Home Market Releases for August 25th, 2015
August 25, 2015
TV on DVD releases dominate the home market this week even more than they did last week, including five of the six best-selling new releases on Amazon.com. Despite this, none of them are contenders for Pick of the Week, at least not in my opinion. The two best are Two Days, One Night and CitizenFour. I really should select one of those for Pick of the Week... but I'm going with Big Game on Blu-ray, because I'm a big goofball.
Aloha - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Camilla Dickinson - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Elementary: Season 3 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Good Wife: Season 6 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
LEGO DC Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom! - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Mindy Project: Season Three - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Revenge: Season 4 - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
One of the worst movies of summer, both in terms of critical reception and in terms of box office numbers. The extras are not bad, especially on the Blu-ray, but those reviews mean it is not even worth a rental.
Big Game - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Samuel L. Jackson stars as the president. When his plane is shot down and he is hunted by traitors, he is rescued by a young Norwegian boy, Oskari. The film's reviews are great, but it was a VOD debut, so its box office numbers were terrible. The extras are weak with just an unrated version of the movie, but I still really want to buy it.
There are not a lot of secondary Blu-ray releases that stand out, at least not in a good way.
Video on Demand
This screener arrived unannounced and I was unable to get to the review, so it will be part of this week's Box Office Prediction Contest.
CitizenFour - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
One of the best documentaries of the past few years. It is also very important, as the bulk collection of data isn't helping anyone stay safe. You can have all of the intelligence in the world, but if you don't have the analysts to go through it or the ability to share it with other agencies, it is not only worthless, but a serious waste of resources. Extras are also excellent for a documentary with deleted scenes, Q&A, etc. It is easily worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week.
It's a police procedural TV show. There are simply just too many of these shows out there and I've cut my TV schedule down to just one of them. This one isn't it.
It's a police procedural TV show, but at least it has a hook. It is a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes with a gender-bending casting for Dr. Watson. I've reviewed the first two seasons of this show and did enjoy them, for the most part. However, I won't be getting this season to review.
This is a show that has its fans, but never had a major viewing audience. As such, it has been on the bubble for being canceled nearly every season. It's rare for a show to last seven seasons, but its seventh season begins in October. Impressive.
Iris - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A documentary about Iris Apfel, who was still an important member of the New York fashion scene despite being in her 90s. The reviews are stunning and it had a lot of popular appeal in theaters, especially for a documentary.
This cartoon lasted more than a decade and there are still some people who think it was canceled too soon. It certainly didn't decline in quality in the later years.
LEGO is certainly a popular franchise when it comes to Direct-to-video releases. Unfortunately, there are not enough reviews to judge if the film is also good. The DVD and the Blu-ray are light on extras with just one featurette, but this isn't bad for a kids release.
This show earned great reviews, but really struggled in the ratings. In fact, it was canceled by Fox at the end of last season. Fortunately, it was picked up by Hulu for a fourth season. Hopefully the quality doesn't go down with the new network.
This show did really poorly in the ratings the last season, which was both a blessing and a curse. It was a curse, because the show was canceled. However, it was a blessing, because the writers knew it was the last season, so they made sure to have a series finale planned out well in advance and it was able to go out on a high note.
Two Days, One Night - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Marion Cotillard stars as a worker who had to take time off. When she tries to go back to work, she's learns she's fired, unless she can convince a majority of her co-workers to give up their bonuses, so the company will have enough money to pay her. The reviews are among the best on this week's list and it is easily a contender for Pick of the Week.
Furious 7 is the biggest release on this list, but there's little reason to get it on VOD. Just wait a few weeks and buy the Blu-ray.
The Walking Dead: Season 5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Still a huge hit, but nearly every time I read about it online, it is people complaining that it isn't nearly as good as it used to be. That said, the reviews for this season are the best for the show's run so far. Extras include six audio commentary tracks, two making of featurettes that are more than an hour each, plus loads of smaller featurettes. If you like the show, it is certainly worth picking up. It has been too long since I was in that crowd, but I will admit I'm in the minority here.
Video on Demand
A faith-based film that earned mixed reviews and bombed at the box office. If you are in the target demographic and like inspirational sports movies as well, then check it out. If you are not in the target audience, then there are better inspirational sports movies out there.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Furious 7, Aloha, Big Game, Deux jours, une nuit, Where Hope Grows, Iris, Samuel L. Jackson, Marion Cotillard, Onni Tommila, Iris Apfel