Movies

 

Conclave (Drama, Thriller)

After astounding audiences across the nation during its theatrical run, Focus Features’ “Conclave” is now available to own on Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The captivating thriller will also be available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Dec. 17, as well as on 4K UHD Feb. 11, 2025.

Based on the critically acclaimed, best-selling book of the same name, “Conclave” follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events — selecting the new pope. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes, “The Menu”) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

From the brilliant mind of Edward Berger — director of the 2023 Academy Award winner for Best International Feature Film, “All Quiet on the Western Front” — “Conclave” features an incredible cast, including Stanley Tucci (“Spotlight”), John Lithgow (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) and Isabella Rossellini (“Blue Velvet”). Those who purchase the film on Digital from participating retailers or on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K UHD will receive access to never-before-seen extras, including a feature commentary with Berger. Viewers can also enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the mysterious world of “Conclave” with the film’s cast and filmmakers in “Sequestered: Inside ‘Conclave’” and learn what it took to raise the curtain on one of the most secretive and secluded processes in the world.

Galaxy Quest (Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi)

Just in time for its 25th anniversary, the beloved sci-fi comedy classic “Galaxy Quest” arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD Tuesday, Dec. 3, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Years after cancellation, the stars of the television series “Galaxy Quest” cling to their careers. When a distressed interstellar race mistakes the show for “historical documents,” lead actor Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen, “Home Improvement”) and his crew of has-beens are unwittingly recruited to save the alien race from a genocidal warlord. Featuring an out-of-this-world, all-star cast, including Sigourney Weaver (“Alien”), Alan Rickman (“Die Hard”), Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”), Sam Rockwell (“Seven Psychopaths”), Justin Long (“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”), Missi Pyle (“Gone Girl”) and Rainn Wilson (“The Office”), this rollicking send-up of sci-fi fanaticism is as funny today as when it premiered in theaters on Dec. 25, 1999.

Newly remastered under the supervision of director Dean Parisot (“Bill & Ted Face the Music”), “Galaxy Quest” is presented in 4K Ultra HD with spectacular Dolby Vision and HDR-10, as well as with Dolby Atmos sound for the most immersive home viewing experience. The film will be available as a nationwide release and a limited-edition SteelBook, both of which offer access to a digital copy of the film and more than 90 minutes of new and legacy bonus content. Extras include a new “Filmmaker Focus” with Parisot reflecting on the film and its enduring popularity as well as deleted scenes and the featurettes “Historical Documents: The Story of ‘Galaxy Quest,’” “Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector,” “By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects,” “Alien School: Creating the Thermian Race,” “Actors in Space” and “Sigourney Weaver Raps.” The 25th anniversary release also includes the previously created Thermian language track.

 

Pulp Fiction (Crime, Drama)

In celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece “Pulp Fiction” will be released on 4K Ultra HD as a 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Dec. 3 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Critics and audiences worldwide hailed “Pulp Fiction” as the star-studded movie that redefined cinema in the 20th century. Tarantino (“Django Unchained”) delivers an unforgettable cast of characters — including a pair of low-rent hit men (John Travolta, “Grease,” and Samuel L. Jackson, “Captain Marvel”), a gangster’s wife (Uma Thurman, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2”) and a desperate prizefighter (Bruce Willis, “The Sixth Sense”) — in a wildly entertaining and exhilarating adventure of violence and redemption. Thirty years later, the acclaimed and award-winning film continues to thrill new generations of fans with its infinitely quotable dialogue, superb cast, ingenious plot and chart-topping soundtrack.

“Pulp Fiction” will be presented on both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray in the new limited-edition collector’s set, which also includes extensive legacy bonus content and access to a digital copy of the film in a collectible premium slipcase, a new slipcover with pop-up artwork, lobby card reproductions, photography select sheet and stickers. Both the 4K Ultra HD disc and the Blu-ray disc feature the extras “Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat,” “Here are Some Facts on the Fiction” and an Enhanced Trivia Track, while the Blu-ray adds to the special features deleted scenes, the documentary “‘Pulp Fiction:’ The Facts,” behind-the-scenes montages, a production design featurette, a marketing gallery, Siskel & Ebert “At the Movies” — “The Tarantino Generation,” Independent Spirit Awards footage, Cannes Film Festival footage, “The Charlie Rose Show” Tarantino interview, still galleries and soundtrack chapters.

 

Watchmen Chapter II (Action, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi)

Based on DC’s acclaimed graphic novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, “Watchmen Chapter II” — the second part of the all-new animated two-part feature film from Warner Bros. Animation and Paramount — will be released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Tuesday, Dec. 3. The film is also currently available to purchase on Digital.

In “Watchmen Chapter II,” outlawed superheroes grapple with their personal lives and each other while racing the clock to solve a deepening mystery connected to an impending nuclear war between the United States and Russia.

The R-rated animated feature concludes the faithful adaptation of the groundbreaking graphic novel series by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Gibbons, which redefined the superhero genre when it debuted in the mid-1980s. The film features a stellar voice cast that includes Matthew Rhys (“Brothers & Sisters”), Katee Sackhoff (“The Mandalorian”) and Titus Welliver (“Lost”).

Fans will be able to enjoy a range of bonus features on the release. Extras include “The Art of Adaptation: Building to the Final Act,” “Dave Gibbons and ‘Watchmen:’ Endgame” and “Designing ‘Watchmen.’”

 

TV Shows

 

House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season (Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance)

The second season of HBO’s hit series “House of the Dragon” is now available to own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Following King Aegon II’s coronation and the death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son, House Targaryen is divided in two. In King’s Landing, Aegon II rules from the Iron Throne, supported by Alicent and the Green Council, under the protection of the largest dragon in Westeros. From exile on Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra and her Black Council consider their next move. Civil war looms as both sides seek support from the great houses of Westeros, ultimately amassing armies — and dragons.

In addition to all eight episodes from the show’s second season, “House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season” features more than four hours of bonus content, including the extended versions of the eight-part featurette “The House That Dragons Built.” Viewers can enjoy behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew and more. Eight character cards are also included with the release.

 

Front Row Features is in the giving spirit this holiday season. That’s why we are giving two lucky readers a Digital copy of the movie “Conclave” to watch at home before it debuts on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by Dec. 9 for your chance to win. Good luck!