DVD and Blu-ray Releases for February 18th, 2014

February 17th, 2014

It's a horrible week for me. The biggest release of the week is Game of Thrones: Season Three. I was supposed to review the Blu-ray, but it hasn't arrived yet. Usually HBO releases arrive a little early, not late. On the other hand, it was a holiday last week, at least it was where I live, so perhaps the mail was delayed. Or perhaps they ran out of copies before they got to me. It's the uncertainty that sucks the most, because right now the Blu-ray Combo Pack costs just $30 on Amazon.com. Of course you buy it at that price. The only reason not to, is because you want the Limited Edition Box Set instead. On the other hand, after Game of Thrones, there are practically no major releases. According to Amazon.com, the second best new release is the Criterion Collection release for The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's a great movie, but it failed to make an impact at the box office, so a Blu-ray double-dip shouldn't sell that well. More...

Featured Blu-ray review - Chicago: Diamond Edition

February 15th, 2014

Chicago came out in 2002 and was a surprise hit earning more than $300 million worldwide on a $30 million production budget. It was a surprise hit, in part because movie musicals had not been able to find an audience like that in a long, long time. Musicals have been around for as long as movies have had sound. The first film with spoken dialogue, The Jazz Singer, was also the first movie musical. But the heyday of movie musicals ended about forty years before Chicago hit theaters. Unfortunately for a lot of studios, Chicago wasn't able to reinvigorate the movie musical genre. Has the decline in the genre meant Chicago hasn't aged well? Or have more recent musicals failed to match it at the box office, because they have also failed to match its quality? More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for February 11th, 2014

February 11th, 2014

It's a strange week on the home market. If you look at the top ten selling new releases on Amazon.com, there are a couple of first run releases, a catalog title, TV on DVD release, and some limited releases. That's basically every category there is. The biggest release is Ender's Game, a film that failed to find an audience in theaters. It barely earned overall positive reviews and it isn't a contender for Pick of the Week. Some of the other best-selling releases are contenders, like The Jungle Book: Blu-ray Diamond Edition or Sherlock: Season Three on DVD or Blu-ray. There are also a few of the smaller releases that were in consideration, including Doctor Who: Story 33: The Moonbase and G.B.F. on DVD. But in the end, I went with Wadjda on Blu-ray Combo Pack for Pick of the Week. One last note, Dry Spell is coming out on Video on Demand. It's a good chance to support ultra-low-budget filmmaking and the reviews I've read have been positive. More...

DVD Releases for January 23, 2007

January 23rd, 2007

Business is starting to pick up again for DVD releases. It's still not up to the level of the pre-Christmas boom, or even the yearly average, but at least it's not a desolate wasteland either. There were a couple releases that were contenders for DVD Pick of the Week, but in the end I went with This Film is Not Yet Rated - Buy from Amazon, but since I work in the industry, at least tangentially, my enjoyment of the movie may have been increased somewhat. More...

DVD Releases for December 20, 2005

December 19th, 2005

For those looking for last minute gifts (and you can't get much more last minute than this), there are many, many former wide releases coming out this week. Unfortunately, only one such film earned even reasonable reviews, and that was Serenity - Buy from Amazon, which is our DVD Pick of the Week. Also earning that honor is Party of Five - The Complete Second Season. More...

Nemo Watch and Other Milestones

August 22nd, 2003

A Hard Time Identifying This Week's Winner

April 25th, 2003

Anger Management makes Theatre Owners Very Happy

April 14th, 2003

Head of State the Head of the Class

March 31st, 2003

2002: The Year of the Bridesmaid

March 29th, 2003

The Core Ready for Weekend Win?

March 28th, 2003

75th Oscar Awards Handed Out

March 23rd, 2003

Can Bringing Down the House Stay on Top?

March 21st, 2003

Bringing Down the House Stays on Top

March 17th, 2003

Bringing Down the House Fills Up the Theatres

March 10th, 2003

Holdovers are the Real Winners This Week

March 3rd, 2003

'Cradle 2 the Grave' fights its way to #1

March 2nd, 2003

Daredevil Loses Big but Still Wins Weekend

February 24th, 2003

Weekend Forecast: February 21 – 23

February 21st, 2003

Daredevil Rules Over Presidents’ Day Weekend

February 19th, 2003

Daredevil has Nothing to Fear at the box office

February 15th, 2003

Matt's Oscar '03 Roundup

February 11th, 2003

75th Oscar Nominations Announced

February 11th, 2003

Weekend wrap-up: Early Edition

February 9th, 2003

SAG Nominations Announced

January 28th, 2003

Chicago struts its stuff

January 5th, 2003