DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 3rd, 2013
December 3, 2013
There are a trio first run releases hitting the home market this week; however, all of them missed expectations at the box office to one degree or the other. The Wolverine performed the best and it is definitely the only one worth checking out, but I won't know if it is the best till the screener arrive. (I hope I get the Extended Edition 3D Combo Pack, because I hear it is a much better version of the movie). Contenders for Pick of the Week are limited. The Rutles Anthology was on the short list, but in the end I went with Drinking Buddies on DVD or Blu-ray.
2013 World Series Collector's Edition - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Angry Birds Toons - Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Batman Brave & The Bold: The Complete First Season - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Call of the Wild, Desk Set, Eurotrip, Family Plot, Frenzy, Girls Und Panzer: TV Collection, Good Ol' Freda, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Criterion Collection), Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the World, Jesse James, Nashville (Criterion Collection), Pink: Truth About Love Tour: Live From Mel, The Rutles Anthology, Saturn 3, Serpico, Terms of Endearment, and Winnie Mandela
3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Galactic Adventures Double Feature, Smurfs 2, and The Wolverine - Unleashed Extended Edition
Doctor Who The Doctors Revisited 9-11 - Buy from Amazon
Drinking Buddies - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Duck Dynasty: Seasons 1-3 Collectors Set with Limited Edition Duck-Camo Bandana - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Hot in Cleveland: Season Four - Buy from Amazon
House of Bad - Buy from Amazon
Inch'Allah - Buy from Amazon
Iron Man and Hulk: Heroes United - Blu-ray Combo Pack - Buy from Amazon
The Little Mermaid - DVD - Buy from Amazon
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Super Adventure - Buy from Amazon
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Rise of the Fellowship - Buy from Amazon
The Simpsons: Season 16 - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Molded Head DVD, or Blu-ray
The Smurfs 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray, 3D Combo Pack
Transformers: Prime - Season Three - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
TV on DVD Full Series Megasets - Buy from Amazon: Hawaii Five-O and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
The Wolverine - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and 3D Combo Pack
WWE: Raw 20th Anniversary Collection - The 20 Greatest Episodes Uncut & Unedited - Buy from Amazon
Full games. This is what real fans want.
Finally. This film has spent the last six or seven years trying to get a release date and it finally got one this year. The reviews were weaker than anticipated. The only extra is an audio commentary track.
This film is considered a comedy classic by many, but am I among them? Or am I one of the dissenters? Read our review to find out.
Unacceptable.
One of the weaker installments in the franchise. A little too campy and the animation is too stylized.
There are a number of interesting secondary Blu-ray releases this week, but the one I'm most interested in is The Rutles Anthology. The comedy is amazing, but the music is good in its own right. Speaking of good music, I think I have to buy Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the World. Finally there's Girls Und Panzer: TV Collection, which is about Japanese school girls who train in a form of martial arts that involves tanks. That's strange enough that it might be worth a blind buy.
Three 3D releases this week, including two first run releases. The Wolverine could sell well, but I don't think the other two will.
All three modern incarnations of Doctor Who are looked at in this three-disc retrospective. If you are a fan of the franchise it is worth picking up, but it is a little pricey on a per-minute basis for TV on DVD. This is common for imports from Britain, so fans will be used to the price.
Despite earning fantastic reviews and opening well in limited release, it couldn't maintain its opening weekend momentum and collapsed. There are plenty of extras on the DVD and the Blu-ray and it is a contender for Pick of the Week.
Just say no to Reality TV.
This show has earned mostly positive reviews and is selling quite well for a cable TV on DVD release.
Three sisters hide out in their old home with a bag full of stolen drugs. The name of this movie is terrible; it's generic and unimpressive. On the other hand, reviews online are mostly very good and it is worth checking out if you like horror films that build tension rather than just show gore.
A Canadian film about the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. The film's reviews were only mixed and it struggled at the box office. If you are interested in a different perspective on this subject, then it is worth a rental.
While Marvel rules movie theaters, it has struggled to find its footing on the direct-to-DVD market. This film won't help. The animation is too stylized and looks cheap as a result, while the story isn't fit for these two super heroes.
The four films in the franchise re-released in one box set. Have these films aged well? And are the Blu-rays worth picking up? Check out our review for my opinion.
According to Amazon.com, this is the third best selling new release of the week. That shows how shallow the week is.
I've reviewed a few releases from this show and it is better than most shows aimed at a similar age.
One of the worst-reviewed films of the year and a box office flop. Yet the last I heard, they are still working on the sequel. Sony had a bad year this year, but not so bad it should take a chance on City of Ashes.
When I first saw this title, I thought it was a rip-off from Asylum. However, it is actually a homage to Tolkien's work set in the modern day. There are not a lot of reviews online and they are mostly mixed with most critics saying it is an interesting idea but the execution is weak.
I'm still waiting for the screener. Clearly it is off their peak, but I don't know if this season is so far gone that it isn't worth checking out.
A terrible movie that failed to live up to its predecessor at the box office, but they are still working on a third film.
A very good installment of the Transformers franchise. Arguably the best since Generation One. (Arguably Beast Wars is better.) Generally speaking, there are not a lot of extras on these releases, but enough to be worth the money.
Only two TV on DVD Megasets this week and while they are both from the 1970s, they really couldn't be more different.
I'm still waiting for the screener for this film. Hopefully it will arrive soon. The reviews were good, so I'm looking forward to seeing it. Also coming out this week is X-Men: The Adamantium Collection (Limited Collector's Edition).
It's wrestling. I have no opinion.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, The Little Mermaid, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, The Wolverine, The Smurfs 2, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Inch'Allah, Drinking Buddies, Jack Ryan, J.R.R. Tolkien