Home Market Releases for February 9th, 2016
February 8, 2016
It's a strange week on the home market, as we have a monster release coming out, Spectre. There are also four or so releases that are contenders for Pick of the Week. But after that, there's a huge drop in quality and we quickly reach releases that are not even worthy of being fillers. Of the contenders, Grandma is the Pick of the Week and it is certainly worth picking up on Blu-ray.
Akame Ga Kill 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Carol Burnett Show: Treasures from the Vault - Buy from Amazon: DVD
David Bowie - In His Own Words - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Emigrants / The New Land (The Criterion Collection) - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Freaks of Nature - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Leftovers: Season Two Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A Lizard In A Woman's Skin - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Love the Coopers - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
MI-5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Pokémon: The Movies 1-3 Steelbook Blu-ray Collection - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Sheba, Baby - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Spectre - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Star Trek - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Original Series Movies and The Next Generation Movies
Touched By an Angel: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon: Accidental Babe, Convergence, Glassland, Hangman, Marshland, Mythica: The Darkspore, The Night Before, The Peanuts Movie, Second Coming, Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, A Stand-up Guy, Tumbledown, and What Our Father Did: A Nazi Legacy
99 Homes - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This film came out during Awards Season, but despite its stellar reviews, it never really found traction with audiences or Awards Season voters. Granted, it earned more than $1 million at the box office, which is better than most films, and it did pick up some major nominations, it underperformed overall. Extras are weak with an audio commentary and a single deleted scene. It is still worth picking up, but the limited extras keep it from being the Pick of the Week.
It is rare for an Anime title to make this list, but it is a relatively slow week.
I wonder if they will ever put out a full series Megaset? I wonder how huge a set like that would be? It ran for 279 episodes, four episodes a disc, for 80 discs. No wonder they are putting out fragmented releases like this.
Crimson Peak - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This is a gothic horror film co-written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. The film has an amazing style, but some critics think the style got in the way of the story. Extras on the DVD include an audio commentary track, a couple of behind-the-scene featurettes, and some deleted scenes. The Blu-ray includes this and five more extras, mostly about the production design. It is certainly worth picking up and if you are a fan of the subgenre, it is a Pick of the Week contender.
This DVD doesn't come out till Friday. This is a collection of interviews with David Bowie, who passed away very recently. If you are a fans of his, then this is worth picking up.
This is a two-part, nearly seven-hour epic about Swedish immigrants who travel to Minnesota for a better life during the 19th century famine in Sweden. The reviews are stellar, but there's definitely a limited audience for an experience this long.
A black comedy about a town where humans, vampires, and zombies co-exist peacefully. At least they did until the alien invasion started. The cast has a lot of very funny people, but the few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are negative. There are also not a lot of extras on the DVD or Blu-ray. Maybe if you like the cast and genre it is worth a rental, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.
Grandma - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Lily Tomlin's first starring role in nearly 30 years. She earned a lot of critical praise for her performance. However, was this praise justified? Or were critics just happy she was back in a starring role and let that cloud their judgment? Read our review to find out.
Video on Demand
This HBO show is about the after math of an event called "Sudden Departure" in which 140 million people simply disappeared. The reviews have been good, but the ratings have not, so it is ending at the end of the third season.
An Italian erotic thriller from the 1970s. There's not even a page on Rotten Tomatoes, which usually means it is such an unknown movie that it wouldn't be worth talking about. However, it is selling really well on Amazon.com, at least compared to most of this week's new releases. There are a lot of extras on the Blu-ray and if you are a fan of the genre, it is worth picking up.
A Christmas film that earned terrible reviews and bombed in theaters. Skip it.
Video on Demand
An action thriller about an MI-5 agent who fakes his death and goes rogue. The reviews are good, but not great. The only extras are some deleted scenes and a making of featurette. Call it a solid rental.
They are re-releasing the original Pokémon cards in Japan. I'm interested in what this does with the prices, because there's rumors that Magic the Gathering will be doing away with their Reserve List. This is a list of older cards that will never be reprinted, or even functionally reprinted. For some of the cards, this is because the card is too powerful. Others won't be reprinted, because they don't want to hurt the prices for collectors. The cards that are too powerful to be reprinted will never be reprinted. However, if the prices for the original Pokémon cards don't drop with the re-releases, then I think the people at Magic the Gathering will be more willing to drop the Reserve List. I want Ebon Praetor reprinted. It's not a collector's card, as you can buy four of them on E-bay for just over $1.
Video on Demand
A blaxploitation film starring Pam Grier, the Queen of the genre. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but the two-disc set is packed with extras. Worth picking up, for fans of the genre.
Video on Demand
The latest James Bond movie didn't live up to expectations either at the box office or with critics. It was still a monster hit in theaters and most critics gave it positive reviews. It is a perfect example of the Curse of High Expectations. Extras are weak, with just a making of featurette on the opening sequence and some video blogs. The total running time is just a hair under 30 minutes. That's terrible for a film that made nearly $200 million domestically and $900 million worldwide. It is still worth picking up, especially if you are a fan of the franchise, but it is not Pick of the Week material.
This isn't a double-dip. They might not even be a triple-dip. I think this is the fourth time these films have been released on Blu-ray. They are not even the best Blu-ray releases. Pure cash grab. This is even more disappointing, as 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Original Series. I was hoping for something big. Maybe an announcement of the DS9 Blu-rays.
This show lasted nine seasons and is still loved by its target audience. It is a little old-fashioned compared to most shows today, which is both good and bad, depending on your point of view.
The Peanuts Movie is clearly the biggest VOD release this week. And if you are an adult who fondly remembers the TV specials, it is worth a rental. If you have kids who like this franchise, then it is worth buying on Blu-ray.
Welcome to Leith - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A documentary about a White Supremecist who wants to turn the town of Leith, North Dakota into an all-white town. The reviews are among the best on this week's list. Even on a busy week it would be a contender for Pick of the Week.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, The Peanuts Movie, Spectre, Crimson Peak, 99 Homes, Spooks: The Greater Good, Grandma, Love the Coopers, Welcome to Leith, Freaks of Nature, James Bond, Star Trek, Pokemon, David Bowie, Guillermo del Toro, Pam Grier, Lily Tomlin