After a hectic holiday season the number of theatrical releases has diminished, but other categories including "TV on DVD" appear to be picking up the slack. Since 2009 is now over, ICv2’s DVD guru picked his top ten DVD releases of past year (see “Top Ten DVDs of 2009”). For those who want to look ahead, here are the highlights of the DVD releases due out this week:
Theatrical Releases
The major release theatrical release this week is the PG-rated computer-animated Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Sony, $28.96, 2-Disc Edition $34.95, BD $39.95), which earned over $122 million at the domestic box office. Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord helmed this very free adaptation of Ron and Judi Barrett’s children’s classic. Though it was originally released in 3-D, this movie contains more than enough slapstick and quirky humor to keep kids and parents amused in two dimensions without having to dodge all those imaginary cheeseburgers.
The 3-D process, which proved to be very popular in theaters in 2009, was also behind the success of The Final Destination (New Line $28.98, $35.99), the fourth film in the Final Destination horror film series, which uses predestination and precognition to create suspense as one member of a group of photogenic young people foresees the death of his friends. In this case it’s a vision of a fatal crash at a motor speedway that sends debris flying into the stands (think of the 3-D possibilities) that sets this film off on its implacable Calvinist course.
A much better genre film due out this week is Trucker (Monterey Video, $26.95), the saga of a freewheeling long haul trucker brilliantly played by Michele Monaghan, whose past catches up with her in the form of her 11-year-old son who joins her after her ex-husband is hospitalized.
TV on DVD
Doctor Who fans will enjoy two new releases out this week including Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus (BBC Video WHV, $24.98), which includes six B&W episodes from 1964 featuring William Hartnell, the first Doctor, and Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma, a full color multi-episode saga from 1984 that introduced Colin Baker as the sixth Doctor.
Also due out this week are the first Blu-ray collection from the recent Battlestar Galactica series, BattleStar Galactica Season 1 (Universal BD, $89.98), the third season of the surprisingly entertaining saga of love among the polygamists, Big Love: The Complete Third Season (HBO, $59.98), the third season of the clever Canadian series Little Mosque on the Prairie (E1 Entertainment, $34.99), and all 8 episodes of The Philanthropist (Universal, $26.98), an NBC drama that was shot in South Africa appeared on the network last summer.
Anime
Also due this week is You’re Under Arrest: Fast and Furious Second Season Part 2 (Sentai Filmworks, Rateded “TV-13+,” $39.98), which includes episodes 14-26 of the anime adapted by Studio Deen from the manga series by Kosuke Fujishima.
Foreign Films
