BAMBI (ANNIVERSARY EDITION). (DVD Artwork). ©Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
The Disney animated classic “Bambi,” celebrating its 75th year, arrives in a special Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on Tuesday June 6.
The heartwarming film joins the Walt Disney Signature Collection and includes a variety of new bonus material, including recordings of Walt Disney discussing the challenges and triumphs during the production of “Bambi;” deleted scenes and characters; stories and effects that “Bambi” had on the studio, other films and artists; and much more. Additionally, the Digital HD release includes an exclusive, heartfelt feature on the incredible artist, Tyrus Wong, who inspired the film’s soft watercolor backgrounds and beautiful palette. The Blu-ray Combo includes the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD and a collectible Tyrus Wong lithograph. “Bambi: Anniversary Edition” also is available on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere.
RLJ Entertainment presents “Prisoner X”, based on the novella, “Truth,” by Robert Reed and written and directed by Gaurav Seth (“A Passage to Ottawa”). The drama stars Michelle Nolden (The Time Traveler’s Wife), Romano Orzari (“Taken”), Damon Runyan (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”) and Julian Richings (“Orphan Black”). “Prisoner X” will be available on Digital, VOD and DVD on Tuesday June 6, for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $27.97.
As the world rages in war and civil strife, CIA agent Carmen Reese (Nolden) arrives at a secret underground prison to interrogate a captured terrorist with links to recent attacks on American soil. But the prisoner (Orzari) is more than he appears—he has arrived from the future with ninety-eight other time travelers who are still at large and wreaking havoc across the globe. Now it’s a race against the clock as Carmen and the prisoner engage in a battle of wills to see whose version of the future will triumph. The DVD includes the bonus feature “Behind the Scenes of “Prisoner X.”
Arriving on Blu-ray Tuesday June 6 is the powerful ‘90’s urban drama “Juice,” which, when originally released 25 years ago, marked the directorial debut of Spike Lee and starred the late rapper/actor Tupac Shakur. From Paramount Home Media, “Juice” depicts Harlem life in the early days of New York’s hip hop scene, and the fate of four friends in pursuit of the power and respect they call the Juice. The influential film also starred Omar Epps, Khalil Kain, Jermaine Hopkins, Queen Latifah, Cindy Herron (of En Vogue) and other notables hip hop and rap stars.
The Blu-ray is packed with brand new interviews with cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson, producer David Heyman (“Harry Potter” franchise), as well as Epps, Kain and Hopkins. The cast and crew look back on making the film, share heartfelt stories of working with Shakur, and reveal the influence that “Juice” had on them both personally and professionally.
The in-depth featurettes are also loaded with never-before-released footage of the cast on set and vintage interviews with Shakur, Queen Latifah, Herron, the Shocklee brothers, Eric B, EPMD, Cypress Hill and more. Along with an all-new commentary by Lee, fans also will get to see the original ending and hear Dickerson detail the reasons that it was changed prior to the film’s theatrical debut. The film will be available on Digital HD on Tuesday June 13.
Action legend Jean-Claude Van Damme (“The Expendables 2”) is back in the explosively entertaining thriller “Kill ‘Em All,” debuting on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital June 6, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by famed fight choreographer Peter Malota, who worked with Van Damme on “Double Impact” and “Universal Soldier,” this fast-paced, action-packed movie finds the international superstar caught up in a deadly plot of intrigue and revenge.
The original “Bloodsport” star faces off on screen for the first time ever against Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick), who starred in the three sequels, in a showdown action aficionados won’t want to miss. Costarring Maria Conchita Alonso (“The Running Man”), Peter Stormare (“John Wick: Chapter 2”), Autumn Reeser (“The Arrangement”) and Kris Van Damme (“Welcome to the Jungle”), “Kill ‘Em All” is packed with hard-hitting fight scenes van Damme’s fans have come to expect.
Gravitas Ventures is set to release “Aaron’s Blood” on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand Tuesday June 6. Directed and written by Tommy Stovall (“Sedona”), the horror thriller stars James Martinez (Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Trevor Stovall (“Sedona”), Farah White (“The Ladies of the House”), and Michael Chieffo (AMC’s “Better Call Saul”). AARON’S BLOOD is available for an SRP of $19.99 and on DVD for an SRP of $16.99.
Aaron (Martinez) copes with his new life as a single father and the distant relationship he shares with his only child Tate. A timid hemophiliac, Tate (Stovall) is roughed up at school by the chief bully causing a massive nosebleed that lands him in the hospital fighting for his life. He makes a miraculous recovery after a necessary blood transfusion, but Aaron begins to notice progressively strange behaviors in his son. Faced with the grim possibility that his son could be becoming a vampire, Aaron enlists the help of a local vampire hunter and embarks on a frantic search to find the source of the infection to stop the transformation before it’s too late. Bonus features on the Blu-ray and DVD include an introduction to, a making of, and behind-the-scenes featurettes as well as deleted scenes.
Critically acclaimed Australian prison drama “Wentworth, Season 3” makes its DVD debut on June 6, from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment brand. Fans of the iconic “Prisoner” series, which pushed boundaries more than three decades ago and still boasts a loyal following worldwide today, will remember Bea Smith as gutsy and fearless, ruling Wentworth Correctional Centre with an iron fist. “Wentworth, Season 3” stars Danielle Cormack (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) as Bea Smith. The four-disc set features 12 episodes, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes and a photo gallery ($59.99, AcornOnline.com).
The women of Wentworth Prison face a high-stakes power struggle in Season 3 of the internationally acclaimed Australian drama, that premiered there in 2015. After receiving a life sentence without parole, Bea Smith (Cormack) assumes the mantle of top dog and asserts her dominance over the other inmates, including Franky Doyle (Nicola da Silva, “Rush”), who finds herself more vulnerable than ever before. Enlisting the help of both prisoners and officers, Bea wages war with sadistic governor Joan “The Freak” Ferguson (Pamela Rabe, “The Secret Life of Us”) but does not anticipate the collateral damage her schemes may cause.
The ensemble cast also includes Kate Atkinson (“Jack Irish”), Robbie Magasiva (“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”), Socratis Otto (“The Diplomat”) and Aaron Jeffrey (“McLeod’s Daughters”). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes and a photo gallery.
