DVD and Blu-ray Releases for August 20th, 2013

August 20, 2013

The home market is rather slow this week with Epic the only first run release of note. (Scary Movie 5 is very unnoteworthy. Fortunately, there are some good TV on DVD releases worth checking out, like Revenge: The Complete Second Season and NCIS: Season Ten. In the end, I went with Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray Combo Pack for Pick of the Week.

Alyce Kills - Buy from Amazon
I'm hoping to get this film to review. I have not heard much about it, but I'm hoping its a good psychological horror film.

Amour - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
One of the best-reviewed releases from last year. It was also an Oscar-winning movie. Unfortunately, there are not enough extras on the DVD or the Blu-ray to make it a contender for Pick of the Week.

Being Human: Season Five - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I reviewed the Canadian remake of this series earlier this year and loved it. Most people think the two versions are very close in terms of quality with some thinking the Canadian version is a little better while others think the British version is superior. Regardless, if you like one, you will very likely enjoy the other as well. If you haven't seen either but like supernatural drama, then it is worth checking out.

Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Volume Two comes out next month, so fans of Betty Boop should be very happy. However, they would have been happier with chronological order and lots of extras. Still worth picking up, but not Pick of the Week material.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Awful Dr. Orlof, The Big City (Criterion Collection), Charulata (Criterion Collection), Castle Freak, Death Hunt, Evidence, Fairy Tail: Part 6, High School DxD: The Series, Legend of the Legendary Heroes: Complete Series, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Nightmares Come at Night, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Set 2, Santana & McLaughlin: Invitation to Illumination: Live at Montreux 2011, Raymond Did It, Roadie, Unseen, and A Virgin Among The Living Dead
There are a few secondary Blu-ray releases of note, most of which are B-movie horror films or Anime releases. On a side note, Nightmares Come at Night is one of the sillier names for a horror film I've heard of.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Epic
Just the one 3D release this week, but it is a big one.

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
One of the best reviewed TV shows on cable TV at the moment. I tried to get screeners for the first two seasons, but they didn't arrive, so I have little hope for this season. It is a great show and the DVD / Blu-ray are loaded. The price-per-minute is a little high, but you get what you pay for. The Blu-ray Combo Pack is such a good value that it is a contender for Pick of the Week.

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey - Buy from Amazon
A documentary about Arnel Pineda, a YouTuber from the Philippines who used to post covers of Journey songs. He was so good that the real band hired him to be their new singer. The film earned good reviews, but not great reviews, and it struggled to find an audience in theaters. It should do better on the home market, but it won't be a big seller.

Epic - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
I'm still waiting for the screener for this one. The reviews were good and it topped $100 million at the box office, which most analysts were not expecting. Hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise when I get to review it.

The Good Wife: The Fourth Season - Buy from Amazon
This show has a loyal fanbase, but one that is small enough that it is always in danger of being canceled. It is a massive hit compared to most networks, but its ratings are barely more than half the average for CBS. Usually anything less than 80% is cause for cancellation.

Killing Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I don't know if there was a big demand to see Robert De Niro and John Travolta team up in a movie, but if there was any, they would be disappointed in this movie. No amount of extras would make this movie worth picking up, but with only a short featurette that is barely longer than the trailer, it is not even worth renting.

Mike & Molly: The Complete Third Season - Buy from Amazon
This series has earned good reviews with Melissa McCarthy winning an Emmy for her performance. It is worth picking up, but with almost no extras (a gag reel) it is not a contender for Pick of the Week.

NCIS: Season Ten - Buy from Amazon
It is very rare for a TV show to last ten seasons. It is even rarer for a film to climb into first place during its tenth season. Does its quality also rise this season? Read our review to find out.

NCIS: Los Angeles: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
I like NCIS, but this spin-off never grabbed me the way the original did. After reviewing the first three seasons, I gave up on it.

No One Lives - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A couple is kidnapped and when the woman is accidentally killed, the man is determined to make sure his kidnappers pay with their lives. It is a horror film that opened in limited release. Worse still, it earned weak reviews. There is a lengthy making of featurette, but that's not enough to overcome the reviews. I guess if you are a fan of the genre, there are worse options out there, but that's hardly high praise.

Parenthood: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
This is the second show based on Parenthood. This one is earning good reviews and it is worth checking out. However, this was a shortened season, but the price wasn't discounted to match the lower episode count.

Peter Pan: Return to Neverland - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
I reviewed this movie when it last came out on DVD, but I don't have the Blu-ray to review yet. Hopefully it will get here soon.

The Pit And The Pendulum - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
An adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story starring Lance Henriksen as Torquemada, the leader of the Spanish Inquisition, and Rona De Ricci as Maria, the woman he becomes obsessed with. It is a Full Moon film, so you know it is low budget. That said, it is better than most such films.

Pixie Hollow Games - Buy from Amazon
This TV special came out on DVD and Blu-ray as an extra for Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings. It is good, but chances are if you like the Tinker Bell franchise, you already own this.

Rapture-Palooza - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Great cast, terrible reviews, bombed in limited release. Even if you like the concept (post-Rapture comedy) there are better options out there.

Revenge: The Complete Second Season - Buy from Amazon
I wasn't able to get this screener through usual channels, but I will try to get through the Disney's Canadian PR department. I did like the first season, so it is very likely I will like this one as well, but I won't know for sure till it arrives.

Scary Movie 5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
One of the worst movies of the year. It is not just bad, but aggressively bad. Avoid at all costs.

Scooby-Doo: Stage Fright - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This franchise is decades old, but it still sells well on the home market.

Shadow Dancer - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Andrea Riseborough stars as a single mother whose brothers are involved in the IRA. She's busted and given a choice: Go to prison for 25 years or become an informant and spy on her family. The film earned excellent reviews, but it struggled to find an audience in limited release. Hopefully that will change on the home market.

Star Trek: Enterprise: Season Two - Buy from Amazon
This franchise has been around forever, but Enterprise is widely considered the low point for the TV shows. Is season two better than season one? Can it win over fans of the franchise who dismissed it the first time around? Check out our review for my opinion.

Starzinger: The Movie Collection - Buy from Amazon
Three movies based on the 1970s Japanese animation series. It has been a long time since I've seen this show, and I only vaguely remember it. I do remember liking it, so I might check out this DVD as well.


-

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Peter Pan: Return to Neverland, Scary Movie V, Epic, Amour, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, Rapture-Palooza, Killing Season, No One Lives, Shadow Dancer, Tinker Bell, Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Lance Henriksen, Melissa McCarthy, Andrea Riseborough