Home Market Releases for July 5th, 2016
July 4, 2016
It's a strange week on the home market, as there are no first-run releases and very few other releases to make up the difference. There are some contenders for Pick of the Week, but all of them are foreign-language films, which is again odd. In fact, two of them, Only Yesterday and The Boy and the World, are animated. However, in the end, I went with The Mermaid, which deserves to be seen by more and Blu-ray is a great way to see it.
Blood and Black Lace - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
By the Sea - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Cabin Fever - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Dear Eleanor - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Death in Paradise: Season Four - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Electra Woman & Dyna Girl - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Family Fang - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries:
Holidays - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
House of Cards: Season Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I Saw the Light - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Naruto Shippuden Uncut - Set 27 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Real Ghostbusters: Volumes 1-5 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Seaquest DSV: The Complete Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Term Life - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Vicious: The Finale - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
4K Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
This film came out on a limited special edition Blu-ray late last year. The "regular special edition" Blu-ray costs about 20% less, so unless you love steelbook cases, this is the better deal.
The Boy and the World - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film earned an Oscar Nomination for Best Feature-length Animated Film. However, this wasn't enough to get it anywhere at the box office. This in turn led to a weaker DVD / Blu-ray release, as the only extras are a making of featurette and a music video. It is a slow week, so it is still a contender for Pick of the Week.
I think Angelina Jolie will direct at least one great movie, but this isn't it. This film looks great, but the plot is overindulgent and boring. Extras include a couple of featurettes and some deleted scenes, which isn't bad considering its box office numbers. However, that's damning it with faint praise.
Video on Demand
A remake no one wanted and apparently no one bothered to see. Skip it.
Wow. The movie actually got made. For those who have never heard of this movie before, it was announced back in 2009 with Abigail Breslin and AnnaSophia Robb, but that plan fizzled. Then three years ago it was announced Isabelle Fuhrman and Liana Liberato were cast and the film was quickly made. It was quickly made, but it wasn't quickly released. Three years is a long time to go from filming to release. Unfortunately, there are no reviews, so it is hard to say if the wait was worth it, or if this was a misfire.
A British Murder Mystery show, but one that isn't overpriced. Granted, the price-per-minute isn't great, as it is about half as long as the average season for a drama over here, but usually you have to sped $25 for three TV movies.
Video on Demand
A remake of the 1970s TV show starring two popular YouTubers. There is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is positive. Fans of the two ladies should check it out.
Video on Demand
Two adult children, Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman, learn their parents are missing and presumed dead. They don't mourn, because their parents are / were performance artists, so they just assume this is their latest stunt. This film has a great cast, great reviews, and did very well in its opening weekend in one theater. As soon as it tried to expand, it collapsed and quickly disappeared from cinemas. The only extra is an audio commentary with Jason Bateman. That's not a lot, but it is still worth picking up.
Beverly Lewis' The Reckoning - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Memory Book - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Wedding Planner Mystery - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A quartet of Hallmark Murder Mystery original movies. I'm not in the target audience and there are no reviews for any of these films on Rotten Tomatoes, so it is hard for me to judge the quality.
Video on Demand
Anthology films rarely work in theaters, because if there's a bad segment, you can't skip it. Unless the hit to miss ratio is better than 2-1, it isn't worth seeing in theaters. On the other hand, if you are watching at home on DVD, skipping to the next story should be just a single button push. Because of this, a 55% Tomatometer Score is probably high enough to at least rent, while if you are a fan of the genre and like the director / stars, it is worth picking up.
I've heard mixed reviews about this season. Some say it bounced back from a weak season three. Others say it was the worse season in the series so far. Of course, the weakest season of this show is still better than most of what's on this list, so keep that in mind.
Video on Demand
This movie is a biopic about a famous singer who had a compelling life and the cast is fantastic. However, the reviews are terrible. The film started out okay in limited release, but collapsed as soon as it tried to expand. That said, the extras are not bad. That's really the only positive here and it is not enough to be worth even a rental.
The Mermaid - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film earned more than half a billion dollars at the box office.... all but a few million of that was earned internationally. This is too bad, because the film earned stellar reviews. Additionally, it was co-written and directed by Stephen Chow, who has box office success here with Kung Fu Hustle. Extras on the DVD and Blu-ray include two making of featurettes and a music video. That's not a lot, but better than most foreign-language imports have. On a side note, you can also buy this movie with Kung Fu Hustle, but only on DVD. I already own Kung Fu Hustle, so I'm not interested in that release. On the other hand, the Blu-ray is a Pick of the Week contender.
One of a few Anime franchises that routinely sell well enough to appear on this list.
Only Yesterday - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This is the latest film from Studio Ghibli, so I shouldn't be surprised that it earned 100% positive reviews. Extras include feature-length storyboards, a making of featurette, a featurette on the voice work and interviews with the English-language cast. I put in a request for a screener and I really hope it shows up soon. Deliveries are a bit of a mess with Canada Day and Independence Day, not to mention the likely Canada Post strike up here. Even without getting my hands on a copy, I can tell it is clearly a Pick of the Week contender.
I love this show and bought the original Time Life version, the 25-disc box set that came in a box that looks like the fire station. At the time, it was $120, now it costs $350 from re-sellers. It looks like this version will be cheaper than the Time Life version's original price, when it is finally all out. Then again, when the individual volumes and the few box sets are out, they will probably (re)release the complete series and I would wait for that.
This show started out strong with a Sci-fi look at real world problems. However, it quickly devolved due to conflicts between the cast and the producers, not to mention a real-world disaster. (When a TV show's Wikipedia page includes a link to an earthquake, then you know you are in development hell.) The show only lasted two and a half seasons and there were such major changes at the end of each season that most fans will only like one of the three seasons. Finally, the box set costs more than $100. It's not worth that.
Video on Demand
This movie has a good cast and it is a neo-noir and I like that genre. However, it's reviews are terrible. Not only is its Tomatometer Score 0% at the moment, but its average score is just 2.1 out of 10. Avoid. Even if you can watch it for free, it's not worth your time.
$10 for a 60-minute TV special. Even if you love the series, that's a high price to pay.
The Adderall Diaries - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Code of Honor - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Dark Knight Trilogy - Batman Begins Reviews, The Dark Knight Reviews, The Dark Knight Rises Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Guilty Crown: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Endgame - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The In-Laws - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ: Collection 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Project Itoh: Empire of Corpses - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Parasyte: Maxim 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Parasyte: Maxim 2: Premium Box Set - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Search Party - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Swinging Cheerleaders - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
WWE: Living on a Razor's Edge: The Scott Hall Story - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There are a couple of classics on this week's list, The In-Laws and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, both of which were later remade. The remakes are weak, these two are both worth picking up.
No 4K releases this week either, but there are several next week, so stay tuned for that.
The Adderall Diaries - Reviews - Video on Demand
Code of Honor - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Barbershop: The Next Cut - Reviews - Video on Demand
Barbershop: The Next Cut is clearly the best VOD release on this week's list, but it is so good that you should just wait to buy the Blu-ray, which comes out July 26th and not in December 2019, like Amazon says.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Search Party, I Saw the Light, By the Sea, The Adderall Diaries, Barbershop: The Next Cut, Term Life, Omohide poro poro (おもひでぽろぽろ), Cabin Fever, The Family Fang, Code of Honor, O Menino e o Mundo, Mei Ren Yu, Dear Eleanor, Dark Knight Trilogy, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Jason Bateman, Abigail Breslin, Stephen Chow, AnnaSophia Robb, Liana Liberato, Isabelle Fuhrman