Home Market Releases for October 15th, 2019

October 17, 2019

Crawl

It’s a really slow week with Crawl being the biggest release of the week, and it wasn’t a monster hit at the box office. Fortunately, it is also the best DVD / Blu-ray release of the week and was the only real contender for Pick of the Week.

3 From Hell - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This film was a VOD premiere that earned mixed reviews and did nothing at the box office. It would normally be a Secondary Blu-ray release, but it is a very shallow week this week.


Crawl

Crawl - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A movie that combines killer animals with extreme weather. It isn’t the first to do this, but this one isn’t played for B-movie laughs. Does it work on a serious level? Or is it unintentionally funny? Read our review for my opinion.


The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A horror TV series based on the novel of the same name, which has previously spawned a couple of adaptations. Does this one work better than its predecessors? Check out our review to find out.


Häxan: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This Blu-ray is selling really well for a silent film. This is not the first time the film has been released as a Criterion Collection, but this is the first time for the latest restoration. Fans of the movie will jump at the chance to see it as it has never been seen before. However, it’s not quite up to the Pick of the Week level, since, as far as I can tell, a lot of the extras are carried over from the previous release.


Picard

Star Trek: Picard: Movie & TV Collection - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is a collection of the Star Trek movies with Jean-Luc Picard in them, as well as two previously released two-parter episodes from The Next Generation. And when I say previously release, I mean it, as they are the original discs. I’ve previously reviewed the two episodes, so there’s no need to going into them again. As for the movies...

Generations
In 2293, Admiral Kirk and a couple of the other members of the Enterprise’s crew are on hand for the maiden voyage of the newly christened USS Enterprise-B. The ship is forced to respond to a distress call even though it isn’t actually completed, it only has a skeleton crew, and the captain is inexperienced. Due to the help of Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov the ship manages to save many of the crew and passengers of two ships, but Kirk is killed in the process, when an energy ribbon hits the ship. Flash forward to 2371 and the crew of the Enterprise-D, who are celebrating a promotion earned by Worf. The celebrations are cut short due to another distress call, which the Enterprise has to investigate. They do find a survivor, Dr. Tolian Soran. At first they think he was a victim of the attack, but Guinan informs Picard that they were both rescued by the Enterprise-B in the prologue and he has become dangerously obsessed with returning. He is so obsessed that he is willing to destroy star systems to get there. The crew of the Enterprise have to stop him.

This film earned mixed reviews when it first came out, but I always liked it. It does have some issues. For example, it isn’t the mixing of the two shows like it was advertised to be. Scotty, and Chekov are barely in the movie and Kirk only really interacts with Picard. Also, and this is major spoiler, theway Kirk is killed in the end just isn’t satisfying, as it isn’t a hero’s death. However, I still enjoy the movie overall. It’s a fun mixture of action and Sci-fi that I think it accessible enough for relative newcomers to the franchise.

Extras include two audio commentary tracks, a trivia track, a handful of featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. It’s an impressive collection.

First Contact
This is the first film with just the Next Generation crew and they face their biggest foe, the Borg. The Borg are heading to Earth to assimilate it, but the Enterprise is ordered to the far reaches of the Federation, because the admiralty fear Picard is a wildcard, because he was once assimilated by the Borg. This turns out to be true, because when the crew disobeys orders and shows up at the fight, Picard can “hear” the Borg talk and can determine a weakness in the Cube. The Federation starships make quick work of the cube, only for a smaller sphere to pop out travel back in time and erase the Federation from ever existing. The Enterprise is able to ride their time wake back into the past and the crew then hopes to defeat the Borg and undo what they did, which is stop Zefram Cochrane from completing his first warp drive test run. This was detected by the Vulcans and is how the Humans were introduced into the wider galaxy.

This is easily the best film in this era of Star Trek and I would argue it is in the top three out of the entire franchise with only The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home ahead of it. It has the best action in the franchise, when you compare the scope and the emotional impact and only Kahn is a better villain than the Borg are.

The extras are even better than the previous film, with three audio commentary tracks, as well as the other extras above.

Insurrection
Data is sent undercover on a planet to observe the native Ba'ku, but malfunctions and runs amok. Picard is asked for Data’s schematics, so they can figure out what went wrong, but he is told to stay out of it. Instead, he and the crew of the Enterprise decide to travel to the planet and get to the bottom of what’s going on.

This is the weakest of the Next Generation Era films so far, but it isn’t truly bad, just mediocre. It has a weird anti-technology theme to it, which is strange for a Sci-fi franchise that is about an optimistic look at the future. Also, the main villain here isn’t as interesting as the main villains of the previous two films. The action is good and the performances are strong as usual, it just doesn’t add up to as much as before.

The extras are also a little weaker with just one audio commentary track, plus the other extras above. This is still a solid package.

Nemesis
No. It’s a terrible movie and I’m not talking about it. Only The Final Frontier is worse when it comes to the franchise.

The box set also includes a mini comic, which is the only thing new.

The Star Trek: Picard: Movie & TV Collection was made to be a Christmas gift, something you buy for a Star Trek fan, who is really excited for the upcoming Picard series, but don’t have the series of the movies on Blu-ray already.


Stuber - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This is a comedic misfire. It’s not a bad movie exactly, but the gap between the potential and the end result is incredibly disappointing.


Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Bob the Builder: Bob's White Christmas - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Brokenwood Mysteries Holiday Pop-Up Collectible - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A Christmas Carol - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas Getaway - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
DreamWorks Ultimate Holiday Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Midsomer Murders Holiday Pop-Up Collectible - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Holiday Pop-Up Collectible - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The VeggieTales Christmas Classics Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
White Christmas - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
There’s a great mix of Christmas releases including some classics, kids shows, holiday romances, and some TV on DVD releases. Something for everyone.


TV on DVD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee Complete Season Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Librarians: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Tenth Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Twin Peaks: The Television Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Ultraman: The Complete Series - SteelBook Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Ultra Q: The Complete Series - SteelBook Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Librarians is the release I’m most interested in picking up, mainly because I have two box set of Twin Peaks already.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
And Soon the Darkness - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Art of Self Defense - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Cure - 40 Live Curaetion 25 + Anniversary - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Fearless Vampire Killers - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Genius Party / Genius Party Beyond - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Killer Nun: Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Leg Fighters - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Madagascar: The Ultimate Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Omen Collection: Deluxe Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Our Hospitality - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Night Hunter - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Scary Movie - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Shrek: The Ultimate Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Sudden Terror aka Eyewitness - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Testament of Sister New Devil + The Testament of Sister New Devil Burst - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Our Hospitality jumps out as the best of the Secondary Blu-ray releases. However, there have been some Buster Keaton double-shots coming out recently, so I wonder if this will be part of a cheaper release down the road.


3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
No 3D releases this week, but I believe there’s one next week.


4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
American Gangster - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Hellboy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Scarface - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Scarface: Limited Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Of the three movies hitting 4K this week, Hellboy is the one I want the most. It isn’t even close.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish - Reviews - Video on Demand
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - Reviews - Video on Demand
Satan’s Slaves - Reviews - Video on Demand
Terrified - Reviews - Video on Demand
Trick - Reviews - Video on Demand
It put in my request for a screener for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Hopefully it is a fun entrant in the franchise. It is the only secondary VOD release this week that I’m interested in.


C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Night Hunter, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Pengabdi Setan, Stuber, Crawl, 3 From Hell, Aterrados, The Art of Self-Defense, A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish, Christmas Getaway, Star Trek, Fast and the Furious, The Omen, Shrek, Madagascar, Sharknado, Buster Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg, James Cromwell, James Doohan, Michael Dorn, Walter Koenig, Malcolm McDowell, Ricardo Montalbán, William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Patrick Stewart