DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: November 2014
November 4
All movies are 2014 releases unless otherwise noted. Availability:
DVD | null
Blu-ray |
Both Blu-ray and DVD
Note to Netflix users: Because Netflix is discontinuing its API, which allows other sites (like ours) to interface with Netflix, the "+Netflix Queue" links below will no longer be operational after November 13, 2014.
Hercules 47 Watch Trailer
Directed by Brett Ratner and adapted from Steve Moore's comic, the second Hercules action-adventure film of the year (and the slightly superior one, following Renny Harlin's dud The Legend of Hercules) stars Dwayne Johnson as the son of Zeus, who leads a band of mercenaries into battle to return a king to his throne. Critics thought Johnson well-cast, and liked that the movie wasn't overly serious and that it aimed simply to entertain viewers. Unfortunately, on that last count, it didn't fully succeed.
Land Ho! 68 Watch Trailer
This buddy comedy may have an older cast than your typical Hollywood summer entry, but don't let that deter you. Written and directed by Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens, Land Ho! follows former brothers-in-law Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) and Colin (Paul Eenhoorn of This is Martin Bonner) as they vacation in Iceland together. Colin is recently divorced, so the more gregarious Mitch, a retired surgeon who used to be married to Colin’s wife’s sister, hopes a change in scenery will cheer him up. Though critics noted a distinct lack of narrative drive, they generally found the film to be an engaging character study and travelogue.
Maleficent 56 Watch Trailer
Angelina Jolie returned to the big screen this summer (for the first time since 2010’s The Tourist) as the title character in this darker, live-action re-imagining of Disney’s 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty. The script comes from Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland) and John Lee Hancock (Snow White and the Huntsman), and it finds Elle Fanning’s Princess Aurora in the middle of a battle between her father (Sharlto Copley) and Maleficent, a fairy who once had wings. Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites, Miranda Richardson, and Juno Temple have supporting roles. The direction from first-timer Robert Stromberg (a veteran production designer and visual effects supervisor) was one reason for that less-than-stellar Metascore, with some critics also finding the film tiresome rather than fun.
A Most Wanted Man 73 Watch Trailer
Working from a script by Andrew Bovell (Lantana), photographer-turned-director Anton Corbijn brings his cool, austere style to his third feature, an adaptation of John Le Carré’s 2008 novel about Issa (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a young Chechen Muslim who arrives illegally in Germany and becomes the focus of a terrorist investigation. In one of his final screen roles completed before his death, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the head of a German spy unit who will use any means necessary to stop a threat. Caught in his web are Rachel McAdams as Issa’s lawyer, and Willem Dafoe as a banker sponsoring Issa’s defense. Robin Wright, Daniel Brühl (Rush), and Nina Hoss (Barbara) also star.
The One I Love 65 Watch Trailer
This semi-improvised two-hander stars Mark Duplass (The League) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) as a struggling married couple who, under the advise of a therapist (Ted Danson, in a brief appearance), head to an isolated vacation cottage in an attempt to rekindle their marriage. We won't spoil the surreal twist this rom-dramedy takes at that point, but we will tell you that most critics found that the strong performances and dialogue helped make up for any weaknesses in the underlying concept.
More movie releases on November 4, 2014
82
Archipelago DRAMA | Tom Hiddleston
33
The Christmas Candle (2013) DRAMA | Susan Boyle, Hans Matheson
62
The Discoverers COMEDY | Griffin Dunne
76
The Dog DOCUMENTARY
72
Exhibition DRAMA | Viviane Albertine, Liam Gillick, Tom Hiddleston
51
A Five Star Life FOREIGN/DRAMA
68
Fort Bliss DRAMA | Michelle Monaghan, Ron Livingston
58
Frontera WESTERN | Ed Harris, Michael Pena, Eva Longoria
66
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended edition adds 25 minutes to film
Man of the West (1958) WESTERN | Gary Cooper
48
Planes: Fire & Rescue ANIMATION/FAMILY | Dane Cook
34
Premature COMEDY | John Karna, Craig Roberts
74
Unrelated DRAMA | Tom Hiddleston
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
Doctor Who The Complete Matt Smith Years
The Exes Seasons 1 & 2
Gator Boys Season 3
Hill Street Blues Season 3
Hot in Cleveland Season 5
Impractical Jokers Season 2
Law & Order Seasons 15, 16, 17 (separate sets)
M Squad Complete series set
Merlin Complete series set
The Merv Griffin Show Selected episodes from 1962-86 (12-disc set)
46
Napoleon Dynamite Season 1
Nash Bridges Complete series set
66
The Newsroom Season 2
Poirot Series 13
Quantum Leap Complete series set
Reno 911! Complete series set (uncensored)
Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show Complete series set
The Sopranos Complete series set (first Blu-ray release)
60
Touch Season 2
33
The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story TV movie
White Collar Season 5
November 11
Abuse of Weakness 77
The often controversial but rarely boring Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl, The Sleeping Beauty) showed this very personal project at TIFF last year, and the strong reviews at the festival were matched by an equally positive response when the film opened in the U.S. late this summer. Weakness is based on the director's own 2004 stroke and her subsequent involvement with a notorious con man, Christophe Rocancourt, who swindled her out of most of her savings. Isabelle Huppert stars as Maud, a filmmaker (serving as Breillat’s alter-ego), who falls under the spell of the charismatic scam artist Villko, played by French rapper Kool Shen. A filmmaker who never shies away from difficult subjects (and often courts them), Breillat may have delivered her most revealing film yet.
Happy Christmas 70 Watch Trailer
The timing of the DVD may be a bit more appropriate than the film's original theatrical release window in July, but when it opened then, Happy Christmas was the fourth film in 12 months from writer-director-actor Joe Swanberg, and it was also his best-reviewed film since Drinking Buddies kicked off that prolific streak. Christmas looks at what happens when the irresponsible Jenny (Anna Kendrick) moves in with her brother (Swanberg), his wife (Melanie Lynskey) and their two-year-old son (played by Swanberg's real-life son Jude). Also starring are Lena Dunham (Girls) as Jenny’s old friend, and Mark Webber as a pot-smoking babysitter who catches Jenny’s eye.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 76 Watch Trailer
After its premiere at Cannes this spring, some critics were quick to claim this animated sequel superior to the original, high praise considering the critical and box office success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon. Though box office results were down slightly for HTTYD2, the Metascore indeed ticked up a few points. The story picks up with Vikings and dragons living in harmony, and Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless happily charting new territories and discovering a secret ice cave with hundreds of wild dragons being cared for by Hiccup’s long-lost mother (Cate Blanchett). A new threat emerges in the form of dragon hunter Drago Bludvist (voiced by Djimon Hounsou) as writer-director Dean DeBlois (returning without co-writer-director Chris Sanders, who moved on to do The Croods) ups the stakes for Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid (America Ferrera), and the other residents of Berk. Expect a third installment to follow in 2017.
Jersey Boys 54 Watch Trailer
The importance of music in Clint Eastwood’s life and films (he is a jazz pianist and composer, has scored many of own films, and directed Bird, a biopic on jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker) is well documented, but until this summer he had never directed a musical. For his musical debut, he opted for an adaptation of Jersey Boys, the Tony award-winning jukebox musical about the rise and fall of 1960s rock group the Four Seasons. Rather than go with a more established film star, Eastwood asked John Lloyd Young to reprise his Tony-winning role as Frankie Valli. Joining him in the cast are Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, and Vincent Piazza, as well as Christopher Walken as mobster Angelo 'Gyp' DeCarlo. Critics couldn't agree on the film's merits; some found it solidly entertaining, while others described it as a major failure.
Tammy 39 Watch Trailer
Melissa McCarthy stars as the titular character in this R-rated summer comedy directed by her husband (and fellow Bridesmaids actor) Ben Falcone from a script they wrote together. The film follows Tammy on a pretty bad day as she loses her job, totals her car, and catches her husband cheating. Needing to get away but finding her only option to be her alcoholic grandmother Pearl (Susan Sarandon), they hit the road together. This is the first feature script for the pair, as well as Falcone’s directorial debut, and it boasts a strong supporting cast that includes Allison Janney, Kathy Bates, Dan Aykroyd, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Toni Collette, and Nat Faxon. It turns out, however, that even Melissa McCarthy is incapable of writing a good Melissa McCarthy vehicle; critics (and even Metacritic users) mostly hated the film.
More movie releases on November 11, 2014
45
Coldwater DRAMA/THRILLER
The Compleat Al (1985) COMEDY | "Weird Al" Yankovic
29
Drive Hard ACTION/COMEDY | John Cusack, Thomas Jane
Fray DRAMA | Bryan Kaplan
53
I Am Ali DOCUMENTARY/SPORTS
30
Iceman FOREIGN/ACTION | Donnie Yen
30
Let's Be Cops COMEDY | Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr.
Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go 2014 live performance
54
Mood Indigo FOREIGN/DRAMA/COMEDY/FANTASY | Directed by Michel Gondry
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) DRAMA | John Wayne
55
Summer of Blood HORROR/COMEDY
32
UHF (1989) COMEDY | "Weird Al" Yankovic, Michael Richards
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
The Avengers Season 5
Batman Complete series set (remastered; first time on DVD/Blu-ray)
15
Dads Season 1
Deadliest Catch Season 9
Family Ties Complete series set
Gabriel Iglesias Stand-Up Revolution Season 3
72
Getting On Season 1 [U.S.]
Hey Arnold! Complete series set
Highway to Heaven Complete series set
Quincy Season 7
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6 (Lost Missions)
Starsky and Hutch Complete series set
Taxi Complete series set
54
True Blood Season 7 (available separately: Complete series set)
The Tudors Complete series set
Wings Complete series set
November 18
22 Jump Street 71 Watch Trailer
Phil Lord and Chris Miller maintained their 100% success rate (both critically and commercially) with their fourth film, a sequel to their big-screen reboot of the TV series that put Johnny Depp’s face on teen mags everywhere. This time, Jenko and Schmidt (a returning Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) head to college (and spring break) to take down another drug ring. Expect plenty of knowing references to the repetitive nature of sequels as Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Rob Riggle, and Dave Franco return as well.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 46 Watch Trailer
This belated sequel to 2005’s Sin City takes a pair of Frank Miller’s existing stories (“A Dame to Kill For” and “Just Another Saturday Night”) and combines them with two new stories—one featuring Jessica Alba’s Nancy, and another focusing on a gambler played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Miller and Robert Rodriguez are back as co-directors, and while the film has the same look as the original (with the addition of 3D) and some of the same cast members (Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Powers Boothe, Jaime King), there are also new faces playing old characters (Josh Brolin steps in for Clive Owen, Dennis Haysbert for Michael Clarke Duncan, Jamie Chung for Devon Aoki), as well as completely new characters played by Eva Green, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, and Juno Temple. Most critics found the sequel far inferior to the original film, though many also noted that Green almost single-handedly elevated every scene she was in.
The Wind Rises (2013) 83 Watch Trailer
Japan's highest-grossing film of 2013 and an Academy Award nominee for best animated feature, The Wind Rises is reportedly the final film from legendary animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). The film offers a fantastical (and visually stunning) portrait of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of Japan’s A6M Zero WWII-era fighter plane. In this English-dubbed American version (released here, as with prior Miyazaki films, by Disney), the vocal cast features Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, and Stanley Tucci.
More movie releases on November 18, 2014
38
And So It Goes COMEDY/DRAMA | Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton
37
Automata SCI-FI/THRILLER | Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) DRAMA
71
Copenhagen DRAMA
76
Housebound HORROR/COMEDY
46
If I Stay DRAMA | Chloë Grace Moretz, Jamie Blackley
44
Into the Storm ACTION | Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies
It Happened One Night (1934) Criterion Collection release
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)FOREIGN/ANIMATION (1997 U.S. dubbed version)
Princess Mononoke (1997) FOREIGN/ANIMATION (U.S. dubbed version)
49
Ragnarok FOREIGN/ACTION-ADVENTURE
26
Reclaim THRILLER | John Cusack, Ryan Phillippe, Jacki Weaver
49
When Comedy Went to School (2013) DOCUMENTARY
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
King of the Hill Season 7 / Season 8 (separate sets)
The Paradise Season 2
Wolfblood Season 2
Worricker - Salting the Battlefield PBS Masterpiece! movie
Worricker - Turks & Caicos PBS Masterpiece! movie
November 25
The Expendables 3 35 Watch Trailer
Patrick Hughes (Red Hill) takes over directing duties for the third installment in Sylvester Stallone's increasingly expendable action franchise. The disturbingly large cast includes Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Victor Ortiz, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Antonio Banderas, Robert Davi, Kelsey Grammer, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, and probably several other major stars we forgot to mention. It's the first film in the trilogy to receive predominantly negative reviews from critics, though Banderas does his best to make it watchable.
The Giver 47 Watch Trailer
Based on Lois Lowry’s Newbery-winning YA novel of the same name, director Phillip Noyce's (Salt) sci-fi drama follows Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) as he begins to question the rules of his conformist society when he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory. Jeff Bridges plays the Giver, and Meryl Streep is the evil Chief Elder. The cast also includes Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård, Odeya Rush, and Taylor Swift. Critics found the film lackluster, shallow, and unsubtle, though few truly hated the film.
The November Man 38 Watch Trailer
Pierce Brosnan stars as Peter Devereaux, an ex-CIA operative brought back in on a very personal mission, in this adaptation of Bill Granger’s novel There are No Spies. Devereaux finds himself up against his former protégé, Luke Bracey’s David Mason, as he tries to protect a key witness played by Olga Kurylenko. Director Roger Donaldson (The Bankjob) also cast Will Patton, who made a strong impression in Donaldson’s No Way Out over twenty-five years ago. Not making a strong impression: The November Man itself, which critics found forgettable at best (and incomprehensible at worst). A sequel was commissioned prior to this film's release in late August, but the film's lackluster showing may force a reconsideration of those plans.
What If 59 Watch Trailer
Originally titled The “F” Word, What If is another recent (and not entirely unsuccessful) attempt to breathe new life into the struggling romantic-comedy genre. And that burden falls here on the chemistry between stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan. He plays Wallace, a medical school dropout recovering from a break-up and living with Adam Driver’s Allan (an enthusiast of sex and nachos), and she plays Chantry, an animator with an odd name and a longtime boyfriend (Rafe Spall). Groundbreaking, it's not, but What If did manage to charm a fair number of critics, thanks mainly to its cast.
More movie releases on November 25, 2014
59
Beyond the Edge DOCUMENTARY
L'avventura (1960) Criterion Collection release
Les Blank: Always for Pleasure Criterion Collection release (14-film set)
69
A Life in Dirty Movies DOCUMENTARY
87
Manuscripts Don't Burn FOREIGN/DRAMA
.
A Merry Friggin' Christmas COMEDY | Joel McHale, Robin Williams
Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 Extended director's cut (2-film set)
Rhymes for Young Ghouls DRAMA
45
Step Up: All In DRAMA/MUSIC | Ryan Guzman
28
Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013) COMEDY/DRAMA | Tyler Perry
50
War Story DRAMA | Catherine Keener, Ben Kingsley
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
Adventure Time Vol. 8 (Finn the Human)
84
Better Off Ted Season 2 (belated first DVD release of the 2nd season)
Drunk History Season 1 & 2 set
The Equalizer Season 4
Inspector Lewis Series 7
Jeeves & Wooster Complete collection
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XXXI
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