DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: October 2015

66 Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron Watch Trailer

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Joss Whedon's slightly lesser sequel to 2012‘s The Avengers follows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they try to clean up after one of their own, Tony Stark, after his peacekeeping program (voiced by James Spader) goes rogue. Joining returning stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Andy Serkis.

October 6

81 Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

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Prolific director Alex Gibney's look inside the controversial Church of Scientology (based on Lawrence Wright's book) debuted in theaters and on HBO this spring to widespread praise from critics. The film received seven Emmy nominations and won three times, including for best documentary.

60 Magic Mike XXL Watch Trailer

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Steven Soderbergh doesn't direct this less substantial sequel to his 2012 male stripper hit Magic Mike, ceding those duties to first-timer Gregory Jacobs. But Soderbergh returns as cinematographer and editor, and stars Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, and Gabriel Iglesias also return, joined by Amber Heard, Elizabeth Banks, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell, Michael Strahan, and Donald Glover.

74 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Watch Trailer

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The winner of both top awards (one from the jury, the other from audiences) at this year's Sundance festival, this second directorial effort from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is both a charmer and a tearjerker in its tale of a high school senior (Greg Gaines), his best (and only) friend Earl (RJ Cyler), and their new acquaintance (Olivia Cooke), who is suffering from leukemia.

68 People Places Things Watch Trailer

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Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) stars as Will, a graphic novelist and teacher who discovers his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his children (Stephanie Allynne) cheating on him on his twin daughters’ fifth birthday. Even after a year, Will hasn’t put his life together, but being a single father becomes more promising when one of his students (The Daily Show's Jessica Williams) introduces him to her mother (Regina Hall). Written and directed by Jim Strouse (The Winning Season, Grace Is Gone), the film is yet another Sundance hit, having earned good reviews when it premiered at the festival in January.

71 When Marnie Was There Watch Trailer

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Famed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli’s 20th (and possibly final) feature film is based on Joan G. Robinson’s 1967 children’s novel about a lonely girl named Anna who meets an unexpected friend in Marnie. In this English-language update, Hailee Steinfeld, Kiernan Shipka, Kathy Bates, John C. Reilly, Ellen Burstyn, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, and Vanessa Williams provide the voices.

72 Dope Watch Trailer

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The fourth and best feature from writer-director Rick Famuyiwa is set in a dangerous Inglewood, Calif. neighborhood, though it's more House Party than Boyz n the Hood. The comedy follows a trio of young geeks whose attempt to survive their high school years and go off to college is jeopardized by a chance invitation to an underground party and a bag of drugs.

43 San Andreas Watch Trailer

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For fans of bad movies, San Andreas probably isn't quite enough of a disaster to make it worthwhile, though the film certainly isn't bereft of spectacle. Dwayne Johnson reunites with his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director, Brad Peyton, for a film that imagines (and graphically depicts) what might happen if the Big One finally hit California. Johnson plays a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot who teams up with his estranged wife (Carla Gugino) to save their only daughter (Alexandra Daddario).

60 Tomorrowland Watch Trailer

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Speaking of disasters: Pixar veteran Brad Bird’s second live-action feature (following 2011’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) tells the story of a former boy genius played by George Clooney, a curious teenager played by Britt Robertson, and a mythical place called Tomorrowland (which bears a not-coincidental resemblance to the one in Disney's theme parks). Hugh Laurie, Judy Greer, Kathryn Hahn, and Keegan-Michael Key also star. Written by Bird and Damon Lindelof (Lost), the tonally inconsistent film is easily one of 2015's biggest disappointments (as well its biggest box office flop).

59 Jurassic World Watch Trailer

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The fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise takes place 22 years after the events of the original Jurassic Park and itself arrives 14 years since the somewhat forgettable previous film in the series. Here, Isla Nublar is a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, but corporate greed has resulted in humans playing god once again and creating a dinosaur hybrid called Indominus Rex—a beast that threatens the park's paying customers and its employees (Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio). Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) takes over as director, and his first big-budget film is fairly enjoyable if unsubstantial, say critics. It was also a dinosaur-sized hit, grossing more money worldwide than any other film in history not named Avatar or Titanic.

76 Testament of Youth Watch Trailer

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TV director James Kent (The White Queen) makes his feature debut with this British coming-of-age drama that follows a young woman (Ex Machina's Alicia Vikander) living through the first World War. Dominic West, Emily Watson, Kit Harington, and Taron Egerton also star.

75 The Wolfpack Watch Trailer

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The other major Sundance winner this year—this time in the documentary competition—features a rather unusual subject: the youngest members of the Angulo family. The seven siblings, now ranging in age from 16-23, were kept inside their apartment by their overprotective mother and Hare Krishna father for virtually their entire childhoods (sometimes going a year at a time without seeing the outside), and spent much of their free time watching movies. Some critics have compared the film to Grey Gardens for its peek inside a highly dysfunctional household.

68 Z for Zachariah Watch Trailer

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Director Craig Zobel’s follow-up to 2012‘s controversial Compliance is an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s 1974 book about the last man and woman on Earth. Margot Robbie plays Ann, a religious woman who nurses Chiwetel Ejiofor’s John Loomis, a scientist, back to health. What’s different in Nissar Modi’s script is the arrival of Caleb (Chris Pine), a miner who has survived underground. The film split critics when it premiered at Sundance in January, though it scored slightly better upon its August release.

77 The Gift Watch Trailer

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Actor/writer Joel Edgerton makes his feature directorial debut with this well-reviewed thriller in which the peaceful life of Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) is upset by a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon’s past. Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Edgerton) at first, but after a seemingly coincidental series of encounters proves troubling, a horrifying secret is uncovered, and Robyn begins to wonder who her husband is.

81 Mulholland Drive (2001)

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David Lynch's enigmatic 2001 classic has been remastered in 4K for this new Criterion Collection release. The set features new interviews with Lynch, composer Angelo Badalamenti, stars Naomi Watts and Justin Theroux, and more.

57 Southpaw Watch Trailer

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Phenomenal, it's not. Despite a screenplay by Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy, The Shield) and direction from Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer), critics seem unimpressed by the silver screen's latest boxing story. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a champion fighter who loses everything important in his life and must climb back to the top with the help of a veteran trainer played by Forest Whitaker. The soundtrack is executive produced by Eminem, who at one time was slated to star in the film.