It's not a bad week as far as first run releases go with three of them appearing high on the chart. This includes Flight, which has earned some major nominations during Awards Season. However, it is a shallow week, as there are also Direct-to-DVD kids releases and even a workout DVD in the top ten, according to Amazon.com. Leading the way is Peter Pan on Blu-ray Combo Pack or Blu-ray Combo Pack with Storybook App. This is not only the best-selling Blu-ray of the week, but it is also the best and is the Pick of the Week.

Above Suspicion: Series 2 - Buy from Amazon
Fans of British police procedurals know the drill. Excellent show, but the price-per-minute is really high compared to most TV on DVD releases.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Ballad of Narayama (Criterion Collection), Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes, Cabaret, Casshern Sins: Complete Series, Laura, Little White Lies, Mumford & Sons: The Road To Red Rocks, A Star Is Born, Toys in the Attic, and Yelling to the Sky
There are a number of interesting catalog titles in the list, with Cabaret being the biggest.

Celeste and Jesse Forever - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A couple breaks up, but remain really close friends, much to the dismay of their other friends, who think when you breakup with someone, you should hate them. Their friendship is tested when one of them begins dating their potential soul mate. The film earned good reviews and did well in limited release, but wasn't quite able to become a breakout hit. The DVD and the Blu-ray have excellent extras, including two audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, making of featurette, and more. Worth picking up.

Cougar Town: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon
Lionsgate is releasing the series on DVD now that it has moved from ABC to TBS. It's a good show and I hope to get a screener for this season, but so far it is late. Lionsgate is also re-releasing seasons One and Two, if you missed them the first time around.

Deadfall - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A brother and a sister commit a casino heist, but in their attempt to get away, they get into a car crash leaving their driver and a cop dead. Now they have to try and escape to Canada on foot and in a blizzard. The reviews were weak and it bombed in limited release. Unless you are a big fan of the genre and / or cast, it is safe to give this one a pass.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel - Buy from Amazon
This film earned near perfect reviews and earned $1 million at the box office. If you are a fan of documentaries, especially biographies, or of fashion in general, it is worth picking up.

Flight - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Denzel Washington stars as a pilot whose plane is going to crash when he tries a very unorthodox and risky maneuver that saves the day. However, he has a secret that could destroy him. The film has earned very strong reviews and even picked up a number of major award nominations. Unfortunately, it is being released on a featureless DVD, while the Blu-ray has a handful of special features. It is still worth picking up, but a fully loaded DVD / Blu-ray release would have been a pick of the week contender.

Here Comes the Boom - DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film earned weak reviews and barely matched its production budget theatrically. It wasn't a complete disaster in either regard, but not great either. Likewise, the film is worth checking out, but even though there are pretty good extras on the Blu-ray, it is probably only worth a rental. That is, unless you are a really big fan of Kevin James.

House of Cards Trilogy: The Original UK Series Remastered - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This British political drama was recently remade for American audience and if you like that show, you will likely also really like this one.

A Late Quartet - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
In a coincidental act, A Late Quartet arrived late. I will get to the review ASAP.

Leslie Sansone: Belly Blasting Walk - Buy from Amazon
According to Amazon.com, this is currently the tenth best selling new release of the week. Workout DVDs rarely reach this high, so it is a bad sign for overall sales.

Monster High Double Feature - Friday Night Frights / Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? - Buy from Amazon
According to Amazon.com, this is currently the eighth best selling new release of the week. Granted, this franchise is selling better than I expected, but this is still a sign of how slow the week is.

A Perfect Ending - Buy from Amazon
After a middle-age woman admits to her friends that her sex life with her husband has grown stale, they set her up with a high class escort and the pair have an instant bond. The film stars Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark and it has been earning some good reviews, although it is a smaller release and will probably split beneath most people's radar.

R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series - Buy from Amazon: Volume Three and Volume Four
I liked the first two volumes of this show, but I'm still waiting for these two to arrive.

Side by Side - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A documentary about the film making process and how digital cinema is changing things. The reviews are excellent and it is certainly worth picking up for fans of the process.

So Undercover - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Miley Cyrus stars as an undercover agent working at a college. I don't have the screener yet, but hopefully it is better than LOL was.

Southland: The Complete Second, Third and Fourth Season - Buy from Amazon
Season Two of this show was already released on DVD. I'm not sure why it is part of this package, but it does seem like an unnecessary cash grab. It is a good show otherwise.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Avenging Spider-Man - Buy from Amazon
I prefer full season sets, but this two-disc set has 12 episodes and the price-per-minute is much better than most similar shows.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2013-02-04