It's slow week for new releases, a really slow week. According to Amazon.com, the best selling new release is Contraband. It was the biggest box office hit released in January, but it was still no more than a midlevel hit. The second best selling release of the week is The Innkeepers, which is a sign that it is a slow week. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, but it is a limited release that struggled to find an audience in theaters and it shouldn't be the high on the chart. The third best selling new release of the week is the latest Fullmetal Alchemist release, which is even more surprising, as Anime is still very much a niche market release. The fourth best selling release is Car 54 Where Are You?. Really? I'm surprised anyone remembers that TV show. Are there any releases that are worth picking up? Perhaps even contenders for pick of the week? Actually, The Innkeepers on Blu-ray is in the running, as is Pariah on Blu-ray. However, in the end I went with Todd and The Book Of Pure Evil: Season 1, giving it the rarely awarded Puck of the Week.

11-11-11 - Buy from Amazon
This film earned really weak reviews and went nowhere in limited release. It should perform better on the home market for two main reasons. Firstly, horror films tend to do better on the home market than in limited release. Secondly, it would be hard to do worse.

Albatross - Buy from Amazon
Jessica Brown Findlay earned praise for her feature-length debut performance. However, the overall reviews were mixed. There's not a lot of competition this week, so if you are interested in seeing something new, this one is worth checking out, but start with a rental.

The Amazing Race - Buy from Amazon: Season Five and Season Six
I'm not a fan of Reality TV as a genre, but this is one of the better example of the competition sub-genre.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 4, Camelot, Girl on a Motorcycle, The Organizer (Criterion Collection), The Red House, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
There are not a lot of secondary Blu-ray releases worth talking about, but a few of these are worth picking up, starting with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Joe Satriani: Satchurated: Live in Montreal
The only 3D release of the week is a concert film. Granted, Joe Satriani is a guitar god and has sold ten million albums worldwide, but this is still not a prime release.

The Buccaneer - Buy from Amazon
A classic swashbuckler from 1938. If you are a fan, you are happy to be able to get the movie on DVD. However, it might have been wiser to remaster it for high definition instead.

Car 54 Where Are You?: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
This TV show only ran for two seasons in the early 1960s, so I'm a little amazed enough people remember it to push it into fifth place on the Amazon.com best sellers list for the week (fourth if you only count one Contraband release).

Cinema Verite - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A TV movie about the making of the very first Reality TV show, An American Family, which came out in 1973. The film earned good reviews and three Golden Globe nominations, so if you are a fan of the original TV show or of the cast, it is worth checking out.

Dark Tide - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I might receive a screener for this film, but so far it is late. While I like Halle Berry as an actress, I'm not really looking forward to seeing it, given its 0% positive reviews.

The Fields - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A horror film that tries to pretend it's based on a real story, because filmmakers think that's a short cut to being scary. I hate that. Not a lot of critics bothered to review the film, but two of the three reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, so maybe it's worth checking out. I would start with a rental first.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos Movie - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack
One of the most popular Anime franchises in the United States. Additionally, Amazon.com tends to overstate the sales of Anime titles, because it caters to the target demographic for these releases. (Brick and Mortar stores are less likely to give very valuable shelf space to a niche market release. As a result, people interested in niche market releases are less likely to go to Brick and Mortar Stores for such releases.) However, I'm still very surprised it is in the top five on the Amazon sales chart. Also coming out this week is the Complete Collection One on DVD or Blu-ray.

I'm Dickens...He's Fenster - Buy from Amazon
This show debuted 50 years ago and only lasted one season. I'm a little surprised it is coming out on DVD, but I'm sure there are some fans out there that are thrilled it is.

The Innkeepers - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned 77% positive reviews, but it was the wrong genre for limited release and fell between the cracks when it opened. Given the reviews, it should at least be worth a rental, but could the DVD or the Blu-ray be worth more than that? I won't know for sure till the screener arrives, but I'm cautiously optimistic. In fact, with two audio commentary tracks and a making of featurette for just $13.99, the Blu-ray could be a contender for Pick of the Week.

Lassiter - Buy from Amazon
Last week we had High Road to China come out and this week's its Lassiter. Does this mean next week it will be Runaway to complete the Tom Selleck hattrick. That would be kind of awesome, actually, I really liked Runaway when I first saw it. Although most critics would argue this film is the best of those three.

Marvel Animated Features: 3-Movie Collection - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection - DVD or Blu-ray
I previously reviewed all six of the movies that are being released on these two DVDs / Blu-rays this week. Because of that, I have nothing new to say about them and I will instead be giving away the DVDs in this week's Box Office Prediction Contest.

Marvel Anime - Buy from Amazon: Iron Man and X-Men
Two more Marvel animated films coming out this week. I hope to get copies to review, but so far they are late. Expectations were pretty high, but there are some grumblings that the end product didn't live up to them. I remain cautiously optimistic.

Masterpiece Classic: Birdsong - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A mini-series set in World War I about a soldier fighting in France pining for a woman. It earned good reviews, but not as strong as the best Masterpiece has to offer.

Night Wolf - Buy from Amazon
The screener for this film arrived already, but I knew I wouldn't have time to review it, so I included it in this week's box office prediction contest.

Pariah - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film stars Adepero Oduye as a young African-American lesbian, making her a minority within a minority. One of the best films on this week's list and a the winner of an Independent Spirit Award. It is absolutely worth picking up and would have been a strong contender for Pick of the Week, if its extras weren't so weak. (There are just three short featurettes.)

The Theatre Bizarre - Buy from Amazon
A horror anthology film that went nowhere in limited release. It was the wrong genre while its reviews were weak. It should do much better on the home market. Like many anthology films, not every segment works, but on DVD you can skip the ones that don't, unlike when you watch a film like this in a theater.

Titanic - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
A four-part TV mini-series about the sinking of the Titanic. It only earned mixed reviews and thanks to the 100th anniversary of the real life sinking, there are a lot of other options, either in theaters or on the home market. For instance, Saving the Titanic is also coming out this week.

The Wicker Tree - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A long-delayed sequel to the original 1973 version of The Wicker Man. Most critics say it wasn't worth the wait.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2012-04-24