Movies

Blind War (Action)

The Chinese martial arts action thriller “Blind War” debuts on Blu-ray and Digital Tuesday, June 11, from Well Go USA Entertainment.

After breaking protocol during a surprise courthouse siege that leaves him permanently blinded, a SWAT captain retires from the force in disgrace. But while he adjusts to his new reality as a civilian, his beloved daughter is kidnapped, forcing him to seek out an unlikely ally to help him pursue justice from the shadows.

Directed by Huo Suiqiang (“Demon Sealer Bureau”)​, “Blind War” stars Andy On (“Ride On”)​, Yang Xing (“Qimen Dark Blade”), Wang Hanyangm (“Martial Universe 2: Nine Talisman Tower”) and Zhang Yaqi (“The Legend of Enveloped Demons”). The film is presented in Mandarin with optional English and French subtitles.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Action, Adventure, Fantasy)

The follow-up to the explosive showdown of 2021’s “Godzilla vs Kong,” “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” debuts on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, June 11, from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. The film is also now available to own on Digital.

Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence — and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond.

At the helm of the film is once again “Godzilla vs. Kong” director Adam Wingard. The movie stars Rebecca Hall (“Godzilla vs. Kong”) Brian Tyree Henry (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Dan Stevens (“Legion”), Kaylee Hottle (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Alex Ferns (“The Batman”) and Fala Chen (“Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).

The 4K UHD, Blu-ray and Digital releases of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” come packed with special features, including a commentary by director Adam Wingard, visual effects supervisor Alessandro Ongaro (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”), production designer Tom Hammock (“Pearl”) and editor Josh Schaeffer (“Molly’s Game”). Other extras include: “GxK: Day of Reckoning,” “Evolution of the Titans: Godzilla Evolved,” “Evolution of the Titans: From Lonely God to King,” “Into the Hollow Earth: Visualizing Hollow Earth,” “Into the Hollow Earth: Monsters of Hollow Earth,” “The Battles Royale: A Titanic Fight Among the Pyramids,” “The Battles Royale: The Zero Gravity Battle,” “The Battles Royale: The Titans Trash Rio,” “The Intrepid Director: Adam Wingard: Big Kid,” “The Intrepid Director: Adam Wingard: Set Tour,” “The Imagination Department,” “The Monarch Island Base: Portal to Another World,” “The Evolution of Jia: From Orphan to Warrior” and “Bernie’s World: Behind the Triple Locked Door.”

Into the Blue (Action, Adventure, Crime)

The thrilling underwater adventure “Into the Blue” is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Capelight Pictures.

While diving off the coast of the Bahamas, four friends — Jared (Paul Walker, “The Fast and the Furious”), Sam (Jessica Alba, “Fantastic Four”), Amanda (Ashley Scott, “Birds of Prey”) and Bryce (Scott Caan, “Varsity Blues”) — discover the wreckage of a legendary sunken ship. Nearby lies a crashed transport plane, with a different kind of cargo onboard, landing each of the friends in hot water as greed turns their idyllic setting into a living nightmare.​

Bonus features on the release include an audio commentary with director John Stockwell (“Crazy/Beautiful”), deleted scenes with optional commentary, screen tests, the making-of featurette “Diving Deeper into the Blue” and the film’s theatrical trailer.

Io Capitano (Drama)

Nominated for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards, “Io Capitano” is now available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group.

From Matteo Garrone, the acclaimed director of “Gomorrah” and “Dogman,” “Io Capitano” narrates the epic journey of a teenage boy and his cousin as they decide to leave Senegal for the promise of Europe. Throughout the compelling odyssey, the young man confronts a myriad of challenges, from the harsh realities of the desert to the harrowing experiences in Libyan detention centers and the risks of the open sea.

Filmed over a span of 13 weeks in Senegal, Italy and Morocco, with a cast of non-professional actors, the uplifting film ventures into the intricacies and contradictions of the human experience. Within the narrative, the aspirations, dreams and ambitions of the main characters evolve into a gripping struggle for survival, reflecting the indomitable spirit of those who dare to seek a better life. “Io Capitano” stands as a powerful exploration of human resilience, navigating the delicate balance between hope and the unforgiving realities of the world.

“Io Capitano” is presented in Wolof and French with English subtitles. Bonus features on the release include Q&As with writer-director Matteo Garrone, writer Mamadou Kouassi and actors Seydou Sarr (“Fifi Martingale”) and Moustapha Fall, plus the film’s theatrical trailer.

Kung Fu Panda 4 (Animation, Action, Adventure)

The search for the new Dragon Warrior is on in “Kung Fu Panda 4,” now available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Golden Globe nominee Jack Black (“School of Rock”) returns as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, in this butt-kicking new chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise. After learning he must find a new hero to take over as Dragon Warrior so that he may fulfill his destiny as the next spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, Po decides to take one last adventurous mission. He teams up with a quick-witted thief named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina, “The Bad Guys”), a corsac fox, to discover the truth about recent sightings of villains he’s defeated in the past. In a journey that puts both to the test, it will take a wicked, powerful sorceress, The Chameleon (voiced by Academy Award winner Viola Davis, “Fences”), to bring them together and remind Po that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

“Kung Fu Panda 4” comes loaded with never-before-seen bonus content, including two deleted scenes (“Dads on the Trail” and “Mahjong”), a dumpling making featurette with Jack Black (“Mastering the Dumpling”) and the original animated short “Dueling Dumplings” introduced by Jack Black and Awkwafina. Other extras include four How to Draw tutorials (Po, Zhen, The Chameleon and The Bad Bunnies), four short “Meet the Cast” featurettes (Po, Zhen, The Chameleon and The Dads), a funny “Kung Fu Talking” voice acting montage, the behind-the-scenes “‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ All!” featurette and a “Shadow Puppet Theater” tutorial. The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD releases add to the bonus features a feature commentary track with director Mike Mitchell (“Shrek Forever After”), co-director Stephanie Ma Stine (“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”), production designer Paul Duncan (“Spirit Untamed”), head of story Calvin Tsang (“Star Wars: Rebels”) and head of character animation Sean Sexton (“How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming”), as well as a “Bad Bunny Review.”

La Femme Nikita (Action, Crime, Drama)

The action-packed “La Femme Nikita” debuts as a 4K Ultra HD SteelBook Tuesday, June 11, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

From writer-director Luc Besson (“Léon: The Professional”) comes a must-see thriller about a vicious street punk turned sexy, sophisticated and lethally dangerous assassin. Rescued from death row by a top-secret agency, Nikita (Anne Parillaud, “The Man in the Iron Mask”) is slowly transformed from a cop-killing junkie into a cold-blooded bombshell with a license to kill. But when she begins the deadliest mission of her career, only to fall for a man who knows nothing of her true identity, Nikita discovers that in the dark and ruthless world of espionage, the greatest casualty of all is true love.

The limited edition “La Femme Nikita” SteelBook release includes the film restored from the original camera negative and presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision. It also features French and English 5.1 sound plus French 2-channel surround sound.

Front Row Features is giving away a copy of the Hi-YAH! original movie “Blind War” on Blu-ray to three lucky readers. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by June 17 for your chance to win. Good luck!