Home Market Releases for January 3rd, 2017

January 2, 2017

Denial

The first Tuesday of the year is deceptively busy. There are a ton of romantic films being re-released on DVD, and a few on Blu-ray that I mention below, with Fandango money for Fifty Shades Darker. Most cost between $8 and $10, so if you really wanted one of these movies and were planning on buying tickets for Fifty Shades Darker, then it is a bargain. However, most of the movies that are part of this deal are not good. Strip those out of the mix and the week is really slow. The best of the week is Denial on Blu-ray, while Best and Most Beautiful Things on DVD and The Librarians: Season Two on DVD are also worth grabbing.

Best and Most Beautiful Things - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A documentary about Michelle Smith, a 20-year old autistic woman who was born legally blind. The films reviews are really good, but it wasn’t able to find an audience in theaters. Hopefully that will change on the home market.


Blair Witch - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film is too similar to the first film to be worth bothering with.

Bones: Season Eleven - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I admit it has been years since I watched this show. There are only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all four of them are positive, so that’s a good sign. Also, since season 12 is the final season for the show, fans will want to pick this up in order to get caught up for the final season.


Denial - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I don’t think it is unfair to call this film Oscar bait. It is a real life story based on a person who went up against the system, in this case the British libel system. The film earned great reviews, which were enough to help it thrive in limited release, but not enough to get any real Awards Season buzz. The only extra on the DVD and Blu-ray is a making of featurette, but that’s still enough to be the best of the week.


The Librarians: Season Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I haven’t seen this show, but on Christmas Eve the family got together and I was told I should start watching this show. There are a number of actors I really like and the setup sounds fun. Extras include a ton of behind-the-scenes featurettes, a look at each of the directors for the season, and some outtakes. I would have loved some audio commentary tracks, but this is enough to be a Pick of the Week contender.


Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I put in a request for this title, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Since it is right after the holidays, this delay isn’t a surprise. Hopefully it will get here this week. The reviews are mixed, but that’s on par for a live-action kids movie. Extras include a quartet of featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.

Sleepy Hollow: Season Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One of a handful of shows that started around the same time that looked at a world where fairytales were real. The reviews started out okay, but nothing special. The ratings were also okay at the beginning, but by the end of season three, it was barely renewed. Season four begins shortly and it will likely be the show’s last season.

The Ultimate Legacy - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This film is the third in the Ultimate Trilogy, which started with The Ultimate Gift. A screener for this film arrived on my desk unannounced during the holidays, but I didn’t have a chance to get to a review, so I will be giving it away instead.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
American Romance - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Fifty Shades of Grey - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Glitter - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Intolerable Cruelty - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Leap Year - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Love Happens - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Monkey King 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Pride and Prejudice - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Sea of Love - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Stryker - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The World God Only Knows: Ultimate Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Like I mentioned at the start of this column, a lot of this week’s secondary Blu-ray releases are shilling for Fifty Shades of Grey. Some are good, like Pride and Prejudice. Many are not, like Fifty Shades of Grey.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
There are no 3D releases this week. There are none more often than not.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
There are also no 4K releases this week, but there are some next week and the week after.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon
Christmas Cookies - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD - Video on Demand
Christmas Under Wraps - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Every Christmas Has a Story - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Wish for Christmas - Reviews - Video on Demand
Why are there Christmas releases in January?

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
There are no TV on DVD Megasets this week, although there are some big ones next week and the week after. This includes at least one I hope to review.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Another Man Will - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Anti-Social - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Girl on the Train - Reviews - Video on Demand
Kevin Hart: What Now? - Reviews - Video on Demand
Love on the Sidelines - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Max Steel - Reviews - Video on Demand
Newtown - Reviews - Video on Demand
Ouija 3: The Charlie Charlie Challenge - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Girl on the Train and Kevin Hart: What Now? are the two biggest releases of the week and both are worth a rental. ... Neither can be rented at the moment, so I would wait.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Stryker, Denial, Kevin Hart: What Now?, The Girl on the Train, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, Max Steel, Xi You Ji zhi Sun Wu Kong San Da Bai Gu Jing, Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny, Blair Witch, Newtown, American Romance, Ouija 3: The Charlie Charlie Challenge, Michelle Smith