Movies

The Creator (Action, Adventure, Drama)

The action-packed, visually stunning sci-fi epic “The Creator” is now available to own on Digital from 20th Century Studios, New Regency and Entertainment One. The film will also be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Dec. 12.

Amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington, “BlacKkKlansman”), a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife (Gemma Chan, “Crazy Rich Asians”), is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war — and humankind. Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory, only to discover the world-ending weapon he’s been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child.

The Digital, 4K and Blu-ray releases of “The Creator” boast a single special feature — “True Love: Making ‘The Creator’” — that takes viewers behind the scenes of the film with director/co-writer Gareth Edwards (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”). During the 55-minute extra, viewers will hear from the movie’s actors about the filming experience and learn about the production’s documentary-style approach, innovative camera and lighting work and more.

Crocodile Island (Adventure, Horror)

The terrifying monster thriller “Crocodile Island” debuts on DVD and Digital Tuesday, Nov. 21, from Well Go USA Entertainment.

A plane malfunction lands a single father and his daughter on a remote island near the Devil’s Sea — the enigmatic Bermuda Triangle of the Pacific. There, they and the other survivors must battle enormous, man-eating crocodiles in an epic battle for their very survival.

Co-directed by Shixing Xu (“Sharktopus”) and Simon Zhao (“The Antarctic Octopus”), “Crocodile Island” stars Gallen Lo (“Flashover”), Yinyue Liao (“Meet Yourself”) and feature film newcomer Bingxiang Wang. The film is presented in Mandarin, with English subtitles available.

The Fugitive (Action, Crime, Drama)

In honor of its 30th anniversary, the acclaimed action thriller “The Fugitive” will be available to purchase for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital Tuesday, Nov. 21, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Directed by Andrew Davis (“A Perfect Murder”), “The Fugitive” is based the television series of the same name, which ran from 1963 to 1967. The movie stars Academy Award nominee Harrison Ford (“Witness”) as Dr. Richard Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones (“No Country for Old Men”) as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also stars Sela Ward (“Sisters”), Joe Pantoliano (“Memento”), Andreas Katsulas (“Babylon 5”) and Jeroen Krabbé (“The Punisher”).

The chase is on — and as exhilarating as ever! For Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford), a wrongfully convicted fugitive, the trail leads toward the one-armed man he believes murdered his wife. For U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Jones), the hunt will end with the capture of the escaped prisoner, Kimble. Filled with tension, twists and an unforgettable train wreck, “The Fugitive” remains one of the greatest cat-and-mouse pursuits of all time.

The 4K restoration of “The Fugitive” was completed at Warner Bros. Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) and was sourced from the original camera negative. Its restoration was overseen by Davis. Special features on the release take viewers inside the manhunt with an introduction by Andrew Davis and Harrison Ford, a commentary track by Andrew Davis and Tommy Lee Jones, “‘The Fugitive’: Thrill of the Chase,” two exciting documentaries — “On the Run with ‘The Fugitive’” and “Derailed: Anatomy of a Train Wreck” — and the film’s theatrical trailer. All extras were previously released.

Oppenheimer (Biography, Drama, History)

From celebrated writer and director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight” trilogy), “Oppenheimer” debuts on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Tuesday, Nov. 21, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

“Oppenheimer” thrusts audiences into the mind of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy, “Inception”), whose landmark work as the director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory created the first atomic bomb. An unprecedented cinematic event, “Oppenheimer” features an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”), Academy Award winner Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting”), Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. (“Tropic Thunder”), Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh (“Little Women”), Josh Hartnett (“Pearl Harbor”), Academy Award winner Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”), Academy Award winner Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) and Academy Award winner Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”).

Home viewers can watch Nolan’s cinematic vision come alive on 4K Ultra HD with vibrant visuals, four-times-sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) and multi-channel audio that delivers an enveloping sound. Plus, the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs are uniquely designed to include mixed 2.20 and 1.78 aspect ratios that enable viewers to experience the shift in aspect ratio as viewed in select theatrical locations, for the ultimate in-home viewing experience.

The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD releases also let audiences delve deeper into the unparalleled filmmaking behind the movie with more than 3 hours of special features, including the global debut of “The Story of Our Time: The Making of ‘Oppenheimer.’” Available on participating Digital platforms as well, the immersive, seven-part piece showcases exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and extensive interviews with Nolan and his creative collaborators, offering unrestricted access inside the process, performances, effects, music and artistry responsible for the extraordinary film. Additional extras include the NBC News companion documentary, “To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb,” the movie’s trailers, “Innovations in Film: 65MM Black-and-White Film in ‘Oppenheimer’” and a “Meet the Press Q&A Panel: ‘Oppenheimer’” moderated by Emmy-winning journalist Chuck Todd with Christopher Nolan; Nobel Prize winner Dr. Kip Throne; world-renowned physicist Dr. Carlo Rovelli; director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Thom Mason; and Kai Bird, the Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” on which the film is based.

SAW X (Horror, Mystery, Thriller)

Witness the return of Jigsaw when “SAW X” debuts on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Nov. 21, from Lionsgate. The film is also now available to own on Digital.

John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most chilling installment of the “SAW” franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw’s most personal game. Set between the events of “SAW” and “SAW II,” “SAW X” finds a sick and desperate John traveling to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of obtaining a miracle cure for his cancer — only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps.

The 4K transfer for “SAW X” features Jigsaw’s highly anticipated return in eye-exploding HDR10, along with a terror-inducing Dolby Atmos audio mix. Special features on the Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD releases include deleted scenes; an audio commentary with director-editor Kevin Greutert, cinematographer Nick Matthews and production designer Anthony Stableyand; “Drawing Inspiration: Illustrated Scene Breakdowns with Director-Editor Kevin Greutert;” “Make-Up Department Trap Tests;”” and the film’s theatrical trailer. The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital releases add to the extras a six-part making-of documentary, “Reawakening,” treating fans to a total of more than 3 hours of bonus material.

The Scarlet Letter (Drama, Romance)

Based on the shocking book that, perhaps more than any other novel, effectively encapsulated the emergence of individualism and self-reliance from America’s Puritan and conformist roots — and remains controversial today in some circles — the first sound version of “The Scarlet Letter” comes to Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Nov. 21, from Film Masters.

Colleen Moore (“Social Register,” “Why Be Good”) stars as Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale of sin and redemption. Bearing a child out of wedlock was punishable in 17th century Massachusetts by being forced to wear a scarlet letter A. Hester, a widowed mother with an illegitimate child, Pearl (Cora Sue Collins, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”), is forced to wear said scarlet letter. In a story about retaining dignity and protecting Pearl from close-minded townsfolk, Hester is determined to rise above her situation.

Directed by Robert G. Vignola (“Broken Dreams,” “The Knife”), “The Scarlet Letter” also stars Hardie Albright (“The Mad Doctor of Market Street”), Alan Hale (“Adventures of Don Juan”) and William Farnum (“The Count of Monte Cristo”). The 1934 film was recently scanned in 4K from the 35mm preservation print made from the original camera negative, restored by Janice Allen at Cinema Arts in conjunction with UCLA Library Film & Television Archives. It is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:33:1 on region-free discs and includes English SDH with ​DTS-HD and Dolby AC3s audio options.

Special features on the release include a commentary track by professor and author Jason A. Ney, with contributions from special guest Cora Sue Collins; linear notes by Ney; Ballyhoo Motion Pictures presents “A Sin of Passion: Hawthorne in Film,” featuring a new interview with author Justin Humphreys; the original production “Salem and the Scarlet Letter,” narrated by John Carradine with archival footage provided by producer Sam Sherman of Salem, Mass.; a new interview with Sherman, “Revealing the Scarlet Letter;” and the film’s original restored trailer from Signature Films’ 1965 re-release.

Front Row Features is already feeling the giving spirit of the season — that’s why three lucky readers are going to win a copy of “Crocodile Island” on DVD and two lucky readers are going to win a Digital copy of “Oppenheimer!” To enter the contests, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by Nov. 27 with the title of which movie you want to win in the subject line for your chance to win. Good luck!