DVD and Blu-ray Releases for June 8th, 2010

June 8, 2010

This time of year is normally very slow at the home market. It's too late for the last of the winter blockbusters to find their way onto DVD, while it is too early for the flood of TV on DVD releases coming out to promote the upcoming season. However, thanks to a better than expected spring at the box office, we have another strong week at the top. The best-selling release is Shutter Island. While that movie is good enough to be worth picking up on its own, the DVD and Blu-ray are weak enough to prevent it from being the Pick of the Week. To find the Pick of the Week we have to go a little further down the sales list till we get to Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy on Blu-ray from Amazon and Animation Express on Blu-ray.

The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It - Buy from Amazon
A parody of the Judd Apatow style of comedy, but in the same vein as the Movie series of parodies (Date Movie, Disaster Movie, etc.). I've only seen a couple reviews online, but they are almost all negative. Aggressively negative.

180 Degrees South - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Part documentary / part Travelogue. The film follows Jeff Johnson as he tries to recreate the 1968 adventure of climbing pioneers Yvon Chouinard and Douglas Tompkins. Is this a worthy subject for a film? Check out our review for my opinion.

The A-Team: Full-Series Megaset - Buy from Amazon
This 25-disc DVD is obviously coming out to take advantage of the publicity generated for and by the upcoming movie adaptation. I guess the van is cute, but I don't know if it is worth the price. Then again, I was never a fan of the show.

Animation Express - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The DVD includes nearly four hours of animated shorts, while the Blu-ray has five-and-a-half hours. Plus it costs less. For fans of all forms of animation, this is a must have. Even if you are more neutral to the art-form, the number of Oscar nominated and Oscar winning shorts makes this worth picking up.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: 180 Degrees South, Animation Express, Caddyshack, From Paris With Love, Happy Together, Ice Road Truckers: Season Three, The Illusionist, Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy, Power Kids, and Shutter Island
A short list of Blu-rays this week, with just ten of them appearing here. However, there are more than a few that are worth looking at, including a couple that I will hopefully be reviewing soon.

Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memories Collection - Buy from Amazon
A three-disc collection with six Bob Hope movies. However, three of them have already been released on DVD, while not all of the DVD debuts are top-notch. I guess if you are a big enough fan of the actor that you already have those three movies on DVD, then paying less than $10 each for the other three isn't a bad deal.

Charlie Chan Collection - Buy from Amazon
I have mixed opinions on this movie series. On the one hand, it did portray an Asian character in a positive light, when most of the time they are portrayed in movies as little more than evil villains. On the other hand, the central Asian character was being portrayed by a white guy, which seems racist by today's standards.

Coach - Buy from Amazon
A movie about a trust-fund slacker, Hugh Dancy, who decides to coach a local middle-school soccer team to prove to his ex-girlfriend that he has ambition. It's a small film that a lot of people probably never heard of, but is it worth looking for? Read our review for my opinion.

The Cry of the Owl - Buy from Amazon
This film earned weak reviews and went nowhere at the box office. I won't know if this was a fair result or not till the screener arrives.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season Seven: Buy from Amazon
This show continues to be amazing after seven years on the air. This season is particularly enticing, because it includes the reunion of the cast of Seinfeld. On the other hand, the price per minute isn't great and the extras don't do a lot to compensate. Still worth picking up, but coincidentally, I can't be too enthusiastic about my recommendation.

Family Matters: The Complete First Season - Buy from Amazon
Steve Urkel was just a supporting character for the early part of this series. In fact, he wasn't introduced till halfway through season one. However, you couldn't tell that by how prominently he is on the DVD cover. I couldn't stand that character, or the show in general, but fans will be happy it is finally coming out on DVD starting this week.

From Paris With Love - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Last January, director Pierre Morel made his English-language debut with Taken, which earned good reviews and became one of the biggest January hits ever. On the other hand, this film missed expectations by a large margin. Was the film really that much weaker? Check out our review for my opinion.

iCarly: iSaved Your Live - Buy from Amazon
After three split-season releases, it seems the studio is switching to mixed DVD sets. While this is a disappointing development, are the episodes in the latest such DVD at least worth checking out? Read our review for my opinion.

The Illusionist - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
This movie was the only real hit in the history of Yari Film Group, which went bankrupt after just a few years in existence. Now it is making its way to Blu-ray, but I won't know if it is worth the upgrade till the screener arrives.

Jim Henson's Dog City: The Movie - Buy from Amazon
The Emmy-winning episode of The Jim Henson Hour comes out on DVD this week. However, can the quality make up for the short running time? Check out our review for my opinion.

Nic and Tristan Go Mega Dega - Buy from Amazon
Real-life skateboarding brothers, Nic Puehse and Tristan Puehse, star in this movie as two brothers that have to choose between going to a skate competition or their mother's birthday. I don't think it was originally meant to be released direct-to-DVD, but that's what's happening now. That's usually not a good sign.

Nip/Tuck: Season Six - Buy from Amazon
This show started out great, but somewhere along the way it fell off the rails. Fans of the show will be happy that they can get the entire series on DVD, but I think a lot have likely given up on the show well before this point.

Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon
It's a musical stage adaptation of Life of Brian. Buy this. Buy it now.

Oceans - Buy from Amazon
This is the 8-hour BBC documentary series, and not the Disney movie of the same name that came out this past Earth Day.

Power Kids - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A martial arts kids movie from Thailand. That's not something you see every day. But does it have more going for it than the novelty factor? Check out our review for my opinion.

Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind - Buy from Amazon
A kid's show made by the same people that make Wallace & Gromit. Because it is a kids show, adult fans of Wallace & Gromit will likely want to stick with that show, but if you have kids of the right age group, you can watch along.

Shutter Island - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A last minute release date change tempered expectations, but this movie has earned nearly $300 million worldwide, becoming Martin Scorsese's biggest hit. Is it also his best movie? No. But is it at least worth checking out? Read our review for my opinion.

StarStruck - Buy from Amazon: DVD or DVD/CD Combo Pack
The latest Disney TV movie to hit the home market. I've reviewed a number of these, so where does this one fit in the scale of quality? Check out our review to find out.

Tales of the Gold Monkey: Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
Wow. Seeing that name brings back memories. I remember being a huge fan of the show when it first aired, so I'm really looking forward to getting the screener to see if it can live up to my recollections. Hopefully it won't take too long to get here.


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Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, The Illusionist, Shutter Island, The Cry of the Owl, From Paris With Love, Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy, Nic and Tristan Go Mega Dega, Power Kids, The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It