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...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: How I Live Now

February 9th, 2014

How I Live Now is based on a 2004 Young Adult novel, which puts it in a category that includes nearly all films made in the past decade or so. That's exaggerating, but it is one of the crowded genres today with numerous examples coming out each year. How I Live Now wasn't one of the more lucrative examples. In fact, it opened in limited release missing the Mendoza Line before quickly disappearing from theaters. Granted, it was also a Video on Demand premiere so that has a serious effect on box office numbers. Should it have performed better? Or does it suffer from too many of the clichés of the genre. More...

Per Theater Chart: Thief Steals Top Spot

November 12th, 2013

The Book Thief was a surprise top spot with an average of $26,251 in four theaters. It was seen by some as a possible Awards Season contender, but its reviews suggest otherwise. Thor: The Dark World was first on the overall box office and second on the per theater chart with $22,322. Dallas Buyers Club fell from first to third on the per theater chart, but with a still strong average of $18,249 in 35 theaters. More...

Limited Releases: Lying about Limited Releases

November 8th, 2013

There are quite a few limited releases on this week's list, including several that have earned more pre-release buzz that most limited releases earn. However, many of these films' reviews are good, but not great. The Book Thief is one such film, but it could still find an audience in limited release, although its plans to expand wide are very unlikely to happen. How I Live Now and Great Expectations are in similar positions. More...