DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 29th, 2011

November 29, 2011

It's another relatively slow week on the home market. The two biggest release of the week don't come out till Friday, while there are few other releases to pick up the slack. As for the search for best and not necessarily the biggest, there are a few contenders. Cave of Forgotten Dreams earned Oscar-worthy reviews and the 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack is a clear contender for Pick of the Week. But in the end I went with Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on DVD or Blu-ray.

30 Minutes or Less - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film had an impressive amount of talent on both sides of the camera and there were many who thought it could be a late summer hit. However, its reviews were mixed and it failed to reach its potential. There are plenty of extras on the DVD and some exclusives on the Blu-ray. Call it a solid rental, leaning toward a purchase, if you are a fan of some of the actors and / or the director.

30 Rock: Season Five - Buy from Amazon
I was kind of hoping the screener would get to the me for this release, but that seems unlikely now. It is one of the best shows on network TV and NBC must be itching to get it back on the air. (Season six was delayed because Tina Fey was pregnant.) Their ratings as a whole have been terrible this year.

Adele: Live At The Royal Albert Hall - Buy from Amazon: DVD / CD or Blu-ray / CD
It's rare for a concert DVD or Blu-ray to do well on the sales chart. However, according to Amazon.com, both formats are in the top five. That's impressive and, given Adele's talent, absolutely deserved.

Another Earth - Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack - Buy from Amazon
A science fiction film that was more concerned with characters than special effects. Was this a wise choice? Or does its Indie roots sink it? Check out our review for my opinion.

Art of Getting By - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
First time writer / director Gavin Wiesen assembled an impressive cast. But was he also able to give them strong material? Read our review to find out.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Chaos; Head: The Complete Series, Horror Express, Kylie Minogue: Aphrodite Les Folies - Live in London, The Rolling Stone: Some Girls: Live in Texas, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Yu Yu Hakusho: Season Four, and Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City
Outside of the first run Blu-rays or the ones I reviewed, there's not much to talk about. Horror Express is the one I'm most interested in on the secondary list, but there are also a few Asian imports that are intriguing.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Cave of Forgotten Dreams and The Smurfs
Just the two releases on this week's list, and the former is clearly the better choice over the latter.

Care Bears: Super Cuddly Collection - Buy from Amazon
Six Care Bears DVDs for just $20. That's a great deal. And shortly it will be featured as part of our weekly box office prediction contest.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Buy from Amazon: DVD or 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack
A 3D documentary. That's a bit unusual. Then again, so is Werner Herzog. The film's reviews are Oscar-worthy, while visually it is worth seeing in High Definition.

Chillerama - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Horror anthology films tend to be hit and miss. Is the hit to miss ratio here high enough that it is worth checking out? Perhaps even worth buying? Read our review for my opinion.

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Big Big Collection - Buy from Amazon
Six DVDs for less than $30. If your kids are fans of the show, this is absolutely worth picking up, even if you already have a couple of the DVDs.

Complete Series Megasets - Buy from Amazon: The Girls Next Door and Smallville
Just the two Megasets on this week's list and the latter is clearly the better deal over the former.

Dinosaur Train: T.rex Tales - Buy from Amazon
One of the best educational shows aimed at kids. So what dinosaurs do we learn about this time around? Check out our review to find out.

Friends with Benefits - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film earned very good reviews and became a solid midlevel hit matching expectations perfectly. The DVD has an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, and outtakes. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray has a pop-up trivia track, making of featurette, and more. It does cost nearly 50% more, but it also comes with the DVD, so it is a reasonable price. One last note, it doesn't come out till Friday.

From Dusk Till Dawn Trilogy Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The first film was a midlevel hit in theaters but developed a strong following on the home market. However, the other two films were direct-to-DVD releases. Is there enough combined entertainment value to life the Blu-ray to the purchase level? Check out our review for my opinion.

The Future - Buy from Amazon
Miranda July's sophomore effort. Is it a step back? Or will the film help build her audience? Read our review for my opinion.

Hot in Cleveland: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
Still waiting for the screener for this DVD.

Jack Chan 4-Movie Collection - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
Four films on one Blu-ray disc at a low, low price. But is it worth picking up? Or is the price the only selling point? Check out our review to find out.

Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season - Buy from Amazon
I might be getting this screener later. I'm not sure how this show compared to the original or the movies.

Needle - Buy from Amazon
A low budget horror import from Australia. How well do they do horror down under? Check out our review to find out.

One Day - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film had some good advanced buzz, but the reviews were weak and it struggled to try and match its low production budget. The extras are below average for a wide release, so it is only worth a rental if you are a fan of the two stars or of the original book.

Our Idiot Brother - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film has buckets of talent on both sides of the camera. Can it live up to its super high potential? And if it misses that mark, can it still be worth checking out? Read our review for my opinion.

Raymond Did It - Buy from Amazon
I thought this film was coming out this week, but apparently it made its debut last week. It's a very good low budget slasher and I hope to get a screener for the DVD.

Seven Days In Utopia - Buy from Amazon
This movie is aimed squarely at Churchgoers and one look at its reviews shows it has zero crossover appeal.

The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon
I thought for sure this TV show was already released on DVD. Maybe I got confused between The Bionic Woman releases and the Time Life Megaset, both of which have been previously released.

Smallville: Season Ten - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This TV show lasted a decade on the air and was based on one of the most popular comic books of all time. There's little that needs to be said at this point. People who have been collecting the show since it first hit the home market will certainly want to complete their collection. Also coming out this week is Compete Series Megaset, but it is only coming out on DVD.

The Smurfs - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack
A family film based on the popular cartoon from the 1980s. The film is aimed at the same target audience as Alvin and The Chipmunks. It earned reviews that were on par with those films and became a massive hit, especially internationally. It doesn't come out till Friday, but quite frankly, while kids might like it, there are far better options out there.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Horror comedies are one of the hardest genres to get right. Was this film one of the rare exceptions. Or was it one of the vast numbers of misses? Read our review to find out.

VH1 Storytellers: Dixie Chicks - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Dixie Chicks are one of the most popular country artists over the past 13 years or so. They have also have a few controversies and they have more than a few stories worth listening to.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Smurfs, One Day, 30 Minutes or Less, Friends with Benefits, The Art of Getting By, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Our Idiot Brother, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Raymond Did It, Another Earth, The Future, Seven Days In Utopia, Chillerama