the street from them, the male rivalry begins.”

“Grumpy Old Men” stars Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, and Daryl Hannah. It was written by Mark Steven Johnson and directed by Donald Petrie. The film is presented with a 1080P High-Defintion Widescreen 1.85:1 transfer with an English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track.

The only special feature included is the theatrical trailer.

“The Haunting in Connecticutt”

Photo credit: Lionsgate

Synopsis: “When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house formerly a funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner’s clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover. Now, unspeakable terror awaits when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.”

“The Haunting in Connecticutt” stars Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Amanda Crew, and Elias Koteas. It was written by Adam Simon & Tim Metcalfe and directed by Peter Cornwell. It is rated PG-13 and unrated. The film is presented with a 1080P High-Defintion Widescreen 2.35:1 transfer with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track.

Special features include the audio commentaries with director, producer, cast and crew on the unrated version, “Two Dead Boys: The Making of The Haunting in Connecticutt,” “The Fear is Real: Reinvestigating the Haunting,” “Anatomy of a Haunting,” “Memento Mori: The History of Postmortem Photography,” deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Peter Cornwell, and the theatrical trailer.

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis:”Adam Sandler and Kevin James star as best friends and fellow firefighters Chuck and Larry, the pride of their Brooklyn fire station. Chuck owes Larry for saving his life. Larry calls in that favor big-time by asking Chuck to pose as his “domestic partner” so his kids will get his pension. But when a fact-checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious, the two straight guys are forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds. Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames and Dan Aykroyd co-star in this hilarious comedy.”

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and Dan Akyroyd. It was written by Barry Fanard and Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor and directed by Dennis Dugan. It is rated PG-13. The film is presented with a 1080P High-Defintion Widescreen 1.85:1 transfer with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include U-Control functionality, a feature commentary with director Dennis Dugan, Adam Sandler and Kevin James, and a feature commentary with director Dennis Dugan.

“The Unborn”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “Enter a world of unrelenting evil as terror finds a new form in The Unborn. From the producers of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the co-writer of The Dark Knight comes this shocking supernatural thriller about a young woman (Odette Yustman) plagued by chilling dreams and tortured by a demonic ghost that haunts her waking hours. Her only hope to break the debilitating paranormal curse is in an exorcism with spiritual advisor Sendak (Gary Oldman). See what lies beyond the doorway of our world in this non-stop nightmare of the undead…”

“The Unborn” stars Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Meagan Good, Cam Gigandet, James Remar, Jane Alexander, and Idris Elba. It was written and directed by David S. Goyer. It is rated PG-13 and unrated. The film is presented with a 1080P High-Defintion Widescreen 2.40:1 transfer with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include deleted scenes in hi-def and BD-Live access.

Check out our full-length theatrical review [17] of “The Unborn”.

[18]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [19] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [18]