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By Karen Martin

Vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra) falls for the wrong guy in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — Recent DVD releases:

The Grudge (PG-13, 96 minutes) This is a Blu-ray release of the 2004 horror thriller in which Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as an American social worker in Tokyo who encounters a vengeful supernatural spirit that possesses its victims, claims their souls, then passes its curse to another person. Included is an unrated version of the film, a five-part making-of documentary, a photo montage, deleted scenes, and commentary with writer Stephen Susco, producers Sam Raimi and Rob Talbert, and actors Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea Duvall, KaDee Strickland and Ted Raimi. The disc is BD-Live enabled, allowing users to go beyond the disc via an Internet-connected Bluray player.

Grade: 82

Taken (PG-13, 93 minutes) A focused, straight-ahead action thriller in which a former spy (Liam Neeson) relies on his special skills and killer instinct as he hunts down the men who kidnapped his daughter.

Blu-rayand DVD bonuses include an extended cut of the film (Bluray includes a digital copy for portable media players), audio commentaries by director Pierre Morel, writer and cinematographers, and a making-of featurette.

Grade: 87

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (R, 92 minutes) The simple, campy and surprisingly fun prequel story to Underworld (2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their one time slaves, the Lycans. DVD and Blu-ray bonuses include several making-of featurettes, a music video, and filmmakers' commentary. Grade: 82

MovieStyle, Pages 39 on 05/15/2009

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