Home Market Releases for October 9th, 2018

October 9, 2018

It’s not a bad week on the home market. The two biggest releases, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and Skyscraper, are both worth checking out, but not close to being Pick of the Week contenders. As for the best of the best, Eighth Grade is really the only choice, while Thelma Todd & Zasu Pitts: The Hal Roach Collection was the runner up. Killing Eve: Season One and Recovery of an MMO Junkie: The Complete Series could have been contenders, if they had significant extras.

The 100: The Complete Fifth Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
One of the shows on the CW that has been going on for years, despite never entering the top 100 in the yearly ratings. Its sixth season begins soon and I suspect it will get to season seven.

Constantine: City of Demons - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The latest DC comic animated movie to hit the home market. These films have been off their peak for a couple of years, plus there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Because of this, it is hard to recommend this release, at least right now. Wait till there are some reviews to read.

Dark Money - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
A PBS documentary about untraceable money in American politics. The reviews are amazing and this subject matter is of the utmost importance in this day and age.

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Video on Demand
I think it is fair to call this busted Oscar bait. It’s reviews are good, but not good enough to be a contender during Awards Season. It is worth picking up, but with only two featurettes, it is not a Pick of the Week contender. Call it a solid rental, leaning towards a purchase.

Hotel Artemis - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
A stylish action film that didn’t live up to expectations with critics, while it bombed in theaters. If you like action films with a heavy emphasis on style, then it is worth checking out. However, the lack of extras limited its value to just a rental.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Video on Demand
I reviewed one installment in this franchise and its good for a kids movie. There are plenty of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray, so if your kids like this movie, then it is worth picking up. They are not aimed at adult fans of animation, on the other hand. Also coming out this week is the Hotel Transylvania: Three Movie Collection on DVD.

Imagine & Gimme Some Truth - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
These two films were released on Friday, which could result in it slipping between the cracks.

Killing Eve: Season One - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Sandra Oh plays an MI5 agent tasked with tracking down an assassin, played by Jodie Comer, who becomes obsessed with her. The reviews are amazing and the price-per-minute is not as bad as some British TV on DVD imports are. It is easily worth picking up, but the lack of extras prevent it from being a Pick of the Week contender.

Love You Like Christmas - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Video on Demand
It’s a Hallmark Channel original Christmas movie. They’ve made more than 100 of them in the past decade. This is not a joke. I’m 100% serious. Well over 100 of them. I have no idea what to say about them anymore.

My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season Seven - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
The show is off its peak, both in terms of quality and popularity. That said, this season is selling very well.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
An Anime about a woman who quits the job she’s had for more than a decade and retreats into an MMO with her new free time. What starts as a fun hobby soon becomes her only source of social interaction and she becomes a shut in. The reviews are very good, but like so many Anime releases, the only extras are clean opening and closing credits. It’s still worth picking up, but it is not quite a Pick of the Week contender.

Thelma Todd & Zasu Pitts: The Hal Roach Collection - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A series of over a dozen short films by Hal Roach from the 1930s starring Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts. They were made before the Hayes Code, so they were risque compared to later films, but positively quaint by today’s standards. They are also high quality and absolutely worth picking up. Extras include audio commentary tracks, which is enough to lift it to a Pick of the Week contender.

Trick 'r Treat: Collector’s Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This movie bombed in theaters, mostly due to its bungled release. Its reviews are good and it became a cult classic on the home market. There are plenty of extras on the Collector's Edition, so even if you have this film on DVD or Blu-ray, it is worth the upgrade.

Christmas Releases - Buy from Amazon:
After last week’s flood of Christmas releases, we had so few this week that I just included it above.

Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Bad Ronald - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Eight Hours Don't Make a Day: The Criterion Collection - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
House on Haunted Hill - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
The Man in the Iron Mask - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
A Prayer Before Dawn - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Prison School: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Zillion: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
I start this list more than a week in advance, just so I have an idea how busy the week will be. This week, a significant number of secondary Blu-ray releases changed dates in that time. It isn’t uncommon for there to be one release that was delayed, but there were several this week, including at least one that was going to be included in the main list. Very odd. As for the ones that remain, half are animated, including Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, which includes early computer animation and was originally released in 3D. It’s not good, but it is of historical importance.

4K Ultra HD Releases - Buy from Amazon:
Constantine: City of Demons - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The Evil Dead - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Hook - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Justice League: Dark - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Hotel Artemis - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
Skyscraper - Review - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
There are a lot of 4K releases, including a kids movie. You know a new format is mainstream when kids movies are being released on it.

TV on DVD Megasets - Buy from Amazon:
Seinfeld - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Only one TV Megaset this week and it is a repackage of the old DVD release.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - Reviews - Video on Demand
Realms - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Sorry to Bother You - Reviews - Video on Demand
I put in a request for a screener for Sorry to Bother You and I’m really looking forward to that film.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Skyscraper, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Sorry to Bother You, Eighth Grade, Dark Money, Hotel Artemis, A Prayer Before Dawn, Love You Like Christmas, Hotel Transylvania, Dwayne Johnson, Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer