DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 10th, 2012
January 9, 2012
It's a pretty good week on the home market, for this time of year, with a number of releases that are worth checking out. This includes big budget releases, like Moneyball on Blu-ray Combo Pack, as well as TV on DVD releases like Doctor Who: Story 71: Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Story 83: The Android Invasion, as well as smaller releases like Higher Ground on Blu-ray Combo Pack. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly deep week for releases, and it isn't long before we start getting to DVDs and Blu-rays that would be ignored during a typically busy week. Not only that, but I'm still waiting for screeners for a number of bigger releases. One of these, Boardwalk Empire: Season One on Blu-ray, is the most likely candidate for Pick of the Week.
1911 - Buy from Amazon: DVD, DVD Collector's Edition, or Blu-ray Collector's Edition
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Billy Elliot, Fever Pitch, The Hellstrom Chronicle, John Tucker Must Die, Just Married, Just My Luck, National Parks Exploration Series: The Black Hills and the Badlands, National Parks Exploration Series: The Everglades, Never Been Kissed, North By Northwest, Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 4, Sinners and Saints, and Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of the Wind, The Shore of the Maze
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A Bronx Tale - Buy from Amazon
Columbo: Mystery Movie Collection - Buy from Amazon
Dennis the Menace: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 71: Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Story 83: The Android Invasion
Film Socialisme - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
G.I. Joe Series 2: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon
Higher Ground - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
An Idiot Abroad - Buy from Amazon
The Killer Elite - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Moneyball - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Nova: Finding Life Beyond Earth - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Primeval: Volume Three - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
There Be Dragons - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
What's Your Number? - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film tells the story of the creation of modern China in the 1911 revolution. It was a expected to be a big hit in its native market, but its reviews were terrible here and it went nowhere at the box office. I suspect it will go nowhere on the home market.
A pair of brothers best known for their work on Funny or Die also made a feature-length film about a man, Christopher Gorham, who has to decide between graduating with a doctorate, or a pub trivia game. Is their feature-length debut worth checking out? Check out our review for my opinion.
It's a very busy week for secondary Blu-ray releases. It seems like a few studios decided January 10th would be a great week to release a dozen or so catalogue titles. However, it's a case of quantity over quality and many of them wouldn't be worth noting on a slow week for Blu-ray releases.
I mentioned this release on the second part of our Holiday Gift Guide even though it wasn't released till this week, because it had earned that much critical praise, including many Emmy nominations. However, I'm still waiting for the screener. Hopefully it will arrive shortly, because I don't want to get behind on reviews this early in the new year. It does have a lot of extras, so it is a contender for Pick of the Week, while the Blu-ray only costs $5 more, so it is worth the upgrade.
The latest DVD release for this franchise is a sequel to Genie Magic, which is one of the better Bratz cartoons I've seen. Will this one maintain that higher level of quality? Or will it slip back to the shallow stories the cartoons usually deal with. Read our review for my opinion.
Robert De Niro's directorial debut is getting a re-release on DVD this week. It's a great movie, but it's a sign of how weak this week's releases are that it is in 35th on Amazon's list of best-selling new releases.
All seven TV movies featuring one of the most iconic TV detectives of all time. If you were to look at this three-disc set as a TV on DVD release, the price-per-minute is acceptable. If you look at it as seven TV movies, the price is amazing.
The 1960s sitcom ends its run on DVD this week. The comic strip is probably more famous than the TV show it spawned, but the sitcom still has plenty of fans.
It's a great time to be a Doctor Who fan. Not only are there two stories being released on DVD this week, but also because very recently two lost episodes were found. Both of the stories coming out this week are worth owning, while fans of the series will be happy with the amount of extras found on the DVDs.
Jean-Luc Godard is an amazing director and he has made some classic films. However, his latest film only earned mixed reviews and it is probably best for more hardcore fans of his.
Still waiting for the screener for this series. I have previously reviewed a few releases in the franchise, so it will be interesting to see how well this one compares to the classic cartoon and the more recent animated movie.
One of the longest running police procedurals to ever air on TV. It ends its DVD run this week, but does the show go out on a high note? Check out our review for my opinion.
Vera Farmiga makes her directorial debut with this film. The road from actor to director is not always a smooth one, but the film earned excellent reviews. It wasn't able to capitalize on those reviews at the box office, but hopefully it will do better on the home market. There are plenty of extras on the Blu-ray combo pack and it is clearly worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are writing partners and have worked together countless times. One of their latest collaborations involves Karl Pilkington, a friend of theirs, whom they send to various places around the world to see the world from his... unique perspective. It's an incredibly funny show, but there are not a lot of extras on the DVD. Still, it's worth picking up, and if it were fully-loaded, it would be Pick of the Week material.
This film cost $70 million to make, which is higher than average, even for an action film. However, the film's reviews were weak and it went nowhere at the box office. It's no surprise that there are barely any extras on the DVD or Blu-ray, as the studio wouldn't want to risk losing more money. Unless you are a fan of the cast and the genre, it's not even worth a rental.
This low-budget kids movie opened more than a decade ago to strong reviews and did very well, for a limited release. The DVD has been out of print for years, but this week it gets a re-release. Is it worth picking up for those who missed it the first time around? Check out our review to find out.
One of the best reviewed wide releases of the year, and a major player during Awards Season picking up a number of Golden Globe nominations, as well as at least one of each the major guild nominations. There are not a lot of extras on the DVD, while the Blu-ray has a couple exclusives, but nothing that pushes the technology. It's worth owning, but a more fully loaded release could have lifted it to Pick of the Week level.
A two-hour special on the search for life out there in the solar system and beyond. This is a great show, but the price-per-minute is high for TV on DVD.
So far this series hasn't won me over, but it hasn't completely lost me either. The previous DVD I reviewed was the best one from the TV series, but will this one improve on that mark? Read our review for my opinion.
This series ran for three seasons starting in 2007 before being cancelled due to the network suffering massive losses. However, it was popular enough that it was revived and this volume is the two post-revival seasons. Also, if you are a fan of the show, there is a spin-off being made in Canada. Let's hope it does as well as the Being Human spin-off did.
This Mexican film spoofs war movies, as well as mafia movies, and other genres. It's clearly aimed at a Latino audience, but will it have crossover appeal? Check out our review for my opinion.
The first movie wasn't a good movie, while the second film was even worse. I might get a screener for this film, but my expectations are low.
Peter Dinklage has earned numerous awards and nominations for Game of Thrones, which is one of the most popular TV shows on TV right now. But this film was his first starring role. It is worth checking out? And is the budget DVD release coming out this week worth picking up? Read our review for my opinion.
A son looks into his father's past only to discover secrets best left hidden. The reviews were terrible and not surprisingly the film struggled at the box office.
This romantic comedy earned weak reviews, even compared to the genre average. It also bombed at the box office. Did it deserve this fate? Won't know till the screener arrives.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Just Married, Never Been Kissed, Fever Pitch, John Tucker Must Die, Billy Elliot, Just My Luck, A Bronx Tale, North by Northwest, The Station Agent, The Mighty, The Hellstrom Chronicle, Answer This, What's Your Number?, Moneyball, Killer Elite, There Be Dragons, Higher Ground, Film Socialisme, Salvando al Soldado Perez, Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption, Xinhai geming, Sinners and Saints