Movies

Challengers (Comedy, Drama, Romance)

The much buzzed about film “Challengers” is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Amazon MGM Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”), “Challengers” stars Zendaya (“Euphoria”) as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist, “West Side Story”), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”) — his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?

Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara (Drama, History)

The true story of Edgardo Mortara, “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara” is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group.

Edgardo Mortara was a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, when in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family by the Pope to be raised Catholic. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.

Bonus features on the release include an introduction by “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara” director Marco Bellocchio (“The Traitor”), an interview with Bellocchio and the film’s theatrical trailer. The movie is presented in Italian with English subtitles.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Action, Adventure, Drama)

Breathing new life into the epic franchise, the impressive action-adventure “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is now available to own on Digital from 20th Century Studios. The film debuts on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and as a 4K UHD limited-edition SteelBook with custom artwork by artist Dylan Cole on Tuesday, Aug. 7.

Set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species — and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Bonus features on the release include 14 deleted/extended scenes with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner”) and “Inside the Forbidden Zone: Making ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.’” The 23-minute documentary invites viewers to join Ball and the film’s cast and crew as they expand the “Planet of the Apes” legacy for a new generation. Fans can delve even deeper into the franchise with the upcoming 4K UHD release, which will include a full-length alternative cut of the film on Blu-ray (“Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut”) with a split-screen comparison between the final cut of the movie and a version with unfinished VFX and optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball, editor Dan Zimmerman (“A Good Day to Die Hard”) and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist (“Avatar”). The never-before-seen alternate cut gives fans the unique opportunity to see the actors’ performances before the visual effects were completed.

The Last Stop in Yuma County (Crime, Thriller)

The debut feature film by writer/director Francis Galluppi, who has been tapped to write and direct the next “Evil Dead” movie, “The Last Stop in Yuma County” makes its Blu-ray debut Tuesday, July 16, from Well Go USA Entertainment.

While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty — or cold, hard steel — to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune.

“The Last Stop in Yuma County” stars Jim Cummings (“Halloween Kills”), Jocelin Donahue (“Insidious: Chapter 2”), Sierra McCormick (“The Nana Project”), Nicholas Logan (“Dopesick”), Michael Abbott Jr. (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Connor Paolo (“A Creature was Stirring”), Alexandra Essoe (“The Pope’s Exorcist”), Robin Bartlett (“Playing for Time”), Jon Proudstar (“Young Guns II”) and Sam Huntington (“Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss”). Bonus materials include a making-of featurette, the film’s trailer and an audio commentary with director Francis Galluppi, actors Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue, executive producer James Claeys (“Candy Corn”) and cinematographer Mac Fisken (“Carnage Park”).

Tarot (Horror)

Your fate is in the cards when you watch the horror film “Tarot,” now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings — never use someone else’s deck — they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face-to-face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

Special features on the release include “killer” outtakes and the featurettes “Circle of Friends” and “A Twist of Fate: Making the Film.”

Front Row Features is giving away a Blu-ray copy of the acclaimed crime-thriller “The Last Stop in Yuma County” to three lucky readers. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by July 22 for your chance to win. Good luck!