Now Available to Own: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’

Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of September 1, 2015. Every Tuesday we run down new movie, television, and video game releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Mad Max: Fury Road, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, The Vampire Diaries, and more.

doof warrior fury road

Movies on Blu-ray

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) Rated R [120 min] – In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland. Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee, and Zoë Kravitz [Watch the trailer]

Mad Max: Fury Road is the reason we go to the movie theaters. It is the epitome of brilliant storytelling in the most visually cinematic and compelling way. All of its incredible parts create a most spectacular whole. Fury Road keeps your attention the entire time, and is absolutely relentless in making sure everything that happens on-screen adds something meaningful to the story. It’s a near perfect movie. [Read my full review]

Special features include:

  • Maximum Fury: Filming Fury Road
  • Mad Max: Fury on Four Wheels
  • The Road Warriors: Max and Furiosa
  • The Tools of the Wasteland
  • The Five Wives: So Shiny, So Chrome
  • Fury Road: Crash & Smash
  • Deleted Scenes

The D Train (Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul) [Limited] Rated R [97 min] – The head of a high school reunion committee travels to Los Angeles to track down the most popular guy from his graduating class and convince him to go to the reunion. Starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, and Jeffrey Tambor (Watch the trailer)

I have not had the pleasure of seeing this movie yet. The D Train feels like more of a Netflix pick than anything else. The whole concept is kind of depressing.

Special features include

  • Gag Reel
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Digital Copy

Television Series

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Sixth Season (Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec) Rated TV-14 [43 min] – A high school girl is torn between two vampire brothers. Starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder

For a show called The Vampire Diaries, it’s rather more engaging and thrilling than you’d expect. I wouldn’t put it on the same level as Buffy, but it has it’s quirks that makes it stand on its own to deliver digestible content. Scanning through this season, there are a lot of pivotal moments that lead to Nina Dobrev’s inevitable exit from the show. It’s a well deserved ending with a big cliffhanger, but I’m not sure it is strong enough to keep fans on board after Elena’s departure.

Special features include:

  • The Vampire Diaries: Good Bite and Good Luck
  • The executive producers and cast of The Vampire Diaries say a final farewell to Nina Dobrev, Steven R. McQueen, Marguerite MacIntyre, and Michael Trevino, after six memorable years.
  • The Vampire Diaries: Best.Reaction.Ever.
  • Fan reactions to big moments throughout the season will be curated from Twitter, fan sites and other social media, and pieced together to tell the story of season six via fans’ reactions.
  • Ep.615 Audio Commentary
  • Writer/Director Julie Plec provides commentary on her directorial debut
  • The Vampire Diaries: 2014 Comic-Con Panel
  • Come Visit Georgia PSA
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Second Bite: Gag Reel

The Originals: The Complete Second Season (Julie Plec) Rated TV-14 [45 min] – The Original vampire family, from The Vampire Diaries, return and settle in the city they helped build, New Orleans. Starring Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, and Phoebe Tonkin

You can definitely feel the strain of this series as it tries to live up to its bigger brother, The Vampire Diaries. I can’t say that the characters or story are able to capture my attention as much as Elena and her journey, but The Originals isn’t the worst thing on television. It’s just not something I would want to devote my time to it on a regular basis.

Special features include:

  • The Originals: Always and Forever – In this featurette, we will hear from cast and creators on how season two explored new depths of what it means to be a family.
  • The Awakening Web Series – Explore this companion series on Kol Mikaelson (Nathaniel Buzolic) and his quest to form an alliance with the witches of New Orleans in 1914. Also, go behind the scenes with the cast and creators of the digital series.
  • The Originals: 2014 Comic-Con Panel
  • Come Visit Georgia PSA
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel

Texas Rising: The TV Mini-Series (Roland Joffé) Rated TV-PG [450 mins] – Texas Rising tells the story of legendary hero Sam Houston and the Republic of Texas’s intense struggle for independence against the forces of fierce Mexican General Santa Anna. Starring Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Addai-Robinson, and Olivier Martinez

If you’re a history buff, unlike me, you might find Texas Rising insulting to your intelligence and those historians who truly captured what really happened in 1836. The whole mini-series is over glamorized with spark notes, warped to shape a narrative too simple-minded to take seriously. All the actors do the best with that they’re given and carry on. If the story and dialogue were as pretty as the production and cinematography, Texas Rising may have had a shot at being decent.

Special features include:

  • “Capturing the Revolution: Filming Texas Rising” featurette
  • “Sam Houston: A Man of the Revolution” featurette
  • “General Santa Anna: Leading Mexico” featurette

star wars rebels

More TV Titles (I Haven’t Seen These):

  • Star Wars: Rebels – The Complete First Season (I’m currently watching Star Wars: Clone Wars; I’ve heard good things about this sequel series)
  • Castle: The Complete Seventh Season [DVD Only]
  • Chicago Fire: The Complete Third Season [DVD Only]
  • Chicago PD: The Complete Second Season [DVD Only]
  • Franklin & Bash: The Complete Third Season [DVD Only]
  • Hawaii Five-0: The Complete Fifth Season [DVD Only]
  • Hell’s Kitchen: The Complete Twelfth Season [DVD Only]
  • The League: The Complete Sixth Season [DVD Only] (I like The League, but haven’t caught this season)
  • Nashville: The Complete Third Season [DVD Only]
  • New Girl: The Complete Fourth Season [DVD Only] (I like New Girl, but haven’t caught this season)
  • Scorpion: The Complete First Season

metal gear solid v the phatom pain

Video Games

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions) [Konami] (Available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC) Taking place nine years after the events of MGSV: Ground Zeroes and the fall of Mother Base, Snake a.k.a. Big Boss, awakes from a nine year coma. The game resumes the story in 1984, with the Cold War still as the backdrop, which continues to shape a global crisis. Snake’s journey takes him into a world where he is driven by a need for revenge and the pursuit of a shadow group, XOF.

Since I didn’t get a review copy and waited patiently for the moment when the Collector’s Edition would become available, I unfortunately haven’t been touched by the critically acclaimed greatness that is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. I’ve been a big fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise ever since I was introduced to Sons of Liberty, MGS2. I had never seen a game like it before. And with the mixture of quirky winks, phenomenal action, and layered storytelling, I was sold instantly. Like any form of entertainment, I try to stay as spoiler free as possible, but from the little gameplay I’ve seen and the trailers, it looks like Hideo Kojima has capped off the series with a masterpiece. I am highly looking forward to this last mission in the Metal Gear universe.

Key Game Features:

  • Open-World game design allowing players ultimate freedom on how to approach missions and overall game progression
  • Fox Engine delivers photorealistic graphics, thoughtful game design and true new-generation game production quality
  • Online connectivity that carries the experience beyond the consoles to other devices to augment the overall functionality and access to the game

“Day 1 Edition” Content (Physical Version):

  • MAP
  • Adam-ska Special Handgun [DLC Item]
  • Personal Ballistic Shield (Silver) [DLC Item]
  • Cardboard Box (Wetland) [DLC Item]
  • Fatigues (Blue Urban Snake Costume) [DLC Item]
  • METAL GEAR ONLINE XP BOOST [DLC Item]

Collector’s Edition Content (Physical Version Only):

  • Half Scale Replica of Snake’s Bionic Arm
  • Collectible SteelBook
  • Behind the Scenes Documentary & Trailers Blu-ray Disc
  • MAP
  • Exclusive Packaging
  • WEAPON & SHIELD PACK [DLC Items]
    • Windurger S333 Combat Special Revolver
    • Adam-ska Special Handgun
    • Maschinen Taktische Pistole 5 Weiss Special Handgun
    • Rasp Short-Barreled Shotgun Gold
    • Personal Ballistic Shield (Olive Drab)
    • Personal Ballistic Shield (Silver)
    • Personal Ballistic Shield (White)
    • Personal Ballistic Shield (Gold)
  • CARDBOARD BOXES [DLC Items]
    • Cardboard Box (Rocky Terrain)
    • Cardboard Box (All-Purpose Dryland)
    • Cardboard Box (Wetland)
  • SNAKE COSTUMES [DLC Items]
    • Fatigues (Black Ocelot)
    • Fatigues (Gray Urban)
    • Fatigues (Blue Urban)
    • Fatigues (All-Purpose Dryland)
  • Other [DLC Item]
    • “VENOM SNAKE” Emblem
  • MGO BOOST [DLC Item]
  • METAL GEAR ONLINE XP BOOST [DLC Item]
  • MGO Items [DLC Items]
    • Metal Gear Rex Helmet
    • AM MRS-4 GOLD Assault Rifle
    • WU S. PISTOL GOLD

Blu-Ray Deals and Steals

  • Mad Max Anthology – $49.98
  • Toy Story of Terror! – $9.99
  • Dredd – $4.99
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – $5.99
  • The Man Who Knew Too Little – $9.99
  • Ex Machina – $14.99
  • Pulp Fiction – $4.99
  • Kingpin – $9.99
  • The Hurt Locker – $4.99
  • An Education – $6.56

All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.

What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!


All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com

new movie tv video game releases on dvd and-blu-ray

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