Home Market Releases for July 25th, 2017
July 26, 2017
The Boss Baby is the biggest release of the week, while Ghost in the Shell is a distant second place. Neither of those films are terrible, but neither are remotely good enough to be a Pick of the Week contender. Gifted was in contention, but in the end, I went with the Criterion Collection release for Lost in America.
And you thought there is never a girl online? - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Billy Jack: The Complete Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD and BLu-ray
The Boss Baby - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Dragon Ball Super: Part One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Duck Dynasty: Season Eleven: The Final Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Emerald City: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Facing Darkness - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Ghost in the Shell - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combp Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Gifted - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Girls: Season Six - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Set One: Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
LEGO Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Lost in America - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Seventh and Final Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Stanley Cup 2017 Champions: Pittsburgh Penguins - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Unforgettable - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Warlock Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
A high school boys proposes to a girl he met in an online game only to learn she’s a man in real life. Later he joins another guild where there are three girls. At first he assumes they are guys in real life, but learns they are not only girls, but his classmates. The show is based on a light novel and those have a bad reputation, as they tend to have weak writing. It is also a Harem show, where one male character is surrounded by women who are all in love with him, and these too tend to have a bad reputation, as they tend to be little more than wish fulfillment for the target audience. On the other hand, it is selling rather well, so clearly there’s an audience for this show.
I still think this is one of the best Batman movies to ever get a theatrical release. Sadly, it bombed in theaters and this Blu-ray release has no real extras. It is still worth picking up for fans of the animated Batman movies, but a fully loaded Blu-ray could have been the Pick of the Week.
The first two films in this franchise weren’t bad, but the quality declined, especially the fourth film, Billy Jack Goes to Washington. That said, the films were huge hits in the 1970s and still have a following to this day. Also, it is hard to argue with the price, as it costs just $25 for four films.
Video on Demand
This film made nearly $500 million worldwide on a $125 million budget, so it should come as no surprise that a sequel is in the works. The film’s reviews are mixed, but that’s better than a lot of kids’ films earn. Your kids will likely enjoy the movie and it won’t be too bad to watch it with them; however, it doesn’t have enough crossover appeal for adult fans of animation to watch it by themselves. It is worth picking up, if you have kids in the right age range.
One of the longest running Anime titles of all time and one of the few shows that pop up on this chart with any regularity.
One of the least real reality TV shows out there. It did last 11 seasons, so clearly there was a following.
Video on Demand
A “grimdark” version of The Wizard of Oz. It’s as bad as it sounds.
Video on Demand
This documentary about the recent Ebola outbreak has no reviews, but it is one of the best-selling new releases on this week’s list. That is very strange.
Video on Demand
This film has some serious issues from the whitewashed casting to total backwards take on the source material. (In the original movie, transhumanism was seen as a more glorious future, while here it is looked at as more of a nightmare.) Extras are limited to three featurettes with a total running time of close to an hour. Call it a rental, but if you are a real fan of the original movie, you will likely be disappointed.
Video on Demand
This film is one of the biggest limited release hits of the year. Did it deserve this success? Or did it get lucky at the box office? Read our review to find out.
Video on Demand
This show earned amazing reviews throughout its run and unlike so many other shows, the critics stuck around till the end. A lot of the time, the first season will have 40 or 50 reviews and season two will have 5. Extras include an extended edition of A Goodbye to Girls, which is a behind-the-scene / series retrospective featurette, making of featurettes for the episodes, and more. Certainly worth picking up and a contender for Pick of the Week. It is also the prize in this week’s Box Office Prediction Contest.
One of the best-reviewed Animes of the past few years. On the other hand, it does live up to the “Bizarre” part of its title, so neophytes to Anime might want to start with something a little more normal. If you have a little exposure to Anime and like the artform, then this is a must have.
Video on Demand
I’m worried the LEGO brand is over-saturating the market and that’s going to cause a crash in sales. That crash isn’t happening this week, but it could happen soon.
One of Albert Brooks’ best movies and it is getting a Criterion Collection release this week. That makes it an instant Pick of the Week contender. Extras include two new interview features with the cast and crew.
This Harem Anime series is somewhere between Hentai and Ecchi and its target audience is low expectations Otaku looking for fantasy Waifus. And if you don’t know what half of those words mean, I am very jealous of you. Basically Hentai is porn, while Ecchi is the tamer version. There’s still nudity and sexual content, but not truly pornographic. Otakus are people who take their Anime and other similar hobbies too seriously and lack social skills as a result. Waifus are female characters that some Otakus will treat as if they are in a relationship with. Monster Musume is infamous for this and there are tons of really expensive merchandise to go with the show. This includes a life-sized body pillow for Miia Lamia, a.k.a. Snake Girl. It’s a seven-meter long body pillow that costs $200. I would link to it, but I don’t want to mess up my Google search result for the next few months.
Video on Demand
I’m not in the target audience of this show, so I can’t really comment on the quality. The reviews for the first season were good, but not great, while the reviews for the rest of the seasons were steady. Also coming out this week is a The Complete Series on DVD.
Video on Demand
Real fans want full games and not three hours of highlights.
Video on Demand
Terrible reviews. Avoid at all costs.
All three films in the Warlock franchise in a two-disc box set. The franchise was never loved by critics, but it does have a cult following.
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Beyond The Darkness - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Black Butterfly - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Fatal Fury the Movie - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Final Master - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
My Chauffeur - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Night People - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Rin-Ne: Season 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Scorchy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Silkwood - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Stendhal Syndrome - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Where the Boys Are - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Who’s Crazy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Zodiac Killer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
It’s a slow week at the top and a slow week on the secondary Blu-ray release week.
3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Boss Baby - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
Ghost in the Shell - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
Digitally animated films are excellent choices for 3D, while Ghost in the Shell was a visually inventive film. That said, I don’t think either film is good enough to spend the extra money on 3D.
The Boss Baby - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Ghost in the Shell - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Again, digitally animated films tend to look great in 4K and Ghost in the Shell has a lot of details that will pop in 4K. That said, unless your eyesight is better than 20/20, 4K isn’t worth the extra money.
Pretty Little Liars - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The final season came out this week, so I’m glad the complete collection also made its DVD debut and they are not waiting for the double-dip.
Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Bridal Boot Camp - Reviews - Video on Demand
Descendants 2 - Reviews - Video on Demand
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent - Reviews - Video on Demand
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Reviews - Video on Demand
Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Lovers - Reviews - Video on Demand
Returning Citizens - Reviews - Video on Demand
Scalia: Portrait of a Man and Jurist - Reviews - Video on Demand
Snatched - Reviews - Video on Demand
I was going to say Snatched was the biggest secondary VOD release this week, but Descendants 2 was watched by nearly 9 million people during its debut night, so that is arguably the bigger film. It is also earning better reviews than the first film did.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Silkwood, Lost in America, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, The Boss Baby, Unforgettable, Ghost in the Shell, Snatched, Gifted, The Final Master, Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent, Black Butterfly, The Lovers, Who’s Crazy, Facing Darkness, Returning Citizens, Scalia: Portrait of a Man and Jurist, Batman, Warlock, Billy Jack, Albert Brooks