This Week on Blu-ray and DVD - December 27, 2011

"The First Grader" tops a scant release list this week. It's a darned good thing there aren't many tempting options. After Christmas, who has the money? Or the stamina?
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James
Plath
First online:
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - 4:49am

Okay, I know I’m not the only one who ate and drank too much over Christmas weekend, so it’s with some sadness that I report there’s no “Holiday De-Tox” DVD this week to show us all how to whip our bodies back into healthy shape. Then again, when I pop in those workout videos I usually find myself smiling as much as I do when I watch a comedy. When I see a 230-pounder in sweats--not some leotard-wearing Greek god or goddess--demonstrating exercises, maybe I’ll take them seriously. In the meantime, I’m waiting for researchers to develop a smart pill  . . . something to swallow the morning after that can seek out all those calories and destroy them before they can be converted into a bigger pants size.

This week, the movie industry figures everyone is all shopped out or passed out on the couch, because there’s not a whole lot in the way of new releases. But if you’ve got a Christmas present to exchange or a gift card to cash in, there are still a few non-fattening goodies.

Topping the list is “The First Grader,” a feel-good drama that’s based on a true story of an 84-year-old Kenyan who, after fighting in the Mau Mau rebellion, years later fights for his right to attend school in a recently announced free government program. Oliver Litondo is superb as Maruge, the quiet-but-still-powerful man whose own quest for an education has an effect on the children and educators in his life. It’s out on Blu-ray and DVD (trailer).

Then there’s Season 1 of “The Borgias,” the hit Showtime series starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, the 15th-century cardinal who bribed and bullied his way to the Papacy and then became even more ruthless trying to hold onto his power. It’s a gorgeously filmed spectacle that has all the crime-family intrigue of “The Sopranos” or the Corleones (review).

For laughs there’s “Archer,” a secret agent who’s as clueless as Maxwell Smart, as suave of a ladies man as James Bond, and as politically incorrect and bluntly outspoken as Archie Bunker.  You can get the hilarious Season 2 of this FX spy spoof on DVD or Blu-ray this week. It stars H. Jon Benjamin as Archer, and Jessica Walter as his mom--who also happens to be his boss at the spy agency ISIS (review).

Then there’s . . . well, since there’s really nothing else of note, you might as well start that New Year’s exercise program early. Jog on your way to the kitchen to polish off the last of the cookies and holiday treats.

Here are select new releases for the week of December 27, 2011:

BLU-RAY

  • Apollo 18 (+ DVD + Digital Copy) (2011 sci-fi horror)
  • Archer: Season 2
  • Borgias, The: Season 1
  • Buck (2011 indie documentary)
  • City under Siege (2010 action)
  • Eden of the East: Complete Series (anime)
  • Fairy Tail: Pt. 2 (+ DVD)
  • Final Destination 5 (+ UV Digital Copy) (2011 horror-thriller)
  • First Grader, The (2011 drama)
  • Hostel: Part III (2011 direct-to-video horror-thriller)
  • In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds (2011 action-adventure)
  • Inside Out (2011 crime drama)
  • Pool Boys, The (2010 comedy)
  • Shameless: Season 1
  • Sid & Nancy (1986 bio-drama)
  • Slayers: Seasons 4 & 5 (+ DVD) (anime)
  • 2012 Zombie Apocalypse (2011 Ving Rhames action)

RECENT RELEASES

  • Apollo 18 (2011 sci-fi horror)
  • Final Destination 5 (+ UV Digital Copy) (2011 horror-thriller)
  • First Grader, The (2011 drama)
  • Hostel: Part III (2011 horror-thriller)
  • In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds (2011 action-adventure)

CATALOG TITLES

  • Happiness Is Peanuts: Friends Forever
  • Looney Tunes Golden Collection: 1-6
  • Looney Tunes: Pepe Le Pew Collection

FAMILY/CHILDREN

  • Dino Dan: Dino Trackers!
  • Dora the Explorer: Dora Loves Boots

TV-ON-DVD

  • Archer: Season 2
  • Borgias, The: Season 1
  • Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, The: Season 1
  • Jersey Shore: Season 4 (Uncensored)
  • Shameless: Season 1
  • 60 Minutes: Prosecuting Wall Street

INDIE/ART-HOUSE/FOREIGN

  • Brighton Rock (2010 crime drama)
  • Fish Story (2009 Japanese comedy)
  • Good Old-Fashioned Orgy, A (2011 comedy)
  • Jane’s Journey (2010 Goodall documentary)
  • Love Crime (2010 crime thriller)
  • Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010 comedy)
  • Pool Boys, The (2010 comedy)
  • Rockstar (2011 Hindi dramedy)
  • 2012 Zombie Apocalypse (2011 Ving Rhames action)

ANIME/MANGA

  • D. Gray-man: Complete First Season S.A.V.E.
  • Guyver: Complee Box Set S.A.V.E.
  • Heroic Age: Complete Series S.A.V.E.
  • Himaware Too: Season 2 Collection