By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Movies

Mafia Inc

“Mafia Inc” arrives on DVD and Digital Tuesday March 9, from Film Movement.

Based on true events and adapted from the bestselling book “Mafia Inc: The Long, Bloody Reign of Canada’s Sicilian Clan,” by Andrew Grondin and Andre Noel, this stylish and brutal crime thriller explores the ties of family and honor within the Canadian mob.

Set in 1994, Frank Paterno (Sergio Castellitto), a Montreal mafia boss, hopes to legitimize his operations by investing $180million in an ambitious bridge project that would connect Sicily with southern Italy. First, though, he has to recover the necessary funds from his Greek creditor. Frank entrusts this mission to his protégé Vincent (Marc-Andre Grondin), the son of tailor Henri Gamache (Gilbert Sicotte), who has been dressing the Paternos for three generations. But after Vincent executes a ruthless plan to smuggle millions in drugs out of Venezuela, his reprehensible tactics ignite a war between the two families.

The crime drama is directed by Podz (Daniel Grou) from a screenplay by Sylvian Guy. It is in French, English and Italian with English subtitles.

“Mafia Inc” on DVD/Digital will be available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $24.95.

News of the World

Embark on an adventure of epic scope and sweeping scale through the merciless terrain of the West when “News of the World,” arrives for the first time on Digital Tuesday March 9, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Based on the best-selling novel by National Book Award Finalist Paulette Jiles and starring Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, the Western adventure reunites Hanks with BAFTA Award-winning and Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass, since their Academy Award-nominated “Captain Phillips.”

Nominated for two Golden Globes and two Screen Actors Guild awards, the critically acclaimed film is available to own for the first time, featuring exclusive bonus content, including deleted scenes, feature commentary with co-writer/director Greengrass( “Captain Phillips,” the “Bourne: franchise),an inside look into the relationship between screen legend Hanks and newcomer Golden Globe-nominee Helena Zengel and much more.

Five years after the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks, “Captain Phillips,” “Saving Private Ryan”) moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl (Helena Zengel, “Systems Crasher,” “Die Tochter”) taken in by the Kiowa people and raised as one of their own.

Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says  she  belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into  the unforgiving wilderness, the two face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place they can call home.

“News of the World” will be available of 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday March 23.

Russian Raid

Long after the murder of his father—a secret agent killed in a missile factory raid—an ex-soldier returns to Russia as a mercenary. He soon accepts a mission targeting the same facility, but no one else knows his true objective is revenge in the nonstop action-packed thriller Russian Raid,” debuting on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday March 9 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Inspired by Gareth Evans’ 2011 martial-arts hit “The Raid,” first-time director Denis Kryuchkov brought together some the best MMA talent in Russia, including Ivan Kotik (“Dragonblade,” “Outcast”) Alexander Krasovsky (winner of the Moscow Championship and Russian Cup in hand-to-hand combat), Elias Antonenko (“Psychos,” “The Legend of Kolovrat”), Vladimir Mineev (world heavyweight kickboxing champion), Nikita Kologrivy, Sophya Ozerova and Kirill Sarychev (president of the World Raw Powerlifting Federation & world record holder in the raw bench press).

The “Russian Raid” on Blu-ray will be available for $29.98 (SRP) and on DVD for $24.98 (SRP).

Vanguard

Jackie Chan is back in action when “Vanguard” on DVD and Blu-ray (plus Digital) Tuesday March 9, from Lionsgate.

Chan leaps into action as Tang, CEO of the covert security company Vanguard in this gripping action-thriller. After wealthy businessman Qin rats out his corrupt partner in an arms deal gone fatally wrong, he and his family become targets of the world’s deadliest mercenary organization—and the fighting power of Tang’s team is their only hope to survive. Set in locations across the globe—London, Zambia, India, an Arabian desert, and Dubai—with exciting action, thrills and a spectacular finale.

The action comedy features the international action superstar and martial arts legend, along with Yang Yang (“Once Upon a Time,” “The King’s Avatar”), and Miya Muqi (“Tomb Robber,” “Kung Fu Yoga”).

Bonus features include a making-of featurette.

Vanguard will be available on DVD and Blu-ray (plus Digital) for the suggested retail price of $19.98 and $24.99, respectively. It also is available now on Digital.

Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness

Iranian Director Massoud Bakhshi’s second dramatic effort, “Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness” arrives on DVD and Digital Tuesday March 9, from Film Movement.

Set almost entirely within the studio of Iran’s most popular reality TV show, “Joy of Forgiveness,” it tells the story of Maryam (Sadaf Asgari), a young woman who has been sentenced to death for murdering her husband, Nasser.

Iranian law allows for the victim’s family to forgive her and spare her life, so Maryam’s fate will be decided by Nasser’s daughter, Mona (Benaz Jafari), who has always been like a big sister to her. Live, in front of the cameras and millions of viewers during Yalda, a Persian celebration of the winter solstice, Maryam and Mona discover that forgiveness can be difficult as they relive the past.

“Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness” captured the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Drama at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for a Generation 14plus Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The “Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness” DVD is in Persian with English subtitles. The DVD contains a bonus short film “Tattoo,” directed by Farhad Delaram. It also is in Persian with English subtitles.

The DVD/Digital will be available for $24.95

Front Row Features has exciting giveaways this week! For MMA fans, Front Row Features is giving away a copy of the MMA action thriller “Russian Raid” on Blu-ray to three lucky readers. To enter this contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by March 15 for your chance to win. We’re also giving away a digital copy of Universal Pictures’ acclaimed Western drama “News of the World,” to one lucky winner. The acclaimed film stars Oscar-winner Tom Hanks as a former Civil War soldier turned traveling news reader entrusted with the task of escorting an orphaned German girl raised by the Kiowa tribe hundreds of miles to her distant relatives. To enter this contest to receive a digital code to view the film, simply email frontrowfeatures@gmail.com by March 15 for your chance to win. Good luck!