Home Market Releases for January 29th, 2019

January 30, 2019

We are still stuck in the dead zone on the home market, as it is too late for summer blockbusters, but too early for the major fall hits. The biggest first-run release of the week is The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which says a lot. The best is The Wife, which earns our Pick of the Week. However, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl was a close competitor.

The Ancient Magus Bride: Part One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
This Anime focuses on Chise Hatori, a 15-year old Japanese girl whose life is so rough she volunteers to be sold at an auction and is bought by an Ancient Magus to be his assistant / child bride. Appearently, if you can get past the child bride part, it is supposedly a great Anime. However, getting past child bride is a big thing to ask.

Boy Erased - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
The term Busted Oscar-bait sounds really bad, but it isn’t always really a negative. For example, this film earned great reviews and it is worth checking out. However, it was clearly made for Awards Season glory and that’s just not going to happen. Extras include three featurettes and some deleted / extended scenes, which is enough to be worth picking up.

Doctor Who: The Complete Eleventh Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or DVD or Blu-ray
This is the first season with Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor. The reviews were great and the ratings were the best the show had seen in years, so it clearly connected with the audience. ... Mostly. There’s the usual group of people complaining whenever there’s female protagonist, but for the most part, the new Doctor, and the new production team, are certainly working out. If the companions were a little more interesting, there would be nothing really to complain about.

Girls' Last Tour: The Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray (Regular Edition) or Blu-ray (Limited Edition)
The second Anime title of the week. I think this one is the best. It is about two young girls who are the only survivors of a war and spend their time traveling around looking for food and supplies. The film doesn’t have the most in-depth plot, but it is a slice-of-life story with a very unusual setting and two very compelling protagonists. Of the three Anime titles on this week’s list, I think this one is the best. It has the usual Anime extras (promos and clean openings and closings), while the Limited Edition has a lot of physical extras, including dogtags, storyboard book, etc. It is worth picking up, but I’m not sure I would pay more than double for the special edition.

Hunter Killer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Even if you are a hardcore fan of submarine movies, there are better options out there.

In the Heat of the Night: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
One of the best dramas ever made. The Criterion Collection release is loaded with extras, including some that are new to this Blu-ray, plus many from the earlier DVD release. The ratio of new to old extras is not high enough to be a Pick of the Week contender, but it is close.

Indivisible - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This faith-based film earned good reviews, which is rare for the genre, as these films tends to worry more about preaching to the choir than pleasing critics. However, it still missed the Mendoza Line during its opening weekend and disappeared from theaters quickly. It deserved better.

Jamestown: Seasons 1 & 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A period drama about women who travel to the American Colonies during the 1600s, because they are to wed some of the male colonists. The reviews are... well not exactly good, but most critics still recommend the show. It’s not good in the traditional sense of the world, but it is entertaining.

Kidding: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
Jim Carrey stars as the lead in a kids show whose life behind-the-scenes is nowhere near as happy as his TV show is. The reviews are good, but not great, so if you are a fan of the cast it is worth checking out.

Lupin the 3rd: Series 2, Box 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I love everything about this Anime except its name, as there have been many adaptations all named Lupin the 3rd, and the fact that it is only coming out on DVD. It is still worth picking up, but I would love a Blu-ray.

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Video on Demand
An Anime movie about a high school girl’s strange night out in Kyoto and a classmate who has a crush on her and is trying to get her attention. The reviews are absolutely fantastic and while the extras are limited to an interview with the director, it is still a Pick of the Week contender.

Reign of the Supermen - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
An animated film that adapts the storyline that followed the Death of Superman storyline. The reviews are good and there are a lot of extras, so fans of DC animated films should really pick it up.

The Wife - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Please let Glenn Close finally win her Oscar. She’s deserved it for so long.

Willow - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is a highly underrated movie and it deserves a full special edition remastered release. However, this appears to be the previously released Blu-ray with digital codes added in.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
All That Jazz: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
All the Colors of Giallo - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
All the Colors of the Dark - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Ballers: Season Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Crashing: Season Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Deadly Force - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
GANGSTA.: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Heart: Live In Atlantic City - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Humans 3.0 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Sarah T. Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Screamers - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Shin Tetsujin 28: The 1980 Japanese Anime TV Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Studio 54 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Suburbia - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Tarzan Goes to India - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Tarzan’s Three Challenges - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Tetsujin 28 Morning Moon of Midday - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
All That Jazz and Suburbia are the two best Secondary Blu-ray releases on this week’s list. On a side note, the two All the Colors of... releases are Blu-rays of trailers. Just trailers. They are selling very well for what should be a very niche market item.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Hunter Killer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - Review - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Reign of the Supermen - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Reign of the Supermen is probably the best 4K release of the week. It’s not a great week for 4K releases, on the other hand.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
The Game - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There’s only one TV on DVD Megaset this week, but it is one that lasted a decade, so it is truly a Megaset.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Antiquities - Reviews - Video on Demand
At Eternity’s Gate - Reviews - Video on Demand
Housed - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The Human Element - Reviews - Video on Demand
Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Bus Tour — Season 2 - Reviews - Video on Demand
Nobody’s Fool - Reviews - Video on Demand
At Eternity’s Gate is the only secondary VOD release that I’m really interested in seeing.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Deadly Force, Suspiria, Hunter Killer, Boy Erased, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Yoru Wa Mijikashi Aruke Yo Otome, The Wife, Nobody’s Fool, Indivisible, At Eternity’s Gate, Studio 54, Reign of the Supermen, Sarah T. Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, Antiquities, The Human Element, Jim Carrey, Glenn Close, Jodie Whittaker