Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: September 18, 2014

You go to Toronto, and the world of streaming and Blu-ray releases doesn't stop. Therefore, we not only have a super-sized edition of the Home Entertainment Consumer Guide this week, but we'll be back next week with a dozen more Blu-ray releases itching for your allowance money. It's that time of year, when Spring and early Summer movies start landing on Blu-ray in anticipation of growing holiday shopping lists. And Netflix hasn't slouched at all in terms of adding interesting new films to their library as well. In fact, this may be the most diverse "10 New to Netflix" we've offered yet. Click through to our original reviews and "Watch It" buttons to add directly to your Netflix queue. Or check out one of three films recently reviewed that are in theaters now but also On Demand. We've got the previews below. Finally, pick one of nearly a dozen Blu-rays that have come out since we last brought you a HECG. The entertainment clock keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking...

10 New to Netflix

"All is Lost"
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
"Defiance"
"The Duchess"
"The Elephant Man"
"Le Week-End"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"A Single Man"
"Your Sister's Sister"

3 New to On Demand

"Frank"

"God Help the Girl"

"Honeymoon"

New to Blu-Ray/DVD

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Everyone may be talking about "Guardians of the Galaxy" as the film in which the Marvel Universe found its fun groove again, but I'd argue that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is actually a superior, groovier work. (I like 'em both. Don't write me nasty emails, Quillheads.) "Winter Soldier" is one of the most entertaining films of the year, a masterfully well-executed bit of escapism that blends comic book nostalgia with the '70s government paranoia thriller, and does it all with some of the most visceral, non-CGI-heavy action sequences of the year. I love how much you can FEEL the action in the best scenes of "Cap 2," like the assault on Fury or the elevator battle. It gets a little overloaded, and they need to start making these movies under 2 hours, but those are minor complaints for a film that would be just about my favorite of all time were I still 13 years old.

Buy it here.

Special Features:
On The Front Line: An Inside Look At Captain America's Battlegrounds
On Set With Anthony Mackie: Cut The Check!
Steve Roger's Notebook
Audio Commentary
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes

"Godzilla"

Another movie that didn't get enough credit or critical attention in my eyes, but should find a surprisingly entertained audience on the home market. "Godzilla" is a class in forced perspective. The way that director Gareth Edwards plays with the size of its titular beast and how much he hides vs. how much he shows of the creature infuriated audiences who felt they had been sold a false bill of goods. "It's a Godzilla movie! Where the F--- is Godzilla?!?!" I get that criticism, but it's silly to ignore the craftsmanship of the work here because its not what the marketing team sold you. "Godzilla" is a remarkably well-made piece of action cinema, enhanced by WB's typically strong HD skills on the Blu-ray market. Give it a second chance.

Buy it here.

Special Features:
Discover explosive new evidence not contained in the film that unravels the massive cover-up to keep Godzilla's existence a secret in...
"Operation: Lucky Dragon"
"Monarch: The M.U.T.O. File"
"The Godzilla Revelation"
plus, get the lowdown on this legendary monster in "Godzilla: Force Of Nature"
And More!

"Hannibal: Season Two"

Guys, Bryan Fuller does TWO commentary tracks on the season two finale of NBC's "Hannibal," "Mizumono." That's reason alone to buy this set. Here's another one: it's the best drama on network TV. That season finale, which Fuller offers brilliant insight into the creative process behind, is the best hour of television, cable or otherwise, this year. It's the only time as a TV critic I can tell you that my breath was honestly held. And it's the kind of season finale that forces a reappreciation of the season that preceded it. Visual motifs, thematic undercurrents: everything culminates in that final hour. Enough about that episode (I'll write more about it later in my Best TV of the Year piece, trust me), this is a fantastic set all around. Commentaries abound, most of them including great detail about the production of this show from one of the smartest men in TV, Mr. Fuller. Deleted scenes, webisodes, a gag reel, featurettes--it's a phenomenal TV on Blu-ray release for one of the medium's best shows.

Buy it here.

Special Features:
This Is My Design Documentary
"The Style of a Killer" Featurette
"Bodies of Lies" Featurette
Hannibal Season 2: Killer Intentions
Commentaries with Cast and Crew
Post Mortem with Scott Thompson
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel

"Pumpkinhead"

After Criterion, I may have no more beloved Blu-ray studio than Scream Factory, the geniuses who have turned my generation's nostalgia for '80s horror films into an art form. Just look at the cover art! These people take movies that we were derided for taking seriously in high school and justify our love. The latest is "Pumpkinhead," Stan Winston's directorial debut about a vengeful demon brought to life after a horrible tragedy befalls an average man (Lance Henriksen). I'll be honest and admit that "Pumpkinhead" didn't hold up quite as well as I hoped it would. Winston's makeup/effects work is undeniable, but there are tonal and other directorial issues that hold this one back for me. However, I'm still ecstatic that Scream Factory gave it the treatment it deserves. My modest disappointment is another horror nut's '80s fave. Maybe even yours.

Buy it here.

Special Features:
New tribute to Stan Winston featuring actors Lance Henriksen and Brian Bremer, special effects artists Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Shannon Shea and more
New interviews with producer Richard Weinman and actor John Di'Aquino
Audio commentary by co-screenwriter Gary Gerani and creature & FX creators Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis
Six featuettes - "Evolution of a Demon, The Cursed and the Damned, The Tortured Soul of Ed Harley, Constructing Vengeance, Razorback, Demonic Toys
Behind-The-Scenes Footage
Theatrical Trailer

"They Came Together"

Parody is a tough genre to debate. It either works for you or it doesn't. This parody of the rom-com by David Wain of "Wet Hot American Summer" and "The State" fame fell flat for our critic, Christy Lemire (and others). Not for me. I think Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler are hysterical here, and that the film overall is one of the more consistent laugh generators of 2014. Again, I get why it didn't click for some people. But maybe it will for you. What do I know anyway? I love "Wet Hot American Summer" too (a film Roger notoriously hated).

Buy it here.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer David Wain and Producer/Co-Writer Michael Showalter
"They All Came Together" Featurette
San Francisco Sketchfest Table Read
Theatrical Trailer
Deleted Scenes