Not a lot of home video  releases this week, but there are some real gems including the subversive superhero movie Deadpool (the top-grossing film of 2016 so far that has earned $362 million at the domestic box office), the action-packed sci-fi series Killjoys, and the first season of the new latest Transformers animated series.

Theatrical Movies

This week’s top-earning release is still (as of this writing) the #1 film of 2016, Deadpool (Fox, “R,” $29.98, BD $39.99), a spot-on adaptation of the Marvel comic book series that provides the perfect role for Ryan Reynolds as the profane, wise-cracking, fourth wall-breaking “Merc with a Mouth.” Ill-suited as he was for the role of Green Lantern, Reynolds proves to be the perfect embodiment of Marvel Comics most acidic antihero.  This is definitely not a film for kids, it earns its “R” ratings in numerous ways, but for action movie fans who starting to get sick of the superhero blockbuster formulas, Deadpool is a near constant delight as it mercilessly sends up the genre, even as it provides one of the most refreshing takes on the superhero movie yet. 

The other genre film out this week is the horror thriller The Boy (Universal, “PG-13,” 98 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), the story of a nanny who travels to a remote village to care for an 8-year-old only to find that the “child” is a life-size doll.  This is a kind of old school horror film with lots of “jump scares” and cheap thrills (the critic gave it a 29% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but that is all that bad a score for a horror movie) that will offend hardcore fans who like lots of gore with their horror, but many others will enjoy this creepy tale.

It is a light week for releases, but those who enjoy documentaries have a couple of options.  Michael Moore’s Where to Invade Next (Anchor Bay, “R,” 120 min., $24.98, BD $29.99) is a progressive paean to strong governmental action in which the hefty documentarian visits other countries around the world to demonstrate how they do things better than we do here in the States, while Amy Berg’s Janis: Little Girl Blue (Filmrise, Unrated, 105 min., $24.98, BD $29.98) provides a portrait of the 1960s singing sensation, Janis Joplin, who overcame all sorts of obstacles with her raw, vibrant talent.

TV on DVD

This week’s top geek offering is the Canadian-produced deep space adventure series Killjoys: Season 1 (Universal, 446 min., $39.98, BD $44.98), which airs on the Syfy cable channel here.  Don’t expect deep cerebral themes here, this is action-packed sci-fi focusing on three bounty hunters chasing their prey across the vast reaches of the distant interplanetary system known as the Quad, and trying as best they can to avoid the internecine conflict that is spreading across the region.

Also of interest are Scream: The TV Series Season 1(Starz, 402 min., $34.98), the TV adaptation of the venerable series of slasher movies that airs on the MTV cable network, and Beauty & the Beast: The 3rd Season (Paramount, 542 min., $46.98) the penultimate season of the 2012 CW series that was loosely inspired by the 1987 series.  Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) and Jay Ryan star in the roles created in the 87 series by Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman.

Other contemporary shows out on Tuesday include Transformers: Robots in Disguise—Season 1 (Shout Factory, 570 min., $29.83), which includes all 26 episodes of the first season of the 2015 Transformers series that was the sequel to Transformers: Prime; and the TV Land sitcom The Jim Gaffigan Show: Season 1 (Comedy Central, $26.99), which includes all 11 first season episodes of the show that features the stand-up comedian in a slice-of-life sitcom that is kind of like “Louie light,” or “’Temper’ Your Enthusiasm,” but it does have a low key charm of its own; and War & Peace: The Complete Miniseries (Starz, 354 min., $49.99), which collects all six episodes of the 2016 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s masterwork written by Andrew Davies (House of Cards).

Vintage TV series out this week include the very funny 1980s sitcom Newhart: The Complete 5th Season (Shout Factory, 560 min., $29.93), the superb 225-episode 1950s western series Have Gun—Will Travel: The Complete Series (Paramount, 5,600 min., $99.99), and the classic period gangster saga The Untouchables: The Complete Series (Paramount, 5,310 min., $89.99).

Anime

This week’s lone new (to North America) release is the 13-episode 2014 series The Fruit of Grisaia: Season 1 (Sentai Filmworks, 325 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98, BD $59.98), which was produced by 8-Bit and is based on the eroge  adult visual novel produced by Front Wing.  In this harem comedy/thriller the protagonist is a quiet, reflective trained assassin rather than the genre’s usual klutzy male lead.

Also out this week is the Strawberry Marshmallow TV: Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., $49.98, BD $59.98), which includes all 12 episodes of the 2005 anime series produced by Daume.  This slice-of-life comedy about four elementary school girls and their older sister was previously released here in North America by Geneon, but has been out of print for some time.