DVD and Blu-ray Releases for May 5th, 2015

May 6, 2015

While summer is the worst time of year for the home market, there are actually two big first-run releases coming out this week, plus a handful of TV on DVD releases that are worth checking out. The biggest release is 50 Shades of Grey, but while it made more than $500 million worldwide, its reviews are just bad. On the other hand, Selma, the second biggest new release of the week, is clearly the best new release of the week and the DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack is the Pick of the Week.

3 Games to Glory - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is what sports fans want, all three playoff games. There are also enough extras to make the price very reasonable.

Amira and Sam - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A romantic comedy between a returning soldier and a Muslim immigrant. The reviews were good, but not quite good enough to find an audience in limited release. I wanted to get a screener for this release, but there were not enough physical copies to go around. However, the reviews and the large number of extras (audio commentary track, making of featurette, outtakes, stand-up comedy routine, and more) make it easily enough to be worth picking up.

Black or White - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A message movie with a good cast, but a ham-fisted script. It's not terrible, but it's mediocre at best. The only extra on the DVD or the Blu-ray is a single featurette. Call it a rental, at most.

Black Sea - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film earned 82% positive reviews and started out relatively well in limited release, but it expanded too wide and collapsed quickly. The extras include an audio commentary track and a featurette. It is worth picking up, but not quite a contender for Pick of the Week.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: 1941, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Always, Duel, Goodfellas, Ladyhawke, Lost River, Mad Max, Munich, Patlabor: The Movie, Pitch Perfect, Pyramid, The Sugarland Express, The Terminator, The World Only Gods Knows, and WrestleMania 31
Take what I said about Spaceballs last week and apply it this week to Goodfellas and The Terminator this week.

Broadchurch: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This series is headed into its third run in its native U.K. and fans of the genre should check it out. On the other hand, I'm not sure how many fans there are, because the American remake failed to find an audience and was gone after just one season.

Fifty Shades of Grey: Unrated Edition - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This film is based on one of the best-selling recent books and despite its reviews, it became one of the biggest hits of the year so far. I might get a screener for this one, but I'm so far out of the target demographic that I'm not sure what to think.

Law & Order - Buy from Amazon: Season 18, Season 19, and Season 20
As I've said many, many times in the past... this is a great show, but the DVD releases tend to be only marginally better than watching the show in syndication.

Masterpiece: Mr. Selfridge - Season 3 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The reviews for this show have always been good, but not great. That said, the show has been renewed for a fourth season, so there are clearly enough fans to keep it going.

Masters of Sex: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This show has earned stellar reviews, but hasn't done as well with the Awards Season voters as one would expect. Maybe it is too risky for the usually older and more conservative voters. Extras include two featurettes and a roundtable with the cast. I would have liked a few audio commentary tracks, but this is still enough to be a contender for Pick of the Week.

Mr. Turner - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A biopic / costume drama about an artist, J.M.W. Turner, played by Timothy Spall. This was clearly an Oscar-bait movie, as Awards Season voters tend to love that genre. However, while it earned amazing reviews, it went almost nowhere with Awards Season voters. Maybe it was just not high-profile enough. The extras include an audio commentary track, two featurettes, and deleted scenes. It is definitely worth picking up and it is even a contender for Pick of the Week.

Parenthood: Season 6 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The sixth and final season comes out on the home market this week. The reviews for the final season were amazing, so fans should be happy with the show's send off. Also coming out this week is the Complete Series Megaset.

TV on DVD Full Series Megasets - Buy from Amazon: Cheers, The Fugitive, Parenthood, and White Collar
Four TV shows are getting the Megaset treatment this week. This includes two that just ended their runs and two classic shows. If you don't own them on DVD yet, they are all worth picking up.

White Collar: Season 6 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The sixth season of this show was a short season and arguably not as good as some of the previous seasons. That said, it is still worth picking up. Or, if you haven't purchased any of the seasons so far, grab the Complete Series Megaset. On a side note, both of the lead actors have new roles with Matt Bomer joining American Horror Story and Tim DeKay being cast in the Pilot for Frankenstein. Hopefully Tiffani Thiessen and Willie Garson will have something lined up soon.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Goodfellas, The Terminator, Selma, The Barber, Fifty Shades of Grey, Mr. Turner, Black or White, Black Sea, Miss Julie, Amira & Sam, Shadow Zombie, Willie Garson, Timothy Spall, Tiffani Thiessen, Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay