DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 20th, 2011
December 20, 2011
Christmas is less than a week away and there are a few releases that would make great last minute gifts. There are also very few releases overall so expect a short list this week. These great last minute gift ideas include Midnight in Paris on DVD or Blu-ray, Dolphin Tale in 3D Combo Pack and Futurama: Volume Six on DVD or Blu-ray. However, for Pick of the Week, I'm going with Warrior on Blu-ray Combo Pack. It's a great movie and there are plenty of extras on the DVD and the Blu-ray includes a Picture-in-Picture track.
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: A Farewell to Arms, Heaven's Lost Property: Complete Series, and Nothing Sacred
3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Dolphin Tale
Burke and Hare - Buy from Amazon
Catch .44 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon: Saint Nick
Colombiana - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Dolphin Tale - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
The Donna Reed Show: Season 4 - The Lost Episodes - Buy from Amazon
Futurama: Volume Six - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Glee: The Movie Concert - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus / Monster / Raging Sharks - Buy from Amazon
Midnight in Paris - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mystery Woman Triple Feature - Buy from Amazon
One Tree Hill: Season Eight - Buy from Amazon
Rush: Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Stay Cool - Buy from Amazon
Straw Dogs - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Toast - Buy from Amazon
Underworld Trilogy - Buy from Amazon
Sam Shepard plays an aging Butch Cassidy, who didn't come to his end at the hands of the Bolivian army. But when he tries to return to the States to meet his son for the first time, he becomes embroiled in one last adventure. The film struggled at the box office, but does it deserve to find an audience on the home market? Check out our review for my opinion.
The vast majority of DVDs coming out this week are either the ones I mentioned elsewhere, or really small niche market films. There are a couple Kino releases worth mentioning, as well as an Anime release.
Just the one 3D film this week, but it is a good movie and it was shot in 3D, so the effects are worth paying extra to see.
This film has an excellent cast and I was looking forward to the film for a while. However, it's reviews were nowhere near as strong as I had hoped and it is no surprise it went nowhere during its theatrical release. Maybe if you like the cast it is worth a rental, but that's it.
Great cast, terrible movie, move on.
There's only one Christmas release that I noticed this week and it is a horror film.
A revenge action film that has far more style than substance. Then again, it was co-written and co-produced by Luc Besson, so that's not a surprise, as that's his specialty. As a fan of his work, it might be worth checking out regardless of the weak reviews. The extras on the DVD include some featurettes, while the Blu-ray has additional featurettes and is BD-Live enabled.
A family film directed by the same man who directed Trick or Treat, which is one of my favorite horror films. Charles Martin Smith also previously directed Air Bud, which is obviously much closer in tone to this movie. Dolphin Tale earned surprisingly good reviews and was a bigger than expected hit at the box office. (It was one of the few pleasant surprises of the fall.) The DVD only has a few short extras (outtakes, deleted scenes, etc.). The Blu-ray has a few featurettes, including one on a real life dolphin rescue, but it also costs 50% more. The 3D version only costs $5 more than the Blu-ray, which is on par with most such releases. Plus, it was filmed in 3D, as opposed to post-production conversion, so the effects are a real selling point.
The Donna Reed Show has a lot of fans, but it is also quite "old fashioned" and not always in a good way.
Just a quick note that the screener arrived a bit late, but I will get to the review ASAP.
Glee has a rabid fan base that buys millions of DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, concert tickets, etc. Turning the show into a concert movie seemed like a sure fire hit. It wasn't. I hope to get a copy to review so I can judge if it deserved to be seen by more.
This film was one of the more successful limited releases of the fall earning $5 million in theaters. But is it one of the best? Read our review for my opinion.
Three B-movies collected on one 2-disc DVD for a very low price. But are these good B-movies, bad B-movies, or at the very least entertainingly bad B-movies? Check out our review to find out.
Woody Allen's biggest hit in his career. It is also one of his best movies, plus it has earned many award nominations. Despite all of this, its DVD and Blu-ray only have a single featurette and an image gallery. This is not surprising, as Woody Allen movies are never fully loaded with extras. (I understand the reasoning behind this. Certain directors think their film should stand on its own. However, fans still would love to hear the director's thoughts on the filmmaking process, casting decisions, etc. Interviews with the cast, behind-the-scenes footage, etc. add to the overall value.) If you are a fan of his work, you are used to it, and it is still worth picking up.
This two-disc collection has the second, third, and fourth films in the Mystery Woman franchise of TV movies. (The first has a slightly different main cast.) Are these three films worth checking out? Or is the low price of $10 on Amazon.ca the main selling point? Read our review for my opinion.
The ninth and final season begins in a few weeks and many fans will be looking for the show to wrap-up. However, most fans will admit the show has fallen from its peak earlier in its run.
I swore this came out already. Rush is one of the best bands ever and their concert releases are worth picking up.
This film was first mentioned on our site about three and a half years ago, but sat on a studio shelf for most of that time. The reviews explain why. Unless you are a hardcore fan of some of the cast members, it's best to avoid.
An unnecessary remake that was mostly ignored by moviegoers. It's not as bad as its box office numbers would indicated, but that's not much of a compliment.
A coming of age story that earned good reviews, but not great reviews. I've seen three different sources give three different release dates, and I'm not entirely sure it even earned a theatrical release here. Hopefully it will find an audience on the home market.
The fourth film comes out next month, so why buy an incomplete box set?
This film went no where at the box office, but was that a result of poor quality, or perhaps it has more to do with the lack of mainstream appeal of MMA? Check out our review for my opinion.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Straw Dogs, Stay Cool, Warrior, Dolphin Tale, Burke & Hare, Catch .44, Colombiana, Midnight in Paris, Margin Call, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, Toast, Blackthorn