Home Market Releases for January 24th, 2017

January 23, 2017

It’s not a particularly good week for top-notch releases. There are only three contenders for Pick of the Week, one of which doesn’t come out till next week. I was able to review Pinocchio a week early. The others are a classic from the 1970s, The Man Who Fell To Earth on Blu-ray Combo Pack, and an import from South Korea, The Handmaiden on DVD. Even though The Handmaiden is only coming out on DVD, it is still the best and is this week’s Pick of the Week.

Adventure Time: Islands Miniseries - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The penultimate season in the show’s run begins this week. It’s off its peak, but it is still a fun show. That said, I would stick with full season sets.

Antarctica: Ice and Sky - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A documentary about glaciologist Claude Lorius, whose work in Antarctica resulted in some of the most compelling evidence of man-made global warming. This is one of the best-reviewed releases on this week’s list, but it is also one of the worst selling and I fear it will slip between the cracks.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This series is based on a book franchise by Douglas Adams. I’ve only read one book in the series, but I’m certainly interested in watching this show as a result.

The Handmaiden - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A Korean film adapted from a Victorian novel and set in colonial Japan. The movie is... well... it’s about six twists deep, so the less you know about the plot the better. The film was a massive hit in its native market and earned nearly $2 million in limited release here. Sadly, that’s not enough to get a Blu-ray release here and the film’s production design is one of many selling point. It would likely look amazing on Blu-ray. That said, it is still a clear contender for Pick of the Week.

Hooperman - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD Season One and Season Two
A sitcom starring John Ritter as a cop. The show only lasted two seasons in the late 1980s and then almost completely disappeared from TV. Given the number of cable channels that exist only to show reruns, you would think this show would have been in syndication for years. However, this will be the first chance people will have to see it in over a decade.

I’m Not Ashamed - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A faith-based film inspired by the life of the first victim of the Columbine Massacre. The reviews are terrible and it missed the Mendoza Line during its opening weekend. Even if you are in the target audience, there are better options out there.

Inferno - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A delayed sequel in the Da Vinci Code franchise. This film bombed domestically, but it did well enough internationally that it could break even, eventually. Extras include half-a-dozen featurettes, as well as deleted and extended scenes. That’s not bad, especially given its box office troubles. That said, unless you are a really big fan of the franchise, it isn’t even worth a rental.

The Light Between Oceans - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand (Theatrical Version)
Video on Demand (With Bonus Content) ,
I think it is safe to call this film busted Oscar-bait. It earned good reviews, but not great reviews, while it struggled when it opened in semi-wide release. Extras are limited to just an audio commentary on the DVD, while the Blu-ray has a couple of exclusive featurettes. That’s enough to be worth a rental, maybe a purchase, if you really like the cast.

The Man Who Fell To Earth - Reviews _ Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The first film starring David Bowie. He plays an alien who has come to Earth to look for water to save his dying planet. If you haven’t seen this movie, you have to fix that right away.

The Monster - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
Zoe Kazan is a single-mother driving with her daughter along a deserted road. They are then attacked by an unseen monster. The reviews are great, but it was a VOD premiere, which explains its box office numbers. The only extra on the DVD / Blu-ray is a making of featurette. It is still worth picking up, especially if you are a fan of the cast / genre, but it isn’t a contender for Pick of the Week.

Operation Chromite - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Reviews
Video on Demand
A South Korean war movie about a massive battle in the Korean War. It was a big hit in its native market, but it barely cracked $1 million here. It also wasn’t warmly received by critics. If you like war movies and want a different perspective, then it is worth a rental.

Sherlock: Series Four - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Oh boy. Season four is the final season in the Sherlock series and fans and critics didn’t really like it. The ratings were way down and most people agreed the series finale was just plain bad. That said, it is still the biggest selling new release of the week.

USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A terrible movie based on a very interesting story.

Wait Until Dark - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Audrey Hepburn plays a woman who is recently blinded in accident. She’s tormented by a gang led by Alan Arkin who believe she has their heroin. The reviews are amazing, but I think it is mostly forgotten now.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Arcade Fire: Reflektor Tapes 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Attack on Titan: Complete Season One - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Black Girl (The Criterion Collection) - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Blood Rage - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
GARO: Crimson Moon - Season Two, Part One - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Infinite Stratos 2 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Men’s Club - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Sabotage - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Triage X - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
The Vessel - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
There are not a lot of good secondary Blu-ray releases this week. That said, whenever The Criterion Collection puts out a Blu-ray, it is usually worth checking out. Black Girl is no exception.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
No 3D releases this week, again.

4K Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Inferno - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
There’s only one 4K release this week and it is not worth owning, never mind pay extra for the 4K version.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Almost Christmas - Reviews - Video on Demand
Christmas releases in January. No.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
No TV on DVD Megasets this week. Although both seasons of Hooperman came out this week in separate releases.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
2 Years of Love - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Almost Christmas - Reviews - Video on Demand
American Pastoral - Reviews - Video on Demand
Justice League Dark - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Long Nights Short Mornings - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Lovers and the Despot - Reviews - Video on Demand
Loving - Reviews - Video on Demand
Trolls - Reviews Video on Demand
The Lovers and the Despot and Loving are among the best releases on this week’s list. That said, they are better than VOD. Trolls is not.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Pinocchio, American Pastoral, Inferno, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Trolls, The Light Between Oceans, Almost Christmas, Operation Chromite, Loving, La glace et le ciel, A Ga ssi, USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, I’m Not Ashamed, The Monster, Long Nights Short Mornings, Justice League: Dark, 2 Years of Love, Da Vinci Code, Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, David Bowie, Zoe Kazan, John Ritter, Douglas Adams, Ella Ballentine