Home Market Releases for December 11th, 2018

December 11, 2018

There isn’t a huge number of releases on this week’s list home market release report. The Equalizer 2 is the biggest, but it is far from the best. As for the best, there are some Pick of the Week contenders, including Colette, My Neighbor Totoro and A Simple Favor. My Neighbor Totoro is worth owning, but it is a triple-dip at this point, maybe more. A Simple Favor is coming out on VOD this week. This leaves Colette’s DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack as the Pick of the Week.

Colette - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
Keira Knightley stars as the titular Colette, a writer whose novels were originally published under her husband’s name. When she wants the recognition she deserves, her husband tries whatever it takes to prevent that. The reviews are good, but they are not award-worthy like some thought they would be. The extras include a couple of featurettes and some deleted scenes, which is enough to be worth picking up, and indeed a contender for Pick of the Week.

Death in Paradise: Season Seven - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A British murder mystery TV series. There are a lot of these that come out on DVD here. This one isn’t one of the best, but it is entertaining enough to be worth checking out.

The Equalizer 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film is a step down from the first film in terms of critical reception, but it earned nearly the same at the box office. Extras include Retribution Mode, pop-up trivia track, featurette, and deleted scenes. If you like the franchise, then it is worth checking out.

I Still See You - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I put in a request for this film, but the screener hasn’t arrived yet. Hopefully it is better than its reviews indicate.

Instinct: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Despite this show’s great cast, its reviews are merely mixed. It did get a second season, but its ratings fell more than 50% from the series premiere to the season finale, so I’m not sure if it will last long enough to get a third season.

Lizzie - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
A movie about Lizzie Borden that is based on the theory she fell in love with her parents’ housemaid and when her parents found out, she killed them. The reviews are good, but not great, while the extras are limited to a single featurette. It is still worth checking out, but I would start with a rental.

My Neighbor Totoro - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
One of the best animated films of all time. If you don’t own it, it is a must have. That said, while there are a lot of extras on this Blu-ray, it has been released a number of times, so for most fans of the movie or of Studio Ghibli in general likely already own the movie, likely more than once.

The Orville: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
This TV show isn’t as bad as the critics say it is. Granted, it got off to a slow start and there were some missteps along the way, but it got significantly better by the end. That said, it is also not as good as some fans were claiming. It is not the next Star Trek, for example.

Peppermint - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
One of the worst movies of the year. Skip it.

Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volume 1 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
I’m not a big fan of Popeye, but I’m happy this is selling well, as I want other cartoon characters to get chronological releases.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
The latest in the popular line of Hallmark Chanel original movies. Like most similar releases, there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is selling well, so its target audience clearly knows it’s for them.

Smallfoot - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A solid second-tier animated film. It is not going to win many awards, but if you have kids in the right age range, then they should have fun watching this film. There are plenty of extras on the Blu-ray. It is also coming out on 3D, but it is a Best Buy exclusive.

Unbroken: Path to Redemption - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The first Unbroken was a $100 million hit at the box office, so I’m not surprised there was a sequel. However, this film bombed. It is arguably the worst sequel compared to the original in terms of box office chances. (Direct-to-DVD sequels make this record impossible to have a true answer.) Also coming out this week is a franchise box set, but I would just stick with the original.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:

The Christmas Cure - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The Christmas Cure - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Christmas in Homestead - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas in Homestead - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Perry Como's Olde English Christmas - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Silent Night, Deadly Night 2: Collector’s Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Twelve Days Of Christmas Eve - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Christmas is nearly upon us and there are only a couple of Christmas releases that are selling well, both of which are from Hallmark Chanel.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Apartment - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
De Palma & De Niro: The Early Films - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Digimon Adventure tri.: 6-Film Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Forty Guns - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Galveston - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Hentai Heaven: Volume 5 - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Hang ‘em High - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
k.d. lang - Ingenue Redux: Live from The Majestic Theatre - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Konohana Kitan: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The Last Kingdom: Season Three - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Maniac - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
Princess Tutu: Complete Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Somm 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Uq Holder - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Wild Boys - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
There are several interesting secondary Blu-ray releases on this week’s list, including The Apartment, Hang ‘em High, The Wild Boys, and more.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
A Beautiful Planet - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Equalizer 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Evil Dead II - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Journey to the South Pacific - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
River Runs Red - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
We, The Marines - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
There are a couple of nature documentaries on this week’s list and they are certainly worth checking out.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
No Megasets again this week.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Leon Must Die - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Night School - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Simple Favor - Reviews - Video on Demand
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero - Reviews - Video on Demand
I reviewed A Simple Favor above. It is the best secondary VOD release on this week’s list.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Journey to the South Pacific, Smallfoot, I Still See You, The Equalizer 2, A Beautiful Planet, Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, Night School, Lizzie, Unbroken: Path to Redemption, Colette, A Simple Favor, Peppermint, Singwa Hamgge: Ingwa Yeon, Galveston, Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, River Runs Red, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground, The Christmas Cure, Christmas in Homestead, Leon muss sterben, Unbroken, Keira Knightley