DVD and Blu-ray Releases for June 11th, 2013

June 12, 2013

Another typical summer week on the home market. There are a few first-run releases, but nothing that is a blockbuster. There are more TV on DVD releases, including a couple that were contenders for Pick of the Week. This includes Burn Notice: Season Six, but the screener is late, so I'm holding off. Enter the Dragon gets an Anniversary Edition Blu-ray and it is a contender. However, in the end I went with The Newsroom: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray Combo Pack.

Becker: Season Five - Buy from Amazon
The penultimate season of this series. This is the season where the ratings crashed, but that was due mostly to a scheduling change and not a major decline in quality.

Beverly Lewis' the Confession - Buy from Amazon
A TV movie starring Katie Leclerc from Switched At Birth. In the film, Katie Leclerc stars as a young girl living in an Amish village who learns she was adopted and goes out to find her birth mother. The reviews are mixed, even for a TV movie.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Driven, Enter the Dragon, How to Survive the Plague, Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, Set 1, Mysterious Girlfriend X: Complete Collection, Ninja III: The Domination, Rendition, Rockshow, Running Scared, Save the Date, Sengoku Basara: Complete Series - Season 1 & 2, and Wild Strawberries (Criterion Collection)
Not a lot of major secondary Blu-ray releases. Enter the Dragon is easily the best on this week's list.

Burn Notice: Season Six - Buy from Amazon
I love this show. My screener is on its way and the contest begins on Friday.

Digimon Tamers - Buy from Amazon
This DVD is higher on the list of best-selling new releases than I would have expected. I never got into this show, as I was way too old by the time this genre got big.

Disney Double-Shot Triple-Shot
Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Blu-ray Double-Shot - Buy from Amazon
The Emperor's New Groove - Buy from Amazon
Lilo and Stitch - Buy from Amazon
Three Disney Blu-rays are coming out this week, each including a theatrical release and their respective Direct-to-DVD sequels. I am getting one of these to review, but I will talk about all three of them when it arrives.

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 54: Doctor Who: Inferno (Special Edition) and Story 56: Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil
Two stories from the Jon Pertwee era are being (re)released this week. Both are great stories and while Inferno is a double-dip, the improvement in sound quality is worth it.

Fairly Legal: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
The second and final season of this legal dramedy. The show's reviews were mostly good, but it did lose roughly 40% of its ratings during its second season, so it is no surprise it was canceled.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
This film became a midlevel hit domestically and a $200 million hit worldwide. Does it deserve this success? Or did it benefit from the lack of competition early in the year? Read our review for my opinion.

House of Cards: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A TV series that first debuted on Netflix. It is important because it is part of an early trend of streaming services creating content on their own. If it becomes profitable enough for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. to make shows, it will greatly decrease the power TV networks have over controlling content. Fortunately, it is not only an important show because of that, it is also a really good show. If you are a political junkie, it is worth checking out.

In The Heat of the Night - Complete Season 8 - Buy from Amazon
A TV series based on the 1967 movie of the same name. The movie was groundbreaking, while the TV series was a great police procedural. It is worth checking out, and at just $20, it is worth buying.

Killing Lincoln - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A docudrama about the final days of Abraham Lincoln. There are no reviews, but it is selling quite well compared to most similar films. It is narrated by Tom Hanks, so that helps.

Major Crimes: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon
A spin-off of The Closer. This TV series is earning good reviews and its ratings were really strong. Season two began on Monday, which is why Season One was released on Tuesday. Actually, it makes no sense whatsoever.

Minnie's the Wizard of Dizz - Buy from Amazon
Fans of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse should really enjoy this DVD as well.

Necessary Roughness: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
Callie Thorne stars as a divorcee who needs a job and becomes a sports therapist. The TV shows reviews are relatively good and Callie Thorne earned a Golden Globe nomination.

The Newsroom: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
HBO's big new drama of last season. That alone raises the bar for expectations. It was created by Aaron Sorkin, which raises the expectations even higher. Can it possibly live up to those expectations? Read our review to find out.

Oz the Great and Powerful - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
The best selling new release of the week. I will hopefully get a copy to review. If not, the reviews were just below the overall positive level. It is better as a technical creation than it is as a narrative story, but if you liked Alice in Wonderland, you will probably like this one as well.

Perry Mason: Season Eight, Volume Two - Buy from Amazon
The penultimate release for one of the best courtroom dramas of all time. But does it go out on a high note? Or does is fizzle out? Check out our review for my opinion.

The Philadelphia Experiment - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A SyFy TV movie remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Stick with the original.

Power Rangers Super Samurai: Secret of the Red 4 - Buy from Amazon
I may or may not get this DVD to review.

Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon
One of the better police procedurals on cable TV. It has great chemistry between its two leads, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, while the crime mysteries are not quite as strong as the chemistry is.

Snitch - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Not your typical Dwayne Johnson mindless action film. Is it better because it tries to be more? Or does it fall because it tries to rise above? Check out our review for my opinion.

Tosh.0: Cardigans Plus Casual Jackets - Buy from Amazon
Even at his best, I can only take his humor for so long. A three-disc set is just too much.

Wagon Train - The Eighth and Final Season - Embossed Collectible Tin - Buy from Amazon
A classic Western from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s. The final season hit the home market this week and is reason for fans to be happy.

Wrong - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Written and directed by Quentin Dupieux, who previously made Rubber. This film is not as utterly bizarre, but it is still strange enough to that the reviews were a little too weak to thrive in limited release. If you like his previous work, it is worth checking out.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Oz the Great and Powerful, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Snitch, Wrong, Killing Lincoln, Tom Hanks, Sasha Alexander, Angie Harmon, Dwayne Johnson, Callie Thorne, Aaron Sorkin, Quentin Dupieux