Home Market Releases for June 19th, 2018

June 19, 2018

Dark Matter: Season Three

Summer is the worst time of the year for the home market and this week is no exception. The “biggest” new release of the week is Pacific Rim: Uprising, but it is not worth picking up. There are a few contenders for Pick of the Week, including the final season of Dark Matter; a dark comedy, The Death of Stalin; and an Anime release, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World. In the end, I went with Dark Matter as the Pick of the Week.

Alex & Me - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A family film about a young girl getting help fro her soccer idol, or at least the poster of her soccer idol that came to life. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is selling well enough to be featured up here. It’s a slow week.

The Chinese Exclusion Act - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Sadly, this PBS documentary is far too relevant today. It is also high quality and absolutely worth checking out.


Dark Matter: Season Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I was really enjoying this Sci-fi show, then it got canceled due to contractual issues. It looked like it would be revived at the 11th hour by another network, but that got scuttled, again due to the same contractual issues. The last season earned amazing reviews and there are plenty of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray. Each episode has a backstage featurette, while there are also outtakes. It is the best release on this week’s list and the Pick of the Week.


The Death of Stalin - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This black comedy earned excellent reviews and even earned nearly $8 million in limited release, which is amazing for a limited release. However, it is only getting a DVD release here. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and some deleted scenes. That’s not a lot, but it is enough to be a contender for Pick of the Week.


Doctor Who: Tom Baker: Complete First Season - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
If you are a hardcore collector of Doctor Who, then prepare to spend a lot of money upgrading your collection to Blu-ray.

Dragon Ball Super: Part Four - Reviews - Blu-ray
One of the few Anime franchises that sells well enough to appear on this list regularly. Extras include an interview and textless openings and closings. If you are a fan of the show, it is worth picking up.


Flower - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This film got off to an amazing start in limited release, but collapsed as soon as it tried to expand. Did it deserve to do better? Or did it collapse for a reason? Read our review for my opinion.


Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 2008 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This show lasted 31 seasons over a nearly 40-year span. It has been mentioned on our site about a dozen times. I ran out of things to say about it years ago.

Lionheart - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
I put in a request for this release, because, you know... Jean-Claude Van Damme. Usually screeners from this company take a week or two extra to cross the border to Canada, but I will review it as soon as I am able to.

Midnight Sun - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film earned terrible reviews, it bombed in theaters, and it only has a making of featurette as an extra. I think you can safely skip this one.

Night Of The Lepus - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
If you are a fan of Creature Feature movies, then this is a classic... assuming you don’t use the standard definition of classic. It’s about giant killer bunny. A lot of the movie is footage of real live bunnies on a miniature set to make them look six-feet tall. It’s not a good movie... okay, it’s a really bad movie, but it is entertaining if you like MST3K. I would wait till Amazon realizes it is not an Audio CD to buy it. Hopefully when they fix that problem, the price will go down.

Pacific Rim: Uprising - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The original is better.

Paul, Apostle of Christ - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This isn’t as bad as some faith-based films, but it still doesn’t have a lot of crossover appeal.


Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World: Season One, Part One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
This is an Isekai Anime series. That is to say, it is about our protagonist, who is thrust into another world. This genre has taken over Anime and most examples are crap, because the protagonist is overpowered and there’s no story besides harem wish-fulfillment. This show is one of the best examples of the genre and features a protagonist who can’t die, or to be more accurate, whenever he dies, time resets and he lives again. However, he feels the pain and remembers dying, so it’s not a good power. Even people new to Anime will enjoy this one, although it is not for kids.


Seven Mortal Sins: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Speaking of not safe for kids. This Anime is pure ecchi, which means it is filled with fan service as opposed to an interesting plot or engaging characters. Even if you are looking for that kind of Anime, there are better choices out there.

Unsane - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A horror movie set in a mental hospital about a woman who begins to believe her stalker is working there, although she can’t be sure she isn’t just suffering a real mental breakdown. The reviews were great, but it failed to find an audience in theaters and this resulted in almost no extras on the DVD / Blu-ray. It is still worth checking out and fans of psychological horror will want to pick it up. However, if it had a full suite of extras, it could have been the Pick of the Week.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
2 Weeks in Another Town - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Bang Dream - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Bowling for Columbine: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Double Lover - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
El Sur: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Masterpiece: Man in an Orange Shirt - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Ned Morse Band: The Similitude of a Dream Live In Tilburg 2017 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Royal Tutor: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Under Capricorn - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Woman in the Window - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Xtro - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
We have a couple of Criterion Collection releases on this week’s list, Bowling for Columbine and El Sur, both of which are worth picking up. However, they are not the only secondary Blu-ray releases worth looking at.


3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Pacific Rim: Uprising - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
Oh my god! There’s a 3D release this week. Granted, the movie isn’t good, but it should look great in 3D and if you have a 3D setup, there are not a lot of options out there.


4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Pacific Rim: Uprising - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Unsane - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Unsane was shot on a phone. Why is it coming out on 4K?


TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
No TV on DVD Megasets on this week’s list.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
7 Days in Entebbe - Reviews - Video on Demand
Beirut - Reviews - Video on Demand
Blockers - Reviews - Video on Demand
Hidden Light - Reviews - Video on Demand
Jet Trash - Reviews - Video on Demand
Sacred Blood - No Reviews - Video on Demand
A Skin So Soft - Reviews - Video on Demand
Untitled - No Reviews - Video on Demand
I put in a request to get a screener for Blockers, so hopefully that arrives soon. It is clearly the biggest secondary VOD release of the week.


Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Beirut, Midnight Sun, Blockers, El Sur, Jet Trash, The Death of Stalin, 7 Days in Entebbe, L'amant double, Paul, Apostle of Christ, Unsane, Flower, Alex & Me, Ta Peau si lisse, Hidden Light, Sacred Blood, Untitled (A Film), The Woman in the Window, Jean-Claude Van Damme