Movies

Bad City (Action, Crime)

The crime thriller “Bad City” explodes onto Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Sept. 19, from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film is also now available on Digital.

Long plagued by poverty and crime, Kaiko City has been torn apart by rampant corruption and growing violence between the local Yakuza faction and a notorious Korean crime boss. But when a mafia-connected businessman runs for mayor and begins systematically eliminating his opponents, a former police captain imprisoned for a brutal murder is released in a final desperate effort to reclaim the city.

The sophomore effort from director Kensuke Sonomura (“Hydra”), “Bad City” stars legendary Japanese actor Hitoshi Ozawa (Takeshi Kitano’s “Boiling Point”), Akane Sakanoue (“Alice in Borderland”), Masanori Mimoto (“Enter The Fat Dragon”), Lily Franky (Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Academy Award-nominated “Shoplifters”) and Tak Sakaguchi (“Death Trance”). The film is presented in Japanese with an all-new English dub.

Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon (Action, Comedy, Drama)

The music-filled martial arts favorite “Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon” debuts on 4K Ultra HD Tuesday, Sept. 19, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Martial arts student Leroy Green (Taimak, “Dreamers”) is on a quest to obtain the elusive all-powerful force known as “The Glow.” Along the way, he must battle the evil, self-proclaimed “Shogun of Harlem” — a kung fu warrior also known as Sho’nuff (Julius J. Carry III, “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.”) — and rescue a beautiful singer (Prince protégée Vanity, “Action Jackson”) from an obsessed record promoter.

Combining pulsating music, cutting-edge dancing and the best in nonstop action, “Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon” features an amazing Motown soundtrack, including music by Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Vanity and DeBarge performing their smash hit “Rhythm of the Night.” The 4K Ultra HD disc includes the feature scanned from the original camera negative and presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, approved by director Michael Schultz (“Car Wash”). Additionally, it features all-new Dolby Atmos audio + 5.1 + 2-channel surround as well as a new fan commentary by comedian Amber Ruffin and author Lacey Lamar. The Blu-ray disc included in the release features the movie in high definition with 5.1 audio as well as three special features: a commentary by director Michael Schultz, the featurette “Return of the Dragon” that takes a look back at the making and legacy of the film and the movie’s original theatrical trailer.

The Exorcist (Horror)

As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100^th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, the iconic supernatural film “The Exorcist” from Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (“The French Connection”) debuts on 4K Ultra HD and Digital Tuesday, Sept. 19.

“The Exorcist” tells the now-famous story of a girl’s demonic possession, and a gripping fight between good and evil. Linda Blair, in a breakout role, plays Regan, a young girl who starts to exhibit strange, arcane behavior. Her mother (Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”) calls upon a priest, Father Karras (Jason Miller, “Rudy”), to investigate. But Karras, who has a spiritual crisis of his own, is suddenly confronted with the unimaginable evil of Regan’s possession. Father Lankester Merrin (Academy Award nominee Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”), an archeologist-priest, is called to help, and a horrific battle for her soul begins.

Widely regarded as a supernatural masterpiece, “The Exorcist” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director as well as acting nominations for Burstyn, Miller and Blair. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay for William Peter Blatty. In 2010, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

“The Exorcist” 4K Ultra HD release includes Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of both the 1973 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut, which features 11 additional minutes of footage not seen in theaters, plus a Digital copy of both versions. Bonus features include an introduction by William Friedkin, commentary by William Friedkin and commentary by William Peter Blatty on the theatrical version HD Blu-ray disc and commentary by William Friedkin on the Extended Director’s Cut HD Blu-ray disc.

The Digital release of the theatrical version of “The Exorcist” adds to the extras the movie’s original ending, three William Peter Blatty Interviews (“The Original Cut,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “The Final Reckoning”), three trailers, six TV spots, “Sketches & Storyboards” and the featurette “The Fear of God: 25 Years of ‘The Exorcist.’” The Digital release of the Extended Director’s Cut adds two radio spots, two trailers, four TV spots and the featurettes “Beyond Comprehension: William Peter Blatty’s ‘The Exorcist,’” “Talk of the Devil,” “Raising Hell: Filming ‘The Exorcist,’” “‘The Exorcist’ Locations: Georgetown Then and Now” and “Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of ‘The Exorcist.’” All bonus features were previously released.

Past Lives (Drama, Romance)

Destiny brings two souls back to each other when “Past Lives” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Sept. 19, from A24 and Lionsgate.

Nora (Greta Lee, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo, “Love to Hate You”), two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.

Special features on the release include an audio commentary with writer-director Celine Song (“The Wheel of Time”) and actors Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, five deleted scenes — “Boy on the Playground,” “Drunk Walk,” “Grad School,” “Subway Ride Home” and “Toronto Family Home” — and the featurette “Bound by Fate: Exploring ‘Past Lives.’”

Theater Camp (Comedy)

Theater kids, and theater kids at heart, rejoice! Searchlight Pictures’ heartwarming and hilarious ode to the stage, “Theater Camp,” is now available to own on Digital. The film is also streaming on Hulu.

Tony Award winner Ben Platt (“Dear Evan Hansen”) and Molly Gordon (“Booksmart”) star in the original comedy as Amos and Rebecca-Diane — lifelong best friends and drama instructors at a rundown camp in upstate New York. When clueless tech-bro Troy (Jimmy Tatro, “Home Economics”) arrives to run the property — into the ground — Amos, Rebecca-Diane and production manager Glenn (Noah Galvin, “The Real O’Neals”) band together with the staff and young students, staging a masterpiece to keep their beloved summer camp afloat.

Searchlight Pictures acquired “Theater Camp” following its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble. The film was also part of the SXSW Official Selection in the Narrative Feature section. Bonus features on the Digital release include deleted scenes, extended scenes, bloopers, five talent showcase reels (“Rebecca-Diane,” “Amos,” “Troy,” “Songwriting with Rebecca-Diane and Amos” and “Troy Meets with Rebecca-Diane and Amos”) and the featurette “Side by Side by Side: A ‘Theater Camp’ Chat.”

TV Shows

Cobra Kai: Season 5 (Action, Comedy, Drama)

“The Karate Kid” saga continues with “Cobra Kai: Season 5,” now available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

“Cobra Kai” takes place more than 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Season 5 finds Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his “No Mercy” style of karate the only game in town. With Kreese (Martin Kove) behind bars and Johnny setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel must call on an old friend for help.

Special features on the release include a blooper reel and deleted and extended scenes.

Fire Country: Season One (Drama)

Join a ragtag team of Northern California firefighters in “Fire Country: Season One,” coming to DVD Tuesday, Sept. 19, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

“Fire Country” stars Max Thieriot (“SEAL Team”) as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.

The six-disc set includes all 22 episodes from the first season of the hit CBS series along with two featurettes (“Playing with Fire: The Visual Effects of ‘Fire Country’” and “Catching Fire: A Look at Season One”) and an exclusive gag reel.

Front Row Features is giving away a copy of the action-packed crime thriller “Bad City” on Blu-ray to three lucky readers. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by Sept. 25 for your chance to win. Good luck!