DVD and Blu-ray Releases for February 3rd, 2015

February 2, 2015

It is a slow week on the home market, and will remain a slow week until the winter blockbusters start coming out. According to Amazon.com, this week the biggest release is John Wick. Granted, the Blu-ray Combo Pack is Pick of the Week material, but the film only made $43 million at the box office, so it likely won't sell a lot on the home market. The other two contenders for Pick of the Week are The Overnighters on DVD or Blu-ray and Dear White People - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray. Are three are worth picking up. The Overnighters is arguably the best, but I love the Film Noir style in John Wick, so I'm awarding that one the Pick of the Week.

The ABCs of Death - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
One of the rare cases where the sequel is better than the original was. Extras include an audio commentary track, making of featurette and the usual AXS TV: A Look At... Worth picking up if you are a fan of horror anthology movies.

Anzac Girls - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A six-hour mini-series focusing on a group of nurses during World War I. The reviews are excellent and the price-per-minute isn't bad for an import.

The Best of Me - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I completely forgot this film exists. Then again, given its reviews and box office numbers, I'm probably not alone. The extras on the DVD are mediocre and while the Blu-ray does have some exclusives, it is still not worth a rental. Completely skippable.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: About Schmidt, The Aviators, Ben To: Complete Series, Coppelion: The Complete Series, Diner, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Every Man for Himself, Golden Time: Collection 2, Kull the Conqueror, Leviathan: The Last Defense, Love and Basketball, Lust for Life, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Retrieval, Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic, and Starry Eyes
The usual eclectic mix of secondary Blu-ray releases. There is a heavier emphasis on Anime titles than most weeks.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Thunder & The House of Magic
The only 3D Blu-ray release this week is for a kids movie that most people have probably never even heard of. The reviews are good, on the other hand.

The Bob Newhart Show - Buy from Amazon: DVD Season Five and Season Six
The final two seasons of one of the funniest shows ever. However, the Complete Series came out last year and it is the better deal.

Note: This Blu-ray made its home market debut on the 27th of January.

The Book of Life - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
One of the best animated films of the year. The screener arrived on Tuesday, which is clearly too late to get the review done on time. I did get the review done over the weekend. Is the film as good as its reviews? Or is there a reason the film failed to find an audience in theaters? Read our review to find out.

Dear White People - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I'm still waiting for the screener for this review. Its reviews are among the best for the year. It also did very well for a limited release with more than $4 million in theaters. There are also a lot of extras, so it feels like a contender for Pick of the Week. Hopefully the screener arrives soon and it lives up to the hype.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned quite a bit of pre-release buzz, but the reviews were only good and not great. As I've said in the past, limited releases really need great reviews to thrive. The Blu-ray does include both versions of the film, as well as a Q&A, so it is worth picking up.

Doc Mcstuffins: Cuddle Me Lambie - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I've reviewed a few DVDs from this show and while I'm obviously not in the target demographic, I can say that this is one of the better shows aimed at this target demographic.

Dracula Untold - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Universal's first attempt to build an The Avengers-like movie universe around their classic movie monsters. The critics were not impressed, but the film made enough worldwide that they still might make a franchise. There are plenty of extras, so if you saw the movie and liked it, it is worth picking up. However, the reviews should scare off most people who didn't bother to check it out in theaters.

Hector and the Search for Happiness - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I really like Simon Pegg, but there are better options than watching this movie.

John Wick - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This is the biggest new release of the week and it also earned some of the best reviews on this week's list. Is it as good as the critics say? And is the DVD / Blu-ray worth picking up? Check out out review to find out.

Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A concert DVD starring Kristin Chenoweth. It aired on PBS last year and it earned great reviews. It is also selling surprisingly well for a concert DVD.

Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 2003 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One of the longest running narrative shows in the history of TV and I've long since run out of things to talk about when a new DVD comes out.

Ouija - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
One of the worst movies of the year and the extras are below average for a first-run release. Skip it,

The Overnighters - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A documentary about the economic boom in the North Dakota oil fields... Is that still happening? Or have oil prices dropped enough to kill that? Anyhoo... This film looks at the people who try to get jobs in these small towns, but the small towns are not very welcoming to all of these outsiders. The reviews are amazing and it is a clear contender for Pick of the Week.

Studio Ghibli - Blu-ray Triple-Shot - Buy from Amazon: Pom Poko, Porco Rosso, and Tales From Earthsea
Three films from Studio Ghibli come out on Blu-ray this week. This is not three of their biggest releases and I have not seen them. I am hoping to get screeners for these titles, but they haven't arrived yet.

Tricked - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A documentary about sex trafficking in the United States. A screener is on its way and the reviews are good, but this is not a fun topic.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Dracula Untold, Ouija, The Book of Life, The Best of Me, Tricked, , The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Hector and the Search for Happiness, The ABC’s of Death 2, Dear White People, John Wick, The Overnighters, Kristin Chenoweth, Simon Pegg