By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Tickled

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, the peculiar “sport” of competitive tickling is explored in the documentary “Tickled,” arriving on DVD Tuesday April 23 from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

After stumbling upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, New Zealand journalist David Farrier reached out to request a story from the company. But the reply he received was shocking—the sender mocked Farrier’s sexual orientation and threatened extreme legal action should he dig any further. So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he did just the opposite: he traveled to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovered a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigated, the stranger it got, and he discovered secret identities and criminal activity.

Discovering the truth becomes Farrier’s obsession, despite increasingly sinister threats and warnings. With humor and determination, Farrier and co-director Dylan Reeve summon every resource available to them to get to the bottom of this tickling wormhole.

Farrier and Reeve dive into an eerie world to find the source of strange activity in this in this eccentric tale of deceit, homophobia and strange addiction. “Tickled” is available for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $19.98. “Tickled” also is available now on Digital HD via iTunes, Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play and other digital retailers.

The Gospel According to André

André Leon Talley has been a fixture in the world of fashion for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of style.

Kate Novack’s intimate portrait, “The Gospel According to André” arrives on DVD Tuesday April 23 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. The documentary takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.

Novack’s film draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections, between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like “Women’s Wear Daily” and “Vogue.” Weaving together a wealth of archival footage from the most glamorous moments in fashion history with André’s poignant reflections on his life and career, “The Gospel According to André” is a cinematic monument to one of the most unique figures of 20th Century American culture. The documentary features commentary from fashion luminaries including Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, among others. “The Gospel According to André” DVD is available for $19.98 SRP.

Escape Room

The twisted survival thriller “Escape Room,” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday April 23 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Capturing the adrenaline-fueled essence of the popular mystery-solving rooms, director Adam Robitel (“Insidious: The Last Key”) masterfully crafts a suspenseful mind-bender with a diverse cast starring Taylor Russell (“Lost in Space”), Logan Miller (“Love, Simon”), Deborah Ann Woll (“True Blood”), Jay Ellis (“Insecure”), Tyler Labine (“New Amsterdam”) and Nik Dodani (“Atypical”), with Yorick van Wageningen (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”).

Centered on six strangers who must uncover wickedly designed puzzles and overcome life-threatening challenges set in hazardous environments, with plenty of twists and turns, the “Escape Room” Blu-ray, DVD and already available Digital releases feature a never-before-seen alternate ending and opening, six deleted scenes and four featurettes. Hear from director Adam Robitel and the cast about how the film’s 360-degree architectural spaces prove to be some of the most adversarial characters imaginable in “Games, Set, Match.” Then, learn about how the Escape Room used in the film was built with practical effects and no green screens as the cast and crew dives deep in “The Lone Survivors.”

“Escape Room” is written by Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik, based on a story by Schut. The film is executive-produced by Rebecca Rivo and produced by Neal H. Moritz and Ori Marmur.

Farinelli

n the 18th century during Handel’s time, no man could eclipse the fame or passion of the opera singer Farinelli, a castrato. The 1995 drama, starring Stefano Dionisi, makes its North American Blu-ray debut Tuesday April 23 in a stunning, new 2K digital restoration for optimal viewing. The lavish drama will also be available on DVD and all via leading digital platforms from Film Movement Classics.

Castrated as a child to preserve his angelic voice, Farinelli (Dionisi) tours the royal courts of Europe with his brother and composer Riccardo (Enrico Lo Verso). The two are inseparable, seducing audiences both on and off the stage, while sharing everything—including lovers—until rivalry and obsession threaten to tear them apart.  Filled with romance and eroticism, “Farinelli” is produced by Véra Belmont, who lavishly recreates the life and loves of one of history’s most fascinating musical artists.

The Blu-ray is available for $39.95 SRP and the DVD and Digital version are available for $29.95 SRP.

A Face in the Crowd (The Criterion Collection)

Forget what you think about Andy Griffith. The beloved star of “The Andy Griffith Show” portrays a corrupt, manipulative politician in Elia Kazan’s prescient 1957’s “A Face in the Crowd,” which is available Tuesday April 23 in a Blu-ray Special Edition.

“The fictional drama chronicles the rise and fall of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes (Griffith), a boisterous entertainer discovered in an Arkansas drunk tank by Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal), a local radio producer with ambitions of her own. His charisma and cunning soon shoot him to the heights of television stardom and political demagoguery, forcing Marcia to grapple with the manipulative, reactionary monster she has created.

Directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, this incisive satire features an extraordinary debut screen performance by Griffith, who brandishes his charm in an uncharacteristically sinister role. Though the film was a flop on its initial release, subsequent generations have marveled at its eerily prescient diagnosis of the toxic intimacy between media and politics in American life.

The Blu-ray Special Edition features including a new, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. New interview with Ron Briley, author of “The Ambivalent Legacy of Elia Kazan,” a new interview with Griffith’s biographer Evan Dalton Smith, a featurette called “Facing the Past,” a 2005 documentary featuring Griffith, Neal and Anthony Franciosa, screenwriter Budd Schulberg and film scholars Leo Braudy and Jeff Young. It also includes the original trailer excepts from Kazan’s introduction to the film’s published screenplay and more.

TV

Shameless: The Complete Ninth Season

Join one of television’s most irreverent families, the Gallaghers, when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases another season of the hit Showtime series, “Shameless,” on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday April 23.

“Shameless: The Complete Ninth Season” brings the whole clan together for another scandalous season featuring 14 irreverent episodes, plus deleted scenes.

From Emmy-winning executive producer John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing”) and Warner Bros. Television, “Shameless” stars Oscar-nominated actor William H. Macy (“Fargo,” “Door to Door”) as Frank Gallagher, the outspoken, alcoholic, single father of six industrious and independent kids from Chicago’s South Side.  “Shameless: The Complete Ninth Season” will retail for $29.98 SRP.

In the ninth season, political fervor hits the South Side of Chicago as the Gallaghers take justice into their own hands. While Frank (Macy, three-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner for his role on the series), sees financial opportunity in giving voice to the underrepresented working man.  Fiona (Rossum) tries to build on her real estate success and takes an expensive gamble. Debbie (Emma Kenney) fights for equal pay, and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) considers attending West Point. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) faces the consequences of his crimes and Lip (Jeremy Allen White) becomes a sober coach for a famous actress. Kev (Steve Howey) and V (Shanola Hampton) argue about having another baby.  

Based on the long-running, award-winning British series, “Shameless” was developed for American television by Wells and created by Paul Abbott (“State of Play”) and made its U.S. debut in 2011 on Showtime.

In addition, the Warner Archive Blu-ray releases are found at wb.com/warnerarchive and your favorite online retailer. “Shameless: The Complete Ninth Season” also is available now on digital platforms.

A Place to Call Home: Season 6—The Final Chapter

“A Place to Call Home: Season 6—The Final Chapter” arrives on DVD Tuesday April 23 from Acorn TV.

In the final season of the critically acclaimed, award-winning drama, resilient nurse Sarah Nordmann (Marta Dusseldorp) finally marries wealthy landowner George Bligh (Brett Climo, “Snowy River: The McGregor Saga”). But as Sarah takes her place as lady of Ash Park, George’s mother, Elizabeth (Noni Hazlehurst), feels pushed out of the household that she ran for decades. As the Blighs journey back to each other, they face tragedies, betrayals, and new beginnings that will challenge their relationships and change the courses of their lives. The three-disc DVD set features all 10 episodes of the sixth and final season for $59.99 SRP.

A Place to Call Home: The Complete Collection

“A Place to Call Home: The Complete Collection” Limited Edition arrives on DVD Tuesday April 23. This complete collection traverses the entire saga of Sarah Nordmann (Marta Dusseldorp), who returns home to 1950s Australia after 20 years in Europe and quickly becomes entangled in the lives of the wealthy Bligh family. Sparks fly with dashing widower George Bligh (Brett Climo), but she clashes with his formidable mother, Elizabeth (Noni Hazlehurst) who enlists George’s devious sister-in-law (Jenni Baird, “The 4400”) to disrupt their romance. The series co-stars David Berry (“Outlander”).

Gorgeously filmed and masterfully acted, this acclaimed period drama brims with romance and intrigue and is one of Acorn TV’s most popular series. When nurse Sarah Adams (Marta Dusseldorp) returns home to 1950s Australia after 20 years in Europe, she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of the wealthy Bligh family. Sparks fly with dashing widower George (Brett Climo, Snowy River: The McGregor Saga), but she clashes with his formidable mother, Elizabeth (Noni Hazlehurst, “Little Fish”), who enlists George’s devious sister-in-law (Jenni Baird, “The 4400”) to disrupt their romance. Co-starring David Berry (“Outlander”).

The 20-disc DVD set including all 67 episodes, plus bonus features, and is available for $299.99 SRP.