VOD Releases: Take it to the Max
August 12, 2020
There are some relatively big titles on this week’s list of VOD releases. The King of Staten Island and The Wretched both earned some of the loudest buzz during the pandemic-induced disruptions. However, it is a smaller film on this week’s list, Max Reload and the Nether Blasters, that I’m most interested in, as it hits the right nerdy notes for me. I’m also cautiously optimistic about Perry Mason: Season 1.
Archive
The Blacklist: Season Seven
The King of Staten Island
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters
Ode to Joy
Perry Mason: Season 1
The Rabbi’s Cat - Amazon
Waiting for the Barbarians
The Wretched
Accidental Climber - Vudu
Highlights
Amazon
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife. This is one of those films that wouldn’t be big enough to make the main list on a normal week, but the pandemic has disrupted the movie industry enough that it stands out. It also earned good reviews, albeit not great ones, so it is worth a $5 rental.
Amazon VOD
This show’s ratings were less than half of what they were during its first season, but it still has a large enough fanbase to get an eighth season, which is impressive. Additionally, its reviews have remained impressive through the past several seasons. It isn’t the kind of show you can jump into seven seasons in, but it is worth checking out. Just start with season one.
Amazon
This was the biggest release when it first hit VOD. However, back then it was a PVOD title and now it is coming out on regular sell-through VOD. That said, its reviews are merely good and not great, so I would wait for a rental.
Amazon VOD, Google Play, Vudu
A love-letter to 1980s adventure movies and video games. In the film, Tom Plumley plays a small-town video game store clerk, Max Jenkins, who discovers and plays the only known copy of Nether Dungeon, the legendary lost installment of the Nether Game series. The then accidentally unleashes the ancient “Curse of The Ages,” turning friends and family into possessed ghouls hell-bent on destroying civilization. There are not a lot of reviews out there, as the film is aimed at a smaller audience, but the one out there are mostly positive, so if you are in the target audience, it is worth checking out.
Amazon or Google Play
Martin Freeman plays a man with cataplexy—a rare disorder that causes him to lose control of his muscles whenever he is overcome by strong emotion, particularly joy. Morena Baccarin plays Francesca, the woman who falls in love with him. The film’s reviews are mixed, but that’s not surprising for a romantic comedy. The reviews are also not so poor that it isn’t worth a $5 rental on Google Play.
Amazon
I love the original Perry Mason and have countless DVDs of the show. That said, I’m a little wary about this one. It takes place back when Perry Mason was a private eye and not a lawyer and it looks like it is trying to be darker and edgier and I’m not 100% sold on that. Don’t get me wrong, I love some noir, I’m just not sure that tone fits with the character I love so much. Furthermore, a lot of the critics, even those that gave it a positive review, say it takes a while to really get going.
The Secret of Kells - Amazon
Two animated films from GKIDS, which is practically the only studio with consistent success releasing animated films in limited release. However, The Rabbi’s Cat was one of their box office misses. Both films, on the other hand, earned a lot of critical praise and if you missed their theatrical runs many years ago, and their DVD / Blu-ray releases, you can now watch them on VOD.
iTunes or Vudu
This is one of the bigger films on this week’s list, but its reviews are mixed with many critics complaining that it is a heavy-handed allegory. Having a message is a good thing for a movie, but poor execution can really hurt in these cases. That said, it does have more star power than most of the other releases on this week’s list.
Amazon
This is one of the biggest box office hits of the pandemic and the Blu-ray is one of the best new releases of the week. Because of that, I’m not interested in the VOD. That said, if you are on the fence about the movie, but you like horror films in general, then it is worth a $5 rental.
Other Releases
All Summer Long - Amazon VOD or Vudu
American Experience: The Vote - Amazon
Asian Americans - Amazon
Ballbuster - Amazon or Vudu
Bridal Wave - Amazon
The Captains - Amazon
Chaakapesh - iTunes
The Dark End of the Street - Vudu
Dead Fred - Vudu
Diva - Amazon
Elite Formations: The Story of the Red Arrows - Vudu
G-Loc - Amazon or Vudu
Gripped: Climbing The Killer Pillar - Vudu
Gutterbug - Amazon VOD or Vudu
I Am Vengeance: Retaliation - Amazon
Leaps of Faiths - Vudu
Mikey - Amazon
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – Season 2 - Amazon
Monstrous - Vudu
Montrak - Amazon VOD
NCIS: New Orleans: The Sixth Season - Amazon
Pearl - Vudu
The Phantom of the Opera - Amazon
Playing for Keeps: Season 1 - Amazon
Rook. - Amazon or Vudu
The Silencing - Amazon VOD or Amazon 4K UHD VOD
Spree - Amazon
Stars and Strife - Amazon or Vudu
Swimming for Gold - Google Play or Vudu
Uncle Peckerhead - Google Play or Vudu
Unraveling Athena - Amazon
Valley of the Gods - Amazon or Vudu
A White, White Day - Vudu
Filed under: Home Market Releases, VOD Releases, Waiting for the Barbarians, The Silencing, Ode to Joy, The King of Staten Island, Hvítur, Hvítur Dagur, Gutterbug, Spree, Swimming for Gold, Max Reload and the Nether Blasters, I Am Vengeance: Retaliation, G-Loc, Unraveling Athena, Valley of the Gods, Archive, Gripped: Climbing The Killer Pillar, All Summer Long, Uncle Peckerhead, Monstrous, Pearl, Dead Fred, Elite Formations: The Story of the Red Arrows, Leaps of Faiths, Rook., Accidental Climber, The Dark End of the Street, Chaakapesh, Montrak, Ballbuster, Stars and Strife, Perry Mason, American Experience, The Blacklist, NCIS New Orleans, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Asian Americans, Playing For Keeps, Morena Baccarin, Martin Freeman, Theo James, Tom Plumley