There are not many first run releases coming out on the home market this week, but two of them, Life of Pi and Rise of the Guardians, rose to Pick of the Week status. For that honor, we have to turn to an older release, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which celebrated its 25th Anniversary by coming out on Blu-ray for the first time. Yes, it is shovelware, but it is still the best movie on this week's list. If you don't have the DVD already and really don't like Pan & Scan, you might want to wait till Disney fixes the mix-up with the DVD portion of the Combo Pack.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, The Blob (Criterion Collection), Ministry of Fear (Criterion Collection), Sound City, Storage 24, Superman: Brainiac Attacks, Tristana, and Zula Dawn
The original The Blob on Blu-ray. I'm tempted to pick up that Blu-ray. It's is a little expensive, but it is also a Criterion Collection release, so it is very likely worth the money.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Cirque Du Soleil - Worlds Away, Life of Pi, Rise of the Guardians, and Spiders
There are four 3D releases this week, including two that earned more than $100 million at the box office. I've received three of the four films as screeners, but only one of them arrived in 3D (and one of them arrived late).

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 006: The Aztecs - Special Edition and Story 076: The Ark in Space - Special Edition
Two re-releases from one of the longest running sci-fi franchises of all time. They are both re-releases with new bonus features. The Aztecs has Galaxy 4 redone with some audio / video elements from the original broadcast, as well as stills and narration for the missing elements. The Ark in Space was re-edited and released as a movie in some markets, and that version is included here.

Duke - Buy from Amazon
Amazon has this coming out this week, but they used to have it coming out next week. I'm not sure which is the right release date.

The First Time - Buy from Amazon
A romantic comedy centered on high school romance. It earned mixed reviews and struggled at the box office. This is not surprising, given its genre. Romantic comedies rarely do well with critics and it is even rarer that they do well if they are given a limited release. If you are a fan of the genre, it is worth checking out, but a rental will probably be enough.

The Flat - Buy from Amazon
A Jewish man has to clean out his grandmother's flat after she passes away at the age of 98. While doing so, he discovers while his grandparents were living in Germany in the 1930s, they associated with a high-ranking member of the Nazi party. The reviews were very good and the film did well for a documentary. There are no extras, but it is still worth checking out for most fans of documentaries, picking up for many.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Season Ten - Buy from Amazon
Long-time readers know how I feel about the DVD releases for this franchise. Great show, but weak DVD releases. Plus, you don't need to watch the episodes in order to enjoy the show and it is in syndication on so many channels, so there's little need to buy the DVD.

Life of Pi - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack
The screener for this film arrived, but it arrived life. I will get to it ASAP.

The Mob Doctor: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
Before you even consider buying this DVD, you have to ask yourself one question. Do you really want to get sucked into a show knowing that it was canceled before any the storylines could be dealt with? There are some shows that are so good that buying a shortened first season is worth it, but they are very, very rare.

NFL Super Bowl XLVII Champions: 2012 Baltimore Ravens - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Not a fan of the NFL, but this looks like a good set for a championship release. It has the full game plus some extras. It would have been nice to include all of the playoff games in a multi-disc set, but this is worth the price if you are a fan of the Ravens. Or if you know someone who hates the Ravens, this is a good gift to give them, if you hate them.

Petticoat Junction: Return to Hooterville - Buy from Amazon
Why are they not releasing the rest of the TV show on DVD instead of a retrospective?

The Real Vikings - Buy from Amazon
I like vikings, but too many History Channel specials have been duds to trust this without seeing it firsthand.

Ripper Street: Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A British police procedural that takes place shortly after the Jack the Ripper murders with the lead investigator of those crimes trying to deal with failing to catch that serial killer while leading police division that deals with the Whitechapel area. It's a good premise and the reviews are very strong. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre, but the price-per-minute is high, like nearly all imports from the U.K.

Samson and Delilah - Buy from Amazon
Why is this not coming out on Blu-ray? The screener arrived late, but I will get to is ASAP.

Smashed - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as a teacher who begins to believe her alcohol problem is starting to affect her job. She decides to try and get sober, but her husband is also an alcoholic and doesn't want to give up alcohol. The reviews are excellent, but it wasn't able to reach its potential in limited release. Extras include an audio commentary track, making of featurette, deleted scenes, and more. Worth picking up.

Spongebob Squarepants: Season Eight: Buy from Amazon
I usually get these releases to review, but so far this one is late.

This Must Be the Place - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film had good buzz before its opening; however, its reviews were only good and not great, while it missed expectations at the box office. There are no extras on the DVD or the Blu-ray, but it is still worth a rental.

Willow - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
I'm still waiting for the screener for this film. I'm looking forward to seeing it again, but it has been a long time.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Date posted: 2013-03-13