‘Infinite,’ ‘Liberty Valance,’ ‘Succession,’ More Available on Home Entertainment This Week

INFINITE. (DVD Artwork). ©Paramount.

By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Movies

Infinite (Sci-Fi/Action)

Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in the high-octane sci-fi action film “Infinite,” available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD Tuesday May 17, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Based on the book “The Reincarnationist Papers” by D. Eric Maikranz and directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Infinite” is a race against time in the fight between good and evil through spectacular visuals and nuanced characters who must use memories and skills from past lives to protect the future of humanity. Alongside Wahlberg and Ejiofor, the action film stars Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend, Liz Carr, with Toby Jones and Dylan O’Brien.

For Evan McCauley (Wahlberg), skills he has never learned and memories of places he has never visited haunt his daily life. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, a secret group that call themselves “Infinites” come to his rescue, revealing to him that his memories are real – but they are from multiple past lives. The Infinites bring Evan into their extraordinary world, where a gifted few are given the ability to be reborn with their memories and knowledge accumulated over centuries. With critical secrets buried in his past, Evan must work with the Infinites to unlock the answers in his memories in a race against time to save humanity from one of their own (Ejiofor) who seeks to destroy it.

Bonus featurettes include: “They Call Themselves Infinites,” in which the cast and crew for a deep dive; “The Kinetic Action of Infinite,” which gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the vehicles, stunt drivers and technology used to achieve the exhilarating action scenes in the film; “Anatomy of a Scene—Police Station & Forest,” which provides an in-depth look with the cast and crew at the creation of two of the film’s major scenes that helped shape the story and pave the way for the climactic ending; “Infinite Time,” which explores the creation of the film’s ground-breaking effects, including a breakdown of the on-set fight action and the stunning visual effects work employed in post-production. The DVD includes the feature film in standard definition.

“Infinite” also is available now on Digital platforms.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Western)

One of the greatest Westerns in cinematic history arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range (HDR) as part of the Paramount Presents line when “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” debuts Tuesday May 17, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Four-time Academy Award-winning director John Ford brought together an all-star cast for what is considered by many critics to be a quintessential—and yet pioneering—Western late in his storied career.  Starring James Stewart and John Wayne (together for the first time), alongside Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine and Lee Van Cleef, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” tells the engrossing story of a senator (Stewart), his old friend (Wayne), and a despicable outlaw called Liberty Valance (Marvin).

The classic Western was selected in 2007 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”  Adapted from a short story by Dorothy M. Johnson, the screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck gave us the often-quoted line “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

Remastered in stunning 4K Ultra HD for its 60th anniversary this year, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” is presented in collectible packaging featuring a foldout image of the film’s original theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments.  The release also includes access to a Digital copy of the film and a Blu-ray disc with a new “Filmmaker Focus” featuring film historian Leonard Maltin discussing John Ford, the film and its legacy. The Blu-ray also includes a feature commentary by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, along with his archival recordings with John Ford and James Stewart, selected scene commentary with an introduction by Dan Ford, along with his archival records with John Ford, Stewart and Marvin, a featurette called “The Size of Legends, The Soul of Myth” and the original theatrical trailer.

Outside the Law (Drama)

The drama “Outside the Law” arrives on Blu-ray Tuesday May 17, from Cohen Media Group.

From award-winning writer/director Rachid Bouchareb (“Days of Glory”) comes this story of three brothers who fight for Algeria’s independence from France after World War II. After losing their family home in Algeria, the siblings are scattered across the globe.

Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement; Said moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.

The French-language film was originally released in 2010 and the Blu-ray edition is in French with English subtitles.

A making-of featurette, deleted scenes, an interview with the director and interviews with cast conducted by Laurent Weil are included as bonus features, along with the film’s trailers.

Straight to VHS (Docudrama)

Prepare to fall down the rabbit hole as the hybrid documentary “Straight to VHS” arrives on DVD/Digital Tuesday May 17, from Indiepix Films.

“Straight to VHS” attempts to unveil the mysteries behind Uruguay’s most notorious cult film “Acto de violencia en una joven periodista” (“Act of Violence in a Young Journalist”), a low budget 1988 release that quickly gained fame as that South American country’s first direct-to-video thriller.

Directed by enigmatic and mercurial director Manuel Lamas, the original film put an indelible stamp on the industry. Achieving a cult status akin to Hollywood’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “The Room,” and celebrated by local cinephiles and camp aficionados alike, the film continued to grow in infamy, largely due to the exotic theories surrounding Lamas, about whom virtually nothing definitive is known.

Enter director Emilio Silva Torres, whose feature debut, “Straight to VHS,” sets out to unveil the decades-old mystery of Lamas and his bizarre cinematic oddity, delving into the fans, dark myths, and lost VHS cassettes that have kept its legend alive.

Bonus features including Lamas’ original feature, in Spanish with English subtitles and the official trailer for “Straight to VHS.”

“Straight to VHS” on DVD/Digital will be available for the suggested retail price (SRP) of $24.95.

Two Men in Town (Drama)

“Two Men in Town” arrives on Blu-ray Tuesday May 17, from Cohen Media Group.

Forest Whitaker stars as William Garnett, an ex-con starting life over as a recently converted Muslim. With the help of his determined parole officer (Brenda Blethyn), he gets a job, meets an interesting woman and keeps his head down. But the town sheriff, Bill Agati (Harvey Keitel), can’t leave him alone since Garnett was responsible for killing his deputy. As Agati puts pressure on him, and his old partners in crime hassle him, Garnett slowly starts to unravel. When his former life catches up with him, Garnett has to make peace with his past and face the future head on, with a gun.

The drama, originally released in 2014, was directed by Rachid Bouchareb (“Days of Glory”).

A making-of documentary and the trailers are included as bonus features.

TV Shows

Succession (Drama)

Season three of “Succession,” the award-winning HBO Original Series comes to DVD Tuesday May 17, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Created by Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Jesse Armstrong (“In the Loop,” “The Thick of It”), this critically acclaimed drama series tracks the lives of a wealthy patriarch and his four grown children, who control one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world.

Fans of the series can watch all nine compelling episodes of the third season, “Succession: The Complete Third Season,” on DVD.

“Succession” explores themes of power and family dynamics through the eyes of patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his four grown children, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Siobhan (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck). The series’ second season won a total of seven Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Season three finds Logan in a perilous position, scrambling to secure familial, political, and financial alliances after he was ambushed by his rebellious son Kendall. After Kendall’s impulsive decision to expose the company’s sprawling scandal, the family is left to each contemplate their own future. Tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war, with the Roy family navigating the looming questions of who will take over in a post-Logan world.

Season three also stars Nicholas Braun, Matthew Macfadyen, Peter Friedman, J. Smith-Cameron, Dagmara Dominczyk, Justine Lupe, David Rasche, Fisher Stevens, Hiam Abbass, Arian Moayed, Harriet Walter, James Cromwell, Natalie Gold, Scott Nicholson, Juliana Canfield, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Zoё Winters and Jeannie Berlin. Additional cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Sanaa Lathan, Linda Emond, Jihae, Adrien Brody, Hope Davis and Dasha Nekrasova.

Bonus features on the DVD included in “Succession: The Complete Third Season” include the featurettes “Who Said It?,” “Roy Family Food Chain” and “Succession: Controlling the Narrative.” The DVD will be available for $24.98 (SRP, $29.98 in Canada). The third season of “Succession” also is available to own now on Digital via purchase from digital retailers, and to stream on HBO Max.