New DVD releases this week

For those thinking of staying in this weekend, there is a whole host of new DVD releases to choose from. With the warm weather officially gone, it's time for all those summer blockbusters to come out.

First up is box-office behemoth The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks as a university professor who is drawn into a murder mystery led by odd clues and mid-bending puzzles.

Based on the smash-hit novel and directed by Ron Howard, The Da Vinci code also stars Paul Bettany and Sir Ian McKellen.

Next is horror-comedy Slither, in which a meteor crashes into a small Texas town and unleashes an army of flesh-eating bugs. Starring Nathan Fillion – star of short-lived cult TV series Firefly – the movie is a low-budget but effective homage to B-movies such as Critters and Tremors.

Also out this week is an extended directors cut of The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Released to coincide with the release of its sequel in America, the disc also includes short films from Takashi Shimizu, who directed the original Japanese version of The Grudge.

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