Home Market Releases for May 17th, 2016

May 17, 2016

Dark Passage

The Deadpool Blu-ray arrived last Tuesday, which is par for course for Fox, as their screeners always seem to arrive as late as possible while still technically not being late. There are updates below with the extras. On a side note, the film is so good, I was tempted to make it the Pick of the Week for the second week in a row. However, in the end I went with Dark Passage, a classic Film Noir with a famous hook. The Blu-ray is the Pick of the Week.

Akame Ga Kill 2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This Anime title is on the first page of Amazon's new releases. It's rare for an Anime title to do that, outside of a few select franchises (One Piece, for example).

Angie Tribeca: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Rashida Jones stars as the titular Angie Tribeca in this parody of police procedurals. The reviews are fantastic, so if you missed the show when it first aired on TBS, it is worth picking up now.

Candy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is a movie that was made in the 1960s and you can really tell. The reviews are really good, but I fear it hasn't aged well. It is more a curiosity from another time than a really effective satire. Still, worth checking out.

Carol + 2: The Original Queens of Comedy - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Two TV specials featuring Carol Burnett. It's only $10, which isn't a bad price for the level of entertainment you get.

Cop Rock: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A police procedural that includes musical numbers. There's a reason it was canceled half-way through its first season.


Dark Passage - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
One of the more famous Bogart and Bacall collaborations. In the movie, Bogart's wife is murdered and he is convicted of the crime. He breaks out of prison to try and find the real killer, but the trial made his face too famous, so he has to undergo plastic surgery. This means the first part of the movie is entirely from Bogart's point of view. This hook helps it stand out, while its reviews have kept it a classic.


Deadpool - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K
Video on Demand
The review went live last week, but I was reviewing a digital download, not the full Blu-ray. So here are the extras.

Firstly, there are two audio commentary tracks. Both are worth listening to, but the one with Ryan Reynolds and the two screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is the more entertaining of the two. Although I will say Rob Liefeld has mellowed out from when I was still buying comics. There are also deleted / extended scenes, with optional audio commentary by the director, Tim Miller. Up next is an 80-minute long making of documentary. It goes over every aspect of filmmaking, from the initial concept of a Ryan Reynolds led Deadpool movie, to the first drafts, the casting, the shooting, special effects, and ending on the score. I was already impressive with the quality of the extras, but this was amazing. Finally, there's Deadpool's Fun Sack, which is more than 20 minutes of promotional material.

On a side note, the final big action scene... That's a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, right? Or am I reading too much into that scene?

Dirty Grandpa - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
No!

Ip Man Trilogy - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
All three films earned great reviews, so if you are a fan of martial arts movies and don't have the films individually, then the box set it worth the price.

Mr. Selfridge - Season 4 - or Blu-ray
The fourth season is also the last season of this British period piece. The reviews were never great with many critics complaining that is was a soap opera, not a traditional British drama. The only extras on the DVD or Blu-ray are a quartet of short featurettes. If you own the previous three seasons, there's no reason to stop buying the show now.

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Amazon is calling this Power Rangers, but it's actually the original Japanese series that was turned into Power Rangers. The ten-disc set costs just $43, which is great deal for fans of either show.


Orange Is The New Black: Season 3 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Season four of this show has not yet aired. ... Earlier this year, it was renewed through to its seventh season. That's really all you need to know about the quality of the show. The reviews are stunning and the show has earned dozens of major award nominations and several big wins, including four Emmys. Extras include some audio commentary tracks and a couple of featurettes on the cast. Definitely worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.

The Program - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The story of Lance Armstrong and his fall from grace after a massive doping scandal. It is an interesting story for a movie, but the reviews are mixed with most critics complaining that the movie lacks depth.


Theeb - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film earned 97% positive reviews and even picked up an Oscars Nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film. Extras include a short animated film about the director's life as a teenager, plus an audio commentary track with the director.

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
A documentary about land art, which was a thing in the 1960s and 1970s. Simply put, it was creating art that was so large that you could appreciate it while riding in a helicopter. The reviews are amazing and it is absolutely worth picking up for fans of documentaries or of the art world.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Back in the Day - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Crush The Skull - Reviews - Video on Demand
Dementia - Reviews - Video on Demand
Embrace of the Serpent - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Ghost and the Whale - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Godless - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Gods of Egypt - Reviews - Video on Demand
Imber's Left Hand - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Mermaid - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Perfect Day - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Winding Stream- Reviews - Video on Demand
Out of all of the VOD releases this week, The Mermaid is easily the one I'm most interested in. However, I'm waiting for the Blu-ray

The Witch - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is one of three horror films to come out early in 2016. None of them were even midlevel hits at the box office, but this one did earn the best reviews. Is it as good as the critics say? Or were the moviegoers smart to stay away? Read our review for my opinion.

Xena: Warrior Princess - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
They are rebooting Xena: Warrior Princess. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that. I really liked the original series, so I hope the new series is as good as the previous one.

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Deadpool, Gods of Egypt, Dirty Grandpa, The Witch, A Perfect Day, Theeb, Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art, El abrazo de la serpiente, Dementia, The Winding Stream, Mei Ren Yu, Godless, Back in the Day, Crush The Skull, The Ghost and The Whale, Jon Imber's Left Hand, Dark Passage, Ip Man, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Carol Burnett, Rashida Jones, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Wernick, Tim Miller, Rob Liefeld