DVD and Blu-ray Releases for April, 13th, 2010

April 13, 2010

Another slow week when it comes to first-run releases, the biggest of which is Pirate Radio, which opened in just under 900 theaters and made just over $8 million at the box office. The only other new release of interest is Defendor, which is coming out on DVD in the States and also on Blu-ray in Canada, the latter of which is the Puck of the Week.

Alias Smith And Jones: Seasons 2 & 3! 35 color episodes! - Buy from Amazon
The final two seasons of this TV western are coming out on DVD this week. It was one of the last such shows on TV when it was canceled. (Although its run was shortened in part due to the unexpected suicide of one of the two stars.) The first season came out in 2007, so fans have been waiting a while for this show to finish its home market run.

Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death and Hannah Senesh - Buy from Amazon
A documentary about a poet turned World War II freedom fighter. Its reviews were only mixed and it struggled at the box office. The DVD has a few short deleted scenes, but that's it. Still, it is worth checking out. But for a lot of people it a rental will be enough.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Apollo 13, Defendor, Gone With the Wind, Living Landscapes: Four Seasons, Nation Geographic: Africa's Lost Eden, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Pirate Radio, and The Slammin' Salmon
One of the weakest lists of Blu-ray releases in a long, long time. The best selling Blu-ray according to Amazon.com is Apollo 13, which is a great movie, but it is also 15 years old and catalog titles rarely top the charts. The Blu-ray I'm interested in the most is Defendor, but you can only buy the Blu-ray in Canada. It only costs $21.49. That's Canadian, so it is a real good bargain and Pick of the Week material. Make that Puck of the Week, as it is Canadian.

Warning: This DVD does not come out this week and made its home market debut on the 23rd of March. However, the DVD screener arrived late, hence the delay in the review.

Ciao - Buy from Amazon
This film opened in limited release about a year and a half ago, debuting to weak reviews before fading away. Perhaps it will work better on the home market. It wouldn't be the first movie where that was true. Check out our review to see if that is the case.

Dallas: Season 13 - Buy from Amazon
Season 13 of 14. Wow. We're almost done. Since I was never a fan of the show, that is all I have to say about this DVD.

Defendor - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Buy from Amazon.ca: Blu-ray
Woody Harrelson stars as Arthur Poppington, an individual with developmental issues who at night puts on a cape and uses home made gear to battle crime as the super hero Defendor. In his attempts to track down the evil Captain Industry, he encounters and befriends a prostitute named Kat (played by an actress named Kat). It's a Canadian movie and only earned a token release in theaters on either side of the border, but it earned good reviews, especially among genre fans. It is worth checking out. As for the DVD, the extras include an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, outtakes, and nearly an hour of featurettes. Excellent for what is practically a direct-to-DVD release. Enough to make it a Pick of the Week contender. Additionally, there's a Blu-ray release that only costs 10% more, but you have to import it from Canada. It's worth it.

Dora the Explorer: Explore the Earth - Buy from Amazon
Normally I get Dora the Explorer DVDs to review, but so far this one is late. If it doesn't arrive soon, it will be too late to review it for Earth Day.

Emergency!: Season Six - Buy from Amazon
This medical trauma show ends its DVD run this week, sort of. There are still several TV movies yet to come out, but I assume they will be released sooner rather than later. Perhaps before fall, so they can have a Full Series Megaset release for this Christmas.

Gone With the Wind - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This movie was recently released on a massive collector's set, but now it is coming out on a more humble box set for those who just want the movie and documentaries and not all of the physical extras. Also coming out this week is The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind.

The Great Mouse Detective - Buy from Amazon
This film was released at arguably the lowest point of Disney's lustrous animation history. While it wasn't a big hit, it did well enough to convince the studio not to close the animation studio. So in a way, it is responsible for The Little Mermaid and the studio's resurgence. Historically it is important, but can it work on its own merits? Check out our review to find out my opinion.

Jim Henson's Animal Show With Stinky & Jake: Lions, Tigers & Bears - Buy from Amazon
A show aimed at preschoolers with the goal of teaching them about animals. In a world of CG kids shows, can one with puppets still entertain? Check out our review to find out.

Jim Henson's The Song of the Cloud Forest and Other Earth Stories - Buy from Amazon
The second Jim Henson production on this week's list, this one has an environmental theme to go with the upcoming Earth Day. It's a mixed DVD with four episodes from three different shows, so it has a variety, but does that variety help or hurt? You can read my review here to see my opinion.

Warning: This DVD does not come out this week and made its home market debut on the 23rd of March. However, the DVD screener arrived late, hence the delay in this review.

The Lair: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon
A gay vampire soap opera that takes itself far too seriously for how campy it is. That said, this camp value might be enough to recommend the DVD. You'll have to check out our review to find out.

Warning: This DVD does not come out this week and made its home market debut on the 23rd of March. However, the DVD screener arrived late, hence the delay in this review.

Life With Derek: Season Three - Buy from Amazon
A Canadian TV on DVD release. Do you know how rare that is? Hopefully more Canadian shows will get released on DVD and eventually I'll be able to buy Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy. How does Season Three compared to the first two seasons? Check out our review to find out.

Nighmare On Elm Street - Buy from Amazon
With the re-boot just a couple weeks away, the franchise is coming out on DVD this week. Also coming out this week is the first film's Blu-ray debut.

Pirate Radio, a.k.a., The Boat that Rocked - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
An amazing cast and equally impressive music was not enough to keep this film afloat at the box office. Granted, it is a rather British movie and American audiences might not care about a pirate radio station in the 1960s U.K. Also, the reviews were not that good. Still, it's worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of the music. As for the extras, the DVD has an audio commentary track and nearly an hour of deleted scenes, which is impressive given its struggles at the box office. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray has all of this, plus 20 minutes of featurettes. That's not a lot more than the DVD, and none of it pushes the technology; however, the Blu-ray only costs about 26% more than the DVD, which is an excellent deal. Word is the audio really shines in High Definition. Worth picking up and worth spending the extra money.

The Slammin' Salmon - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The latest from Broken Lizard barely earned a theatrical release. Granted, the comedy troupe was never a major box office draw, but this is still a long way down from Super Troopers. Was it deserved? Won't know till the screener arrives, but the reviews are not promising.

Tenderness - Buy from Amazon
A Russell Crowe movie practically going direct-to-DVD? I know he's had some troubles at the box office recently, but that's still shocking. Was this a mistake? Or did this film not have a chance? Check out our review to find out my opinion.

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon - Buy from Amazon
An historical epic based on the same period of Chinese history as Red Cliff. It's tough for foreign language imports to thrive here. Add in direct competition like Red Cliff and it's no surprise this film was relegated to the direct-to-DVD market. However, can it thrive there? Read our review see find my opinion.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Ciao, Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death and Hannah Senesh, The Slammin' Salmon, Tenderness, The Boat That Rocked, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, Defendor