Home Market Releases for May 9th, 2017

May 10, 2017

It’s not a good week for top-notch releases. Fifty Shades Darker is the biggest new DVD / Blu-ray release of the week, but it is far from the best. Get Out is clearly the best new release on this week’s list, but while it is the Pick of the Week, it is only coming out on Video on Demand and I would wait for the Blu-ray. Meanwhile we have another Puck of the Week, for best Canadian release. Those are usually rare, but we’ve have a streak of them recently. This week it’s The Void, which is great, but only coming out on DVD.

Brain Damage - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The definition of a cult classic. A low-budget horror film set in New York City about man who becomes under the spell of a disembodied brain. Extras include audio commentary tracks, interviews, and more. It is easily worth picking up if you are a fan of the movie, or a fan of the genre in general.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I’ve mentioned in the past that real fans want full games for the Championship DVD / Blu-ray, but not just one game. You want every game for the championship series, not just the deciding game.

Fifty Shades Darker - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film managed to earn worse reviews than the original earned. That’s almost impressive. On the other hand, it did earn more than $100 million domestically and close to $400 million worldwide, so it clearly has its target audience. The DVD and Blu-ray have about 40 minutes of extras, so if you liked the movie, it is worth picking up.

Hallmark Channel Original Movie Double-Shot:
Love Again - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD - Video on Demand
Perfect Match - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack - Video on Demand
These two Hallmark movies are selling really well, so clearly they have an audience. There are no reviews, on the other hand, so I can’t really judge them. I’ve reviewed a few of these movies in the past and they are mostly pleasant. They are not award-worthy, but their target demographic should enjoy them.

Heat - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Controversial opinion time: I was disappointed by Heat the first time I saw it. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great movie, but given the talent involved on both sides of the camera, I was expecting more. Call it the curse of great expectations. The extras on the new director’s cut Blu-ray include new interviews, Q&A session, as well as audio commentary track and extras from the previous release. It also only costs $8 on Amazon, so it is a great deal and a contender for Pick of the Week.

Inside Amy Schumer: Season Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The fourth and apparently final season of this show earned the weakest reviews of the show’s four seasons, but it is still worth picking up for fans of the show.

The Loved One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Blu-ray cover says it has something to offend everyone. Personally, I think comedy that aims to be “not politically correct” is lazy, but I’m kind of curious to see what kind of offensive this is. Frankly, what was offensive in the 1960s might have turned into something commonplace now. Sexual content has moved in this direction. General bigotry, on the other hand, has become less acceptable, at least to most people.

Orange Is The New Black: Season 4 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This is a Pick of the Week contender. Obviously it is a Pick of the Week contender. The show hasn’t had a bad season yet. On a side note, did you hear about the hacker who stole the first half of season five and threatened Netflix that they would release it online unless they paid a bribe? Netflix didn’t pay them, but it appears to not be a massive hit on torrent sites. Why bother downloading half a season now, when you could binge watch the full season in a month. This just shows that the best way to combat piracy is to make a product people want and sell it at a price they are willing to pay.

PBS KIDS: All About Allergies - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Normally I wouldn’t talk about a title like this, but it is in the top ten best-selling new releases for the week. It is a really shallow week. On a side note, it is part of the Add-on program, where Amazon sells items that are too cheap to sell at a profit, because the shipping and handling would be more than the item itself, so you can only buy it if you buy $25 of other items with it.

Serial Mom - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is not one of John Waters best films, as the satire is not as sharp as it could be. That said, it isn’t bad and it is at least worth a rental. If you are a fan, the special edition release is loaded with extras, including a new 25-minute long interview featurette, so it is worth the double-dip.

A Street Cat Named Bob - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A British movie about a homeless man who was saved by a street cat. The reviews are good, but it went nowhere in limited release. Hopefully it will do better on the home market.

The Void - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A Canadian film about a cult that attacks a hospital during the midnight shift. The reviews are good, but not good enough for the film to thrive in limited release. Furthermore, its box office numbers weren’t good enough to get a Blu-ray release. It is still worth picking up for fans of the genre, but I was hoping for more.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Accidental Tourist - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
A Fantastic Fear of Everything - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Free: Iwatobi Swim Club: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Indian Fighter - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Kiju Yoshida: Love + Anarchism - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Making Contact - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Marjorie Morningstar - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Obsessions - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Psycho - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Things to Come - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
VHS Massacre: Cult Films and the Decline of Physical Media - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There are not a lot of secondary Blu-ray releases that stand out. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles and Things to Come are arugably the best.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
American Mummy - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
There’s only one 3D release this week and no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Fifty Shades Darker - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Fifty Shades Double-Shot - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
I don’t want to see either of these movies in 4K.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
XIII: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Alf - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Mannix - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Streets of San Francisco - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I’ve previously reviewed some of the individual releases for both Mannix and The Streets of San Francisco and both are great shows.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
The Black Room - Reviews - Video on Demand
DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games - Reviews - Video on Demand
Get Out - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Great Wall - Reviews - Video on Demand
Max 2: White House Hero - No Reviews - Video on Demand
My Life as a Zucchini - Reviews - Video on Demand
Rock Dog - Reviews - Video on Demand
Sorority Nightmare - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Streets of Hope - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Get Out is the best movie of the year so far. It is clearly the Pick of the Week, but I would still wait for the Blu-ray.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Marjorie Morningstar, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, A Fantastic Fear of Everything, The Great Wall, Fifty Shades Darker, Get Out, The Void, L'avenir, Rock Dog, Ma vie de Courgette, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, Perfect Match, Love, Again, Streets of Hope, The Black Room, The Indian Fighter, VHS Massacre: Cult Films and the Decline of Physical Media, House, Fifty Shades of Grey, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Waters