It's yet another very slow week on the home market. In fact, all of May is very slow on the home market, although this is not surprising for this time of year. I'm not even going to attempt to pad out the list this week. Is there anything in contention for Pick of the Week? Fortunately, the answer to that is yes. Unfortunately, the screener is late. Normally I really don't like awarding Pick of the Week to a film when the screener is late, but in this case, Haywire is head and shoulders above the rest, so unless the Blu-ray has less than zero special features, it's the best out there.

Benson: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon
Good show, but there have been issues with the DVDs, so wait till they sort that out before buying.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: About a Boy, Bird of Paradise, Definitely, Maybe, Jeremiah Johnson, Meet Joe Black, Men in Black, Men in Black II, Pillow Talk, The Tim Burton Collection, and The Wizard of Gore / The Gore Gore Girl
The selection of secondary Blu-ray releases is better than the selection of first run releases. Nearly everything here is worth owning.

Covert Affairs: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
Piper Perabo stars as a CIA agent in this summer show. The show's reviews have been very good, while the actress was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. Extras are good, but not great (there are no audio commentary tracks, for instance). It adds up to a solid purchase.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A documentary about George Harrison, his work and his life. The film earned amazing reviews and it is worth picking up if you are a fan of his music, or of rockumentaries in general.

Haywire - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned amazing reviews for a January release, but even so, it failed to make much of an impact on the home market. I'm still waiting on the screener, but it is the only first run release coming out this week that I'm actually looking forward to seeing.

Invisible Man: Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Wait for the Blu-ray. It's out in less than two months.

Joyful Noise - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film failed to connect with critics, while it was barely able to top its production budget at the box office. The extras are weak for a first run release, and unless you are a really big fan of gospel music, a rental will be enough.

Kojak: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
The penultimate season hits the home market this week.

New Year's Eve - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or Blu-ray Combo Pack
An ensemble romantic comedy with a huge cast. In fact, the cast is too large, because as most critics pointed out, none of the characters are given enough development. The result is a movie filled with people most viewers simply won't care enough about to bother paying attention to. It's not even worth a rental, even if you are a fan of most of the cast. They've all made better movies / TV shows that are better choices than this one.

Suits: Season One - Buy from Amazon
The summer season is about to start, which means a lot of cable networks are releasing TV on DVD shows from last summer to promote the new seasons that are premiering shortly. Suits is getting the jump on this rush by coming out this week, well ahead of its July 16th debut. The corporate law show earned excellent reviews and it is worth checking out if you missed it last summer.

Transformers Japanese Collection: Super-God Masterforce - Buy from Amazon
Still waiting for the screener for this TV on DVD release. I really liked Headmasters, so I'm looking forward to this one.

W.E. - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
When was the last time Madonna was involved in a movie that didn't suck? I honestly can't remember. This film earned terrible reviews and the DVD / Blu-ray are featureless. Skip it.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2012-05-01