Home Market Releases for October 30th, 2018

October 30, 2018

It’s another slow week on the home market, with not a lot of big releases and not a lot of Pick of the Week contenders. There were several that came close, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Never Goin’ Back, The Princess Bride, etc. In the end, Mandy on Blu-ray was the only true contender for that title.

2001: A Space Odyssey - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
One of the best-reviewed Sci-fi films of all time. The only reason it isn’t a Pick of the Week contender is the format. It is coming out on 4K this week, but Amazon has it coming out on Blu-ray in November. Not enough people have 4K Ultra HD to consider this a Pick of the Week contender over the upcoming Blu-ray, even with the improvements in visual quality.

Batman: The Animated Series: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
This TV show earned amazing reviews during its four-year run and many consider it among the best, if not the best portrayal of Batman on TV. The 12-disc Blu-ray Megaset also includes a book and a trio of figures, as well as the extras on the disc. If you don’t own the TV series already, then this is a must have. If you already have the DVD Megaset, I could see this being worth the upgrade, even at just over $100.

Charmed: The Complete First Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Just a quick note: The screener for this release arrived early enough to not be technically late, but late enough that I didn’t have enough time to do a full review. That said, I requested this title and the MacGyver: Season One Blu-ray to see if they were worth including in this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, so I wasn’t planning a full featured review regardless. I might get a spotlight review done this week, if I have time.

The Darkest Minds - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film earned terrible reviews and bombed in theaters. Part of the problem is predictability. While it isn’t an actual Young Adult adaptation, it really feels like one and not even one of the better examples of that genre.

Death of a Nation - Reviews - Buy from Amazon:DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This is one of the worst-reviewed films to get a major theatrical release of the past few years, perhaps even a decade or more.

Dragnet: Collector’s Edition - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This film earned mixed reviews, but its inflation adjusted box office was significantly more than $100 million. Were the original critics correct? Or did audiences get it right? Read our review to find out.

MacGyver: The Complete First Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I’m still waiting for a screener for this title, while the Amazon page is having issues.

Mandy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Nicolas Cage has not had a lot of success with critics recently. This film did earn over 90% positive reviews, but it is still too strange to find a mainstream audience in limited release. Extras are limited to 22 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and 14 minutes of deleted / extended scenes. That’s not great, but it is not bad for a limited release. It is also enough to be a Pick of the Week contender.

The Matrix Trilogy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
This box set comes out today and according to Amazon, it is already out of stock. ... Why does this keep happening? Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, yet Amazon apparently is too poor to hire additional people to make sure top selling new releases don’t have issues like this.

Metropolis: Steelbook - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
You can tell this is a hugely popular Anime title over here, because the reviews come from Rotten Tomatoes and not My Anime List. It is considered a classic by many, but I’m not a huge fan of Steelbook releases and this isn’t the first time the film has been released on Blu-ray. That said, if you don’t own it, it is worth picking up.

Never Goin’ Back - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This film is a stoner comedy that features two female leads, which is a bit unusual. I’m not a fan of the genre overall, but is there enough here to entertain? Is the DVD worth picking up? Read our review for my opinion.

The Princess Bride: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
On the one hand, this is an absolute classic movie and Criterion usually puts out top-notch releases. On the other hand, the film has been released on DVD / Blu-ray on average once a year for the past 35,000 years, give or take. I can’t image there are many people who like this movie who don’t already own it, likely two or more times. There are new interviews and a new featurette, plus the script in book form, so for many, it will be worth the upgrade, but it is not enough to be a true Pick of the Week contender. ... It is close.

Slender Man - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film earned some of the worst reviews of the summer. Additionally, there’s only a single featurette on the DVD / Blu-ray. Even if you like the cast / genre, there are better options out there.

The Spy Who Dumped Me - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This movie earned mixed reviews and struggled at the box office. If you like the cast, then it is worth checking out. If you’ve already seen the movie and enjoyed it, then maybe it is worth picking up. There’s no audio commentary track, but there are plenty of other extras to be found.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film earned fantastic reviews, but struggled at the box office. It did only cost $10 million to make, so it should still break even soon, if it does well on the home market. There are a number of extras, including music videos, deleted song, sing-along, etc. If you have kids who like the cartoon, then this is worth owning. Also, I think more than a few parents will actually enjoy themselves while watching the show.

Valley Girl - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is the 35th anniversary of this movie. While it wasn’t a major hit when it first came out, it has since become a classic. The new Blu-ray release includes a couple of new interviews, featurettes, etc. as well as lot of archival extras, including an audio commentary track. It is certainly worth picking up if you don’t already own it. It could also be worth the upgrade if you already own the movie.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:

The Christmas Train - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Christmas Train - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Switched for Christmas - No Reviews - Video on Demand
It’s a slow week for Christmas releases, but if you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas films, you do have a couple of choices.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
12 Monkeys - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Bill Murray Stories - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Can’t Hardly Wait: 20th Anniversary - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
D.O.A. - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Dagashi Kashi 2: Season Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Hallelujah the Hills - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Incubus - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Old Ironsides - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Padre - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Testament of Sister New Devil Burst: Season Two - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Torso - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Wasp Woman - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Yessongs: 40th Anniversary Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Bill Murray Stories is earning 100% positive reviews, which makes it the best secondary Blu-ray release of the week.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
2001: A Space Odyssey - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Darkest Minds - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Matrix Trilogy - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Matrix Reloaded - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Matrix Revolutions - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Planet Earth II / Blue Planet II - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Spy Who Dumped Me - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
2001: A Space Odyssey is clearly the best secondary 4K Ultra HD release of the week. That said, maybe the more recent special effects of The Matrix Trilogy will look better on 4K Ultra HD.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
Maigret - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
This is the 1991 series. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure it out. There have been a lot of shows / movies based on the same novels.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, The Darkest Minds, Slender Man, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Mandy, Juliet, Naked, The Padre, Death of a Nation, The Christmas Train, Anonymous 616, Diffability Hollywood, Greetings From Tromaville, Switched for Christmas, Matrix, Nicolas Cage

Home Market Releases for October 30th, 2018

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