December 19th, 2012
There are only a few days left till Christmas and we are officially in the panic zone for gift shopping. This week we have our final installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide. Part I dealt with first run releases, Part II dealt with TV on DVD releases, Part III dealt with limited releases, foreign titles, and classics. This week, we deal with some music, books, games, as well as releases from the first three parts that I forgot the first time around. As always, there are quite a few in that last category. (I also use this time to burn off some releases that arrived late. This way I can get through all of the late reviews quicker than normal and actually have enough time to celebrate Christmas.)
More...
September 3rd, 2012
This week is again loaded with TV on DVD releases, including several in the top best sellers according to Amazon.com. The best TV on DVD release in terms of comedy is 2 Broke Girls: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray, while Person of Interest: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray is the best TV on DVD release as far as the dramas are concerned. Both are contenders for Pick of the Week, but neither quite gets there. The Five-Year Engagement on Blu-ray Combo Pack comes a little close, but in the end I went with Headhunters on DVD or Blu-ray. Just keep an eye on the price of the Blu-ray.
More...
September 3rd, 2012
Headhunters is a Norwegian film that opened in limited release in April and earned more than $1 million at the box office. That's an impressive figure for a foreign language film. Is the film as good as the box office numbers? And is the DVD / Blu-ray worth picking up?
More...
August 28th, 2012
We are clearly in TV on DVD season on the home market as there are five TV on DVD releases among the top six selling releases, with Battleship being the only first run release to break up the TV on DVD dominance. There are many such releases that are contenders for Pick of the Week: Boardwalk Empire: Season Two on Blu-ray, Homeland: Season One on Blu-ray, Once Upon a Time: Season One on Blu-ray, and The Walking Dead: Season Two on Blu-ray. However, in the end I went with The Pirates! Band of Misfits on 3D Combo Pack as the Pick of the Week. Meanwhile, Monsieur Lazhar on DVD or Blu-ray earns a rarely awarded Puck of the Week.
More...
June 26th, 2012
To Rome With Love topped the per theater chart with an outstanding average of $72,272 in five theaters. While this is an amazing start, there are some reasons to not get too excited. First of all, Moonrise Kingdom opened with more and did so in fewer theaters. Also, Sunday's estimates were a bit higher, so it fell faster than expected over the weekend. Finally, the reviews were split, so it likely won't have as strong legs as some of Woody Allen's films have in the past. The only other film to top the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart was Brave with an average of $15,928. Kumare came very close with $9,601 in one theater over the weekend, while it earned $19,972 from Wednesday through Sunday.
More...
May 2nd, 2012
Bernie got off to an unexpectedly strong start with an average of $28,602 in three theaters. With 82% positive reviews, it should have strong enough word-of-mouth to expand significantly. Headhunters was the only other film in the $10,000 club earning an average of $10,753 in four theaters. As a foreign language film, it will have more trouble expanding.
More...
April 27th, 2012
It's a very busy week for limited releases with a dozen films on this week's list. This includes a number of films earning overwhelmingly positive reviews or earning some pre-release buzz. Jesus Henry Christ, Headhunters, Booker's Place, and Sound of My Voice all have a shot at earning some measure of mainstream success. I doubt all four will, because there's just too much competition for limited dollars, but hopefully at least a couple will do so.
More...
