‘Executioners,’ ‘Wizard of Oz,’ ‘Brokenwood Mysteries,’ More Arrive on Home Entertainment

THE EXECUTIONERS. (DVD Artwork). ©Lionsgate.

By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Intense horror-thriller “The Executioners,” arrives on DVD, Digital and On Demand Tuesday March 27 from Lionsgate.

Directed and written by Giorgio Serafini, “The Executioners” stars Jemma Dallender (“I Spit on Your Grave 2”), Natalie Burn (“The Expendables 3”), Rachel Rosenstein (“Shameless”) and Justin Fischer (“American Crime”).

When four friends go on a retreat to a secluded lakeside cabin, they soon realize they’re not alone. Masked intruders try to take the women hostage, but as they fight back, they get a taste for something more than the will to survive. “The Executioners” will be available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $19.98.

Prepare to take a fun-filled journey to the Land of Oz with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s DVD release of “Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, Season One: Volume One,” available in stores March 27. This animated series includes 10 whimsical episodes and will retail for $14.97 SRP. All episodes are also available to own on Digital HD via purchase from digital retailers.

“Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, Season One: Volume One” follows the adventures of Dorothy after she and her friends defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. Packed with memorable melodies, iconic Oz imagery (and of course her Ruby Slippers) that are sure to delight fans of the beloved children’s book series by L. Frank Baum and the classic film The Wizard of Oz, the series follows Dorothy after she’s named Princess of Emerald City by Queen Ozma. Dorothy embraces her royal duties with enthusiasm, bravery and farm-girl feistiness.

Dorothy is responsible for reining in the chaos and tracking down whichever magical person, place or thing has caused mischief in Oz, and putting a stop to it. It’s no easy task however, not even for a plucky Kansas farm girl turned royal princess. With her good friends at her side, including Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion (whose newly found courage is often still fleeting), Dorothy is sure to take on her new role with great determination and captivate the hearts of everyone in Oz.

“Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz” is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Sam Register (“Teen Titans Go!”) serves as executive producer with Jeff DeGrandis (“Dora the Explorer”) as producer. The voice cast includes Kari Wahlgren (“Bunnicula”) as Dorothy and Queen Ozma, Jess Harnell (“Animaniacs”) as Lion, JP Karliak (“New Looney Tunes”) as Tin Man, Bill Fagerbakke (“SpongeBob SquarePants”) as Scarecrow and Jessica DiCicco (“DC Super Hero Girls”) as Wilhelmina.

The series draws from the magical stories in L. Frank Baum’s original Oz book series. “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which is the story most are familiar with, served as the springboard for the prolific book series. Dorothy’s adventures in Oz continue well beyond the original story.

The undead get animated when Adult Swim’s “The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking,” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday March 27. From “Robot Chicken” creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and their Stoopid Buddy Stoodios partners, John Harvatine IV and Eric Towner, along with AMC’s “The Walking Dead” creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman and showrunner and executive producer Scott M. Gimple, the 22-minute special is a hilariously brilliant parody joining together two fan-favorite television series.

The all-star lineup in this horrifyingly hilarious special includes “The Walking Dead” cast Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Steven Yeun, Sarah Wayne Callies as well as Nerdist Industries CEO and “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick and Breckin Meyer.

Highlighted by exclusive commentary from Gimple, Green, Kirkman, Senreich and director Tom Sheppard, “The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking” Blu-ray and DVD collections will also feature a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the special.

Adult Swim’s release of “The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking” provides fans with more of the series that has garnered a cult-like following since its inception in 2005. Featuring provocative sketch comedy, the series has received acclaim from critics and fans, alike, with its clever pop-culture parodies and the unique use of stop motion animation of toys, action figures and dolls.

Extras include behind-the-scenes “Making of The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking,” commentary featuring Gimple, Green, Kirkman, Senreich and Tom Sheppard, “Bawkward,” “Sketches to Die For” and “Behind the Screams.”

“The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking” Blu-ray and DVD will retail for $18.94 SRP and $14.97 SRP, respectively.

The hit New Zealand detective series, “The Brokenwood Mysteries, Series 4,” makes its DVD and Blu-ray debut Tuesday March 27, from Acorn TV, an RLJ Entertainment brand.  After transferring from a big city to the small town of Brokenwood, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neil Rea, “Go Girls”) continues to settle into country life working with his assistant, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland, “The Almighty Johnsons”). Despite the growing accord between the mismatched pair, all is not well in Brokenwood, where passions simmering beneath the sleepy surface regularly erupt into gruesome crimes. The four-disc DVD set and the two-disc Blu-ray set features four feature-length episodes, plus a brief behind-the-scenes featurette ($59.99 each, Amazon.com). “The Brokenwood Mysteries, Series 4” made its U.S. premiere in December on Acorn TV.

The bucolic town of Brokenwood is picturesque on the surface, but its idyllic façade harbors simmering passions that often erupt into grisly crimes. A transplant from the big city, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Rea) employs unconventional methods to solve the small town’s most gruesome murders with his partner, Detective Kristin Sims (Sutherland), and eager young DC Sam Breen (Nic Sampson). In these four feature-length mysteries, Shepherd and his team contend with the death of a skydiver whose parachute was tampered with, the killing of the eccentric owner of a Victorian reenactment village, farmers feuding over the rights to honey bees, and a nursing home full of suspects with dementia. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of the New Zealand countryside, “The Brokenwood Mysteries, Series 4” is available for an SRP of $59.99.

From the BAFTA award-winning writer Kay Mellor (“The Syndicate”), the new Acorn TV Original Series and BBC One drama “Love, Lies & Records” makes its DVD debut on Tuesday March 27. Ashley Jensen (“Agatha Raisin”) stars as a registrar as she juggles her personal life with the daily drama and trauma of births, marriages and deaths. The DVD two-disc set features six episodes, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes and a cast Q&A (SRP $39.99, Amazon.com).  “Love, Lies & Records” made its U.S. premiere in November on Acorn TV.

Emmy nominee Jensen stars in this heartwarming drama set in a British register office, where people come to record life’s big events: births, marriages, and deaths. Senior Registrar Kate Dickenson (Jensen) juggles a hectic personal life with grumpy teenagers and longtime partner Rob (Adrian Bower, “The Last Kingdom”), while dealing with the emotional toll the job has on her. After a big promotion, jealous colleague Judy (Rebecca Front, “Humans”) threatens to reveal an indiscretion Kate had with her handsome coworker Rick (Kenny Doughty, “Vera”) that could throw Kate’s job—and family life—into jeopardy.