New on DVD and Blu-ray: Never Rarely… and Mob Psycho Lead the New Releases
June 9, 2020
It is a slower week on the home market with no really big releases to talk about, at least not when you judge them by box office numbers. The Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray is massive, when you judge it by the price and the running time, but it is filled with low-budget B-movies. The biggest box office hit is The Hunt, which couldn’t ride its controversial nature to high ticket sales. As for the best releases, it was close race between Never Rarely Sometimes Always on DVD and season two Mob Psycho 100 on Blu-ray Combo Pack. Both have stellar reviews and it was a coin toss to decide which one would come out ahead, which Mob Psycho 100 won.
Highlights
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Doctor Who: The Complete Twelfth Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Hunt - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Mob Psycho 100 II - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Modern Family: Season 11 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Buy from Amazon: DVD
One Piece: Season Ten - Voyage One - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Princess Caraboo - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World - Season One - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Star Trek: Short Treks - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
As for my favorites, Runaway shows how Tilly and Po (Yadira Guevara-Prip) met and I’ve watched it several times. The Escape Artist is also a great first-season short, as Harry Mudd is always fun to have around. The Brightest Star has more emotional impact and the backstory for Saru makes his character richer. The best of the second season is The Trouble with Edward. It is about Captain Lynne Lucero and her first command aboard the science vessel USS Cabot, which is tasked with solving a food shortage. One such attempt involves genetically modifying Tribbles to be a food source. Yep, it’s the origin story for Tribbles and they are all H. Jon Benjamin’s fault. That makes so much sense.
Extras include audio commentary tracks on Runaway and Ask Not. There is also a 4-minute making-of featurette. This is not a ton, but it is more than enough for the show to be worth picking up.
We Summon the Darkness - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Other Releases
Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
There are a few smaller releases that caught my eye, including Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III. I’ve been a fan of Def Leppard for a long time, so Hysteria At The O2 is something I’m considering picking up. The 1933 version of Victor and Victoria has historical value, being from the Weimar Republic era of Germany. It has been remade five times and there’s a reason the story continues to work. And of course, any time Criterion Collection releases something it is at least keeping an eye on and An Unmarried Woman is no different.
TV on DVD Releases
Curious George: 30-Adventure Collection - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Monk is one of my favorite TV shows of all time and I already own every season individually. However, my mother has “borrowed” them and I’m pretty sure I’m never getting them back, so I’m tempted to buy the complete series Megaset. It is a good price, but it has been released repeatedly before, so that hurts its value. I can’t recommend it enthusiastically, because if you are a fan of the show, you likely already have it. And if you’ve never seen the show, $60 is a lot to spend on a blind buy. Letterkenny isn’t a super popular show, but it has a dedicated fanbase and it is worth checking out.
Al Adamson was a writer / director who mostly made low-budget exploitation horror movies, although his best-known movie is probably Carnival Magic, a family film that appeared in the first season of the MST3K revival. Unfortunately, while the man made dozens of movies, he’s best known now for his murder, so it is nice to see his films get the spotlight. This 14-disc box set includes 31 movies from the filmmaker, as well as the feature-length documentary, Blood and Flesh. If you are a fan of his, then it is worth the price; however, that’s a high price. This is not something a casual fan of B-movies will pick up on a whim.
I’ve only seen bits and pieces of this franchise. I’ve seen enough to know I like it, but I also know I’ll never be able to catch up at this point, so I don’t want to get too into the show. I only have so much free time and I don’t want one show to suck up every single minute of it. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, but it is not enough to form an informed opinion on the matter. The sales ranking for this Blu-ray is incredibly high, so the series still has lots of fans, but there doesn’t appear to be any real extras, at least not for the North American release. There’s plenty on the release that the British got, but not even the official BBC site has any information on extras for this release.
Video on Demand
This film generated a lot of controversy, mostly based on its marketing. It is about a group of conservatives who are kidnapped and hunted for sport by liberal elites. At least that’s what the advertising would have you believe. There are actually a couple of twists in the movie, one of which works, but the other kills any impact the social satire could have. It’s not a bad movie, but it is merely worth a rental for most. Even if you did like the movie, the DVD / Blu-ray only has a trio of featurettes, so it isn’t worth a purchase. On the other hand, if you are curious, it only costs $6 to rent, which isn’t a bad deal.
Video on Demand
The first season of Mob Psycho 100 earned some of the best reviews on My Anime List and ended up on many, many best-of-the-year lists. The second season is even better with some saying it is the best single season of anime ever produced. I wouldn’t go that far, but only because I don’t like superlatives that much. I couldn’t tell you what my favorite season of anime is. I couldn’t tell you what my favorite movie, song, food are, because it depends on my mood. That said, I can say this is phenomenal anime. Extras on the Blu-ray combo pack include the OVA, as well as a couple of animated extras, and the usually clean openings and closing. The Limited Edition adds some physical extras to the mix and is the same price, at least as I write this. That could change. It is easily worth picking up and the Limited Edition is a clear contender for Pick of the Week.
Video on Demand
The final season of Modern Family was certainly off of its peak quality, but it was still one of the best sitcoms on TV and I’m sad to see it go. I suspect a massive complete series box set will arrive by Christmas, as that would make a great Christmas gift.
Video on Demand
This film earned some of the best reviews of the year, with not only near-universal praise, but nearly all enthusiastically-positive reviews. Unfortunately, it opened in theaters the weekend before the pandemic caused mass closings of theaters, so it went nowhere at the box office. Now it is being released on a featureless DVD. That’s a real shame, because the film deserved a better fate. That said, it is still a Pick of the Week contender.
Everything I said above about my experience with Doctor Who applies here. I haven’t seen enough to make an informed opinion, and the show’s longevity means I will never even attempt to catch up; however, what I have seen I’ve liked. On a side note, I feel really bad for fans of this show that have been collecting the DVDs from day one, because you just know they are going to catch up to where the show is now, and then start from episode one, but on Blu-ray. It is going to cost a fortune to collect all over again.
This Blu-ray isn’t selling well enough that it would normally be included on this list, but I always found the film charming and I think it deserves to be seen by more. It is the last movie Phoebe Cates made before retiring from acting. In the movie, she stars as a young woman who speaks a strange language no one can understand. At first, she is arrested for vagrancy, but then she is believed to be a princess. There are no extras on the Blu-ray, but that is not surprising given its age and its box office numbers. It is still worth checking out, but you can rent it on VOD for just $4 and probably the better choice if you are not already a fan of the movie.
This is a frustrating release to talk about. It is an isekai anime, but instead of being a power fantasy, the protagonists gets brutally killed almost immediately upon entering the new world, only to start his adventure again. He gets killed a number of times until realizes there’s a checkpoint system of sorts, so it is like being stuck in a video game where you have to beat a level before progressing to the next. This Blu-ray would be a contender for Pick of the Week, except for two issues. Firstly, the season was previously released as two volumes. Secondly, that previous release had an encoding error and I haven’t been able to find if this is a new encode that fixed that error, or just a repackaging of the old Blu-rays in a new box. I’m keeping an eye on this one to see if it has been fixed or not.
There have been two seasons of Short Treks, the first having four shorts and the second six. This collection includes nine of them (Children of Mars was tied directly to the Picard series, so it will likely be included on that DVD / Blu-ray release.). All four first season shorts are excellent, but the second season is not as strong with both Q&A and Ephraim and Dot missing the mark. Neither is bad, but the first doesn’t do enough with two important characters, Spock and Number One. Ephraim and Dot is Looney Tunes like in its action, which is fun, but shallow.
Video on Demand
This film had trouble with its theatrical release, as its original release was canceled due to COVID-19 and instead went direct to VOD. However, after the success of The Wretched in drive-ins, this film also got a theatrical release and has done relatively well. Sadly, this hasn’t resulted in a fully-loaded DVD / Blu-ray, as the only extras are an audio commentary track and a making-of featurette. To be fair, this is better than a lot of similar releases would get and it is worth picking up for fans of the genre. I would argue that you should start with a VOD rental, but it costs $7 to rent on VOD and $10 to buy. That’s not a large increase in price.
Bungo Stray Dogs: Season Three - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Candy Witch - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Deanna Durbin: Collection I - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Def Leppard: Hysteria At The O2 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The H-Man/Battle in Outer Space — Double Feature - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
My 20th Century - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Non Non Biyori Vacation - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Out of My Head - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Outback - Buy from Amazon: DVD - Rent from Redbox: DVD
Return to Hardwick - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Think Like a Dog - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray - Rent from Redbox: DVD
An Unmarried Woman: The Criterion Collection - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Victor and Victoria - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Western Classics I - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Last Bridesmaid - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Letterkenny: Seasons 3 & 4 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Love, Take Two - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Monk: The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon: DVD
NATURE: Remarkable Rabbits - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Power: The Complete Sixth Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Preacher: The Final Season - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Windermere Children - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Filed under: Home Market Releases, DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Think Like a Dog, The Hunt, We Summon the Darkness, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always, Return to Hardwick, The Wretched, Outback, Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, Carnival Magic, Out of My Head, Viktor und Viktoria, The Candy Witch, The Last Bridesmaid, Love, Take Two, Doctor Who, Power, Phoebe Cates, Doug Jones, Rebecca Romijn, Jodie Whittaker, Rainn Wilson, Ethan Peck, H. Jon Benjamin, Rosa Salazar, Al Adamson, Mary Wiseman