Home Market Releases for September 29th, 2015

September 29, 2015

Spy

It is another week loaded with TV on DVD releases, including iZombie: Season One, which is one of the best new TV shows from last season. However, while that release is a Pick of the Week contender, the actual honor goes to Spy (DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack).


The Avengers: The Age of Ultron - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack or 3D Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film comes out on Friday and there is a digital screener on its way to me, so I will talk about it then. However, unless they screwed up the Blu-ray release, it is Pick of the Week material.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: Aloft, Black Coal, Thin Ice, The Cake Eaters, Christine, The Connection, The Duke of Burgundy, Goodfellas, The Honeymoon Killers, Man With the Gun, Nobunaga the Fool: Collection 2, Ride, A Room with a View, Savage Weekend, Sherrybaby, The Wonderful Country, and Young Billy Young
Not much in terms of interesting secondary Blu-ray releases.

Bones: Season 10 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I watched the show for the first five or six seasons, but there are just too many similar shows out there and I have seriously cut back on the number TV shows I watch overall.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon: A Christmas Horror Story
Only one Christmas release this week and it is a horror film coming out on VOD. Are we going to get to Halloween without a flood of Christmas releases?

Cop Car - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film earned a lot of pre-release buzz, but the reviews were not quite as good as expected, while its box office numbers were terrible. It is still worth picking up, but the only extra is a making of featurette, so it is not a Pick of the Week contender.

Dear Sofia: A Royal Collection - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One of the better animated series aimed at young girls.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A documentary about Cannon Films. Its reviews are amazing and if you are a fan of moviemaking it is worth picking up. Also coming out is a Cannon Films Collection, which includes this film. There are a lot entertaining films on this 7-disc set, including Bloodsport, which is an unmitigated classic, no matter what any critic says. It is one of the ten greatest movies ever made. Okay, I'm lying, but it is still a whole lot of fun.

Entourage - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This is the simplest entry on this list. Did you like the show? If you did, you will probably like the movie. If not, avoid it.

Fresh Off The Boat - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A TV sitcom set in the 1990s and focusing on a Taiwanese living in Orlando and dealing with culture shock. The reviews are amazing and it is rare for Asian-Americans to be the focus of a TV show.

George Gently, Series 7 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A British Murder Mystery show set in the 1960s. Like most similar releases, the quality is high, but the price-per-minute is even higher. If you look at the show as a series of TV movies instead of a typical TV on DVD release, then it looks a lot better.

Grimm: Season 4 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A police procedural, with a supernatural twist. There are actually quite a few of these shows. The show's reviews started out a little weak, but have since improved. Although it's one of those issues where critics who don't like the show are not going to keep reviewing it season after season. It's too much of a time commitment to review a show you don't like. There are enough extras to not feel bare, but not enough to be a true selling point.


iZombie - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A supernatural mystery show starring Rose McIver as a medical student who was turned into a zombie. Now she works in the city Coroner's Office for access to brains. However, when she eats people's brains, she takes on the personality traits of those people and even sees visions of their memories. She uses these "gifts" to help the police solve crimes. One of the best new shows from last season, although I'm worried the high concept will result in a short shelf-life. Extras on the DVD include the Comic Con panel and deleted scenes. That's not a lot, specially when you look at the price-per-minute. (It was a midseason replacement.) Still, it is worth picking up and since it is a shallow week, a contender for Pick of the Week.

Jane the Virgin: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This TV show earned some of the best reviews of any new show for the past few years. I, on the other hand, couldn't get into it.

Note: This DVD made its home market debut on the 22nd.


Modern Family: Season 6 - Buy from Amazon:
DVD
The screener arrived a few days late, but I was able to get the review done over the weekend. It didn't take long to review, because I've seen every episode already. This is one of just half-a-dozen prime time shows I watch on a regular basis (this doesn't include shows like Game of Thrones or the upcoming Jessica Jones that I will almost certainly binge-watch as soon as it is released). How does this season compare to previous seasons? Are there more misses than usual? Read our review to find out.

Mom: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This show started out with mixed reviews. It was too "sitcom". However, the show as improved since then.

Monster High: Boo York, Boo York - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
I'm seriously tempted to buy this Blu-ray. These films sell really well and I want to know if they are as good as the sales numbers would indicate. The Blu-ray also include a special from Ever After High, which is another show like this that is involved in a cross-over here.

Outlander: Season One - Volume Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A World War II military nurse travels back and forth to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love. The reviews are amazing and it is one of the best-selling new releases of the week... but a split-season set for a show that only ran 16 episodes is not acceptable. I know the show was split into two parts when it aired, but that also seems wrong. At least there are enough extras to help the overall value.

Poltergeist - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Why? This movie is a big pile of Why?

R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Goosebumps hits theaters next month, so it makes sense for this DVD to come out now.

Return to Sender - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Yuck. There's an interesting core at the center of this film, but it is surrounded by a lot of exploitation, while the movie never settles on a cohesive tone. Skip it.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This is a Hallmark Channel TV movie. It did well enough to be turned into a TV show, but the term, "Hallmark Channel TV movie" doesn't exactly scream high quality and there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for this movie or the TV show.


Spy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The best new release on this week's list. This is by far the best new release on this week's list. I put in a request for a screener for this release. However, it's from Fox and Fox releases are nearly always late. It might arrive by next Tuesday, but I likely won't get to the review till the weekend after.

TV on DVD Full Series Megasets - Buy from Amazon: Persona 4: Animation Collectors
Only one full series Megaset on this week's list.

Unexpected - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Cobie Smulders and Gail Bean play a high school teacher and one of her students respectively. They both find out they are pregnant. The film's reviews were good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. They are good enough to check out on the home market. Call it a solid rental, leaning towards a purchase.

Vera, Set 5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This is a British police procedural, so you know the drill. The quality is stellar, but the price-per-minute is really high. If you consider the DVD four TV movies, then the price is better.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon: Aladdin, Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Aloft, Bad Grandpa, Billy Elliot The Musical, The Connection, Deathgasm, Dislecksia: The Movie, Dope, The Duke of Burgundy, Home Run, The Gallows, God and Gays, Goodfellas, Jurassic World, Kids vs Monsters, Lyle, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, Sunshine Superman, and Twice Upon a Time
The biggest VOD release of the week is Jurassic World, which was also the biggest hit of the year. I believe a screener is on its way, so I will review it when it comes out on DVD / Blu-ray.

Zipper - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Great cast. terrible reviews. Skip it.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Bloodsport, Jurassic World, Poltergeist, Entourage, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spy!, Cop Car, Zipper, Unexpected, Return to Sender, Monster High, Cobie Smulders, Rose McIver, Gail Bean