DVD and Blu-ray Releases for August 14th, 2012

August 14, 2012

It is an amazing week on the home market, almost. One of the biggest films of all time comes out on DVD and Blu-ray this week; however, fans of The Hunger Games will have to wait till a minute after midnight on Saturday morning to get a hold of the film. I hope my screener will arrive before then. As for releases coming out this Tuesday, there are some that should sell well, but for Pick of the Week, I think Jaws' Blu-ray debut it a top contender. The Hunger Games is also a contender for Pick of the Week. I'm going with Jaws, but it is a close race.

Assassin's Bullet - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Does Christian Slater owe the IRS a lot of money? He has been making a lot of movies lately, most of them have been terrible. These are clearly Paycheck movies.

Astonishing X-Men: Torn - Buy from Amazon
The third of four motion comics created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. I loved the first two, but will it continue its strong run? Or have expectations grown too high? Read our review to find out.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Breathless, Cradle 2 the Grave, Death Wish II, Death Wish III, Death Wish IV, Fallen, Father's Day, Korczak: Kino Classics Remastered Edition, The Life and Death of a Porno Gang, A Man Apart, La Promesse (Criterion Collection), New Jack City, Romeo Must Die, The Royal Tenenbaums (Criterion Collection), and Shaft
There are not a lot of secondary releases of interest this week. The Royal Tenenbaums is the only one I really want to add to my collection.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Titanic: 100 Years in 3D
Only one 3D release this week, and it is edutainment.

Community: Season Three - Buy from Amazon
This show has earned a lot of praise, but its ratings have never been great. Then again, NBC has been really weak in the ratings for a while. Are the critics correct? Or is there a reason it is suffering in the ratings? Won't know till the screener arrives.

Dalziel & Pascoe: Season Six - Buy from Amazon
A British police procedural show. It is better described as four 90-minute TV movies than a TV series, otherwise the price-per-minute is way too high. It is a high quality show and if you are used to the high price for British imports, it's worth picking up.

Dexter: Season Six - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Buy from Amazon
This show has been an Awards Season favorite since the beginning of its run. However, last year instead of picking up several nominations, it only earned one, which was by far the lowest in its six-year run. Did its quality really drop this far? If so, is it still worth checking out? Read our review for my opinion.

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 51: Spearhead from Space (Special Edition) and Story 155: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
Two more Doctor Who stories are coming out this week, including one double-dip. Spearhead from Space is the first story with Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor and most fans really like the story. Because it introduces a lot of new things, it is not quite as polished as it becomes later on, but it is still very good. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is not quite as good with some people loving it and just and many hating it. As always, the extras on these DVDs are great.

The Fresh Beat Band: The Wizard of Song - Buy from Amazon
This is the first DVD from The Fresh Beat Band I've reviewed. How does it compare to other DVD releases aimed at the same age range? Check out our review to find out.

Glee: Season Three - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This show was an instant hit with viewers and critics. However, during its third season, it lost a lot of its audience. Granted, audiences overall have shrunk in recent years, but was this decrease the result of lower quality? Read our review to find out.

Godzilla Vs. Megalon - Buy from Amazon
This DVD is really high up on the Amazon.com sales chart I think that says more about the lack of depth than it does about the strength of this DVD. Granted, Godzilla is a massively popular movie monster, but not a top 30 seller.

Gruffalo: The Gruffalo's Child - Buy from Amazon
A short film based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, who also wrote The Gruffalo. Both earned excellent reviews and while the animated film is not feature-length, the DVDs are very inexpensive.

Happy Endings: Seasons 1 & 2 - Buy from Amazon
Just the first two seasons, which have been previously released, in one set. It is an excellent price if you missed it before, but there is absolutely no reason to buy it again if you haven't.

Hick - Buy from Amazon
This film reminds me of Jolene. They are both coming of age stories about women on the road. They both star actors that are among a select group that I think instantly make a movie more interesting by being in it. And they are both about characters who repeatedly make stupid decisions. How long can you watch that before you give up on the movie? According to all of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, not very long. Chloe Moretz did earn praise for her performance in this film, just as Jessica Chastain was praised for her performance in Jolene. However, even if you are a fan of the young star, there are much better options out there. Hell, they were both in Texas Killing Fields, which is a better movie.

The Hunger Games - Buy from Amazon: DVD and Blu-ray
This film was expected to be a big hit, but almost no one was expecting it to be this big. $400 million was a pipe dream, but it got there. Did it deserve this massive success? Or was it a beneficiary of huge hype and a total lack of top-tier competition. Won't know till the screener arrives. It has till Saturday at one minute after midnight to arrive before it is officially late.

Jaws - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
One of the very first reviews I wrote. The question is not, "Is this film worth owning?" It absolutely is. The real question is how well does it look and sound on Blu-ray? So it is worth the upgrade? Check out our review to find out.

Jay & Silent Bob Get Old:Tea Bagging In The UK - Buy from Amazon
Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith travel to the U.K. to do three live shows where they tell stories and interact with the crowd. If you've seen the Evening With Kevin Smith films, you know what to expect here.

Juan of the Dead - Buy from Amazon
I might get a copy of this film. It is a low-budget Mexploitation Zombie movie. It's reviews are good, but not great. It is a niche market film, and I think I might be in that niche.

Judge John Deed: Season Six - Buy from Amazon
A British courtroom drama that ended in its run in 2007. The show earned excellent reviews, but like most British imports, it is expensive on a price-per-minute basis.

Kill List - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned a lot of buzz compared to most limited releases, but only managed a soft opening before completely disappearing a few weeks later. Did it deserve better? Or was the film all hype? Read our review for my opinion.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - Buy from Amazon
An Oscar-nominated documentary about three kids who were falsely convicted. It has very few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they are 100% positive. It is absolutely worth picking up.

Power Rangers: Super Samurai - Buy from Amazon: Super Powered Black Box and Super Showdown
The latest installment is the Power Rangers franchise starts its second season on DVD this week. Will fans of the show want to check it out? Or does it fail to live up to its predecessors? Read our review for my opinion.

The Raid Redemption - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
When you think limited releases, you generally don't think about martial arts movies. However, this film earned excellent reviews and topped $4 million during its theatrical run. It peaked at 11th place on the box office chart. The DVD and the Blu-ray are loaded with extras and either one is worth picking up. The Blu-ray has no additional extras, but it costs just 20% more, so it is clearly the better deal.

Stallone: 3-Film Collector's Set - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A bargain 3-Movie collection coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. Is it worth picking up? Or is there not enough bang for your buck? Read our review to find out.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season Ten - Buy from Amazon
The end of the original Turtles cartoon hits the home market. Did it end on a high note, or did it fade away? Check out our review to find out.

Titanic: 100 Years in 3D - 3D Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The Titanic is the most explored sunken boat around. Can this 45-minute TV special add anything new to the previous knowledge? Does the 3D add anything of value? Or is it merely a gimmick? Check out our review for my opinion.

Vegas: Season Three, Volume Two - Buy from Amazon
A fun and not too serious Private Eye show from the 1970s. I've reviewed the show a couple times, but while it is entertaining, the replay value generally isn't very high.

Veggie Tales: The Penniless Princess - Buy from Amazon
A very funny kids show that imparts a Christian message while helping children get their recommended dosage of silly songs from a talking cucumber.

WWE: Money in the Bank - Buy from Amazon
I'm not a fan of the WWE, but the DVDs do tend to sell rather well.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Jaws, Romeo Must Die, The Royal Tenenbaums, New Jack City, Cradle 2 the Grave, A Man Apart, Death Wish 3, Death Wish II, Shaft, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, La Promesse, Fallen, The Hunger Games, Hick, Kill List, Serbuan maut, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Assassin’s Bullet, Korczak