Home Market Releases for December 13th, 2016

December 12, 2016

This is a strange week on the home market. We have one of the biggest domestic hits of the year, Suicide Squad, but it is one of the worst movies I’ve seen this year. (Granted, I’ve done fewer reviews this year and skipped a lot of terrible looking movies, like Independence Day: Resurgence, Warcraft, Gods of Egypt, Allegiant... Ben Hur, The Huntsman, The Legend of Tarzan. I could keep going. Wow! It was a bad year for $100 million movies.) After Suicide Squad, the next biggest release according to Amazon is the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Collector's Edition Blu-ray. That’s a huge drop in sales. As far as quality is concerned, I have to give a shout out to that World Series Blu-ray. Real fans want full games and this one provides them. On the other hand, I personally find baseball boring to watch. Unfortunately, there’s no one release that stands out as an obvious Pick of the Week, but instead we have a lot of releases that are close, but wouldn’t be close enough during a good week. The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series on Blu-ray is the best, assuming you didn’t grab the individual seasons when they came out.

2016 World Series Champion: The Chicago Cubs - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
It took more than a century, but the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series. Oh boy, the fans will be happy with this release. ... Or to be more accurate, they will be happy with the 8-disc Collector’s Edition, which comes out next week. Real fans want the full games and they will be willing to wait an extra week to get them. Hell, they waited more than a century for this win.

The Asphalt Jungle (The Criterion Collection) - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This movie is the first major role for Marilyn Monroe, which makes it important in that regard. It is also one of the best Film Noir movies and is preserved by the National Film Registry. Extras include an audio commentary track, as well as featurettes both new and archival. It is definitely worth picking up and a real contender for Pick of the Week.

Ben-Hur - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
For all of the remakes, reboots, and delayed sequels that hit theaters this year, this one ranks near the top in terms of raw “Why?” Why was this movie made? Well, critics and moviegoers agree, they shouldn’t have bothered making it. Unless you are curious about how bad a bad movie can get, you can safely skip it. Even then, wait till it is on Netflix so you are not paying money to see it.

Bridget Jones’s Baby - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
It wouldn’t be too unfair to say this movie bombed at the box office. However, that’s only if you just look at its domestic run. Worldwide, it was a hit. It earned nearly $210 million on a $35 million budget. Even if the film cost twice as much to advertise as it did to make, it will still break even early in the film’s home market run. I think the international audiences were right to check it out, but since it struggled so much domestically, the DVD / Blu-ray doesn’t have a lot of extras. There’s a making of featurette, deleted / alternative / extended scenes, and some outtakes. That’s not bad, but I really would have liked an audio commentary track. That said, it is a slow / shallow week, so it is still a Pick of the Week contender.

Equity - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
This film earned reviews that were just over 80% positive and it even hit $1 million during its limited release run. The DVD and Blu-ray have three featurettes, which isn’t bad for a limited release. It adds up to a solid purchase, but it isn’t a Pick of the Week contender.

Fear The Walking Dead: Season 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I tried to look up the reviews for this show, but Rotten Tomatoes is down. I do know the average ratings plummeted 45% from season one, while the ratings for the season finale were 54% lower than the season premiere. That’s awful. The show won’t last past season three if it drops by the same amount.

Florence Foster Jenkins - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Meryl Streep just picked up her 29th Golden Globe nomination for her performance in this biopic. The film’s reviews are a lot better than its box office numbers were. They are also better than its extras, which are limited to a trio of featurettes. That said, it is a shallow week and this is still enough to be a Pick of the Week contender.

Girls Lost - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
Three bullied high school girls have only themselves to help deal with the world. However, they discover a plant which turns them into boys, giving them a new perspective on the world, one that might cost them their friendship. This is one of the best new releases of the week; however, it is a foreign-language film, which limits its potential audience and the number of extras on the DVD.

The Hollywood Shorties - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A documentary about a sports league for little people started in the 1950s to give dwarves more visibility and to help people treat them as more than just a curiosity. There is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is positive.

I Am Not a Serial Killer - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A teenage boy with serial killer tendencies has to use the parts of his personality he’s tried so hard to keep in check when a serial killer starts to terrorize his small town. The film has earned some of the best reviews on this week’s list, but there appears to be no extras on the Blu-ray. That’s too bad, because it could have been a Pick of the Week contender with even light extras.

Killer Rack - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
Every once and a while you come across a movie with such a strange premise you have to talk about it. In this movie, a woman goes in for a breast enhancement, but her doctor is Dr. K. Thulhu who gives her cursed killer breast implants. ... It’s also a musical. I might have to blind buy this.

The Legend of Korra - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
I’ve reviewed a couple of seasons of this show and even included it in the most recent installment of the Holiday Gift Guide. Obviously it is a contender for Pick of the Week. It might of won that title, if it had new extras.

Little Men - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand, Video on Demand
A family inherits a building in Brooklyn that includes a dress shop. When they raise the rent, it puts a strain on the new friendship between their son and the son of the woman who runs the dress shop. The film’s reviews are amazing and it opened well, but it struggled as soon as it tried to expand. This explains why it is only coming out on DVD and without many extras.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, 4K Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Tim Burton has struggled to regain his form these past few years. Sweeney Todd was the last film of his that had his signature look and also won over critics. This film has his signature look, while its reviews were just above the overall positive level. It did well enough at the worldwide box office that it will likely break even sometime on its home market run. Extras on the DVD / Blu-ray are better than most other releases on this week’s list, but not amazing. I'm calling it a solid rental, leaning towards the purchase level.

Morgan - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film had one of the worst opening weekend theater averages of the year. It’s not a good movie, but it is certainly not that bad. In fact, it is worth checking out on VOD, but wait till you can rent it. It isn’t worth $15, but a $6 rental is fine.

Shelley - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A young woman begins to work as a caretaker for a couple who live in an isolated house in the woods. She agrees to be a surrogate mother for the couple, but that’s when things start to go awry. The film doesn’t have a lot reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but so far all eight of them are positive.

Slash - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A teenage outcast gets a boost when the most popular girl in school encourages his slash writing and he begins to be noticed for his writings. This is one of the best-reviewed releases on this week’s list. It is also one of the smallest and the lack of extras hurts its overall value.

Southside with You - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A film about the first date between Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson. The reviews were stunning and it did quite well in limited release. Extras include an audio commentary track and a featurette. It is still a contender for Pick of the Week, due to the lack of an obvious best release.

Star Trek: The Original Series — The Roddenberry Vault - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This 3-disc set includes 12 episodes, plus a bunch of behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, etc. This would make a great gift, but there’s not enough new footage here to really justify the price for the average Star Trek fan.

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is one of the best TV shows ever made and it was even featured on the this year’s Holiday Gift Guide: Part II. It is easily worth picking up and a clear contender for Pick of the Week. There are two 1-star reviews on Amazon that bring up points worth addressing. Firstly, yes, it is just a repackaging of the previous full-season releases, but those seasons cost nearly $200 to buy, compared to just over $80 for this. Secondly, someone complained that there were no English or Spanish subtitles. This is only partially correct, as there are English subtitles. At least there are on the screener I got.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Creepshow 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Dreamscape - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Harley and the Davidsons - Reviews - Buy from Amazon:Blu-ray
Let’s Be Evil - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Lodger - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Love Chunibyo Heart Throb - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Moving Violations - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Night Has a Thousand Desires - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Sudden Fear - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Lodger is a story about Jack the Ripper, with an interesting twist. Definitely worth checking out.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
The Stewardesses - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Blu-ray
Suicide Squad - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
The Stewardesses is the first 3D sex film. It is not a good movie, but it is historical in that regard.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Combo Pack
Morgan - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Combo Pack
Suicide Squad - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 3D Combo Pack
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the only 4K release worth owning, but it isn’t worth spending the extra for 4K.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon
Black Christmas - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Christmas All Over Again - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Video on Demand
Eight Crazy Nights - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Jack Frost - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Krampus Unleashed - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Secret Santa - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Half the Christmas releases on this week’s list are horror films.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
There are two Megasets on this week’s list, but both were big enough to mention above.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
The Devil Lives Here - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Let’s Be Evil - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Man Called Ove - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Mother’s Revenge - Reviews - Video on Demand
Snowden - Reviews - Video on Demand
When the Bough Breaks - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Man Called Ove is the best VOD release this week, but it is a foreign-language film, so its audience is limited.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Moving Violations, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Independence Day: Resurgence, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Legend of Tarzan, Ben-Hur, Suicide Squad, Florence Foster Jenkins, Snowden, When the Bough Breaks, Pete’s Dragon, I Am Not a Serial Killer, Southside with You, Morgan, A Mother’s Revenge, Little Men, Equity, En man som heter Ove, Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story, Let’s Be Evil, Christmas All Over Again, Shelley, The Hollywood Shorties, Pojkarna, O Diabo Mora Aqui, Marilyn Monroe, Meryl Streep, Tim Burton