Home Market Releases for December 22nd, 2015

December 20, 2015

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

There are two major reasons conspiring to make this week's list of home market releases terrible. Firstly, Christmas is on Friday. Even if you pre-ordered something on this list now, there's a good chance it won't get to you in time for Christmas. Secondly, the Steam Winter Sale begins on Tuesday. Of the films on this week's short list, The Brain That Wouldn't Die is the "best", for a certain definition of that word. It's a very entertaining bad movie and the Blu-ray even has the MST3K episode as an extra.


The Brain That Wouldn't Die - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A B-Movie classic, which is to say its bad, but entertainingly bad. The extras are great for this type of release and include an audio commentary track, the MST3K episode that featured the movie, and more. Admittedly, it is a slow week, but it is the Pick of the Week.

Defiance: Season 3 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This show was tied to a video game of the same name, which is an interesting idea, but it didn't really work out. The video game only earned mixed reviews, while the TV series was canceled after just three seasons.

Dominion: Season 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This TV show is loosely based on a the movie Legion, a movie that earned really bad reviews and struggled at the box office. This show also earned bad reviews and was canceled after just two seasons.

Dragon Blade - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This movie tried to mix Hollywood and the Chinese film industry hoping to appeal to both markets. It didn't work out. It's not the worst film on this week's list, but that's hardly high praise.

Little House on the Prairie: Season 7 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The DVD came out in October, but the Blu-ray comes out this week. Not sure why the studio did this, as all it did was piss off the fans.

The Nanny: Season 5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Normally I wouldn't even mention a release like this, but it is a slow week.

Nasty Baby - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This film's reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. Hopefully it will find an audience on the home market.

Nightmares - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A horror anthology from the 1980s. The reviews are absolutely terrible, so even if you are a fan of that genre, there are better options.

Pan - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack
Video on Demand
One of the most expensive bombs of the year. The reviews are terrible, but maybe it is worth checking out, out of morbid curiosity.

Pawn Sacrifice - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I think it is safe to call this film busted Oscar-bait. Its reviews are good, but not great. It did do much better at the box office than its reviews would have suggested, so it does have some appeal with moviegoers. There's not many extras on the DVD or Blu-ray, so call it a solid rental.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon: Heist, Hotel Transylvania 2, The Intern, Sicario, and The Walk
It's a terrible week for DVDs and Blu-rays, but four of the five VOD releases on this week's list are worth checking out. Sicario is the best, but it is so good that you should wait and buy the Blu-ray. The Intern, on the other hand, is a perfect rental.

War Room - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A faith-based film with limited crossover appeal.

The Wiz Live! - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This TV special earned better reviews than the original movie did. Then again, it would be hard not to. Unfortunately, it is only coming out on DVD and the only extra is a making of featurette. It was a huge hit in the ratings, so I was expecting more than this.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Nightmares, Pawn Sacrifice, Pan, The Intern, War Room, Sicario, Nasty Baby, The Brain That Wouldn't Die