FILMS
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA (Cert 12, 123 mins, streaming and available to download from June 26 exclusively on Netflix, Comedy/Musical/Romance)
THE 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam may have been cancelled in response to the Covid-19 pandemic but director David Dobkin salutes the annual spectacle of cheesy pop, outlandish costumes and on-stage theatrics with an affectionate comedy penned by Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele.
Since they were children, Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams) have dreamt of representing their beloved Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Countrymen and women regard their musical double-act, Fire Saga, with derision but fate conspires to deliver Lars and Sigrit's wish in front of a worldwide television audience of 180 million viewers.
Lars is determined to impress his doubting father Erick (Pierce Brosnan) for the first time in his life.
However, handsome Russian competitor Alexander Lemtov (Dan Stevens) could thwart the Icelandic duo on the big night.
PROMARE (Cert 12, 111 mins, Anime, available from June 29 on DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Animation/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
TWO tribes go to war on a desolate, futuristic planet Earth in a Japanese animated film directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi.
It has been 30 years since the rise of flame-wielding mutants called the Burnish, who set the world ablaze, killing half of the world's population.
From the ashes, a police team called Freeze Force overseen by governor Kray Foresight (voiced by Masato Sakai) and an anti-Burnish firefighting team called Burning Rescue have risen.
Galo Thymos (Kenichi Matsuyama), a new recruit to Burning Rescue, responds to an attack by an aggressive mutant off-shoot of Burnish dubbed Mad Burnish and clashes with terrorist leader Lio Fotia (Taichi Saotome).
Their paths continue to cross, exposing dark secrets on both sides of the conflict.
The DVD and Blu-ray include the Japanese version with subtitles plus the English language dubbed version of the film.
EMA (Cert 15, 107 mins, MUBI, available now exclusively on MUBI, available from June 29 on Amazon Prime Video/BT TV Store/iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, also available from June 29 on DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £22.99, Drama/Romance)
CHILEAN filmmaker Pablo Larrain, director of Jackie starring Natalie Portman, returns home for a blistering character study anchored by an incendiary lead performance from Mariana Di Girolamo.
She plays dancer Ema, who is a force of nature in the city of Valparaiso. With bleach blonde hair and full mastery over her body, Ema knows how to exploit her smouldering sexuality to draw every appreciative eye in the room.
When the fate of her seven-year-old adopted son Polo (Cristian Suarez) hangs in the balance, Ema slyly manipulates everyone around her including her fiery-tempered choreographer husband, Gaston (Gael Garcia Bernal).
RIVER RUNS RED (Cert 15, 94 mins, 101 Films, available from June 29 on Amazon Prime Video/BT TV Store/iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, available from July 13 on DVD £19.99, Action/Thriller/Romance)
A TIMELY release for Wes Miller's 2018 thriller about a grief-stricken father, who vows revenge on the cops that shot his beloved boy.
Respected judge Charles Coleman Sr (Taye Diggs) is fiercely proud of his son CJ (Joseph Belk), who intends to enter the police academy and follow his old man's fine example of upholding the law.
A traffic stop ends in tragedy when police officers Rory (Gianna Capaldi) and Von (Liam Hemsworth) shoot dead CJ, falsely believing he was reaching for a gun.
They cover up their fatal mistake by planting a firearm near CJ's lifeless body.
Charles and his wife Eve (Jennifer Tao) refuse to accept the evidence and they resolve to learn what really happened to their son.
Aided by his world-weary police buddy Horace (John Cusack), Charles uncovers the truth about Rory and Von's deeds and vows revenge for CJ, regardless of the personal cost.
BOX SETS
INXS: Live Baby Live (Cert 12, 99 mins, Universal Music Group, available from June 29 on DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99, Documentary/Musical)
ON SATURDAY July 13 1991, Australian rock band INXS walked on to the stage of Wembley Stadium in front of 74,000 ecstatic fans as part of the Summer XS world tour to promote their seventh studio album, X.
For nearly two hours, Garry Gary Beers, Andrew Farriss, Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss, Michael Hutchence and Kirk Pengilly played a hits-filled set including the singles Disappear and Suicide Blonde without any video screens, catwalks, backing singers or props.
The concert was recorded and filmed by David Mallet for release as a live album and video.
Almost 30 years later, that performance is available in sparkling 4K on home formats, painstakingly restored shot-by-shot from the original 35mm film negative and enhanced with Dolby Atmos sound.
DARK – SEASON 3 (8 episodes, streaming and available to download from June 27 exclusively on Netflix, Thriller/Romance)
THE third and concluding season of German-language thriller Dark, which exposes the secrets of four families living in the close-knit town of Winden across different time periods, promises to tie up loose narrative threads with a flourish.
The second season ended with the jaw-dropping sight of the original Martha (Lisa Vicari) lying dead at the feet of an alternate Martha, suggesting the possibility of more ripples through space and time.
In the final eight episodes, Jonas Kahnwald (Louis Hoffman) must join forces with the alternate Martha to end the cycle of devastation wrought by Adam, the leader of Sic Mundus.
Meanwhile, cataclysmic events across various time periods reach a mind-bending crescendo.
WARRIOR NUN (10 episodes, streaming and available to download from July 2 exclusively on Netflix, Fantasy/Adventure/Romance)
INSPIRED by the Warrior Nun Areala comic series created by Ben Dunn, Warrior Nun is a 10-part Netflix fantasy drama, which charts the adventures of a 19-year-old woman with an incredible destiny.
Orphan Ava (Alba Baptista) wakes in a morgue with a glowing artefact embedded in her back. She suffers terrifying, otherworldly visions during her first moments of consciousness and the young woman seeks spiritual guidance from the church.
Fr Vincent (Tristan Alloa) reveals that Ava bears the halo of the Warrior Nun – the champion of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, who have dedicated their lives throughout the centuries to battling ancient evil.
The plucky teenager reluctantly takes up the mantle and fights demons on Earth to prevent the denizens of Hell from will rising up and devouring mankind.
INTO THE UNKNOWN: MAKING FROZEN II (6 episodes, streaming from June 26 exclusively on Disney +, Documentary/Animation/Musical)
AHEAD of the eagerly awaited debut of Frozen II on Disney+ on July 3, this six-part documentary series follows film-makers, artists, cast and songwriters in the year leading up to the sequel's world premiere, capturing the blood, sweat and tears that were channelled into every meticulously animated frame.
Into The Unknown: Making Frozen II witnesses the race against time to complete the picture, galvanised by the energy of directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and producer Peter Del Vecho.
Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez share their nervousness and excitement about composing a toe-tapping song to rival Let It Go while actors Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K Brown and Evan Rachel Wood bring characters vibrantly to life with their spirited vocal performances.
