Home Market Releases for September 20th, 2016

September 20, 2016

Labyrinth

It is not a great week on the home market, as the biggest release is Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary. I’m still waiting for the screener, but I fear there will be less extras this time around. Modern Family: Season Seven was also a contender for Pick of the Week, but the light extras prevents it from earning that title. That leaves Labyrinth: 30th Anniversary Edition as the best of the week.

2 Broke Girls: The Complete Fifth Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
I like the two lead actresses on the show, Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. However, the writing really needs to be sharper.


Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
One of the best animated films ever made; however, it is not the first time the film has been released on Blu-ray. I previously reviewed its Blu-ray debut and it was the Pick of the Week then. Will this version also be the Pick of the Week? I won’t know until the screener arrives. If you don’t have the movie on Blu-ray, then it is a must have.

Blue Bloods: The Sixth Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I’ve previously reviewed the first four seasons of the show. It’s really well made and one of the most consistent shows on TV. ... However, the show is a police procedural, which is a really crowded genre, and it doesn’t have a hook to make it stand out so I stopped requesting the screeners. On a side note, a lot of fans are complaining on the Amazon paid about the price. It does seem high for a TV on DVD release.

Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders: Season 1 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
No. There are too many TV shows in this genre and this one earned terrible reviews, so you have too many better options.

Free State of Jones - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This is busted Oscar-bait that flopped in theaters and is being released on a near-featureless DVD / Blu-ray. It’s not truly bad, but I think a rental will be enough for most.

The Good Wife: The Final Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I’m amazed this show lasted seven seasons. Granted, the reviews were always great, but the ratings were not. In fact, it was on the bubble for being canceled more often than not. I’m also a little confused why there is a spin-off in the works. I don’t think that’s going to fly.

Gunsmoke - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Season Twelve: Volume One and Season Twelve: Volume Two
Each volume costs $32, which is $64 per season. Granted, there are 29 episodes compared to the 22 we get per season today. Plus each episode is a little bit longer, because there were fewer commercial breaks. But still, it’s a lot to ask.

Note: This DVD made its home market debut on the 6th.

In-Lawfully Yours - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This is a faith-based romantic comedy. I’m not in that target audience, but I’ve seen enough similar movies to know when they work or not. Does this one work? Check out our review for my opinion.


Labyrinth: 30th Anniversary Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Combo Pack
One of my favorite movies of all time. I don’t care what other critics have to say. I’m hoping for a screener, but it hasn’t arrived yet. It is easily a contender for Pick of the Week, but winning would take some really nice extras. On a side note, there is also a Collector’s Box Set, but it costs $76. That’s a lot to ask.

Midsomer Murders, Series 18 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is a British murder mystery show, so long time readers know what to expect. The price is really high for TV on DVD, unless you consider the show as six TV movies instead of a six-episode season.


Modern Family: Season Seven - Buy from Amazon:
DVD
Video on Demand
Last year was a bad year as far as TV shows were concerned. Two of the shows I watched were canceled and another ended its run after eight years. That was half of the network shows I watched. (Worse still, two of the other shows I watched were on the bubble, so they might not last another season.) Modern Family was never in trouble in the ratings, even though the show has lost a lot of viewers from its peak. Is the quality also down? Read our review to find out.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
It’s been a bad year for sequels with most failing to live up to their predecessors. This one earned good reviews and did well enough considering its production budget, but it wasn’t nearly as good as or as big a financial success as the original was. I’m waiting for a screener for this release, so I’m not sure if it is worth checking out, or worth picking up. It would take a really loaded DVD / Blu-ray to rate as a contender for Pick of the Week.

The Originals: The Complete Third Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
I don’t like the original show, Vampire Diaries, and I don’t recall having seen a single episode of this show. The first season got mixed reviews, so keep that in mind.

Pelé: Birth of a Legend - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
An athlete as great as Pelé deserves a better movie than this one.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, 4K Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The first movie in the reboot franchise was terrible, but it made nearly $500 million worldwide. This movie was a marginal improvement quality-wise, but it earned less than $250 million worldwide. This explains why the extras are weak for a first-run release. There are a few making of featurettes, deleted scenes, etc. If you liked the first film, then this one will be worth a rental. If not, stay away.

Twin Peaks: The Original Series, Fire Walk With Me & The Missing Pieces - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is the second time this show has been released as a Blu-ray box set. The original is now out of print, but is this version worth picking up? Is it worth the upgrade? Read our review for my opinion.

Wedding Doll - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
An Israeli film about a young woman, Hagit, who has a mild mental deficiency. She lives with her divorced mother, Sara, but wants more independence. Her mother wants to make sure her daughter is taken care of, but also wants a life of her own. The reviews are really good, but it barely made a peep at the box office and I fear it will slip between the cracks on the home market.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Beware! The Blob - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Blood Simple (The Criterion Collection) - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Cat People (The Criterion Collection) - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Dead End Drive-In - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Enemy Below - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
High Noon - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Interrogation - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Joe Bonamassa: Live At The Greek Theater - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Johnny Guitar - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Ma Ma - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mai-Chan's Daily Life—The Movie: Bloody Carnal Residence - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Witness - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I would argue that High Noon is the best Secondary Blu-ray release this week, but Blood Simple could also claim that title.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Labyrinth: 30th Anniversary Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Combo Pack
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Combo Pack
I love Labyrinth, but I’m not sure it will look good in 4K. The puppetry might look fake. ... Faker.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
The Bob Hope Specials: Thanks for the Memories - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Opry Video Classics - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Rookie Blue - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There’s technically only one true TV on DVD Megaset this week, but the other two are box sets with TV specials, which are close enough.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Reviews - Video on Demand
I.T. - Reviews - Video on Demand
In Utero - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The Legend of Tarzan - Reviews - Video on Demand
Level Up - Reviews - Video on Demand
Life, Animated - Reviews - Video on Demand
Miss Stevens - Reviews - Video on Demand
Sacrifice - Reviews - Video on Demand
Stranger in the House - Reviews - Video on Demand
Welcome to Monster High: The Origin Story - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The two VOD releases I’m most interested in are Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Miss Stevens. The latter just hit theaters on Friday, so the quick turnaround to VOD explains its box office struggles.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Cat People, Free State of Jones, The Legend of Tarzan, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Miss Stevens, Ma Ma, Pele: Birth of a Legend, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sacrifice, Life, Animated, I.T., In-Lawfully Yours, Interrogation, Mai-Chan's Daily Life—The Movie: Bloody Carnal Residence, In Utero, Stranger in the House, Beware! The Blob, Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Asi Levi, Moran Rosenblatt