April 25th, 2017
We are entering the worst time of year for the home market. The number of Oscar contenders have nearly dried up and there are more bombs than box office hits. As for the best of the new releases, The Criterion Collection release for Tampopo is the best and the only real choice for Pick of the Week. Meanwhile, the Mean Dreams DVD earns Puck of the Week, for the best Canadian release of the week.
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March 17th, 2017
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Beauty and the Beast scared away most of the wide-release competition and there are not many limited releases either this weekend. T2: Trainspotting is by far the biggest in terms of buzz. We also have a few like Mean Dreams, which have good reviews, but are playing on VOD. Or foreign-language films like Frantz.
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December 5th, 2016
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There are a few releases on this week’s list that are worth picking up. The Secret Life of Pets is by far the biggest release of the week. That said, Don’t Think Twice is the best and the Blu-ray is our Pick of the Week.
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October 7th, 2016
It is both a great week for limited releases and a terrible one. While there are a number of fantastic films, like Under the Shadow for example, there are very few that have a legitimate shot at box office success. The usual reason for this is Video on Demand. Voyage of Time will likely be the biggest hit on this week’s list, but as an IMAX film, it will likely be in theaters for years.
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March 25th, 2014
It is a good, but very shallow week on the home market. The Wolf of Wall Street is leading the pack, with the Blu-ray Combo Pack earning first place and DVD earning second. This is a $100 million hit and a multi-Oscar nominee, so it is not surprising it is earning the top two spots. On the other hand, third place currently belongs to Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action! on DVD. That's a real sign that it is a shallow week. That's not to say some of the smaller releases are not worth picking up. Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXIX is certainly a contender for Pick of the Week, but in the end I went with The Wolf of Wall Street. On a side note, Continuum: Season 2 on Blu-ray earned the Puck of the Week, for Best Canadian Release.
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March 23rd, 2014
I don't think it is unfair to call The Book Thief Oscar-bait. It's a costume drama that deals with the Holocaust, albeit indirectly. Unfortunately, its reviews were mixed, to be kind, so becoming an Awards Season player was out of the question. It did pick up a few nominations here and there, mostly for the score, but also a few for Sophie Nelisse's performance. In the end, it earned more than $20 million, which is amazing for a film that started in limited release. So were critics right in giving the film mixed reviews? Or is there a reason so many people saw it in theaters?
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March 10th, 2014
If you look over at Amazon.com, the best-selling new release of the week is The Book Thief. This film made just over $20 million at the box office, which is amazing for a limited release. However, it is still a limited release on top of the new releases. That tells you how slow this week is on the home market. Fortunately, last Friday The Hunger Games: Catching Fire came out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and I'm including it on this week's list as well. There are a number of other releases that are worth picking up, including The Patience Stone on DVD, In Fear on DVD, and Inside Llewyn Davis on Blu-ray. However, while there is some competition, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Blu-ray Combo Pack is the Pick of the Week.
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November 8th, 2013
There are quite a few limited releases on this week's list, including several that have earned more pre-release buzz that most limited releases earn. However, many of these films' reviews are good, but not great. The Book Thief is one such film, but it could still find an audience in limited release, although its plans to expand wide are very unlikely to happen. How I Live Now and Great Expectations are in similar positions.
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