By ANGELA DAWSON

Front Row Features

Movies

A Dog’s Courage

“A Dog’s Courage” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday Aug. 18, from Well Go USA Entertainment. It also is available now on Digital.

Jacob, a feisty and playful dog abandoned by his owners, joins a pack of strays and embarks on a journey filled with fun adventures and life lessons in their pursuit to find a new and loving home in the all-new animated adventure. The film is available in both the original Korean language and an all-new English dub. Directed by Chun-Baek Lee and Oh Sung-Yoon (“Daisy, a Hen into the Wild”), the animated feature was nominated as Best Animated Feature Film at the 2019 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

“A Dog’s Courage” is available on DVD for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $24.98 and on Blu-ray for $29.98 (SRP).

The Barge People

RLJE Films, a unit of AMC Networks, will release the horror film “The Barge People” Tuesday Aug. 18, on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray.

Written by Christopher Lombard (“The Writer”) and directed by Charlie Steeds (“Deadman Apocalypse”), the film stars Kate Davies-Speak (“Off Grid”), Mark McKirdy (“Electric Man”), Makenna Guyler (“King of Crime”), and newcomer Matt Swales, “The Barge People” tells the story of a group of friends that set off for a relaxing weekend away on the canals of the glorious British countryside, unaware of the flesh-eating mutants lurking in the water ready and waiting to feed.

“The Barge People” will be available on DVD for $27.97 (SRP) and on Blu-ray for $15.95 (SRP).

Biography: Kenny Rogers

Witness country music legend Kenny Rogers’s rise to superstardom when “Biography: Kenny Rogers” arrives on DVD Tuesday Aug. 18, from Lionsgate.

This documentary delves into the life story of Grammy winner Kenny Rogers who passed away in March. It also features interviews with Rogers’ fellow musicians Grammy winners Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton Lionel Richie and Reba McEntire. It includes multiple live performances and unseen footage from Kenny’s farewell concert.

“Biography: Kenny Rogers” will be available on DVD for $14.98 (SRP).

Bombardier Blood

“Bombardier Blood,” a climbing adventure documentary, arrives on digital platforms Tuesday Aug. 18, from Believe Limited.

The remarkable journey of hemophiliac mountaineer Chris Bombardier is chronicled as he embarks on a historic mission to complete Seven Summits, and inspires an international community to help those with hemophilia around the globe.

Bombardier has completed five of the climbs already, and is preparing for his journey to Nepal to reach the summit of the world’s tallest peak: Everest. Under the supervision of his doctors and with the support of his wife and uncle, the undaunted adventurer is prepared for the mountain. What he’s not prepared for is seeing the Nepalese children with destroyed joints and stricken mothers who have lost their sons due to the lack of medications available for hemophilia.

“Bombardier Blood” is an intimate and unflinching portrait of one man’s perseverance and determination. Director Patrick James Lynch captures a deeply personal story that illuminates the universality of triumphing over challenges and finding purpose.

The Comfort of Strangers

Arriving on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday Aug. 18 is the Criterion Collection edition of the 1990 classic suspense thriller “The Comfort of Strangers.”

Adapting the acclaimed novel by Ian McEwan, playwright and screenwriter Harold Pinter lends his trademark unnerving dialogue and air of creeping menace to this spellbinding study of power, control, and the frighteningly thin line between pleasure and pain.

Rupert Everett and Natasha Richardson are the prey, a beautiful British couple working on their relationship while on holiday in Venice; Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren are the hunters who draw them into the sinister web of their opulent, old-world palazzo. What plays out is an unsettling, sadomasochistic seduction imbued with an atmosphere of sumptuous dread by the elegantly gliding tracking shots of cinematographer Dante Spinotti, a lush score by Angelo Badalamenti, and carefully controlled direction of Paul Schrader, who choreographs a mesmerizing pas de quatre of sustained erotic and emotional tension.

The new, restored 4K digital transfer, was supervised by cinematographer Dante Spinotti, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras include new interviews with Spinotti, Schrader, Walken, and editor Bill Pankow as well as interviews from 1981 and 2001 with McEwan, actress Richardson, and more.

The Blu-ray is available for $39.95 (SRP) and the DVD is available for $29.95 (SRP).

Emperor

Witness the story of a man who defied impossible odds to change the course of his life and the fate of the nation in the action-packed drama “Emperor,” arriving on Digital, DVD and On Demand Tuesday Aug. 18, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Based on the harrowing and inspirational journey of Shields Green, one of the many brave men in history, who risked his life to fight against the horrors of slavery and save his family, “Emperor” is a stirring account of an extraordinary uprising in the pre-Civil War South.

A captivating and emotional story of courage, the historic drama is based on the iconic American freedom fighter and legend Shields “Emperor” Green (Dayo Okeniyi, “Terminator Genisys,” “Shades of Blue”) a descendant of African kings turned outlaw slave. The film tells the astonishing tale of Green’s escape from slavery and his transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Seeking freedom for his family, Emperor fights his way north, joining the daring raid on a U.S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, the key battle of the abolitionist movement which helped spark the beginning of the Civil War and alter the course of American history.

Okeniyi leads the cast with an exceptionally powerful performance as the titular character, alongside Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (“The Green Mile,” “The Young Pope”), Kat Graham (“The Vampire Diaries”), Naturi Naughton (“Power”), Mykelti Williamson (“Fences,” “Forrest Gump”), Ben Robson (“The Boy,” “Vikings”) and Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern (“The Hateful Eight,” “Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood”). Produced by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (“The Black Godfather,” “Django Unchained”) along with fellow producers Mark Amin (“Frida,” “Eve’s Bayou”) and Cami Winikoff (“Peaceful Warrior”), “Emperor” is directed by Amin from a script he wrote with Pat Charles (“Black Lightning,” “Sons of Anarchy”).

Escape: Puzzle of Fear

“Escape: Puzzle of Fear” arrives on DVD and On Demand Tuesday, Aug. 18, from Uncork’d Entertainment.

The J. Jones-directed horror flick stars Omar Gooding (“Barbershop,” “Deadwood”),  Nicholas Turturro (“BlackKKKlansman,” “Blue Bloods” ), Tommy Nash (“The Amityville Terror”) and Aubrey Reynolds (“Snatchers”).

Hotshot Hollywood agent Matthew Blake has a dark past. He thinks that he is on his way to a double date with his oldest friend to a new Escape Room in Los Angeles. When the couples are locked into the Escape Room, Matthew quickly finds himself at the center of a revenge plot meant to right the wrongs of his past, with deadly results.

Pretending I’m Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story

“Pretending I’m Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story” arrives Tuesday Aug. 18 on Digital/VOD, from Wood Entertainment.

Arriving just ahead of the eagerly-awaited reboot of the $1.4 billion Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game series coming this September, this definitive documentary from director Ludvig Gür tells the story of the skater turned video game mogul, and the near extinction of skateboarding culture before exploding back into the mainstream in the early 2000s.

In 1999, the video game “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” shook the entertainment world when it sold nine million copies upon release and changed the skateboarding scene forever. Pretending I’m a Superman is the story of the skaters and developers who came together to create the best-selling game as well as a look into how skateboarding became a part of the mainstream.

Featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with the legendary skater as well as interviews with fellow skate industry stars Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Chad Muska, and Jamie Thomas, Gür takes audiences through an intimate yet extraordinary journey, chronicling the meteoric rise of skate boarding’s most famous name.

TV Shows

Batwoman: The Complete First Season

The future of Gotham is in her hands with the release of “Batwoman: The Complete First Season” on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday Aug. 18, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Strap yourself in for an exciting ride with all 20 episodes from the first season, plus “The Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019,” deleted scenes and a gag reel. A limited-edition bonus disc featuring all five DC Crossover Event “Crisis on Infinite Earths” episodes will be available exclusively for fans who purchase the Blu-ray.

Kate Kane never planned to be Gotham’s new vigilante. After Batman disappeared, Gotham was in despair, until she returned. Armed with a passion for justice and a flair for speaking her mind, she soars through the shadowed streets of Gotham as Batwoman. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, she must first overcome her own demons before becoming Gotham’s symbol of hope.

The first season of the superhero series stars Ruby Rose (“Orange Is the New Black,” “John Wick: Chapter 2”), Rachel Skarsten (“Birds of Prey”), Meagan Tandy (“unREAL”), Nicole Kang (“You”), Camrus Johnson (“The Sun is Also a Star”), Elizabeth Anweis (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) and Dougray Scott (“Snatch”). Based on the characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, “Batwoman” is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“Batwoman: The Complete First Season” will be available on DVD for $39.99 (SRP) and $44.98 (SRP) for the Blu-ray, which includes a Digital copy (U.S. only). It also is available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

Cursed Films

RLJE Films has picked up select rights to “Cursed Films,” from Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, and will release it on Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday Aug. 18.

The five-episode documentary series, written, edited and directed by Jay Cheel (“How to Build a Time Machine”), features interviews with Phil Nobile Jr. (“Fangoria” Editor-in-Chief), Linda Blair (“The Exorcist”), Kane Hodder (“Friday the 13^th” franchise), Michael Berryman (“The Hills Have Eyes”), Mitch Horowitz (“As a Man Thinketh”), Ryan Turek (VP of Development, Blumhouse Pictures), Richard Donner (“The Omen”) and Gary Sherman (“Poltergeist III”).

“Cursed Films” explores of the facts and myths surrounding the troubled and sometimes tragic events associated with genre classics, including “The Exorcist,” “Poltergeist,” “The Omen,” “The Crow” and “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”

It will be available on DVD for $27.97 (SRP) and on Blu-ray for $28.97 (SRP).

S.W.A.T.: Season Three

Arriving on DVD Tuesday Aug. 18 is the action-packed TV series “S.W.A.T: Season Three,” from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue, former Marine Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore) has everything it takes to be an excellent leader and bridge the divide between his two worlds. With Hondo leading the charge, his team of dedicated men and women bravely put themselves at risk to protect their community and save lives. The cast also includes Alex Russell, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Amy Farrington and Jay Harrington.

Bonus features on the DVD set include deleted scenes and a blooper reel.

The Terror: Infamy—The Complete Second Season

AMC’s critically acclaimed original anthology series “The Terror: Infamy—The Complete Second Season” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday Aug. 18, from Lionsgate.

In the second installment of producer (and Primetime Emmy winner) Ridley’s Scott’s horror-tinged anthology, World War II-era Japanese-Americans on Southern California’s Terminal Island are menaced by a “bakemono,” a folkloric specter. Suffering forced evictions and imprisonment after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Terminal Islanders are hounded by prejudice and injustice, as well as bad omens and bizarre deaths. One of them, Chester Nakayama, decides to take on the malevolent entity, journeying to realms of evil in both the present and the distant past.

The series stars Derek Mio, Kiki Sukezane, Naoko Mori, Miki Ishikawa and George Takei.

“The Terror: Infamy” The Complete Second Season Blu-ray and DVD will be available for $27.99 (SRP) and $21.98 (SRP), respectively.

Embark on a great journey with your family — without leaving the couch! Front Row Features is giving away a copy of South Korea’s animated adventure “A Dog’s Courage” on Blu-ray to three lucky readers. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by Aug. 24 for your chance to win. Good luck!