Home Market Releases for July 26th, 2016

July 27, 2016

Sing Street

It’s a rather shallow week on the home market with the biggest release being Batman: The Killing Joke, which is a hot mess. More on that below. As for the best new release of the week, there are a handful of releases that were contenders for Pick of the Week, including Barbershop: The Next Cut, Deadline U.S.A., and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVI. In the end, I picked Sing Street on Blu-ray for that title.


Barbershop: The Next Cut - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
It’s been a bad year for sequels, reboots, etc. This film earned 90% positive reviews, but still couldn’t live up to its predecessors, even before you take inflation into account. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette looking at the cast learning how to look like barbers and hairstylists, deleted scenes, and outtakes. It is worth picking up and because it is a slow week, it is a contender for Pick of the Week.

Batman: The Killing Joke - Reviews - Video on Demand
This is the biggest release of the week and it is only coming out on Video on Demand. It’s also a disaster. I can’t believe the reviews are almost at the overall positive level. The original comic was made in the 1990s during the GrimDark era of comics and it hasn’t aged well. Worse still, the writers of the animated film said they were going to improve the problematic issues with the comic. (In the comic, the Joker shoots and then sexually assaults Batgirl as a way of getting to Batman and Commisioner Gordon. They don’t actually show the sexual assault, but we see her shot and she’s wearing clothing, but we later learn she was found naked.) They kept that part. It’s one of the worst tropes out there, but they kept it. This was supposed to be balanced by new material that was supposed to make Batgirl a lot more empowered in this film. Unfortunately, it feels like it was written by someone who hangs out on the internet and uses the term “Females” instead of women and has no idea what female empowerment is.

Born to be Blue - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A biopic about Chet Baker starring Ethan Hawke. The reviews were excellent, but it failed to find an audience in theaters and now it is coming out on DVD and VOD only. No Blu-ray release is a disappointment. It is still worth checking out, but I wonder if a Blu-ray is in the works.

The Boss - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Melissa McCarthy is incredibly funny, so why are the movies she co-writers with her director husband so bad? The extras are fine and there are a lot of small Blu-ray exclusives, but that’s not enough to make up for the reviews.

Criminal - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack, 4k Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The memories of a dead FBI agent are put into a career criminal’s mind in order to stop a terrorist attack. This film is a reminder that original isn’t always better. It’s not as bad as its box office run would indicate, but it is only worth a rental at most, and that’s if you are interested in the premise and like the cast.


Deadline U.S.A. - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Another week. Another Humphrey Bogart. Not that I mind. My wallet is begging for a break, but it won’t get one. In this film, Humphrey Bogart plays a newspaper editor whose paper is about to be shutdown, but he wants to go out with a bang and he wants to do an expose on a local crime boss. This is nowhere near his most famous film, but it is still worth checking out.

Family Matters: The Complete Seventh Season - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
I’m surprised this show lasted nine seasons. I’m just as surprised that this season is selling as well as it is, as it is in the top ten new releases for the week.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I put in a request for this title, but it hasn’t arrived. It certainly looks interesting and I really hope it arrives soon. However, even if it arrives tomorrow, I won’t get to it until after the August Preview.

Hardcore Henry - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film has a rather unique approach as far as style is concerned. Can the rest of the film live up to this hook? Is the hook even an asset? Read our review to find out.

I Am Wrath - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film hits the home market today, while we have a contest this Friday to celebrate that. The prize will be a John Travolta prize pack, so stay tuned.


Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVI - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
MST3K is always a highlight of the week whenever a new volume comes out. Not only did the new series do amazingly well on Kickstarter, it is going to be on Netflix as well. This is awesome. I can’t wait. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait, as this set has some great episodes, even if a couple of the movies are a little slow to be prime targets. Extras are solid, while the price-per-episode is high, even if you look at it as four TV movies. Still, if you are a fan, is it worth picking up and even a contender for Pick of the Week.

One Piece: Season Eight, Voyage Two - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Not a lot of Anime titles can sell well enough to reach the top ten on Amazon’s list of new releases. One Piece is one of the rare exceptions.

Opry Video Classics II - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Why is this coming out this week and not during the Christmas shopping season? This looks like the perfect gift for a Country & Western music fan.

Pittsburgh Penguins: 2016 Stanley Cup Champions - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Real fans want full games and not 100 minutes of highlights.


Sing Street - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This is the third film from John Carney that focuses on music. Is he a master of this subject? Or is he retreading old stories? Check out our review for my opinion.

Where's Huddles: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
First of all, “The Complete Collection” means ten episodes. Also, this cartoon is no where near Hanna-Barbera’s best or best known. Even if you love the studio, there’s a chance you have never heard of this show. This definitely hurts its value, unless you are a collector of 1970s cartoons.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Death Wish II - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Dementia 13 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Five Miles to Midnight - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Hellhole - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Log Horizon 2: Collection 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Lupin the 3rd: Voyage to Danger - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The New World - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Pioneers of African American Cinema - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Steve Hackett: The Total Experience Live In Liverpool - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
When They Cry Rei - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The New World is the biggest of the secondary Blu-ray releases. It’s a good movie, but a little too self-indulgent to be a great movie. I think Pioneers of African American Cinema is the better Blu-ray to grab.

4K Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Criminal - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4k Combo Pack
This is an odd choice for the only 4k release of the week, as it really struggled in theaters.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
God’s Not Dead 2 - Reviews - Video on Demand
LEGO: Nexo Knights - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Listening - Reviews - Video on Demand
Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Soledad - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Wiener-Dog - Reviews - Video on Demand
Wiener-Dog is the best VOD release this week, and even then, it missed expectations both critically and commercially.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Criminal, The Boss, Barbershop: The Next Cut, Wiener-Dog, Sing Street, God’s Not Dead 2, Hardcore Henry, Born to Be Blue, Batman: The Killing Joke, Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, Soledad, Hellhole, Deadline U.S.A., The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, Le couteau dans le plaie, Barbershop, Humphrey Bogart, John Travolta, Ethan Hawke, Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy, John Carney