By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Movies

Abandoned: Angelique’s Isle (Adventure)

“Abandoned: Angelique’s Isle” arrives on DVD and Digital Tuesday March 16, from Indican Pictures.

“Abandoned: Angelique’s Isle” is the harrowing true story of perseverance and survival, unfolding amidst the great copper rush of 1845. When newlyweds Angelique (Julia Jones, “Westworld”), a young Ojibway, and voyageur Charlie (Charlie Carrick, “The Borgias”) are left stranded, the two are forced to withstand a brutal winter and fight for survival in the wilderness.

The DVD will be available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $26.98.

Last Call (Drama)

The drama “Last Call” arrives in theaters, On Demand and Digital Friday March 19, from IFC Films.

A local success story and real estate developer, Mick (Jeremy Piven), returns home to his offbeat blue collar Irish neighborhood in the shadows of Philadelphia for a funeral and is obligated to stay to ensure his parents’ ailing family business gets back on course. Amidst all of this, he grows closer to his childhood crush (Taryn Manning) who is also back in town, while enduring the constant ridicule from his old hometown crew. As Mick begins to reconnect with the neighborhood he grew up in, he finds himself at a crossroads when forced to either raze or resurrect the family bar.

The film is directed by Paolo Pilladi from a screenplay he wrote with Greg Lingo.

Little England (Romantic Drama)

Two sisters fall for the same sea captain in the epic love story “Little England,” arriving on DVD and Digital Tuesday March 16, from Corinth Films.

Set in the 1930s on the picturesque and provincial Greek island of Andros (affectionately known as “Little England,” as its small society imitates the social organization of the English naval empire), “Little England” is a lush melodrama about two sisters falling in love with the same man.

Orsa (Penelope Tsilika), 20, is passionately in love with second mate Spyros, which she dares not reveal, least of all to her domineering mother, Mina (Aneza Papadoupoulou). Her young sister, Moscha, is determined to leave Andros and escape a typical woman’s fate on the island—marrying sailors. Mina, herself the wife of a captain who prefers the seas over Andros, constantly ponders the reward for a life of marital faithfulness and attempts to pass her tortured logic onto her daughters.

Without considering the girls’ desires, Mina then conspires to wed them to the wealthiest suitors. Orsa to shop owner and captain Nikos Vatokouzis and Moscha to the very man Mina rejected as Orsa’s future husband. A final tragedy seals their fate of the sisters as the story progresses into the throes of World War II in a dramatic masterpiece from veteran Greek director Pantelis Voulgaris.

“Little England” was Greece’s Oscar entry in 2014 and won the Best Film award at the Hellenic Film Awards. The period drama is in Greek with English subtitles.

“Little England” will be available for $24.95 (SRP).

1942: Unknown Battle (Action Drama)

1942: Unknown Battle is now available on Digital platforms and DVD, from Capelight Pictures.

World War II; 1942: Rzhev, U.S.S.R. After one of the many brutal battles between the Red Army and the Nazis near the village of Ovsyannikovo, only half of the Red Army’s company survives, for the moment. Freezing cold, with little to no reinforcements and the Nazis encroaching ever closer, the company receives the impossible order from Soviet headquarters to keep the village at all costs. While pinned in this crucial strategical position, the members of the company cope with their fear while also finding the strength to believe in their unlikely chance of survival. With the weight of his soldiers’ lives on his shoulders, the company commander faces the choice between sending his unit to a sure death in battle or death by court-martial. Like a drop in the ocean, this one battle reveals the honorable, yet tragic depth to which the Red Army fought to help defeat the Nazis in World War II.

The historic Russian drama (in Russian with English subtitles) was written and directed by: I. Kopylov with co-writer A. Shalopa.

P.G.: Psycho Goreman (Horror Thriller)

RLJE Films, a unit of AMC Networks, and Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, will release the horror/comedy, “PG: Psycho Goreman,” on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday March 16.

Written and directed by Steven Kostanski (“The Void,” “The Divide”), “PG: Psycho Goreman” stars Nita-Josee Hanna (“Books of Blood”), Owen Myre (“NOS4A2”), Adam Brooks (“The Return”), Alexis Hancey (“Silver Tongue”) and Matthew Ninaber (“Transference”).

Siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord who was entombed on Earth millions of years ago after a failed attempt to destroy the universe. They nickname the evil creature Psycho Goreman (or “PG,” for short) and use the magical amulet they discovered to force him to obey their childish whims. It isn’t long before PG’s reappearance draws the attention of intergalactic friends and foes from across the cosmos and a rogues’ gallery of alien combatants converges in small-town suburbia to battle for the fate of the galaxy.

The DVD and Blu-ray contain more than two hours of bonus features including a director’s commentary, interviews with the cast, fight choreograph, fight pre-visualization, Inside the Creature Shop, and more.

Promising Young Woman (Revenge Thriller)

Driven by a mysterious and tragic event in her past, a young woman seeks out vengeance in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story about a delicious new take on revenge in “Promising Young Woman,” available to own for the first time on Digital on March 2, 2021 and Blu-ray^™, DVD and On Demand Tuesday March 16, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

A genre-bending dark comedy, “Promising Young Woman” combines masterful filmmaking with an unapologetic look at female empowerment and social justice with a deeply powerful twist. It is the directorial debut of groundbreaking filmmaker Emerald Fennell (“Killing Eve,” “The Crown”) who wrote the vibrant, twisted and suspenseful story. Showcasing an incredible ensemble cast lead by Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education,” “Drive”) and with an iconic soundtrack, fans can now go behind-the-scenes of the provocative and sensational film with exclusive bonus content on the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital including featurettes with the cast and crew taking fans deeper into the edge-of-your-seat story.

Garnering four Golden Globe nominations including Best Motion Picture—Drama, Best Director, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Drama and Best Screenplay, the film has also earned six Critics Choice Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay, BAFTA longlisted in 13 Categories including Best Film Outstanding British Film, Director and Original Screenplay, a 2021 SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, a 2021 Writers Guild Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, nine Hollywood Critics Association Award nominations and was named one of the Top Ten Films of the year by the National Board of Review.

Everyone said Cassie (Mulligan) was a promising young woman, until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story. Featuring incredible must-see performances from the entire cast, the bold and gritty “Promising Young Woman” is led by critically acclaimed Mulligan and has a phenomenal supporting cast including Bo Burnham (“Eighth Grade,” “The Big Sick”), Alison Brie (“Sleeping With Other People,” “GLOW”), Clancy Brown (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “Thor: Ragnarok”), Jennifer Coolidge (“Legally Blonde,” “American Pie”), Laverne Cox (“Orange Is the New Black,” “Grandma”), Connie Britton (“Dirty John,” “Friday Night Lights”), Alfred Molina (“Frida,” “Spider-Man 2”), Adam Brody (“Shazam!,” “The OC”), Max Greenfield (“New Girl,” “The Big Short”), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (“Superbad,” “Kick-Ass”), Chris Lowell (“The Help,” “Up in the Air”), Sam Richardson (“Veep,” “New Girl”) and Molly Shannon (“Divorce,” “Superstar”).

“Promising Young Woman” also is available now on Digital platforms.

Songbird (Post-Apocalyptic Thriller)

The terrifying thriller “Songbird” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday March 16, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

A devastating pandemic ravages the world and the United States is in its fourth year of lockdown. Infected Americans are ripped from their homes and forced into quarantine camps known as Q-Zones, from which there is no escape, as a few brave souls fight back against the forces of oppression. Amid this dystopian landscape, a fearless courier, Nico (KJ Apa, (“Riverdale,” “I Still Believe”), who’s immune to the deadly pathogen, finds hope and love with Sara (Sofia Carson, “Descendants” franchise, “Adventures in Babysitting”), though her lockdown prohibits them from physical contact. When Sara is believed to have become infected, Nico races desperately across the barren streets of Los Angeles in search of the only thing that can save her from imprisonment, or worse.

That Click (Documentary)

Renowned for his portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, the life of legendary Hollywood photographer Douglas Kirkland comes into focus in “That Click,” available Tuesday March 16, from Omnibus Entertainment.

A man at the cutting edge of fashion, photojournalism and portraiture, photographer to the stars Douglas Kirkland has, with his camera, portrayed more than 60 years of pop culture. Famed for his legendary shoots with Hollywood legends, and the stars of more than 150 motion pictures, Kirkland’s unique style and approach have resulted in hundreds of beautiful, immortal images that still influence the world today, decades after that first fateful click of the camera.

This documentary portrait, nominate for Best Documentary at the American Documentary Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, takes a closer look at the astonishing career of one of the most important photographers of the last century, from his first assignments for look magazine in the 1950s to Vanity Fair in the present, with contributing cast including Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Baz Luhrmann and Andy Garcia, among others.

A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Motion Pictures society of operating Cameramen, Kirkland lives and works in the Hollywood Hills.

The DVD/Digital of “That Click” will be available for $24.95 (SRP).

TV Shows

Follow Alana Switzerland (Travel Adventure)

Travel show host, speaker and producer Alana Nichols takes viewers to the picturesque country of Switzerland with a 13-episode U.S. premiere of the award-winning travel series, “Follow Alana Switzerland.” Debuting on Digital platforms March 19, this charming and refreshing television series provides viewers with the opportunity to travel and experience a new culture from the comfort of their own homes. Nichols, who overcame a rare form of deafness, is an inquisitive and playful host, engaging the region’s experts with thoughtfulness and genuine excitement.

The series highlights the pastoral beauty of Switzerland’s countryside and alpine landscapes, delving into iconic Swiss culture, from exploring the Heidi Village to interviewing Roger Federer, eating at the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant in Zurich, paragliding in the alps, and trail scrambling with St. Bernards.

Born in Taipei to an American mother and a Taiwanese father, Nichols entered the world with an extremely rare form of deafness. While her mother noticed she was unresponsive to sound at eight months old her condition remained undiagnosed and untreated until her second year of infancy. Consequently, her parents undertook an international search for a solution across Asia, America and Europe. After many months of effort, it was in Australia that they found a physician who —despite enormous doubts—agreed to perform an experimental cochlear implant surgery. Through her series Alana aspires to use television as a vehicle to tell stories and be a catalyst for positive change. She is an internationally sought-after speaker, having spoken across the globe, most recently addressing the World Health Organization on issues relating to deafness and hearing care.

In addition to exploring the dimensions of Swiss culture, “Follow Alana Switzerland” introduces diverse sceneries, lifestyles and cuisines of various destinations which emphasize building a loving and sustainable relationship with the environment.

The series was originally produced by Aurora Media and re-versioned by Wildwood Studios and JAN Media, who are also distributing the series.

Front Row Features has an exciting giveaway for one lucky reader this week. We have the Blu-ray edition of “Promising Young Woman,” the acclaimed female empowerment thriller starring Carey Mulligan. Just Like us on Facebook and email us at frontrowfeatures@gmail.com by March 23, 2021 to enter. Good luck!