Home Market Releases for December 3rd, 2019

December 4, 2019

Tuesday is the day after Cyber Monday, also know as, “One of the worst days of the year to release something on the home market.” There’s not a lot to talk about, while the biggest release of the week is also one of the biggest disappointments of the year, but the less said about that, the better. As for Pick of the Week contenders, we have Big Trouble in Little China: Collector’s Edition and that’s it. There are a few other releases that are close to that level, but none that reach it.

Big Trouble in Little China: Collector’s Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray or Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray
This is one of my favorite movies of all time and it is getting a special Collector’s Edition release. Like all Shout! Factory releases, this one is loaded with extras, old and new. This includes two new audio commentary tracks to go with the old one, and about a dozen new interview featurettes. Even if you have the film on Blu-ray, this is easily worth the double-dip and it is a Pick of the Week contender.

Game of Thrones: Season Eight - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
How do you screw up an ending that much? This show has the worst ending for a critically acclaimed TV show since Dexter. That show had “Studio Interference” as an excuse, while David Benioff and D. B. Weiss had full control. They just didn’t know what they were doing. I put in a request for a screener for this season, as I have done every season. However, HBO suddenly changed their policy regarding screeners and greatly limited access. I’m not surprised. This does mean I’m not going to get the opportunity to go into a full rant, but I will give you a taste. When you write a complicated story, it is important to plot the character’s journey from beginning to end. Sometimes as you are writing, the characters go off script, so to speak. If this happens, then you have one of two choices. Firstly, you can go back and rewrite portions of the story where the characters got off track making your planned ending make sense. Secondly, you can just go with the new journey. If the characters got there naturally, maybe it’s the better option. It is important to remember the first option is only a real option if you are writing one contained story. If you are writing a series of stories or a whole damn TV series, you can’t go back and rewrite older episodes, so you have to choose option two. You can’t pick option three, “To hell with coherent character development! The story ends how I say it ends!” Benioff and Weiss went with option three with several characters this season. Any example I give would be a spoiler for the finale, but I can give a smaller example. ... Cleganebowl shouldn’t have been about the Hound wanting to kill his older brother out of revenge. The character had spent the past couple of seasons working past that. He should have seen what his brother had become and killed his brother out of pity. They could have still had the fight, but it would have had more emotional impact. Also coming out this week are The Complete Series and The Complete Series: Special Edition. I bet that horrible ending has cut the sales of these two releases in half.

K-On!: Ultimate Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I love this Anime and I absolutely think it is worth picking up. It is about a group of high school girls who are part of the Light Music Club at school and start a band. It’s Moe slice-of-life and arguably one of the best of the genre. It also has a lot of great music. However, it also came out in a massive box set with a ton of physical extras earlier this year. Granted, that had a rather extreme price, so many fans likely balked at the price and for them this is a much better option. Since the double-dip is a downgrade, it isn’t a Pick of the Week contender. Otherwise, it would be.

Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This is one of the best documentaries of the year, especially if you are into politics. However, the lack of extras and the fact that it is only coming out on DVD prevents it from being a Pick of the Week contender. It is still worth picking up.

Ready or Not - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I put in a request for a screener for this title, but it hasn’t arrived yet. I did get a chance to watch it on VOD with friends, so I can give you a shorter spotlight review. If you want an even shorter review than that, I did include it on this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, so you know I liked it.

The movie begins with a prologue in which two young boys, Alex and Daniel, witness a groom being chased down and murdered, while the bride tells her family to stop. Flash forward to the present and we meet Grace, who is about to marry Alex Le Domas. She was raised in foster homes and is eager to be part of a permanent family, so much so that when Daniel says she’s too good for this family, she just takes it as a bit of dysfunctional family banter. When Alex says they should run away, it is a little more ominous, but she is undeterred. After the wedding, Alex explains the family has a little tradition. Since they made their fortune with board games, they have to play a game whenever a new person marries into the family. Grace thinks it is just a weird tradition, but as the audience has seen, it can turn fatal. There is only one lethal game of the ones that are chosen at random. That game is Hide and Seek, which is the game she has to play. It takes witnessing one of the staff being accidentally killed before she realizes how much danger she is in. She then has as much determination to survive this family as she did to join it before.

Ready or Not is a horror comedy and black comedy, depending on who you might ask, with some stinging social satire as well. Neither horror comedies nor black comedies tend to do well at the box office, which explains why this movie made less than $30 million domestically, but fans of the genres should have a blast here. Samara Weaving is just amazing in the lead performance and I expect her career to only grow after this role. The tonal switches can be off-putting and some of the more flippant moments can undermine the social satire elements, but I think these are minor issues when compared to the effect of the whole movie.

I don’t have a physical copy to review, but the DVD / Blu-ray has an audio commentary track, making of featurette, and outtakes. That’s an okay collection for a release like this. It prevents it from being a Pick of the Week contender, but it is still worth picking up.

The Simpsons: Season 19 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
I’m not sure if this season is good or not. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve seen a single episode of this season. It has been a long time since I watched The Simpsons even on a semi-regular basis. Maybe now that I have Disney Plus, I can catch up over Christmas, or at least watch a few episodes. Also coming out this week is a 20-season Box Set, but the cost per season is too high.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
2nd Chance for Christmas - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Buttons: A Christmas Tale - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas Jars - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas on Holly Lane - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas Presence - No Reviews - Video on Demand
A Christmas Solo - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Santa Fake - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Write Before Christmas - No Reviews - Video on Demand
This is the week after Thanksgiving, which is arguably the last weekend to release a Christmas film before it is too late for the holidays. Or perhaps that week was two weeks ago, as there’s not much here worth talking about.

TV on DVD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
City on a Hill: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Doctor Who: Colin Baker: Season Two - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Durrells in Corfu: Season 4 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Mister Rogers and Making Mistakes - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration! - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Seasons One through Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Teen Titans: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Most of the TV on DVD releases on this week’s list are kids shows, but most of them are worth picking up, including Sesame Street, She-ra, etc.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Angel Blade: Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals: Collector’s Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Bleach: Set 5 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas: Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Glorifying the American Girl - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Goldfinch - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Is This a Zombie? + Is This a Zombie? Of the Dead: Seasons 1 & 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Jake Speed - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Joan the Maid - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Kiss Him, Not Me!: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Konga: Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Meiji Tokyo Renka: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
She: Special Edition - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Slaughterhouse-Five: Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Spider-Man: Sony’s Spider-verse - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Story of Temple Drake: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Tunes of Glory: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Valiant: Vegas Born - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Waterworld: 2-Disc Special Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There is an eclectic mix of secondary Blu-ray releases. There are some real highlights this week, including Slaughterhouse-Five, Tunes of Glory: The Criterion Collection, Spider-Man: Sony’s Spider-verse, Is This a Zombie?, and more. There’s something for everyone, or if you have an eclectic taste, you might be spending too much money this week.

3D Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Secret Life of Cars - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
We have a 3D release this week. It’s not a prime release, but it is something.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Turtle Odyssey - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
There’s only one secondary 4K release this week and it isn’t a big release. That said, Nature Documentaries look amazing in high definition, so it might be worth buying it, just to show off your setup.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Abominable - Reviews - Video on Demand
Ad Astra - Reviews - Video on Demand
Hitler Versus Picasso and the Others - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice - Reviews - Video on Demand
Rambo: Last Blood - Reviews - Video on Demand
Rambo: Last Blood - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are not a huge number of secondary VOD releases on this week’s list, but most of them are worth checking out. Abominable, Ad Astra, and Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice should find an audience on the home market, although some of them are better suited for DVD / Blu-ray.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Abominable, Ad Astra, The Goldfinch, Hitler contro Picasso e gli altri, Ready or Not, Turtle Odyssey 3d, Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, The Story of Temple Drake, Buttons, Christmas Jars, 2nd Chance for Christmas, Write Before Christmas, Why Hide?, Spider-Man, Adam Brody, Rory McCann, David Benioff, Samara Weaving, Mark O'Brien