DVD and Blu-ray Releases for April 22nd, 2014

April 22, 2014

According to Amazon, the top three best selling new releases of the week are a play, a film considered one of the biggest box office bombs of all time, and a yoga exercise DVD. Most weeks, these would be filler. This week, they are the top three releases. There's not a lot that jumps out as being worth picking up. Sorcerer's Blu-ray release will interest a lot of people, while the other two contenders for Pick of the Week are Bettie Page Reveals All on Blu-ray and Big Bad Wolves on Blu-ray. Like last week, it came down to a roll of the dice and Bettie Page Reveals All won.

Barefoot - Buy from Amazon
A remake of a German film, Barfuss, which was a hit in its native market. It wasn't a hit here. Was it unfairly overlooked? Or were moviegoers wise to stay away. Check out our review to find out.

Bettie Page Reveals All - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A documentary about Bettie Page, as told by Bettie Page herself. The film's reviews are excellent, but the film never really found an audience in theaters. The extras are really good and it is certainly worth picking up. Heck, given the really weak slate of new releases, it might even be a contender for Pick of the Week.

Big Bad Wolves - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
When a child is kidnapped and murdered, a police detective and a grieving father kidnap the main suspect and torture him for information. The film's reviews are great, but I think I requested a screener too late to get one.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Chances Are: 25th Anniversary Edition, Conspiracy Theory, Exit Wounds, Get Carter (1971 Original), Get Carter (2000 Remake), Hit the Deck, Little Busters: Collection 2, Master of the House (Criterion Collection), Seven Warriors, Riot in Cell Block 11 (Criterion Collection), Spectacular Spider-Man: Seasons One and Two, Spider-man 2, Spider-man 3, Spider-man Trilogy, Torque, and WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show
Quite a few secondary Blu-ray releases this week, including a lot of Spider-man releases.

Cloud 9 - Buy from Amazon
A Disney Channel Original Movie starring Dove Cameron, who is also in the Disney Channel TV series, Liv and Maddie. It has been a while since I reviewed any of these, but I'll see if I can get a screener.

Cottage Country - Buy from Amazon
A Canadian film about a couple who travel to their cabin, only to be interrupted by the guy's brother, whom he accidentally kills. They decide to cover up the death instead of reporting it to the police, but then they have to kill anyone else who finds out. It's a black comedy, which is a genre I like, and it has a couple actors I like, but the reviews are really weak. I'm might still pick it up, because it is my patriotic duty as a Canadian to do so.

Doctor Who: Story 41: The Web of Fear - Buy from Amazon
Late last year, four of the stories six episodes were found in Nigeria, joining part one. This leaves episode three as the only missing episode of the story. (There is audio and some stills.) For fans of the franchise, this is a must have, partially because it is a great story, but also because it was thought lost for so long.

Easy Yoga: The Secret to Strength and Balance with Peggy Cappy - Buy from Amazon
I normally don't talk about exercise DVDs, but normally exercise DVDs don't reach third place on the new releases sales chart.

Eureka Seven - Part One - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray or Blu-ray (Limited Edition)
Eureka Seven - Part Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (Movie) - Blu-ray Combo Pack
An Anime series that has more than one release in the top twenty this week. Like I have said many times in the past, Anime is a niche market and if a release does this well, it is a sign it is a slow week.

Good Witch's Garden - Buy from Amazon
A TV movie series starring Catherine Bell as Cassie Nightingale, who moves to a small town and enchants its residents, but because of her charm, not a magic spell. The franchise has lasted six installments, seven if you count the upcoming The Good Witch's Wonder, so obviously it has its fans, but I've never seen any of the movies.

Ken Burns: The Address - Buy from Amazon
It's a Ken Burns documentary, so you should know what to expect in terms of style and quality. The documentary is about a small school where each year the students are encouraged to memorize and recite the Gettysburg Address.

Lies We Tell but the Secrets We Keep - Buy from Amazon
Shot in 2011 but only getting a DVD release this week. That's not a good sign. Granted, it is a LGBT film, which is a niche market. Additionally, it is about African-American lesbians, which is an even smaller market. Most weeks it would be buried by the competition, but this isn't most weeks.

Note: This DVD made its home market debut on the 25th of February or perhaps the 25th of March. Or perhaps the 22nd of April. I'm not sure.

Monsters: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
A horror anthology from the 1988 to 1991. The DVD came out this year, but I don't know when. Amazon says the 25th of February. The fact sheet that came with the screener said the 25th of March. The e-mails I got said March 4th then March 18th. Whenever it came out, the screener arrived late. I got to it this weekend, but was it worth the wait? Read our review for my opinion.

The Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collectio - Buy from Amazon
Seven hours of shorts and extras from the famous cartoon character. Mr. Magoo isn't as well known as Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny, but he still has his fans. There are better than expected extras on this four-disc set, including audio commentaries and interviews.

Newhart: Season 3 - Buy from Amazon
One of the best shows from the 1980s. This season the show's format changed a bit and the show was less about the inn and more about townsfolk and Bob Newhart's public broadcast TV career. These changes made the show better.

The Sorcerer - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
When this movie first came out, it was a critical and financial miss. However, in the years since, more and more critics have grown to appreciate the movie. The remastered Blu-ray apparently looks great, but there are no extras on the DVD. Given the difficult production, this film could have a really good making of documentary based around it.

Tin Can Man - Buy from Amazon
An ultra-low-budget horror film from Ireland. I thought I requested a screener, but I think I spaced and forgot. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so I hope to be able to give it some extra publicity.

Tyler Perry's Madea's Neighbors From Hell - Buy from Amazon
Tyler Perry's box office drawing power is off its peak and this is a play not one of his movies. It is the best selling new release of the week, but that's more of a sign that it is a slow week than this is a big seller.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Sorcerer, Bettie Page Reveals All, Big Bad Wolves, Barefoot, Spider-Man, Catherine Bell, Bob Newhart, Tyler Perry, Ken Burns, Bettie Page