DVD and Blu-ray Releases for July 16th, 2013
July 14, 2013
It's not a bad week on the home market with a couple first-run releases that are worth picking up. 42 earned great reviews, but the DVD and the Blu-ray Combo Pack don't have enough extras to lift to to the Pick of the Week contender. Evil Dead does have a lot better extras on the DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack, but the reviews were only good and not great. This leaves Regular Show: Season 1 & Season 2 on DVD or Blu-ray as the Pick of the Week. If you like Adventure Time or Gravity Falls, then you will likely enjoy this show as well. One final note, Orphan Black: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray is absolutely worth picking up and is worthy of Puck of the Week, for best Canadian released.
42 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Alphas: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
Bert Stern: Original Mad Man - Buy from Amazon
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Arlington Road, Black Sabbath, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Heavy Traffic, Kidnapped, Lord of the Flies (Criterion Collection), and Rick Springfield: An Affair of the Heart
Bullet to the Head - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Damages: The Complete Fifth Season - Buy from Amazon
Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 1-4 - Buy from Amazon
Erased - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Evil Dead - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season - Buy from Amazon
George Lopez: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon
Hell on Wheels: The Complete Second Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Liberty's Kids - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
Masterpiece Mystery: Endeavour: Series 1 - DVD or Blu-ray
Naruto Shippuden: Set 15 - Buy from Amazon
Orphan Black: Season One - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Regular Show: Season 1 & Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Solomon Kane - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Sweeter Side of Life - Buy from Amazon
The Virginian: Season Eight (Final Season) - Buy from Amazon
WWE: Payback 2013 - Buy from Amazon
Young Justice: Game of Illusions: Season 2, Part 2 - Buy from Amazon
A biopic of Jackie Robinson starring Chadwick Boseman. The film earned great reviews and pulled in nearly $100 million, which is fantastic for a spring release. Unfortunately, the extras are not strong. The DVD has one making of featurette, while Blu-ray has an additional making of featurette and a look back at the career and legacy of Jackie Robinson. The Blu-ray is worth picking up, but it is not a contender for Pick of the Week.
A TV series about a group of people with super powers, Alphas, who try and protect the world from other Alphas who use their powers for evil. It is not a bad show, but it is not an original show either.
A documentary about Bert Stern, who was one of the most sought after ad men in the 1960s. The film's reviews were mixed, while it bombed in theaters. That said, perhaps it is worth a rental on the home market.
Not a lot of secondary releases this week. Lord of the Flies is the best, but Black Sabbath and Heavy Traffic have cult appeal. There are also several films being re-released with 4k transfers, but unless your TV is 60" or more, you likely won't notice the difference.
One of the worst bombs of the year, earning less than $14 million worldwide on a budget of $55 million. To put this into perspective, had it opened with $14 million, it would have likely still failed to break even. Unsurprisingly, there are hardly any extras on the Blu-ray combo pack, just a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Sadly, this is the final season to this show. It earned good reviews from the start, and more than a few Awards Season accolades, but it really struggled to maintain its audience and it was clear the end was near for the past few seasons. It is definitely worth buying if you have purchased the previous seasons. And if you haven't, check out Season One. It's just $13 at the moment.
It's a best of collection. If you haven't seen the show, or were introduced to the show with the reboot, it's a good way to get to know the earlier doctors. However, if you are a fan, it is likely you already have these episodes on DVD.
This film earned very weak reviews and went nowhere at the box office, although it was a video-on-demand premiere, so that explains that. There are almost no extras on the DVD or Blu-ray, so unless you are a really big fan of the cast or of political thrillers, it is probably safe to skip this one.
A lot of people were panicking over this movie. Most thought it would be terrible compared to the original film, The Evil Dead. That concern turned out to be misplaced, for the most part. The remake earned good reviews, but not great reviews, and it did well at the box office, given its production budget. The extras are good with an audio commentary track and a quartet of featurettes. Easily worth picking up for fans of the genre, but not quite Pick of the Week material.
I'm still waiting for the screener for this release. I did like the first season, for the most part, while you can enter our latest contest for a chance to win this season.
The third of six seasons for this show. It was never a ratings powerhouse, nor did it win over many critics, but it had enough fans to last six years, which is much better than most shows manage.
A summer series about the building of the railroad and the corruption and crime that went with that. The reviews are good, but not great. The extras are good with several making of featurettes and if you are a fan, it is worth picking up.
According to Amazon.com, this is the best selling new release of the week. Really? I think that's a mistake.
A prequel to Inspector Morse. The price-per-minute is high, but not outrageously so, and on par with most British Imports. The Blu-ray is quite a bit more than the DVD, on the other hand.
The final season of Grampa Simpson's favorite TV show comes out on the home market this week. The last couple seasons of the show were weaker than its peak years, but has it fallen so far that it is no longer worth picking up? Read our review to find out.
According to Amazon.com, this film is in 13th place on the list of best selling new releases. That's a sign it is a slow week.
A Canadian Sci-fi / mystery TV show about a con woman who sees another lady commit suicide. The pair look so much alike they could be twins, so the con artist decides to steal the dead woman's identity. However, they are not twins, but clones. It has earned very good reviews, while its star, Tatiana Maslany, won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama. Extras are a little weak with a couple featurettes and an interview, but it is still worth picking up.
A huge hit on the Cartoon Network, it focuses on two slackers working in a park, or to be more accurate, trying not to work in the park. The reviews are very strong with a lot of crossover appeal with adults. The DVD and Blu-ray are loaded with extras, including audio commentary tracks on all 40 episodes, making of featurettes, animatics for a couple of episodes, interviews, music videos, and more. Easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.
This film was made in 2008 and only earned a release this year. The film's reviews are good, while the cast is decent, so it is a little disappointing it didn't earn a wider release. Extras are fine (making of featurette, interviews, deleted scenes, etc.) and it is worth picking up.
Kathryn Morris stars as a trophy wife who is divorced and has to move back with her father. She then helps him turn around his struggling bakery. Its reviews are mixed, but that's better than most Hallmark Channel Original movies.
The final season of this 1960s Western comes out this week. The price-per-minute is lower than you would think at first, because back in the 1960s, each season had more episodes and each episode was longer. (There were fewer commercial breaks back then.) If you have been collecting the series, there's no reason to stop now.
As with all WWE releases, I have no idea what it is like, because I don't pay attention to the WWE. That said, these usually sell very well.
D.C. Comics dominates Marvel when it comes to TV shows. I would prefer full-season sets, but the price-per-minute isn't bad.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Solomon Kane, Evil Dead, Bullet to the Head, 42, Erased, Bert Stern: Original Mad Man, Kathryn Morris, Tatiana Maslany, Chadwick Boseman, Bert Stern