Home Market Releases for December 17th, 2019

December 18, 2019

There’s almost exactly a week till Christmas, which explains the slim number of new releases. That said, nearly every film on the main list is worth picking up with a few contenders for Pick of the Week. It was a close three-way race, but in the end, Abominable earned Pick of the Week.

Abominable - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
I was really hoping to get a screener for this film, but it has not yet arrived. The reviews are good, but not great, so I don’t know if it will appeal to adult fans of animation, or if it is more targeted at kids. The DVD / Blu-ray is loaded with extras; granted, a lot of them are short, but it is still more than enough to be worth picking up, but it likely wouldn’t quite be a Pick of the Week contender on a normal week. It is a slow week and so it does get there.

Ad Astra - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This film earned very strong reviews, but struggled more with audiences. For example, it only managed a B minus with CinemaScore. That would be an excellent result for a horror movie, but it is well below average for a film like this. However, this is because audience scores tend to reflect advertising as much as the quality of the movie. This film’s advertisements emphasized the film’s limited action scenes, so when audiences got to theaters and found out the film was much more contemplative, they felt lied to. I don’t blame them for being upset, but if you go into the movie knowing it is more thoughtful than action-oriented, then you should be pleased. Extras include an audio commentary track, a handful of featurettes, and some deleted scenes. It is enough to be worth picking up, but like the previous film, it wouldn’t be a Pick of the Week contender on a typical week.

Downton Abbey - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, or Blu-ray Combo Pack, or Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack
The popular series hits the big screen and does so in a way that should not only please long-term fans, but might even draw in a few new ones as well. There are plenty of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray, including audio commentary track, making of featurettes, interviews, etc. The Limited Edition also has a photo book and a cookbook and it was clearly made to be a Christmas gift. It is worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the week.

Overcomer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This movie was made for Churchgoers and while it is better than most, it still has very little crossover appeal.

Rambo: Last Blood - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This movie is a mess. There are some action scenes that are absolutely worth watching, but overall the movie is a mess and therefore even if you are interested, I would stick with a rental.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Feast of the Seven Fishes - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Ornament Of The World - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Solstice: A Christmas Story 25th Anniversary Restoration - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There are not a lot of Christmas releases this week, but Feast of the Seven Fishes does have good reviews and it is worth at least a rental.

TV on DVD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Bonanza: The Official Tenth Season, Volume One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Bonanza: The Official Tenth Season, Volume Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Fuller House: Season Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Hogan’s Heroes: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Killjoys: Season Five - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Killjoys: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Returned: Season 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Killjoys is a great show, but I’m not sure why the complete series box set is only coming out on DVD when season five is getting a Blu-ray release.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Bloom Into You: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Cable Guy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Golden Time - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Heist - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Look Who’s Talking - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Murders in the Rue Morgue - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 6 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Silver Bullet - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
To the Devil... A Daughter - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Trick - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Universal Horror Collection: Volume 3 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Where’s My Roy Cohn - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Yona of the Dawn: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Where’s My Roy Cohn is the best theatrical release on this week’s list of Secondary Blu-ray releases. That said, it’s a good week for animation, with The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 6, Bloom Into You: The Complete Series, and Yona of the Dawn: The Complete Series all being worth picking up.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Abominable - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
Long Day’s Journey Into Night - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
One of the biggest releases of the week is also coming out on 3D and it isn’t the only 3D release of the week.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
On the other hand, there are no Secondary 4K releases this week.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Ice on Fire - Reviews - Video on Demand
Joker - Reviews - Video on Demand
Lucy in the Sky - Reviews - Video on Demand
Western Stars - Reviews - Video on Demand
Joker is the only big secondary VOD release of the week and it is one of the biggest releases of the year. I won’t be getting a screener for the film, unfortunately.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Lucy in the Sky, Abominable, Ad Astra, Overcomer, Joker, Di Qiu Zui Hou De Ye Wang, Downton Abbey, Trick, Where’s My Roy Cohn?, Rambo: Last Blood, Western Stars, Feast of the Seven Fishes, Ice on Fire, To the Devil…a Daughter