Home Market Releases for May 30th, 2017

May 29, 2017

Ghost

Last week was amazing for this time of year with three top-tier releases. This week, the best first-run release is Before I Fall, which deserves to be seen by more, but there are no extras, so it is not a Pick of the Week contender. The actual contenders are limited to The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Ghost World: The Criterion Collection. It isn’t close as to which one comes out on top.

Before I Fall - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A teen-centric take on Groundhog Day, at least that’s the general attitude most filmgoers dismissively thought while ignoring its box office run. The reviews were overall positive, but it bombed in theaters, so there are no extras on the DVD / Blu-ray. It is still worth checking out.


The Blackcoat’s Daughter - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This horror film bombed in limited release and it is not hard to see why. Its reviews, while good, were not good enough for limited release. Also, horror films rarely do well in limited release. Finally, it was playing on VOD at the time. As a result, there are not a lot of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray, just an audio commentary track and a making of featurette. However, this is enough to be worth picking up. In fact, it is a slow week, so it is a Pick of the Week contender.


Collide - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film got stuck in development hell and was sitting on a shelf for about a year, then Felicity Jones starred in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It probably should have stayed collecting dust for a while. Its reviews are terrible and it is one of the biggest bombs of all time. Skip it.

Decoy: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A TV series from the 1950s. It is a police procedural show, but stands out because it was the first with a female protagonist. Only 39 episodes were made, but it clearly still has a lot of fans, because it is selling really well.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya: The Movie - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This movie is earning stellar reviews over on My Anime List, but unfortunately I know nothing about the movie, or the TV series that spawned it. That said, it is selling really well, so I couldn’t not mention it on this list.

Fist Fight - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
So much amazing comedic talent wasted on a lazy script. Even if you are a fan of the cast, I wouldn’t rent it, because you will just end up being disappointed.


Ghost World: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Terry Zwigoff directed a couple of documentaries, including the classic Crumb. Ghost World was his first narrative film and it was stellar. The Criterion Collection release has audio commentary track, interviews, deleted scenes, extended excerpt from Gumnaam, and more. It is easily worth picking up and arguably the only real contender for Pick of the Week.


The Last Kingdom: Season Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
A BBC series that earned amazing reviews but weak ratings. Netflix stepped in to co-produce season two, but there’s no solid word on a third season. That’s not a good sign.

Major Crimes: The Complete Fifth Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
The spin-off to The Closer enters its sixth season this summer. That’s quite a run. However, it is also a police procedural and there’s too much direct competition in that genre.

Queen Sugar: The Complete First Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A drama about an African-American family who run a sugarcane farm. The TV show’s reviews are amazing, which is not surprising given the talent on both sides of the camera. On the other hand, I’m having trouble tracking down if there are any extras on the DVD.

The Shack - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A faith-based film that did better than most at the box office. Its reviews were abysmal, so it has almost no cross-over appeal. The DVD / Blu-ray have plenty of extras, so if you are in the target audience, it is worth picking up.

Speed Racer: Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Both an Anime title and a complete series Megaset. Usually these would appear down below, but it is fighting for a spot in the top five best-selling new releases of the week.

Suits: Season Six - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A courtroom drama with a twist, the main lawyer isn’t really a lawyer, he’s a college drop-out with a photographic memory. The show has been earning strong reviews for six seasons and the seventh season starts soon.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Captain Harlock Arcadia of My Youth - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Evil Ed - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Gosick: The Complete Series Part One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Hearse - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Himouto Umaru-Chan - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Lupin the 3rd: Island of Assassins - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Malibu High - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project No. 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
One Two Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Paradine Case - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Sheik - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Spotlight On A Murderer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Tough Guys - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I really like Tough Guys. I think 62% positive reviews is too low.


3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Kraftwerks: The Catalogue - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack
Technically this release was featured last week as well, but it was a Friday release, so it straddles two weeks.


4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
No 4K releases this week. That changes next week.


TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
Beauty And The Beast - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Hart To Hart - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Hell on Wheels: The Complete Limited Edition Collector’s Set with Soundtrack - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
That Hell on Wheels collector’s set is too expensive to recommend.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
A Cure for Wellness - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Drowning - Reviews - Video on Demand
Golden Years - Reviews - Video on Demand
Rupture - Reviews - Video on Demand
It's a slow week for secondary VOD releases. There are only four and none of them earned overall positive reviews. The Drowning came the closest and it is worth a $5 rental. However, it doesn’t come out on Video on Demand until Thursday.


Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Tough Guys, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, A Cure for Wellness, Collide, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Rupture, The Drowning, The Shack, Fist Fight, Before I Fall, Golden Years, Terry Zwigoff, Felicity Jones