Home Market Releases for June 4th, 2019

June 5, 2019

The Venture Bros.: Season Seven

It is a very busy week on the home market, but unfortunately, most of this is catalog titles coming out on Blu-ray or 4K for the first time. One of these franchises, Toy Story, is a contender for Pick of the Week, as is the The Andromeda Strain: Special Edition Blu-ray. In the end, I went with The Venture Bros.: Season Seven Blu-ray.


The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain: Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
It has been a long time since I’ve seen this movie, but I remember loving it the last time I saw it. In fact, I consider it a classic, although not everyone agrees and its reviews are merely good, but not great. A lot of people consider it a little too slow to be engaging, but it is a very realistic look at how scientists deal with an unknown pathogen. The new special edition features a new 4K remastered edition, as well as a new audio commentary track and restrospective featurette. There are also extras from the 2001 DVD release. It is definitely worth picking up and a Pick of the Week contender.


Batman 4K Ultra HD Combo Packs:
Batman - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Batman Returns - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Batman Forever - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Batman and Robin - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
All four films from the late 1980s early 1990s Batman franchise are hitting 4K this week. However, not all four of them are worth owning. In fact, one could argue only the first one is really worth owning. On a side note, normally I don’t include secondary 4K Ultra HD titles in the main list, but it would be a very short and shallow week if I didn’t.

Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film has 100% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, there are only nine reviews, so it is hard to really judge the film, but this is obviously a positive sign.

Hallmark Channel Original Movies
Love, Romance & Chocolate - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
Love at the Shore - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
Royal Romance Triple Feature - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Summer Nights Triple Feature - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Summer in the Vineyard - No Reviews - Video on Demand
There are two Hallmark Channel original movies coming out this week, as well as two Triple Features. If you are a fan of these movies, then you are in luck this week.

Hellsing Ultimate: The Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Anime titles are usually a mixed bag. Even when the show is amazing, the Blu-ray releases tend to have not much in the way of extras with only clean opening and closing credits. This five-disc, eight-hour collection is loaded with extras. This includes commentary tracks, multiple ComicCon panels, multiple interview featurettes, etc. It does cost more than most TV on DVD releases here do, but it is worth the price.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This film turns 25 years old... next year. Why is it coming out this year? There is a new retrospective featurette and an archival featurette, which isn’t a lot. Then again, it wasn’t a real hit in theaters the first time around, so I guess fans are lucky they are getting anything new on the Blu-ray release at all.

The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The (Almost) Complete Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Addams Family TV movie isn’t included, because no one entity owns the rights to it, so it is a legal nightmare to distribute. That said, if you want everything that Warner Bros. can legally sell you, then this is absolutely worth the price. However, if you already have the previously released DVD box set, and don’t want to make the leap to Blu-ray, then getting the supplemental box set is the way to go.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Next 100 Episodes - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Normally I don’t like TV on DVD box sets that are not full series Megasets. However, I’m not sure this show will ever end.

A Star is Born: Extended Cut - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is a great movie, but this release is coming out only about four months after the first release. That’s too close to justify the double-dip.


Toy Story

Toy Story 4K Ultra HD Releases:
Toy Story - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Toy Story 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Toy Story 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This is the second franchise to get a 4K release this week. Unlike the previous one, all three films in this franchise are absolute classics. If you’ve made the leap to 4K, or are planning to by the end of the year, and you are even a little interested in digital animation, then these three are must haves. In fact they are good enough that it might convince some people to make the leap to 4K, and that’s enough to be a Pick of the Week contender.


Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Apparently, this is the final film in the Madea. If it is, then it went out on a high note, at least at the box office. The less said about the reviews, the better. However, this franchise was the definition of a critic-proof franchise. The extras are good with three featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes. It is worth picking up if you are a fan of Madea.


The Venture Bros.: Season Seven

The Venture Bros.: Season Seven - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This show will never be considered one of the more prolific shows around, as there is an average of two years between seasons. Is this time being used to craft a much more emotionally rich experience? Or has the show aged poorly? Read our review for my opinion.


Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Arabesque - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Black Lagoon: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Double Team: Retro VHS '90s Style - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Excess Baggage: Retro VHS '90s Style - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Flushed Away - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Gloria Bell - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Haunting of Sharon Tate - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
HINAMATSURI: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I’ll Take Your Dead - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
JT LeRoy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Jury Duty: Retro VHS '90s Style - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Kid - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Knife+Heart - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Last Warning - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Lost In Space: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Man Who Laughs - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
NO-RIN: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Opportunity Knocks: Retro VHS '90s Style - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Over the Hedge - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Shark Tale - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Silver Spoon: Season 1 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Trapped Alive: Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Twelve Kingdoms: Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There’s a huge selection of secondary Blu-ray releases this week, including several from DreamWorks Animation. Of these, only Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is really worth picking up. There’s also several Retro VHS '90s Style releases, but the only one I’m even remotely interested in is Double Team, but even I’m not a big enough Jean-Claude Van Damme fan to spend money on that. Strangely, there are two Anime titles about farming on this week’s list, but if you are interested in Anime, go with HINAMATSURI: The Complete Series instead. The final recommendation is The Man Who Laughs. It is an absolute classic and the Blu-ray is definitely worth owning.


4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Natural - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The only secondary 4K title to not be included above. It is a baseball classic and worth owning. It’s not the kind of film that will convince many to make the leap to 4K if they haven’t already, on the other hand.


TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
Drop Dead Diva - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Brady Bunch: 50th Anniversary TV & Movie Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
There are two TV on DVD Megasets this week. It has been a while since this list has been this busy.


Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
The Mustang - Reviews - Video on Demand
Woman at War - Reviews - Video on Demand
Wonder Park - Reviews - Video on Demand
Wonder Park - Reviews - Video on Demand (4K Ultra HD)
Us - Reviews - Video on Demand
Us is one of the best wide release of the year so far, while The Mustang and Woman at War are limited releases that need to be seen by more.


C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral, Gloria Bell, Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Madea, Jean-Claude Van Damme