Home Market Releases for February 25th, 2020

February 27, 2020

It’s a strong, but shallow, week on the home market. There are only eight releases in the main list and a couple of them wouldn’t normally make the cut. However, nearly all of them are worth picking up and several were close to Pick of the Week contenders. That said, Knives Out was a clear choice for Pick of the Week. I will likely also be buying Food Wars, Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman, and others, but Knives Out is way ahead of the competition.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
This release has amazing reviews and actually has some extras, which is rare for an anime release. If you are a fan of the franchise, then it is easily worth picking up. I can’t recommend jumping into the franchise with this movie, but fans of anime in general should consider watching the franchise from the beginning.

Food Wars: The Third Plate - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The fourth season of this show is already finished airing, so I’m not sure why it took this long to come out. Season four had a bit of a dip in quality, but season three is still amazing. They even did a great job improving on the main villain, in part by giving them a much more understandable motivation. The lack of real extras does hurt its overall value, on the other hand, preventing it from being a Pick of the Week contender. It is close.

Frozen II - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Video on Demand (With Bonuses)
Video on Demand (4K Ultra HD
The first Frozen was a smash hit breaking records for the biggest global animated hit of all time. Frozen II was inevitable, but most people thought it wouldn’t quite live up to its predecessor at the box office. It smashed the record by over $150 million. Is it also better? Or does the film not live up to the hype? Read our review to find out.

Hot Dog... The Movie - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A sex comedy from the 1980s that is so forgotten that there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It is easily one of the top five best-selling new releases according to Amazon, which just emphasizes how shallow this week is on the home market.

Knives Out - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
I put in a request for this title, but the screener hasn’t arrived yet. Given its reviews it is worth a blind buy. Additionally, the Blu-ray has a ton of extras, including two commentary tracks, massive making of documentary, deleted scenes, and more. Easily one of the best releases on this week’s list.

Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The latest release in this massive anime franchise about a group of high school idol stars. It’s a franchise that you can jump in and enjoy, as long as you are at least a little bit of a fan of the genre.

Norm of the North: Family Vacation - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Another release on the main list that is here only because it is such a shallow week. It isn’t even getting a Blu-ray release.

Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman: The Criterion Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Three feature-length films from Czechoslovak filmmaker Karel Zeman, as well as four short films and bonus features. It is more expensive than most other releases on this week’s list, but it does cost a lot to remaster these older films and you get a lot of movies for that price.

TV on DVD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Return of Ultraman: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Ultraman Orb: Origin Saga and Ultra Fight Orb - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
V.C. Andrews Casteel Family - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Years and Years: The Limited Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The list of TV on DVD releases is even shorter than the main list and none of them are particular intriguing.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
The Beast and the Magic Sword - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Deadly Manor - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
End of the Century - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Max and the Junkmen - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Maya Deren Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
One Missed Call Trilogy - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Paris is Burning: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Pet Sematary II - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Reefer Madness / Sex Madness - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Spookies - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Victory - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band From Texas - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
There’s a lot of low-budget horror on this week’s list of secondary Blu-ray releases, but not many that I’m interested in seeing.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Casino Royale - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Hunt for Red October - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Skyfall - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
There are a trio of 4K Ultra HD releases this week, all of which are worth picking up.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Bombshell - Reviews - Video on Demand or 4K Ultra HD VOD
Color Out of Space - Reviews - Video on Demand
Superman: Red Son - Reviews - Video on Demand
Uncut Gems - Reviews - Video on Demand or 4K Ultra HD VOD
There are only four secondary VOD releases on this week’s list, but all four are worth checking out. In fact, depending on what genres you are interested in, all four have enough replay value to be worth buying.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Max et les ferrailleurs, Frozen II, Knives Out, Color Out of Space, Bombshell, Paris is Burning, Deadly Manor, Norm of the North: Family Vacation