This week’s home entertainment releases include the highest-grossing film of 2014 so far, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, plus the dark true crime drama Foxcatcher, new Adventure Time and Squidbillies collections, plus two fantasy-themed TV series Outlander and DaVinci’s Demons, as well as a cool new anime series from the creator of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.

Theatrical Films

This week’s top release is currently the highest-grossing film released in 2014, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Lionsgate, “PG-13,” 122 min., $29.98, BD $32).  This movie franchise has become so big that it can even survive having its adaptation of the final book in the series split into two parts to double the studio’s take on its number one property.  Jennifer Lawrence gives this teen-targeting franchise its emotional center and far more weight than the thin Battle Royale narrative deserves.  Of course this franchise is just a fantasy for teenagers who think the entire world is arrayed against them. Contemporary teens don’t have to muster at the arena for combat to the death—they have to do something really scary—enter the current job market.

Given the enormous popularity of Mockingjay, Part 1, which is so big it has its own release day, Friday, March 6 instead of Tuesday, there aren’t a lot of other major releases this week.  The exception is Foxcatcher (Sony, “R,” 130 min., $30.99, BD $34.99), Bennett Miller’s true crime film about a sensational murder case involving multi-millionaire heir John Dupont, who was obsessed with financing (and leading) the U.S. wrestling team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  Steve Carell forsakes comedy to give an “all-in” performance as the troubled millionaire—and the acting of the entire cast in this saga of power, patriotism, class, and madness is beyond reproach.

TV on DVD
There are several very interesting releases in this category including Adventure Time, Vol. 9: Frost and Fire (Cartoon Network, 176 min., $19.82).  It is easy to quarrel with the way in which the Cartoon Network releases this series piecemeal, rather than in easy to collect season sets, there is no disputing the superb quality of the Adventure Time series, one of TV most continually intriguing series.  With its adventure gaming roots and whimsical, character-driven humor, Adventure Time is a true delight.  Vol. 9: Frost and Fire contains 16 episodes including “Earth & Water,” “The Prince Who Wanted Everything,” and “Thanks for the Crabapples, Guiseppe.”

Another Cartoon Network series collection is coming out this week, Squidbillies: Vol. 6 (Warner Bros., 181 min., $17.99), which collects the savagely satirical gross-out Squidbillies show, which is part of the Adult Swim late night block.  Redneck southern humor doesn’t get much rawer (or funnier) than this.

Some contemporary shows of particular interest include Outlander, Season 1, Vol. 1 (Sony, $38.99, BD $55.97), which collects the first half of the first season of Ronald (Battlestar Galactica) Moore’s adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s time-traveling adventure/romance novels, which have also spawned a popular graphic novel adaptation.  The show’s Scottish locations are spectacular (and worthy of Blu-ray).

Another Starz cable series that will appeal to fantasy fans is DaVinci’s Demons: The Complete Second Season (Starz, $44.98, BD $54.99), which collects the 9 second season episodes of the historical fantasy drama created by David Goyer (The Dark Knight) and based on the early life of Leonardo DaVinci.  Don’t go here looking for historical accuracy, but there’s lots of Renaissance intrigue and a major dose of fantasy as well.

Fantasy of a lesser quality is available in The Librarian: Quest for the Spear/The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines (Warner Bros., $24.98).

Mystery fans are in for a treat with Longmire: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros., 440 min, $39.98, BD $40.99), the final season of the show on A&E (it has moved to Netflix for Season 4).  Based on Craig Johnson’s novels about the sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, Longmire is one of the best modern American mystery series—far better than those stylish rip-offs of Nordic Noir (i.e. The Killing), which have gotten far more publicity, yet have far less substance.

Vintage TV series due on Tuesday include the Don Johnson-starring, San Francisco-set Nash Bridges: Season 1 (VEI, 375 min., $36.67), the excellent ensemble police drama Hill Street Blues: Season 4 (Shout Factory, 1050 min., $34.93), and the 1970s police drama CHIPs: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros., 1176 min., $29.98).

Anime
This week’s top release is Space Dandy: Season 1 Collection (Funimation, 325 min., BD/DVD Combo $64.98, Ltd. Ed. $69.98), a new 13-episode anime space opera comedy/adventure from Shinichiro Watanabe, the director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.  Space Dandy was the first anime series to premiere on the Cartoon Network’s Toonami (on January 4, 2014) before it aired in Japan.  A second 13-episode season began airing last July and will be available here later this year—the Limited Edition includes an art box that will hold both seasons.  Space Dandy is a lot of fun, and a little bit confusing since we find out in the final episode that some of the previous episodes in which major characters were killed, or turned into zombies, or trapped in distant times, etc., actually take place in alternate universes.   A modern series like Space Dandy from a major creator like Watanabe provides an opportunity to note how good the show looks in Funimation’s high-def transfer—and to be thankful that we can see these series at their visual and audio best.

Another very interesting release due on Tuesday is Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Collection (Funimation, 300 min., BD/DVD Combo $64.98, Ltd. Ed. $69.98), which collects the 13-episode anime produced by Studio Lerche that aired in Japan in 2013.  Set in an alternate history version of the U.K. in the late Victorian era where a fusion of sorcery and technology known as “Machinart” holds sway, the Unbreakable Machine-Doll anime adapts the first three novels in the series written by Reiji Kaito.

Re-priced reissues due on Tuesday include Ranma ½ : Set 5 (Viz Media, 506 min., $44.82, BD $54.97), which contains episodes 93-115 of the 143-episode TV series produced by Studio Deen from 1989-1992 adapting Rumiko Takahashi’s immortal martial arts comedy manga, Yakitate! Japan (Right Stuf, 675 min., subtitles only, $49.99), which includes the first 27 episodes of the 2004-2006 series produced by anime powerhouse Sunrise and based on the manga by Takashi Hashiguchi (published here by Viz Media), and the bargain basement-priced Pokemon 4 Movies Collector’s Set (Lionsgate, $9.98), which features dubbed-only versions of Pokemon movies 4-7.

--Tom Flinn

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.