DVD and Blu-ray Releases for May 4th, 2010
May 5, 2010
We are entering summer, which is a great time of year for the box office, but a terrible time for home market releases. According to Amazon.com, the best-selling release of the week is Saving Private Ryan on Blu-ray, which is also arguably the best release of the week. But I'm awarding the Puck of the Week to Murdoch Mysteries: Season 2, which is a rare Canadian TV-on-DVD release.
According to Jim: The Complete Second Season - Buy from Amazon
Avatar - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray / DVD Combo
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Chickenfoot: Get Your Buzz On - Live, Doctor Zhivago, Elektra, Escape from L.A., Hamlet, Leap Year, Michael Bolton: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, Nine, The Notebook, One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard, Preacher's Kid, Saving Private Ryan, Tetro, Tooth Fairy, Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Season 2, Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Collected Memories Box Set, and Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and xxxHOLiC
The Blue Tooth Virgin - Buy from Amazon
Cold Storage - Buy from Amazon
Dirt: The Complete Second Season - Buy from Amazon
Doctor Who - Buy from Amazon: Story 61: The Curse of Peladon, Story 73: The Monster of Peladon, and Story 86: The Masque of Mandragora
The Dukes - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Elektra - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The Facts of Life: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
Hamlet - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Invader Zim: Season One & Two - Buy from Amazon
Lead Year - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Murdoch Mysteries: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon
Nine - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
No Time for Sergeants - Buy from Amazon
Play the Game - Buy from Amazon
Rock 'N' Roll High School - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon
Tokyo Sonata - Buy from Amazon
X-Men: Volume Five - Buy from Amazon
I have this screener to review, but I'm not going to. I do have two very good reasons why I'm not reviewing it. Firstly, I ran out of time. Secondly, I don't like the show, which is why I didn't request it in the first place. I did make a general request to the studio to send me one of everything, under the assumption that I would review what I could and giveaway what I didn't review. And with that, I announce that the contest will begin on Friday.
The biggest movie of all time hit the home a couple of weeks ago. The screener arrived late, but the review is online.
Not a good week for Blu-ray releases.
The best selling release of the week on Amazon.com is Saving Private Ryan. That's a great movie, but it's a catalogue release, which is not the type of film you expect to lead the way. The best-selling day-and-date release is Nine, which was a massive disappointment theatrically, compared to some expectations.
A friendship is put to the test when a bit of constructive criticism gets between them. The film struggled in limited release, but I won't know if that was a fair result or not until after the screener arrives.
The latest DVD release for the latest revival of this popular pre-school franchise. Personally I liked the recent Strawberry Shortcake DVD better, but is there enough entertainment value on this DVD to be worth picking up? Check out our review to find out.
A low budget horror movie made in 2006 but only getting a DVD release now. That's not a promising start, but this could be real undiscovered gem. Won't know for sure till the screener arrives.
I have the screener, but I'm not reviewing it. For reasons, see According To Jim above. The Contest begins on Friday.
For the second time in less than four years, this film comes out on Blu-ray. Admittedly, the film was amazingly popular during its day, but is this double-dip truly necessary? Check out our review to find out.
Three more stories from the longest running Sci-fi TV series ever, coming out the same week the latest doctor appears in Hamlet. I know, David Tennant has left the show, but it is still a spooky coincidence. Or, more likely, clever marketing. Like the previous releases, these are loaded with extras and that more than makes up for the slightly higher than average per minute cost of the DVDs.
Actor Robert Davi directs this film about a over-the-hill band looking to pull a heist. The reviews were mixed, but until the screener arrives I won't know which side I fall into.
Just a quick note that the screener for this Blu-ray is late. However, since most Fox screeners don't ship till street date, this is not surprising.
Why is this movie coming out on Blu-ray here before the original? Makes no sense. This film is considered to be a pale imitation of the first film by the vast majority of fans, even those that still like this movie. But does it have enough going for it to be worth picking up on Blu-ray? Check out our review for my opinion.
I can't believe this show lasted nine seasons. Fans of the show should be happy further seasons are coming out on DVD, especially since it has been nearly four years since season three was released. This 4-disc set also includes the TV movie, The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, which is a good deal.
The latest DVD release from the popular pre-school show that entertains and teaches kids about animals. What episodes are included here? And what extras, if any? Check out our review to find out.
The latest retelling of this classic William Shakespeare play stars David Tennant (a.k.a. Doctor Who) as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart (a.k.a. (Captain Jean-Luc Picard) as both Hamlet's Uncle and the ghost of his father. It's a modern re-imaging of the story that is earning good reviews, and its one that Sci-Fi nerds will love due to the two stars. The DVD even has a making of featurette, which is better than most imports, while the Blu-ray is only $4 more, which isn't a bad premium to pay. Definitely worth picking up.
I can't believe I still don't have this TV show on DVD. I've been told by a number of people that this show would be right up my alley. Can also be purchased separately.
Kathryn Bigelow's biggest film cost $90 million to make, but it is not her best, nor did it become her biggest hit. Was it unfairly passed over by moviegoers, or rightfully ignored? Check out our review for my opinion.
A romantic comedy released about a month too early for Valentine's Day and about two years too early for Leap Year. And it was released about 50 years too late for it to matter who proposes to whom. Is a woman proposing to a man really that unusual that it can be the basis of a movie? Given the film's reviews and its box office performance, most people would say no. The only extras on the DVD are some deleted scenes, while the Blu-ray is BD-Live enabled, but there's nothing exclusive there. The film is only worth a rental if you are hardcore fan of the genre and the leads, but even then you have better options.
A medical TV drama about two doctors. One is older and the other is just out of school. One is by the book and the other is willing to explore unorthodox treatments. The twist is, the older doctor is the unorthodox one. Is that enough to set it apart in a very crowded genre? Read our review to find out.
A police procedural show, which is hardly a unique genre. In fact, there are currently about 100 of them on TV right. Or possible 100 billion. This show is able to set itself apart for a couple reasons. Firstly, it's Canadian. Secondly, it's set in the Victorian Era. It focuses on the forensic side of police work set in an era when police forensics was in its infancy. Granted, the titular Murdoch (played by Yannick Bisson) is portrayed as a super genius in the same realm of Sherlock Holmes and he routinely invents techniques that are beyond the limits of the day, so there are some almost Sci-fi elements here. That does mean you are mixing a lot of genres, but it works. There are not a lot of extras on the 4-disc DVD with a behind-the-scenes featurette and some bios. Definitely worth picking up and it is the patriotic duty of all Canadians to buy it.
Arguably the biggest Awards Season disappointment. This movie was expected to be a major award winner and many thought it would be a huge hit. It was neither. In fact, it was a mess and might cause a lot of studio executives to rethink big-budget musicals. Despite struggling, the DVD is loaded with extras including audio commentary track and many, many featurettes. The Blu-ray has a couple exclusive of extras, including an interview with Sophia Loren and a 40-minute Q&A. It's definitely the better deal, but for most a rental will be enough.
Andy Griffith's first major roll was as a "county bumpkin" who is drafted into the military and despite being wholly unprepared to military life, his upbeat demeanor means he never fails. No Time for Sergeants was first made as an hour-long TV episode, then a feature-length TV movie, then a Broadway play, then finally this theatrical release. For fans of the actor, this is absolutely worth picking up. Even if you only know him as, "that guy from Matlock," it's worth checking out.
While the promotional art says, "The Complete Seventh Season" there's an episode that's missing. Find out which one and whether or not the rest of the set is still worth it by reading our review.
Andy Griffith stars as a widower looking for love in this romantic comedy. After his performance in Waitress, a lot of people were looking forward to this film hoping it would be a revival of his career. It wasn't. The reviews were poor and its box office was no better. If your really like the actor, check out Waitress instead, or No Time for Sergeants.
This Roger Corman classic makes its Blu-ray debut. So does it shine in High Definition? Won't know till the screener shows up. Also coming out this week is Suburbia, which I should be getting a screener for, and Best of the Bs 2, which I probably won't.
Nearly a dozen Saturday morning cartoons that entertained kids from the 1980s. The studios represented here were in decline by the 1980s, but there are still some fun shows here, including Thundarr the Barbarian... Dragon's Lair was okay, but not as good as the video game. Ummm.... I only have vague recollections of Galtar and the Golden Lance, but I don't think it was a bad show. Same can be said for Goldie Gold and Action Jack. The Ed Grimley, Mr. T, and Chuck Norris cartoons were all laughably bad and I'm drawing a blank on the rest. (Obviously I remember The Flintstones, but not The Flintstone Kids.) Since I was an 80s kids and grew up watching these shows, I should remember them. Maybe it is worth a rental for the nostalgia, but since the hit to miss ratio seems to be out of whack, that's as far as I'm willing to go, even with the documentary featurette on the two-disc set.
This five-time Oscar winner makes its High Definition debut this week. It's a movie that should be in most people's collection, but is the Blu-ray worth upgrading to? Check out our review for my opinion.
Francis Ford Coppola has helped make some of the greatest movies ever made. However, it has been a while since he's released a movie that was both a critical and box office hit. Tetro wasn't able to become a box office hit, but does it have what it takes to please critics? Or at the very least, this critic? Read my review to find out.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is best know for writing / directing Japanese horror films like Pulse and Cure. This movie is a family Dramedy about a father who loses his job so he spends his day pretending to go to work. This obviously has a negative effect on his family life, as they slowly figure it out and stop having respect for him. The film earned excellent reviews and should be seen by more and no one should be scared away by the director's past work.
Dwayne Johnson in a tutu. Is there anything more in this movie worth mentioning? Check out our review to find out my opinion.
The latest single-disc DVD release for Wolverine & X-Men. I vastly prefer full-season sets, but how are the episodes? Check out my review to find out.
The final volume of one of the best Comic Book cartoons ever. The DVDs usually are a week or two late, but hopefully it will get here soon. Also coming out this week is Marvel Iron Man: The Complete Animated Series, which is also late.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Play the Game, Tetro, Tokyo Sonata, The Dukes, Preacher's Kid, The Blue Tooth Virgin, Tooth Fairy, Nine, Avatar, Leap Year