Home Market Releases for February 07th, 2017

February 7, 2017

Loving

The winter releases are starting to come out on the home market. Trolls is the biggest such release, but it isn’t the best. It isn’t bad either, but it’s for kids and not adult fans of animation. As for the best, there are a quartet of contenders for Pick of the Week; Loving, The Eagle Huntress, Little Sister, and Two Lovers and a Bear. All four are must haves, while Loving’s Blu-ray Combo Pack is the Pick of the Week. Meanwhile, Two Lovers and a Bear’s DVD is the Puck of the Week for Best Canadian Release.

Almost Christmas - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
I think it would have been smarter to wait until Christmas time to release this film on the home market. The reviews are not bad and the extras are good, so it is worth picking up if you are a fan of the cast and like Christmas movies.

American Pastoral - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film is based on a great book and the cast is excellent, but something went wrong in the adaptation. Extras include an audio commentary track and two making of featurettes, which is fine for a limited release, but not enough to compensate for the reviews.

Antibirth - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Natasha Lyonne plays Lou, a party animal who wakes up after a particularly impressive night of partying, pregnant. But it not a normal pregnancy. The reviews are good enough that the film is worth checking out, but I’m not convinced you need to buy it. Given the strange nature of the film, perhaps waiting till you can rent it on VOD is the better idea.

Desierto - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A group of people try to sneak across the southern border into the United States, only to be picked off by a vigilante. The film’s reviews were barely in the overall positive range.

Dirty Dancing: 30th Anniversary Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I am not a fan of this movie, but I know there are plenty out there. However, even for fans, there have been enough home market releases that it is hard to justify buying yet another Blu-ray, especially one that’s over $55.


The Eagle Huntress - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I really wanted this film to win the Oscar for Best Documentary, but it wasn’t even nominated. The reviews are fantastic and it did really well at the box office for a documentary. Extras include an audio commentary track and a making of featurette, which is good for a documentary. It is easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.


Justice League Dark - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or Limited Edition Gift Set
Video on Demand
An R-rated animated comic book movie. This isn’t the first such release, but it is significantly better than The Killing Joke was.

Like Cotton Twines - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A teacher learns one of his students is being taken out of school to become a “bride of God” to pay for a crime her father committed. Being a “bride of God” it much worse than it sounds. The teacher then tried to help her avoid this fate. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so if you are interested in the story, it is probably wise to wait until you can rent it on VOD.


Little Sister - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A dysfunctional family comedy about a young nun that returns home when her brother returns from the Iraq war. The film earned better than 90% positive reviews, but it was a VOD debut, so it went nowhere at the box office. Extras on the DVD / Blu-ray include deleted scenes, Q&A session, and more. It is easily worth picking up and a Pick of the Week contender.


Loving - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film earned excellent reviews and was an Awards Season adjacent. What I mean is it earned a major Awards Season nomination here and there, including an Oscar nod for Ruth Negga. However, it was never a major player during Awards Season, which is a shame. Extras include an audio commentary track and four featurettes, which is great for a limited release. It is easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.


Sabrina Down Under - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This is the second TV movie based on the TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Can it live up to the TV show? Or does it feel like an overstuffed two-part episode? Read our review to find out.

Trolls - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film earned good reviews, but unlike some animated wide releases from 2016, this one is aimed at kids and not adults. Extras include making of featurettes, deleted scenes, party mode, etc. If you have kids in the right age range, then it is worth picking up. If you are an adult fan of animation, then maybe rent it.


Two Lovers and a Bear - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A Canadian movie set in a small town near the north pole and about a couple who have a passionate relationship. The film’s reviews are amazing, but as a Canadian film, its sales numbers are not.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The 9th Life of Louis Drax - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Cameraperson: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Def Leppard: And There Will Be A Next Time...Live From Detroit - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Frank and Lola - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Galaxy Angel Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Girl Asleep - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
King Kong - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Love in the Afternoon - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Mummy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Mummy Returns - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Nerdland - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life - The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
No Highway in the Sky - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Postcards from the Edge - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Prince of Foxes - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Take - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Gundam: Called Turn A Gundam - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Vice Principals: The Complete First Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
What a Way to Go! - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Wild Beasts - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Wolf’s Rain: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Postcards from the Edge is the secondary Blu-ray release I’m most interested in. Its reviews are amazing, but its timing is a little ghoulish. It’s based on the life of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, both of whom passed away at the end of 2016.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Next week we have a 3D release.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
John Wick - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Trolls - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Early reviews for John Wick: Chapter Two are even better than the original’s reviews. That’s great news for its debut this Friday.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
Penny Dreadful - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Quantum Leap - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Twilight Zone: The 80s Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There are four complete series Megasets on this week’s list and all four are worth picking up. That’s rare.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Candiland - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Dead West - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Deadly Virtues Love Honor Obey - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Elizabeth at 90 A Family Tribute - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Hacksaw Ridge - Reviews - Video on Demand
Lead with your Heart - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Liberating a Continent John Paul II and the Fall of Communism - No Reviews - Video on Demand
London Road - Reviews - Video on Demand
Look At Us Now, Mother! - Reviews - Video on Demand
Manchester by the Sea - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Midsummers Hawaiian Dream - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Nocturnal Animals - Reviews - Video on Demand
Peter and the Farm - Reviews - Video on Demand
Stake Land 2 - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are a trio of Oscar nominees on this week’s list of secondary VOD releases. However, I think Peter and the Farm would make a good Video on Demand rental.


Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, American Pastoral, Trolls, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, Hacksaw Ridge, Manchester by the Sea, Two Lovers and a Bear, Nocturnal Animals, Almost Christmas, London Road, Loving, Desierto, Antibirth, Frank & Lola, Bastille Day, Look At Us Now, Mother!, The Eagle Huntress, Cameraperson, Little Sister, Justice League: Dark, Nerdland, Dead West, Candiland, Deadly Virtues: Love.Honor.Obey, Like Cotton Twines, A Midsummer’s Hawaiian Dream, Stake Land 2, Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute, Carrie Fisher, Natasha Lyonne, Debbie Reynolds, Ruth Negga