March 17th, 2020
It’s a relatively good week on the home market, as we have Jumanji: The Next Level coming out. On the other hand, that’s the only big release of the week, at least on physical media. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is hitting Video on Demand. Neither are Pick of the Week contenders, although Jumanji could get there when the screener arrives. As for the best of the rest, The Point: Ultimate Edition and Superman: Red Son Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD are worth checking out. The Point came out a while ago, but the screener arrived late. That said, it is still the best release on this week’s list.
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July 24th, 2019
We are still in the summer doldrums on the home market. The biggest first run release of the week is Alita: Battle Angel, which is much better than its box office numbers and one of the best releases on this week’s list. Other contenders for Pick of the Week include Do the Right Thing and Nichijou: My Ordinary Life: The Complete Series. In the end, I went with Nichijou: My Ordinary Life: The Complete Series. In part because it is an amazing series, but also in part in solidarity with the victims of the Kyoto Animation arson attack.
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July 23rd, 2019
Double Impact stars Jean-Claude Van Damme playing twins with opposite personalities, which was the actor’s idea. The film’s 28% positive reviews is, sadly, about average for his career at this point, but it got a Blu-ray special edition at the end of May. Does it deserve to find a new audience? Or is this for hardcore JCVD fans only?
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June 5th, 2019
It is a very busy week on the home market, but unfortunately, most of this is catalog titles coming out on Blu-ray or 4K for the first time. One of these franchises, Toy Story, is a contender for Pick of the Week, as is the The Andromeda Strain: Special Edition Blu-ray. In the end, I went with The Venture Bros.: Season Seven Blu-ray.
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May 28th, 2019
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We are back to normal on the home market for a summer week. That is to say, there’s almost nothing to talk about. The biggest physical release of the week is Outlander: Season Four. The show’s reviews have slipped a little, but they are still earning amazing reviews. However, it airs on Starz, so most people have never seen it and I don’t think it is a good idea to jump into the show in season four. Greta is the next biggest physical release, but it is not Pick of the Week material. That leaves How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which came out last week, but the screener arrived late. And of course Captain Marvel, which is coming out on VOD this week. So the choice for Pick of the Week is down to a movie I already awarded the title to and a movie that isn’t out on DVD / Blu-ray this week. It’s a tough call, but in the end, I went with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Captain Marvel will have another chance when it comes out on Blu-ray.
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July 10th, 2018
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It’s still summer and that means the home market is still terrible. There are less than a dozen new releases on disc on this week’s list, and a lot of them feel like filler. Half of them wouldn’t make the list during a moderately busy week. Only one of them, A Quiet Place, truly stands out and the Blu-ray Combo Pack is easily the Pick of the Week. It’s not the only release worth picking up, as both Lean on Pete on Blu-ray and The Magicians: Season Three are worth picking up.
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July 9th, 2018
Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Lionheart wasn’t a box office hit when it came out in 1991, nor did it win over the critics. It was profitable, thanks to its $6 million production budget, but largely forgotten. Now that the MVD Rewind Collection has released a Blu-ray Combo Pack, will it be rediscovered? Or did it deserve to remain forgotten?
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June 19th, 2018
Summer is the worst time of the year for the home market and this week is no exception. The “biggest” new release of the week is Pacific Rim: Uprising, but it is not worth picking up. There are a few contenders for Pick of the Week, including the final season of Dark Matter; a dark comedy, The Death of Stalin; and an Anime release, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World. In the end, I went with Dark Matter as the Pick of the Week.
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April 25th, 2018
Paddington 2 is the biggest release of the week and clearly at least one of the best. However, it isn’t the only film that’s a Pick of the Week contender. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and others were all in contention for that honor. In the end, the Paddington 2 Blu-ray Combo Pack earned that title.
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April 17th, 2018
It’s a slow week on the home market, which is common for this time of year. The biggest release of the week, The Post, is also one of the best and one of only three contenders for Pick of the Week. In the end, I went with MST3K: Season 11 and awarded it the honor.
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April 16th, 2018
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Black Eagle is one of Jean-Claude Van Damme earliest roles. It is so early that he’s not the good guy. He’s not even the main villain. He’s the main villain’s muscle. Is this film worth checking out for fans of the Muscles from Brussels? Will fans of 1980s actions films be entertained?
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November 8th, 2016
It’s not a particularly deep week for new releases. A lot of releases on this week’s list were good, but not good enough to be a contender for Pick of the Week, like Daredevil: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray. I reviewed Finding Dory this weekend, but I have already named it Pick of the Week. So the only real contender was Bubba Ho-Tep: Collector’s Edition.
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March 15th, 2016
There are several top-notch releases coming out this week, including a trio of Awards Season contenders: The Big Short, Brooklyn, and Carol. All three are Pick of the Week contenders. However, the winner of that title is Game of Thrones: Season Five on Blu-ray.
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October 13th, 2015
There are two $100 million movies on this week's list of Home Market Releases: Spy, which earned more than $100 million domestically, and Tomorrowland, which merely cost more than $100 million to make. Spy is arguably the best release on this week's list, but the Blu-ray was already named Pick of the Week, so that honor is going to Aladdin's Blu-ray debut this week.
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March 25th, 2014
It is a good, but very shallow week on the home market. The Wolf of Wall Street is leading the pack, with the Blu-ray Combo Pack earning first place and DVD earning second. This is a $100 million hit and a multi-Oscar nominee, so it is not surprising it is earning the top two spots. On the other hand, third place currently belongs to Monster High: Frights, Camera, Action! on DVD. That's a real sign that it is a shallow week. That's not to say some of the smaller releases are not worth picking up. Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXIX is certainly a contender for Pick of the Week, but in the end I went with The Wolf of Wall Street. On a side note, Continuum: Season 2 on Blu-ray earned the Puck of the Week, for Best Canadian Release.
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March 24th, 2014
Welcome to the Jungle is a comedy that opened in limited release with weak reviews. When it hit theaters, it failed to find an audience. Now it is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. Does it deserve a second chance on the home market? Or is there a reason it failed to entice moviegoers?
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March 10th, 2014
If you look over at Amazon.com, the best-selling new release of the week is The Book Thief. This film made just over $20 million at the box office, which is amazing for a limited release. However, it is still a limited release on top of the new releases. That tells you how slow this week is on the home market. Fortunately, last Friday The Hunger Games: Catching Fire came out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and I'm including it on this week's list as well. There are a number of other releases that are worth picking up, including The Patience Stone on DVD, In Fear on DVD, and Inside Llewyn Davis on Blu-ray. However, while there is some competition, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Blu-ray Combo Pack is the Pick of the Week.
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February 7th, 2014
It's another busy week for limited releases with more than a dozen of them on this week's list. This does mean I'm not going to be as talkative about each individual film, because there are just so many of them. Fortunately, there are also a few that are worth checking out, like Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, Alphaville, etc. If I were to chose just one film, it would be Kids for Cash, but the subject matter will enrage you.
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January 24th, 2014
There are a number of releases on this week's list that are worth checking out. This includes Gloria, the official Oscar selection from Chile; Stranger by the Lake, an erotic thriller with a gay protagonist; and Our Man in Tehran, a Canadian documentary that tells the story of what happened in Argo. There are also some less serious films that I think I will like more than the average critic: 3 Night Stand and Knights of Badassdom. On the other hand, the widest release is Gimme Shelter, which might do well if it can tap into the churchgoing demographic; however, it could also miss the Mendoza Line.
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November 18th, 2012
The Expendables cost $82 million, which is not an insignificant amount of money, especially for a mini-major like Lionsgate. However, the risk paid off when it became the distributor's biggest hit of all time. (That record has since been broken by The Hunger Games.) It was obvious that they would make a sequel, but is it any good? Granted, in my review, I called the original, "a pretty mindless action film that takes itself a little too seriously at times." So I'm not expecting a lot here. If the movie can provide mindless action like before, then I will assume it is worth checking out for fans. Can it deliver? Can it surpass expectations?
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October 2nd, 2012
It's the first week of the month and there is a wide variety of releases worth checking out, but not exactly a strong selection of best sellers. The biggest first-run release is Dark Shadows and while I'm looking forward to possibly reviewing the Blu-ray Combo Pack, I don't think it will be a huge hit. New Girl: Season One and The Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray look great, but I'm waiting for the screeners to make final decisions. I won't get a chance to review Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, but it is a contender for Pick of the Week. The winner of that honor is Cinderella Blu-ray, which is a classic, even if it is a little old-fashioned.
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