After two weeks of almost nothing worth talking about on the home market, there's plenty to talk about this week. ... Actually, to be totally honest, it is another slow week, it's just not painfully slow. (Also, I'm unwilling to pad the list like I had to do the last couple weeks.) Worse still, because the holiday just ended, a lot of the screeners that were supposed to arrive have not, including a few Pick of the Week contenders. Compliance, Dredd, and Frankenweenie are all contenders that are currently late, and I really don't like choosing a late screener. In the end, it was literally a coin toss between Archer: Season Three on DVD or Blu-ray and Red Dwarf: X on DVD or Blu-ray. And the coin said... Red Dwarf: X.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Anger Management: Season One, Assassins, Bodacious Space Pirates, Cape Fear, Driving Miss Daisy, French Kiss, Goonies / Gremlins / Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Grand Hotel, Gun, Girls, and Gambling, The House: Season Two, Jack and Diane, The Jazz Singer, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Mrs. Miniver, and Two-Lane Blacktop (Criterion Collection)
An interesting collection of secondary Blu-ray releases. Mortal Kombat: Legacy is high on my list of pickups, because I really want a good Mortal Kombat movie.

Compliance - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A very powerful film, but one that is hard to watch. I'm still waiting for the screener but given the reviews, it is a contender for Pick of the Week.

Dallas: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon
I completely forget this show was on the air. I heard that they were make a new version of Dallas, but I didn't realize it was on the air. The reviews are mostly good, but very rarely are they great. Nostalgia seems to play a role in the opinions of a lot of critics.

Dance Moms - Buy from Amazon: Season Two, Volume One and Season Two, Volume Two
I might get screeners for these DVDs to review. However, given what I thought about the first season, I might just push them to the prize pool instead.

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 108: Shada
This serial was only partially filmed when the BBC went on strike and it was never completed. The writer, Douglas Adams, yes, that Douglas Adams, didn't like the story, so it was never remade in full. It has been reconstructed, as best they could, and presented here. However, while it is interesting because it is lost, it is not the best story from the franchise and you are paying top price for barely more than half the running time.

Dredd - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The first time Judge Dredd made the transition from comic book to movie, it earned terrible reviews and failed to make an impact at the box office. This time around, it earned excellent reviews, but still failed to make an impact at the box office. I'm still waiting for the screener for this film, but given the reviews, it's at least worth checking out for fans of the genre and worth picking up for fans of the comic. It might even be Pick of the Week material.

Enlightened: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Laura Dern stars as a woman who has a mental breakdown and after recovering decides to try and change and live a more positive life, including helping those around her. Those around her are not so sure they want her help. I'm still waiting for the screener, but Laura Dern did win a Golden Globe for her performance, so I'm hopeful.

Frankenweenie - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
I'm still waiting for the screener for this release, and of all of the late screeners, this is the one I most want to see. I loved the original short film and I'm a fan of stop-motion animation and I really hope it is Tim Burton at his peak, because it has been a while. The reviews are very encouraging and it is at least worth picking up based on those, but it might be a Pick of the Week contender as well.

Hit and Run - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film wasn't as bad I feared it would be. It still wasn't good, but if you are a fan of Dax Shepard, then it is worth checking out. There are not enough extras to push it past the rental level, on the other hand.

House at the End of the Street - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress and I really think she's going to win an Oscar, maybe not this year, and definitely not for this movie. The film earned terrible reviews and struggled at the box office. There are almost no extras on the DVD or the Blu-ray, so unless you are a hardcore fan of the genre and the lead actress, it is safe to skip it.

An Idiot Abroad: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon
This is a really good show, although I do think they pick on Karl Pilkington a little too much.

Midsomer Murders, Set 21 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Regular readers of this column know the drill when it comes to TV on DVD releases for British murder mysteries. The shows are usually really good, but the price-per-minute is outrageous for TV on DVD. If you consider them TV movies, then it is better.

Red Dwarf: X - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Red Dwarf is back. It has been more than a decade since a full series was released (Back to Earth was a three-part story and not a full series). There were many classic episodes in series seven and eight, but Red Dwarf: X is probably the best the show's been since series six. The DVD and the Blu-ray has We're Smegged, a feature-length documentary, deleted scenes, and outtakes. It is easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.

Samsara - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I might get a screener to review. I really hope I do for two reasons. Firstly, the reviews are really good. Secondly, I have no idea what it is about. I've read the official synopsis and several reviews, and I still don't know what it is about. It probably looks amazing in high definition.

Seal Team Six: The Raid On Osama Bin Laden - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This TV movie isn't bad, but Zero Dark Thirty is just so much better that there's no need to watch this one instead.

Sleep Tight - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A creepy and very scary horror film. I'm still waiting for the screener, but given those reviews, I have high hopes.

Smash: Season One - Buy from Amazon
This show earned better than expected reviews and earned a number of Awards Season nominations and wins. It even became a hit, which is strange for NBC. I might get a screener to review, but in case I don't... If you are a fan of Broadway, and of the behind-the-scenes, then it is worth picking up.

Stolen - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned terrible reviews and bombed at the box office. Unless you like laughing at Nicolas Cage's career, skip it.

Tiny Toon Adventures: Crazy Crew Rescues - Buy from Amazon
Great show, but I'm not happy with the DVD releases. They are taking way too long to come out.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2013-01-07