Home Market Releases for May 22nd, 2018

May 23, 2018

Early Man

Black Panther came out on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack last weekend and it is still scaring away a lot of the competition. That’s not to say there are no new releases that are worth picking up. In fact, A Fantastic Woman, I Kill Giants, and Early Man are all contenders for Pick of the Week. In the end, that title went to Early Man on Blu-ray.

The 15:17 to Paris - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A film about a real-life terrorist attack. It could have been a good movie, but Clint Eastwood’s decision to cast the actual people instead of professional actors really hurts the quality of the movie.

Call the Midwife: Season Seven - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This show got renewed for three seasons simultaneously just before the start of its sixth season. That’s how impressive this show’s ratings and reviews have been. The lack of extras hurts, but it is still worth picking up.


Early Man - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I reviewed this film last weekend when it came out on VOD. This week it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray? Is it worth checking out? Is it worth picking up? Read our review to find out.


A Fantastic Woman - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
The winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign-language Film. So it should come as no surprise that it is a Pick of the Week contender. It just misses out on that honor, as its extras are not great. There is an audio commentary track and a making of featurette, which is better than most foreign-language films get, so you can’t really complain.


A Fistful of Dollars - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is a great movie and one that is absolutely worth owning. It has just been released on Blu-ray too often to be a Pick of the Week contender.

Game Night - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
An entertaining thriller / comedy that is certainly worth checking out. The extras are light with just a making of featurette and outtakes. That said, I would still call it worth a purchase over just a rental. On a side note, hypothetically speaking, if I’m kidnapping someone and there’s a bunch of witnesses and they are more interested in the cheese board than their friend that I’m kidnapping, I’m going to panic. That’s not normal behavior and it would make me freak out.

Gunsmoke: The Thirteenth Season - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Volume One or Volume Two
Good show, but I don’t like the split-season releases. On a side note, normally we don’t talk about TV on DVD releases this late in their run on the home market, but it is a really shallow week, so we don’t really have a choice.


I Kill Giants - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Madison Wolfe stars as a young girl who wears bunny ears and brings a warhammer to school, saying she needs it to protect the world from giants. The film earned great reviews, but it was a VOD debut, so it did nothing at the box office. It is worth picking up and with two making of featurettes, a graphic novel, and image gallery, it has more extras than most VOD premieres, so let’s call it a contender for Pick of the Week.


Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
If you made the leap to 4K Ultra HD, then this four-movie box set is worth picking up. The most recent movie made me angry, but some of the movies are good.

Justice League Action: Season 1, Part 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This is a good cartoon, but normally we wouldn’t include it here, it is a slow week.

Masterpiece: Little Women - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This TV mini-series has 79% positive reviews. Not only that, but its average score is 8.1 out of 10, which means not only do most critics like the show, but those that do, love the movie. It is a PBS release, so the lack of extras isn’t a surprise. It is still worth picking up, on the other hand.

The Matrix - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Normally we talk about these down below, but this is one of the best-selling releases of the week. The film is still very popular, and I bet it looks amazing in 4K, but this is also a sign that this week is very slow. A 4K release shouldn’t be battling for first place on the sales chart.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Singles Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
These episodes were originally released on DVD on single-episode packs, but are now coming out in a bigger box set for the first time. The price-per-episode is better than the new, reduced price re-releases and if you are a fan of the show, it is certainly worth picking up.

The Party - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A group of people have a dinner party to celebrate a promotion one of the group had. However, nearly all of them have secrets that are about to come out and ruin lives. The reviews are good and it is worth picking up, even though the film isn’t getting a Blu-ray release.


Red Sparrow - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A spy thriller with two hooks. Firstly, we get to see the less than glamorous training spies go through. Secondly, we see both sides try and succeed in opposing missions. Is this enough for the film to work? Or are there other elements that hold it back? Check out our review for my opinion.


Tsugumomo: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Anime about a boy who learns his grandmother’s kimono sash is possessed by a spirit that aims to train the boy how to fight other spirits. The reviews are good, but not great; however, it is selling surprisingly well and it is fighting for a spot in the top ten new releases for the week. There are almost no extras, but it is still worth picking up for fans of Anime.

Wonderstruck - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This film came out on DVD earlier in the year, so I’m not sure why it is coming out on Blu-ray now. It is selling well for a double-dip.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Beyond the Hills: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Bloodthirsty Trilogy - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
British Blues Explosion: Live - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Daphne and Velma - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Death Smiles on a Murderer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Graduation: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters: The Criterion Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Of Unknown Origin - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Over Kill: Live In Overhausen - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Rin-ne: Season 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Vampire And The Ballerina - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Wild at Heart - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Like most weeks, if there’s a Criterion Collection release, it’s worth checking out and this week there are three of them. There’s not a lot of other releases that really caught my eye.


4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Fury - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Matrix - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Patriot - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Red Sparrow - review - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
I have still not made the leap to 4K and I’m not planning on doing so, unless I need to buy a new TV and 4K is really all I can get at the size I need. That said, the Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary Collection is worth picking up for those who have already made the leap, as is The Matrix 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack.


TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
No megasets this week, or next week, but there are some before the end of the month.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Baltimore Rising - Reviews - Video on Demand
Beauty Mark - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Camp Camp: Season Two - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Every Day - Reviews - Video on Demand
Gray Matter - Reviews - Video on Demand
Gringo - Reviews - Video on Demand
iGirlfriend - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Into Tartarus - Reviews - Video on Demand
Killer Pinata - NO Reviews - Video on Demand
The Last Tango - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Modern Life is Rubbish - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Strangers: Prey at Night - Reviews - Video on Demand
Thoroughbreds - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are a lot of secondary VOD releases this week, but not much that stands out as a must watch. Thoroughbreds probably stands out as the best here.


Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Of Unknown Origin, Black Panther, Dupa dealuri, Modern Life is Rubbish, Early Man, I Kill Giants, Bacalaureat, Red Sparrow, Una mujer fantástica, Game Night, Gringo, The 15:17 to Paris, Thoroughbreds, The Strangers: Prey at Night, The Party, Every Day, Daphne & Velma, Gray Matter, iGirlfriend, Save This Dance, Beauty Mark, Into Tartarus, Killer Piñata, Baltimore Rising, La morte ha sorriso all’assassino, Jurassic Park, Clint Eastwood, Madison Wolfe