DVD and Blu-ray Releases for June 12th, 2012

June 11, 2012

It's another strong week at the home market, at least for this time of year. Usually at this time of year we are dealing with January and February releases, which tend to be rather bad and are rarely big hits at the box office. However, we have the last of the winter blockbusters coming out this Tuesday. The Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Blu-ray Combo Pack will be the best selling release of the week, and good enough to buy, but it is not Pick of the Week material. There were a couple others that came close, like Too Big to Fail on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and In Darkness on DVD or Blu-ray. In the end, I went with Shallow Grave's Criterion Collection Blu-ray as the pick of the week, although Harold and Maude's Criterion Collection Blu-ray and Gold Rush's Criterion Collection Blu-ray are really close behind.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Accident, Chicago: Live in Chicago, The Dark Crystal / Labyrinth, Demoted, Fate / Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works, The Gold Rush (Criterion Collection), Harold and Maude (Criterion Collection), Monster Brawl, Red Scorpion, Shallow Grave (Criterion Collection), Spider-man, Spider-man 2, and Spider-man 3
An excellent collection of secondary Blu-ray releases this week. Having three Criterion Collection releases tends to improve the average.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Earth 3D and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Only two 3D releases this week, and the only major release was a box office disappointment, so I don't think it will be much of a factor on the home market.

Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 48 - The Seeds Of Death (Special Edition) and Story 134 - Resurrection Of The Daleks (Special Edition)
Two stories from the longest running Sci-fi show of all time hit the home market, again, sort of. The Seeds Of Death is new to the United States and worth adding to your collection. Resurrection Of The Daleks includes both the original version of the story and the story as originally shown on TV. There are also a ton of new extras, so it is worth the upgrade. Also coming out this week is Sarah Jane Adventures: Season Five. The Doctor Who spin-off is aimed at younger kids, but even adult fans of the show should find something to appreciate here.

Entourage: The Eighth and Final Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This show started out really well, but for the past few seasons it hasn't been very good. If you bought season seven, there's no real reason to not grab season eight. However, I suspect a lot of fans had given up by season four or so.

Episodes: Season One - Buy from Amazon
A TV show about a British TV show being remade for an American audience. The show has a mixture of British and American humor, but will this work out? Or are the two styles of humor too different? Check out our review to find out.

GCB: Season One - Buy from Amazon
GCB stands for Good Christian Bitches. It was a mid-season replacement and while its ratings wasn't bad, it was still canceled. (It had the best ratings out of all of the shows ABC canceled this year.) If you liked the show and really want to see it again that's fine, but I can't really recommend a short-lived show, because do you really want to watch a few episodes only to have the show end before the main plot threads are dealt with?

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 3D Blu-ray
A lot of people wondered why this movie was made. There are two reasons. Firstly, Ghost Rider made more than $100 million domestically and nearly $250 million worldwide. Add in DVD and Blu-ray sales, TV rights, etc, and the film made a very healthy profit. Secondly, Disney owns Marvel now, so if studios don't made movies about the Marvel intellectual properties they own every few years, then the movie rights will revert back to Marvel / Disney. Ghost Rider might not be a hot property at the moment, but a Ghost Rider / Punisher crossover might revive both franchises. As for this film, it was less successful, both at the box office and with critics. Predictable and dull are the two words most associated with the film. The DVD only has some deleted scenes, which is terrible for a first-run. The Blu-ray has some impressive exclusives, including a Director's Expanded Video Commentary and a feature-length making of documentary, while the 3D Blu-ray has Riding Into Another Dimension. However, given the reviews, unless you are a fan of Nicolas Cage's bad movies, it's best avoided.

Note: This DVD made its home market debut on the 20th of March.

Jane By Design: Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon
Erica Dasher stars as Jane Quimby, a high school student who applies for an internship at a fashion house only to be mistakenly hired as the personal assistant for the demanding Gray Chandler Murray. Now she has to balance her school life and her work life without letting the two worlds collide. Does it work out? Or is the premise too weak to sustain a series? Read our review for my opinion.

In Darkness - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned outstanding reviews and even picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The extras on the DVD and Blu-ray are on par with most foreign language films and include two interview featurettes, but that's it. Worth picking up for sure, but with more extras, it could have been the Pick of the Week.

A Little-Bit-of-Heaven - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned 4% positive reviews. Even if you are a fan of the cast and the genre, there are still better options out there.

Meatballs - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I only have the vaguest recollection of this movie. I remember a scene with Bill Murray encouraging one of his campers to win a pie eating contest. And that's about it. The reviews are good and the Blu-ray only costs $8, so it should be worth picking up. However, I have to wait till the screener arrives before I can be sure.

Miss Minoes - Buy from Amazon
Carice van Houten stars as the titular Miss Minoes, a common cat who is turned into a person. She can still communicate with other cats and uses this power to help her new human friends. It's a good kids movie, but not a great one, and hopefully it will do better on the home market than it did in theaters.

Missing: Season One - Buy from Amazon
Ashley Judd stars as an ex-CIA agent looking for her missing son. The reviews are mixed and the show wasn't renewed after its 10-episode run. If you haven't seen it already, there's no reason to start now.

Scandal: Season One - Buy from Amazon
Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope, a woman who runs a crisis management service that helps the rich and powerful deal with scandals. The show has earned mostly good reviews, but few great reviews. It did well enough with viewers to warrant a second season after debuting as a mid-season replacement this past April. Unfortunately, the price-per-minute is really high, as the show's first season was just seven episodes long.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Buy from Amazon: DVD. Blu-ray, or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film earned good reviews and earned more than $500 million worldwide; however the home market releases are rather weak. The DVD only has a seven-part making of featurette, while the Blu-ray uses that as part of the Picture-in-Picture track. It also as a movie app, so you can watch the movie and pay attention to clues on you mobile device. It's worth picking up, but if it had better extras, it could have been a contender for pick of the week.

Superman vs. The Elite - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Over the past decade, Warner Bros. hasn't been able do a damn thing with their D.C. Comics properties when it comes to movies, except for Batman, of course. However, they have made a lot of fans with their direct-to-DVD releases. Superman vs. The Elite deals with a new group of vigilantes who are more willing to deal with threats in a permanent way. The population love them and cheer when they kill criminals, which makes Superman wonder if his capture only policy is outdated in this world. The Blu-ray has plenty of extras, including an audio commentary track, making of featurettes, and bonus episodes of Superman: The Animated Series. It is certainly worth picking up.

Thin Ice - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned good reviews, but not great reviews, while it opened in too many theaters for a limited release and its per theater average was weak. I suspect it will perform better on the home market, even if it is not a massive hit. Extras include some deleted scenes and a pair of featurettes, which is enough for a purchase.

Tosh.0: Hoodies - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Stand-up comic Daniel Tosh gives his commentary to many viral videos, as well as tweets and craiglist ads. Can this concept work for a TV show? Or will this style of humor fizzle over 22 minutes? Check out our review for my opinion.

Too Big to Fail - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
A TV movie about the recent economic collapse, which is bound to get worse. That's the economic collapse, not the movie. The movie actually earned great reviews and picked up eleven Emmy nominations. It wasn't able to convert any of them into wins, on the other hand. Extras include a making of featurette, a timeline of the crash, and a short promo. It's absolutely worth picking up, but it is not quite Pick of the Week material.

The Tribe: Series 1, Part 2 - Buy from Amazon
A epidemic has killed all the adults leaving just the kids behind. The show lasted five seasons and 260 episodes, so splitting each season into two parts makes a lot of sense. The show was made in New Zealand and was a British co-production. It has a serious cult following, but it has also earned its fair share of negative reviews. (It's low budget, the plots are simple and repetitive, etc.) If you were a big fan of the show when it first came out in 1999, it might be worth revisiting, while if you have a pre-teen / early teen it might also be worth checking out.

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds - Buy from Amazom: DVD or Blu-ray
It's a Tyler Perry movie. You know what to expect in terms of reviews and you have likely already decided if you want to see the movie or not. There are only a couple of featurettes on DVD and the Blu-ray, so even if you are interested in it there's not a lot of value in buying over renting. Also coming out this week is Aunt Bam's Place, which is the latest Tyler Perry play to get a DVD release.

Note: This Blu-ray made its home market debut on the 5th.

The Yankles - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A film about an Orthodox Jewish baseball team who needs a little miracle to win. So they hire a burned out former major league player who is working off the community service from his latest DUI arrest. Is it a good movie? Or does it borrow too many clichés from the inspirational sports movie / culture clash movie genres? Read our review to find out.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Meatballs, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Red Scorpion, Shallow Grave, Thin Ice, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, A Little Bit of Heaven, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Miss Minoes, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, In Darkness, The Yankles