THE LAST PANTHERS. (DVD Artwork). ©Acorn.
By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
“The Last Panthers” debuts on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, May 31. With theme music composed and performed by the late David Bowie and created by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the highly anticipated new play), this intense international crime thriller currently airing on Sundance is receiving rave reviews. The series stars Samantha Morton (“Minority Report”), Tahar Rahim (“Day of the Falcon”), Goran Bogdan (“Number 55”) and John Hurt (“Harry Potter” films).
When several diamonds are stolen from a jewelry store in Marseilles, the heist bears the hallmarks of the supposedly retired Pink Panther gang. After a child is accidentally killed in their getaway, the thieves resort to desperate measures to fence the jewels. This sparks a series of events that set a British insurance-loss adjuster, a French-Algerian cop, and a Serbian soldier-turned-diamond thief on a dramatic and dangerous collision course. Inspired by the real life Pink Panthers gang, the series was filmed in seven countries and shot in five languages. All six episodes are on two discs for a suggested retail price of $39.99.
“The Life of Verdi,” also available on DVD Tuesday, May 31, unveils the classic, epic period drama of the famed classical composer. Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 and lived until 1901, his life spanning nearly a century of political turmoil and considerable personal turmoil. This 1982 biographical television miniseries, as seen on PBS’s Great Performances, dramatizes the life of this classic Italian composer known for operas including La Traviata, Rigoletto and Aida as well as his Requiem. The series stars Ronald Pickup (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”), Carla Fracci and Giampiero Albertini. The four-disc DVD contains all seven episodes of this biographical drama and is available for an SRP of $49.99. It also is available for streaming on Acorn TV.
The ultimate struggle to rule the world begins when “Gods of Egypt” arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), 3D Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD), Blu-ray (plus Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and On Demand Tuesday, May 31 from Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate Company. It already is available on Digital HD.
Directed by Alex Proyas (“I, Robot”), written by “The Last Witch Hunter” co-writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, the fantasy adventure features stunning visual effects and production design. “Gods of Egypt” stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (TV’s “Game of Thrones”) with Gerard Butler (“300”) and Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush (“Shine”).
The ultimate battle between good and evil threatens to destroy all creation in this epic fantasy-adventure bursting with spectacular action and amazing special effects. Butler and Coster-Waldau star as rival gods Set and Horus, who are locked in a war to rule the universe. To defeat the merciless Set, Horus joins forces with a brave mortal for a journey that will take them across Egypt, through the heavens, and into the afterlife in an unforgettable quest to save mankind.
The Blu-ray and Digital HD releases feature an in-depth look behind-the-scenes with six featurettes, plus storyboards of deleted scenes. The Blu-ray release also includes next-generation DTS:X immersive audio.
