Home Market Releases for December 5th, 2017

December 5, 2017

The week is deceptively strong. At first glance, Despicable Me 3 appears to have scared off all of the competition, but when you look deeper, there are a lot of contenders for Pick of the Week. These include Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series, Better Watch Out, Princess Cyd, and others. In the end, I went with Long Time Running, which came out on DVD and Blu-ray last Friday.

2017 World Series: Huston Astros - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 8-Disc Collection or 2-Disc Set
I’m not into baseball, but I support them putting out a collection of all seven games of the World Series, plus game seven of the ALCS. Real fans want full games and not just highlights.

American Assassin - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, of 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This is a lazy action / thriller that struggled at the box office and doesn’t have enough extras on the DVD / Blu-ray to be worth even a rental.

The Amicus Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This four-disc set contains three movies from Amicus, a horror studio that was around from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. There are a lot of extras on this set, including a feature-length documentary about the studio. It is easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week. You can also buy the films individually, but that could cost about $10 more and wouldn’t include the bonus disc.

Better Watch Out - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A home invasion horror / comedy with a twist that is sadly given away in the trailer. Don’t watch the trailer. It was a VOD premiere, so it went nowhere at the box office and in turn, the DVD / Blu-ray only have a making of featurette for an extra. That said, it is hard to argue with those reviews and it is a slow week, so it is a Pick of the Week contender.

Conor McGregor: Notorious - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A biographical documentary about the MMA star. The film only earned mixed reviews as a lot of critics complained it was a hagiography. If you are a fan of the fighter and want a film that lavishes praise on him and his talent, then this is for you. If you are not a fan and / or wanted a more balanced approach, then give this one a pass.

Fargo: Season 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This show has earned amazing reviews and each season is worth your time. However, this season, there’s no Blu-ray release and that’s a real disappointment. It is still worth picking up, but it is not a Pick of the Week contender.

Guardians - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
There have been six super hero movies that have opened wide this year. Five of them earned excellent reviews and become monster hits at the box office. It has been an awesome year for fans of super hero movies and they have plenty of great films to choose from. This is not one of them. To be fair, its average reviews are better than Justice League’s average reviews are, but even then, it is really only worth watching because of how bonkers and bad it is.

Long Time Running - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Tragically Hip is one of the biggest bands in Canadian history. They had nine albums hit number one in Canada, including six in a row. On the other hand, they never had a top 100 album in the United States. Sadly, Gord Downie, the lead singer and songwriter, very recently passed away after a battle with terminal brain cancer. This DVD / Blu-ray is a celebration of the band and its reviews are stunning. Not only is its Tomatometer Score nearly 90% positive, but the average is 8.9 out of 10. That’s close to Oscar-worthy. (Not enough Awards Season voters will have seen it to actually earn any nominations, on the other hand.) There is some additional footage on the DVD / Blu-ray and the overall package is clearly worth picking up and a serious contender for Pick of the Week.

Mob Psycho 100: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or Limited Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack
A high school boy has untapped psychic powers and if they were fully unleashed, they would make him incredibly dangerous. This is one of the best-reviewed Anime titles in recent years, some say it is one of the best Anime titles of all time. There are no real extras on the regular edition, while the limited edition has some physical extras at a very reasonable markup. It is certainly worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.

One Piece: Collection Twenty One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
816 episodes. There have been 816 episodes that have aired. I can’t even imagine trying to catch up on the show at this point.

Princess Cyd - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This Indie film earned amazing reviews and it had a real chance of finding an audience in limited release... except it was released the same weekend as Lady Bird and that was just too much competition. This explains why it is only getting a DVD release. It is still a Pick of the Week contender, but I’m worried it will slip between the cracks again.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Season 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is one of the longest-running Anime franchises of all-time, and there’s a reason for that. The show just clicks with its target audience in a way few shows do. The reviews for the previous season were good, while the reviews for this season were even better. The lack of substantial extras are disappointing, but common for Anime titles.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
The latest Hallmark Channel original mystery. Like the rest, there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but if you are part of the target demographic, you already know if you are interested in the TV movie.

Silent Night, Deadly Night - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
This is a 1980s teenage slasher cult classic with a killer Santa Claus. If you are a fan of this specific horror subgenre, it is a must have. If you just like 1980s teenage slashers in general, then it is worth checking out, but I’m not sure it is worth the purchase.

The Simpsons: Season 18 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
If you like this show, buy this DVD now. The studio already canceled DVD releases for this show, so this is a test run to see if they are worth bringing back. If you want more seasons on DVD, you have to convince the studio the demand is there. On the other hand, it has been over a decade since I’ve watched the show. I hear the quality has leveled out after a rather sharp decline, so it could be worth jumping back in.

South Park: Blu-ray - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, and Season Five
I had a chance to review the Blu-ray re-releases for this show, but I passed. I do remember liking the early seasons, but in my opinion, there hasn’t been a classic episode in over a decade and I really think it isn’t just that their quality has really dropped. It has dropped, but I’ve also just outgrown the show. The thought of watching five seasons for a review was just too much.

Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This revival isn’t quite as good as the first season of the original show, but it is much closer than I thought it would be. If you are a fan of the original show, or of David Lynch in general, then it is a must have. The extras on the DVD are good, while the Blu-ray has a trio of exclusive featurettes, making it a Pick of the Week contender.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Elf - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Santa Stole Our Dog! - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There are only four Christmas releases, including the two above, and three of them are Christmas-themed horror films.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
100 Years of Olympic Films The Criterion Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Auntie Mame - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Clannad / Clannad After Story: Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Crucifixion - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Digimon Adventure Tri.: Confession - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Gook - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Howard Lovecraft And The Undersea Kingdom - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Initial D Legend 1: Awakening - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Love Live! Sunshine!!: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Endless Waltz Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Osiris Child - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Revolutionary Girl Utena - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Taboo Tattoo: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Women’s Balcony - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
There are more than a few secondary Blu-ray releases that are earning great rewards, but are too small to talk about individually. The Women’s Balcony, Gook, Clannad, etc.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
No 3D releases this week.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Jumanji - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This movie only got mixed reviews, but it is considered a family classic by a lot of people.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
One Day At A Time - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Pokemon Advanced Challenge - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The original One Day At A Time is coming out this week. It is widely considered a classic, while the new remake is also earning stunning reviews.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Elf on the Run - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Gangster Land - Reviews - Video on Demand
In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem - Reviews - Video on Demand
Knights Templar: Rise and Fall - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Shot - Reviews - Video on Demand
Stronger - Reviews - Video on Demand
The biggest secondary VOD title is Stronger; however, while its reviews are great, I fear it will be remembered as nothing more than busted Oscar-bait.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Despicable Me 3, The Crucifixion, Stronger, American Assassin, Zashchitniki, Gook, In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem, Princess Cyd, The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One, Better Watch Out, Shot, Conor McGregor: Notorious, Gangster Land, Knights Templar: Rise and Fall, Elf on the Run, Despicable Me, David Lynch