Home Market Releases for December 24th, 2019

December 26, 2019

This year, Christmas Eve landed on a Tuesday. Christmas Eve is the busiest shopping day of the year, but that’s most people buying last minute groceries and the rest of the retail sector suffers as a result. This is true this year and there are so few releases to talk about that there will only be two sections in this week’s report: the main section and VOD releases. Judy is the only release on this week’s list that a majority will have heard of. It is also the best new release of the week.

Adopt a Highway - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This film opened with good, but not great, reviews, and as I’ve said many, many times in the past, limited releases need great reviews to survive. It also debuted on VOD, so it should come as no surprise that the film went nowhere at the box office. It is definitely worth at least a rental, but the lack of extras hurts its overall value.

Bloodstalkers - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This Blu-ray wouldn’t even make the list of secondary Blu-ray releases on a normal week, but this wee is far from normal. That said, the extras are surprisingly good for this type of release.

Galaxy Express 999: TV Series, Collection 1 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This Anime franchise started in the late 1970s and the most recent installment was barely a decade ago. You don’t last that long without having some serious quality. On the other hand, a lot of the installments have only earned mixed reviews, so the quality is inconsistent.

The Gallows: Act II - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
The first film was terrible. Impressively, this film is even worse.

Giant Robo: The Complete Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
There are some Anime series that have had so many incarnations that I have no idea which version is coming out on Blu-ray. This is one of those series.

Judy - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack
Video on Demand
This film is Oscar-bait and many think it will earn Renée Zellweger an Oscar nomination at the very least. Does the film have more going for it than its central performance? And is the DVD / Blu-ray worth picking up? Read my review to find out.

The Kill Team - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is the second limited release on this week’s list that earned good reviews, but reviews that were not good enough to survive in limited release. This one’s reviews are slightly better than Adopt a Highway’s, but I’m still less interested in this film.

Medabots: Season 1 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: SD on Blu-ray
I like the idea of SD on Blu-ray releases. These are useful for shows made before high definition that wouldn’t benefit from an upgrade to HD, but can still use the increased storage space on a Blu-ray to hold all 26 episodes from season one on a single disc. It’s very convenient.

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School: 40th Anniversary - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This film came out a while ago, but it was this year’s Christmas review. Does the film live up to its reputation as a Cult Classic? Or has it aged poorly over the past 40 years? Read my review for my opinion.

Video on Demand - Buy from Amazon:
Gemini Man - Reviews - Video on Demand
Hor Hue Hue - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Jexi - Reviews - Video on Demand
Jexi - Reviews - Video on Demand (4K Ultra HD)
Zombieland: Double Tap - Reviews - Video on Demand
Zombieland: Double Tap - Reviews - Video on Demand (With Bonus Features)
Zombieland: Double Tap - Reviews - Video on Demand (4K Ultra HD)
Zombieland: Double Tap is the only secondary VOD title on this week’s list that will likely do well.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Gemini Man, Zombieland: Double Tap, Judy, The Gallows Act II, Jexi, Adopt a Highway, The Kill Team, Renée Zellweger