DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 30th, 2010

November 29, 2010

This is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which means it is the day after Cyber Monday and the end of the busiest gift buying weekend of the year. So it should come as no surprise that there's a bit of a lull when it comes to DVD / Blu-ray releases. In fact, the biggest selling film of the week doesn't come out till Saturday. There are still more than a few releases that are worth checking out, including this week's Pick of the Week, Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack. However, there is no real depth to this week's list and the drop from top tier to second tier is fast and steep.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Cairo Time, Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack), Going the Distance, Kill Zone, Knight and Day (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack), Knight and Day (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack), Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack), The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack), Space: 1999: Season One, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack), and Vampires Suck
Not a good week for Blu-ray releases, as the Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 release is the only one that really interests me. On the other hand, Eclipse should sell quite well on High Definition.

Cairo Time - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Despite earning excellent reviews and getting off to a fast start, this film was never able to really find an audience. It did earn more than $1 million at the box office, which is more than a lot of limited releases manage, but it deserved to do better. Perhaps it will find that audience on the home market. The DVD includes an audio commentary track and a couple featurettes, which is worth picking up, while the Blu-ray is actually cheaper on Amazon.com.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Bolt that Screwed Christmas and Samantha: An American Girl Holiday
A short list this week with only two releases, and quite frankly, I'm not 100% sure Samantha is a Christmas release.

Dancing With the Stars - Ballroom Buns & Abs and Fat Burning Cardio Dance
The first of three exercise franchises coming out this week that are featured in our latest contest

Disney Documentary Triple-Shot - Buy from Amazon: The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, Waking Sleeping Beauty, and Walt and El Grupo
Three documentaries about the history of Disney and the people who worked there. The first is on the most famous pair of composers in movie history, the second is on the rebirth of the animation studio in the mid-1990s, and the third is about the 10-week goodwill tour Walt Disney and a group of studio artists took to South America. Are any worth checking out or even picking up? Read our review to find out.

Fantasia / Fantasia 2000 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack
It has been 70 years since Fantasia first hit theaters, and while it wasn't a hit at the time, it is now considered one of the greatest movies ever made. Now it, and its belated sequel, Fantasia 2000, are making their debuts on High Definition. Will Fantasia shine on High Definition despite its age? And will the DVD and / or Blu-ray be worth picking up? Check out out review to find out.

Going the Distance - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack
Despite earning respectable reviews, this film went nowhere at the box office. In fact, it barely topped the Mendoza Line during its opening weekend. The studio didn't skimp on the extras and there's an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, alternative lines, couple featurettes, etc. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre, while if you are interested in buying, the Blu-ray is the better deal.

Have Gun Will Travel: Season Five, Volume One - Buy from Amazon
Still waiting on the screener for this one.

Iron Man: Extremis - Buy from Amazon
The latest Motion Comic from Marvel. Its is better than the previous release? Check out our review for my opinion.

Jane Fonda Prime Time - Buy from Amazon: Fit & Strong and Walkout
I can't believe Jane Fonda is more than 70 years old. I hope I look that good when I'm 70. ... actually that would be weird, cause I'm a guy. Anyhoo... if you are interested in these DVDs, check out our latest contest.

Jillian Michaels: 6 Week Six-Pack - Buy from Amazon
How slow is it on the home market this week? According to Amazon.com, this exercise DVD has been battling for a spot in the top ten all week, and four of the releases above it are for the same film. On a side note, if you are interested in this release, check out our latest contest.

Knight and Day - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack, or Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack
Knight and Day is a movie that just... exists. Its reviews are hardly bad, but they certainly are not good enough to be a selling point. The main complaint is how formulaic it is and that means it lacks any real replay value. Its box office performance was weak domestically, but worldwide it made enough to not cost the studio money. Finally, the DVD and the Blu-ray have a few extras on them, but they are mostly featurettes and there's no audio commentary track or anything that pushes the technology. It's soo middle of the road that it adds up to a solid rental, but that's it.

Looney Tunes Super Stars - Buy from Amazon: Foghorn Leghorn Friends and Tweety & Sylvester
Please put out chronological collections. Absolutely don't put out a DVD full of double-dips, which is what Tweety & Sylvester is, unless it is in chronological order.

The Lucy Show: Official Third Season - Buy from Amazon
One of a handful of releases that I may or may not be getter a screener for. Given the changes that happened with the show this season, there would be quite a bit to talk about.

Parks and Recreation: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
The first full season of the show earned better reviews than the first season, which ran just six episodes. And it's not like the first season earned bad reviews, it was just that some complained it was too similar to The Office. Not only did it really hit its stride this season, the extras on the four-disc set are impressive with audio commentaries on six episodes, enough deleted scenes to create several episodes, outtakes, interviews, etc. Absolutely worth picking up if you are a fan of the show, and if you weren't exactly sold on season one, give it another try.

Note: This DVD made its home market debut on the 9th.

Ramona and Beezus - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack
This film earned better than expected reviews, but underperformed at the box office. So is it an undiscovered gem, or were moviegoers right to stay away? Read our review to find out.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack, or Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy Combo Pack
It was a schizophrenic year for Disney with the release of two $1 billion movies, but they also released miss after miss. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was one of their more expensive bombs, costing over $200 million to make and advertise, but earning just $63 million domestically. Was it as bad as its box office performance would indicate? Read our review for my opinion.

A Touch of Frost: Season 15 - Buy from Amazon
Great show, but this season was one two-part episode, so you are paying $21.99 for just under three hours. Even a lot of first run movies have a better price-per-minute than that.

TV Series Megaset - Buy from Amazon: Soldiers of Fortune
Only one release on this week's list, and it only ran two seasons, so it is not as big as the usual Full Series Megaset is.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Two-Disc DVD, Blu-ray: Movie Only Edition, Blu-ray / DVD Combo
Right now according to Amazon.com, the top three releases and four of the top six releases are for Eclipse. It is obviously the most popular DVD / Blu-ray coming out this week, but not the best. It's not the worst either. It's solidly average. On a side note, the Blu-ray: Movie Only Edition is just that, the movie only without any extras. If you want extras on High Definition, you will have to pay the extra $5 for the Blu-ray / DVD Combo, but that's not a bad deal, if you are a fan of the movie.

Vampires Suck - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Meet the Fockers, Meet the Parents, Fantasia, , Fantasia 2000, The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, Walt and El Grupo, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ramona and Beezus, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Going the Distance, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday, Knight and Day, Waking Sleeping Beauty, Cairo Time, Vampires Suck