(All DVDs and Blu-ray discs that are mentioned in this article hit store shelves on Tuesday, December 8th. All theatrical films mentioned here will be released in theaters on Friday, December 11th.)

THIS WEEK’S NOTABLE DVD & BLU-RAY RELEASES:

AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa (Criterion Collection) [DVD] – A comprehensive (linen-bound) boxed set for fans of the late and great Akira Kurosawa. The set lives up to its name and contains twenty-five films, four of which have never been available before. The box also contains a book full of essays about Kurosawa, as well as production info and introductions for each film. This set is extremely pricey, but anything Criterion puts out is almost always worth the hefty cost.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon [Blu-ray] – A serial killer planning to lay siege to the town of Glen Echo invites a documentary crew along to chronicle his reign of terror. I couldn’t find any disc specs, but I’m sure that all the extras from the previous DVD release were ported over to the high-def format.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [DVD & Blu-ray] – Harry Potter and friends continue to learn the art of wizardry at Hogwart’s while protecting themselves from the evil machinations of Lord Valdemort. For the dizzying list of DVD and Blu-ray extras, click here.

InAlienable [DVD] – After his family dies, a guilt-ridden man becomes host to an alien parasite that carries his DNA, and apparently the U.S. government is none to happy about it. I couldn’t find any info about the disc, but I’m sure Anchor Bay has given this new film plenty of love.

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer [Blu-ray] – After witnessing the death of his family at the hands of a forest-dwelling creature, young Jack Brooks grows up to be a plumber with severe anger issues. His rage is put to the test when a kindly college professor (Robert Englund) becomes possessed by a demon and begins devouring Jack’s fellow classmates. No specs are listed for this Blu-ray disc, but I’m pretty positive that it’ll have all the same extras as the previous DVD release.

Red Mist [Blu-ray] – A creepy janitor is put into a coma after a group of med students pull a prank on him that goes terribly wrong. One of the students attempts to revive him with an experimental formula but that only makes things worse because now the janitor can hop from body to body, and he is craving revenge! As is the case with all the other Anchor Bay releases this week, I couldn’t find out what extras are on this disc.

[]
THIS WEEK’S CULT BLU-RAY RELEASES:
The Alphabet Killer
* Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Coraline Gift Set
Cyclops
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Ultimate Edition)
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Harry Potter Years 1-6 Giftset
* Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
LOST: Seasons 1 – 5
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon
* Red Mist
Sands of Oblivion
Walled In

THIS WEEK’S CULT DVD RELEASES:
* AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa (Criterion Collection)
Asian Action Extreme (4-Film Collection)
The Brigitte Bardot Classics Collection
Coraline (Limited Edition Gift Set)
Cuidado Con El Angel
Gozu (2-disc Collector’s Edition)
Gun-Kyu
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Ultimate Edition)
* Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2-disc Limited Edition)
Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Harry Potter Years 1 – 6 Gift Set
* InAlienable
I Downloaded a Ghost
The Lights
The Limb Salesman
Lost: The Complete 5th Season
Lost Treasure of the Maya
Monster: Box Set 1
Naruto: Shippuden, Vol. 4
Plaguers
Run Bitch Run
Screams in the Night

THIS WEEK’S NEW THEATRICAL RELEASES:
Nothing worth mentioning.

As you can see, this is not a great week for genre releases, but I assure you that next week holds a little more promise. James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar hits the big screen, and Inglorious Basterds comes to DVD and Blu-ray disc. District 9 was supposed to come out as well, but it has since been pushed back to December 22nd. That’s all for now, so check back again next Tuesday for another dose of Genre Watch goodness. And in case you weren’t paying attention… you only have a little over two weeks to finish your Christmas shopping! If you haven’t started yet, then get going because December 25th will be here before you know it! – Vault Master