It is a really slow week on the home market. The biggest theatrical release coming out is The Iron Lady. The film did extremely well for a limited release, but that's not saying a whole lot. The only other wide release is The Darkest Hour, but that film bombed quite badly, so it likely won't have much of an impact on the home market. As for the best of the best, A Trip to the Moon Blu-ray is at the top of the list and is the Pick of the Week. There are a couple runner-ups, namely Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous on DVD and Into the Abyss on Blu-ray

Adam 12: Season Seven - Buy from Amazon
A very straight police procedural that lacks some of the style that you would get today. But fans of shows like Dragnet should appreciate it.

Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous - Buy from Amazon
The latest Motion Comic from Marvel hits the home market this week, but the screener is still on route. I loved Gifted, so I'm looking forward to seeing this one as well.

A Bird of the Air - Buy from Amazon
Before this film was released, there was quite a bit of buzz surrounding the film. However, the reviews pretty much killed the buzz and it struggled in theaters. The romantic comedy was called quirky and / or offbeat by more than one critic, but if you are into those movies, it might be worth a rental.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Bounce, The Boy In Blue, Conversation Piece / Gruppo Di Famiglia In Un Interno, Don Juan Demarco, Infinite Stratos: Complete Collection, Kate & Leopold: Director's Cut, Littlerock, Sekirei: Complete Series, Squid Girl: Season 1 Complete Collection, A Streetcar Named Desire, Terrorists, Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except, Truth About Cats & Dogs, and WWE: You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge
There is a good mix of releases in the secondary Blu-ray releases list, including classics, anime, cult movies, and more. A Streetcar Named Desire is the best of the rest, while there should be something here for just about everyone.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Darkest Hour and Jillians Travels-Africa 3D
Just the two 3D releases this week. The first is a box office flop while the second an Edutainment release. Neither one will likely be a big seller on the home market.

Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo: The Complete Series, Part 1 - Buy from Amazon
Every once in a while you come across a name that forces you to stop and take notice. This is one of those names. This is an animated series about a guy fighting a villain that causes baldness, and he does so with the power of his nose hair. I'm tempted to buy it, just to add it to my collection of weird stuff from Japan.

Charlotte Rampling: The Look - Buy from Amazon
A documentary about film star Charlotte Rampling. The film's excellent, but it failed to find an audience in theaters. Hopefully that will change on the home market.

Dark Shadows - Buy from Amazon: Best of Barnabas and Fan Favorites
Two single-disc releases are coming out this week ahead of the theatrical release. Meanwhile, there is a Complete Series Megaset coming out in July. I might get a copy of that to review, but there are not a lot of screeners available, which is not surprising given the price.

The Darkest Hour - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
When I first heard this film's premise, an alien invasion movie with invisible aliens, I thought it was either a brilliant take on an old genre, or a transparent way to reduce the film's visual effects budget. Given its reviews the latter seems likely. On a side note, right now according to Amazon.com, the 3D Combo Pack is the best selling of the three versions. If this is true, it is a sign 3D is becoming viable on the home market. It also means I'm going to have to buy a 3D TV soon to start reviewing these releases.

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 59: The Daemons and Story 66: Carnival of Monsters
Two Doctor Who releases this week. The first involves The Master trying to summon an ancient power on Earth. The second has the Tardis landing on a ship where all the crew keep repeating their actions and the Doctor discovers they are, essentially, trapped on a ship in a bottle. Both stories earned excellent reviews and while Carnival is a double-dip, it is still worth the price to upgrade.

Into the Abyss - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A documentary by Werner Herzog. Like most of his movies, this one earned outstanding reviews, but it wasn't able to find an audience in theaters. Hopefully that will change on the home market, but with no extras, many will settle on a rental.

Logan's Run: Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
They turned Logan's Run into a TV show? This is not a concept that would really work for a serialized TV series, so I'm not surprised it only lasted one season. If you liked the movie, it is certainly worth checking out.

Miss Representation - Buy from Amazon
A documentary about the way women are portrayed in the media and how the focus is on youth and beauty instead of intelligence and leadership. It's an important subject and the reviews are strong. Additionally, it is selling quite well according to Amazon.com, at least when compared to other new releases coming out this week.

Night Gallery: Season Three - Buy from Amazon
This anthology series was not as popular as Rod Serling's previous show, The Twilight Zone, but it still had a number of fans. In fact, if you are a fan of the genre in general, but haven't seen this show before, it is worth picking up.

One Tree Hill: Season Nine - Buy from Amazon
I had to look up online to see if this show is still on the air. Apparently it is.

Sleeping Beauty - Buy from Amazon
Just a quick note that I'm still waiting for the screener for this DVD. Critics were exactly split 50/50 on the movie, so it will be interesting to see which side I fall on.

Titanic
Secrets of the Titanic - Buy from Amazon
Waking the Titanic - Buy from Amazon
Yet more Titanic related releases for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the real vessel.

A Trip to the Moon - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
This short film was originally released 110 years ago and was recently brought to the attention of modern moviegoers thanks to Hugo. It is an absolute classic and for fans of early cinema, it is a must own. The price is on the high side for a 14-minute film; however, the Blu-ray is loaded with extras, including an hour-long retrospective, a previous short by Georges Méliès, interview, and more. Pick of the Week material for sure.

The Witches of Oz - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This TV mini-series is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel, The Wizard of Oz. The reviews for the series were very weak and since Tin Man came out on DVD and Blu-ray not too long ago, it's better to stick with that version.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2012-04-10