Original ‘Roots,’ ‘Vinyl,’ ‘Jarhead 3,’ ‘Detectorists,’ More on Home Entertainment
A WAR. (DVD Artwor). ©Magnolia Home Entertainment.

A WAR. (DVD Artwor). ©Magnolia Home Entertainment.

By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

The Academy Award nominated drama “A War” (Foreign Language film) arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on Tuesday June 7 from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

Featuring real-life Danish soldiers, Taliban warriors, relatives and refugees, the film stars Pilou Asbaek (“Game of Thrones”) as Danish Company Commander Claus M. Pederson. During the height of war in Afghanistan, Pederson attacks a fortified compound, hoping to save the lives of his men. Despite his good intentions, he is left facing charges of killing local civilians.

A Marine on his first assignment becomes embroiled in a global crisis in “Jarhead 3: The Siege,” a gripping action adventure available in a Blu-ray combo pack as well as DVD and Digital HD on Tuesday June 7, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Inspired by the modern-day military classic, the sequel features original “Jarhead” star Dennis Haysbert (“24”), as well as Charlie Weber (“How to Get Away with Murder”) and Scott Adkins (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) in an all new drama from Universal 1440 Entertainment.

Assigned to protect a seemingly safe U.S. Embassy in the Middle East, elite Marine Corporal Evan Albright (Weber) thought he wasn’t going to see much action. But when a hostile and extreme military group launches a surprise attack aimed at killing an Embassy informant, Albright’s team is caught off guard. Outgunned and outnumbered, the Marine’s routine assignment escalates into an all-out war. With national security at stake, an international crisis ensues. William Kaufman (“The Hit List”) directs this action-packed war drama. The Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital HD also feature an unrated version of the movie plus an exclusive inside look at the making of the film.

Log on to the world of online dating with “Casual Encounters,” arriving on DVD (and Digital) Tuesday June 7 from Lionsgate. Justin (“SNL’s” Taran Killam), a newly single office drone, is persuaded to create an online dating profile in the hopes of finding the love of his life. After experiencing kinky, crazy hookups beyond his wildest dreams, Justin wonders if something is missing. Perhaps the love of his life may be as close as the next cubicle. The comedy co-stars Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker along with David Krumholtz, Mark Boone Junior and David Arquette. The DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

In a different kind of romantic adventure, a heartbroken woman meets the man of her dreams, with one fatal flaw in “Mr. Right,” available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD Tuesday June 7 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The hit-man comedy from writer Max Landis (“Chronicle”) and director Paco Cabezas (“Rage”) stars Anna Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect” movies) and Sam Rockwell (“Moon”) as the mismatched couple.

RLJ Entertainment in association with DreadCentral releases the horror anthology “Monsterland” on DVD and Digital Video Tuesday June 7. Directed by Graham Denman (“The Divine Tragedies”), Jack Fields (“Happy Memories”),Erik Gardner (“Dreamtakers”), Andrew Kasch (“Tales of Halloween”), Patrick Longstreth (“Hellyfish”), Sander Maran (“Curiosity Kills”), Robert Mclean (“Hellyfish”), The McCoubrey Brothers (“The Grey Matter”), Corey Norman (“The Invoking 2”), John Skipp (“Tales of Halloween”) and Frank J. Sudol (“Tales of the Dim”), the film stars Josh LaCasse (“Space Clown”) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (HBO’s “Girls”).

Amidst a bloody backdrop of chaos and carnage, one panicked, lowly survivor of the Monster Apocalypse takes shelter in a movie theater to buy himself a few extra moments of precious life. Little does he know, he’s taken a flying leap out of the frying pan and smack dab into the fires of hell by attending Monsterland, the last movie marathon he’ll ever see. It’s a terrifying place where savage beasts, carnivorous creatures and grotesque abominations are the new normal, and the human race is now at the bottom of the food chain.  “Monsterland” is available on DVD for an SRP of $27.97.

The original 1977 groundbreaking, acclaimed television miniseries that captivated the entire nation and won multiple awards, “Roots” will be released on Blu-ray for the first time, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Tuesday June 7. The legendary generational saga, which follows the inspiring story of Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton, “Transformers: Rescue Bots”) a West African teen who is captured and sold into slavery, has been beautifully re-mastered in eye-catching 1080p high definition from its original eight broadcast masters. “Roots’” original broadcast was watched by an estimated 140 million viewers, more than half of the U.S. population and was the largest viewership ever attracted by any television series at the time. This release marks the powerful, Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning series’ 40thanniversary. Titled “Roots: The Complete Original Series,” this release will retail for $44.98 SRP. This special edition is available to own in Digital HD for the very first time via purchase from digital retailers.

Adapted from author, Alex Haley’s best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Roots: The Complete Original Series” chronicles the expansion of Haley’s own family across many generations. The series follows the legacy of Kunta Kinte, a young, 18th  century African warrior who is brought to the United States and sold into slavery. The saga follows the generations of his descendants in the United States through the Civil War and beyond, and shows the heartbreaking struggles they face trying to survive slavery and attain their freedom.

“Roots: The Complete Original Series” features an all-star cast that includes John Amos, Maya Angelou, Edward Asner, Lloyd Bridges, Georg Stanford Brown, LeVar Burton, Gary Collins, Scatman Crothers, Sandy Duncan, Louis Gossett Jr., Lorne Greene, Ian McShane, Richard Roundtree, O.J. Simpson, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.

“Roots” earned an impressive 37 Emmy Award nominations, which resulted in nine Emmy wins. The series also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in the Drama category. “Roots” was additionally honored with a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1978.

“Vinyl: The Complete First Season,” created by Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Mick Jagger (“Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown”), Academy Award winner and Emmy winner Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”) and acclaimed author Rich Cohen and Academy Award nominee and multiple Emmy winner Terence Winter (“Boardwalk Empire”), is set to make its Home Entertainment debut on Blu-ray with Digital HD and DVD with Digital HD June 7. It also is available on Digital HD.

The hit HBO drama series explores the drug- and sex-fueled music business of the 1970s New York at the dawn of punk, disco and hip-hop. “Vinyl: The Complete First Season” includes ‘Making Vinyl: Recreating the 70s’ featurette and ‘Inside the Episode’ briefs. Exclusive to DVD and Blu-ray are audio commentaries by Terence Winter, Bobby Cannavale, Olivia Wilde, and where available, the Digital HD will include ‘Behind the Groove’ pieces.

Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), the founder and president of American Century Records, is trying to save his company and soul without destroying everyone in his path. With his passion for music and discovering talent gone by the wayside, and American Century on the precipice of being sold, he has a life-altering event that reignites his love of music, but severely damages his personal life. The drama features an amazing all-star cast including SAG Award nominee Olivia Wilde (“House”), and multiple Emmy winner Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”).

Some of Boston’s most intriguing murder mysteries set the stage for season six of the hit TNT series “Rizzoli & Isles,” which will be released on DVD by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Tuesday June 7. Join one of television’s hottest crime-solving teams as Angie Harmon (“Law & Order”) and Sasha Alexander (“NCIS”) star in 18 episodes of the popular cable TV series’ sixth season. Titled “Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Sixth Season,” this DVD set includes an all-new featurette called “From the Shadows: A Criminal Revealed.” “Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Sixth Season” will retail for $39.99 SRP.

Based on the best-selling crime thriller books by Tess Gerritsen, “Rizzoli & Isles” focuses on tough-as-nails Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli (Harmon), who has an uncompromisingly brash and beautiful bull-in-a-china-shop approach to both cases and life, and the brilliant medical examiner from a privileged background, Dr. Maura Isles (Alexander), who may be the best-dressed science nerd in New England. Together they are close friends and complete opposites who solve some of Boston’s most notorious crimes.

The sixth season finds Jane and Maura in charge of investigating a number of challenging criminal cases. The duo gets wrapped up in the world of competitive bass fishing when a leading champion tournament fisherman is killed. The team must solve the murder of a victim who is found buried in a shallow grave. When a teenage girl’s body is found inside of a cage, the duo sets out to find her killer. Jane and Maura investigate the murder of a college student, who they learn had 32 girlfriends.  The duo’s detective skills are put to the test when they investigate the case of a dog trainer who is found dead at her home and the prime suspect is her champion Rottweiler.  Jane and Maura travel to Los Angeles to investigate a murder that has connections to Boston.

In addition to Harmon and Alexander, the series stars Jordan Bridges (“Mona Lisa Smile”) as Frankie Rizzoli Jr., Jane’s younger brother who is now following in her footsteps as a detective; with Bruce McGill (“Lincoln”) as the seasoned and lovable Detective Vince Korsak, Rizzoli’s former partner; and Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”) as Jane’s nosy but warm-hearted mother, Angela Rizzoli, who moved into Maura’s guesthouse after her recent divorce and works at the coffee shop inside the Boston Police Department.  Also in season six, Idara Victor (“Turn: Washington’s Spies”) joins the cast as a series regular, continuing her role as crime scene analyst Nina Holiday, and Adam Sinclair (“24: Live Another Day”) guest stars as Kent Drake, an assistant medical examiner in Maura’s office.

The second season of the popular British detective series “Detectorists” debuts on DVD Tuesday June 7, from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. brand. Winner of 2015 BAFTAs for Best Scripted Comedy and Best Comedy Writing, the series stars Mackenzie Crook (“The Office”), who also wrote and directed the series, and Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated Toby Jones (“The Hunger Games”), who is nominated for a 2016 Best Male Performance BAFTA-Award for his role. They star as oddball metal detecting enthusiasts scouring the English countryside for treasure. Series 2 finds the quirky duo marking the crash site of a WWII plane as their next treasure hunting territory while working together to solve their individual troubles.

Rachael Stirling (“The Bletchley Circle”), and her real life mother, Dame Diana Rigg (“Game of Thrones”) also star in the series.  This 2-disc DVD set features six episodes plus a special Christmas episode, a behind-the-scenes featurette and more ($39.99, AcornOnline.com). Series 2 made its national premiere on Acorn TV streaming service.

BBC Four premiered “Detectorists, Series 2” in the U.K. in October 2015 and select public television stations began airing the series in April through American Public Television.

As Cartoon Network premieres all-new episodes of “Steven Universe,” fans of its hit animated series will have an opportunity to catch up on some of the best episodes from seasons one and two on DVD.  Available Tuesday June 7, “Steven Universe: The Return” features 12 spectacular episodes hand-picked by the series creator, Emmy and Annie Award-nominated writer and storyboard artist Rebecca Sugar (“Adventure Time”).

With its deeply realized characters and expanding storylines, “Steven Universe” has received nearly universal praise for its authentic voice, thoughtful animation and standout original music. The cartoon series features a stellar voice cast including Grammy award-winner Estelle and BTVA Voice Acting Award-winner Zach Callison. Steven Universe tells the story of three magical defenders of the universe and Steven, the proverbial “little brother” to the Crystal Gem, a team of magical guardians of humanity.

“Steven Universe: The Return” will be available as season three continues to air on Cartoon Network all summer, following the recent announcement that the Cartoon Network Studios original series has been renewed for a fifth season.  “Steven Universe: The Return” is available for $14.97 SRP.