Aug. 15 New Releases Include 'Asteroid City,' 'Nefarious,' 'The Machine,' 'Babylon 5' on Disc, 'Elemental,' 'No Hard Feelings,' 'The Blackening' Digitally

John Latchem

August 15, 2023

Among the new home entertainment releases of Aug. 15 are Asteroid City, The Machine and Nefarious on Blu-ray and DVD, Babylon 5: The Road Home on Blu-ray and 4K, and digital availability for Elemental, No Hard Feelings and The Blackening.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment releases Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City for on Blu-ray and DVD on Aug. 15. Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Jojo Rabbit), and Tom Hanks (Elvis, News of the World) star in the comedy written and directed by seven-time Oscar nominee Anderson (Isle of Dogs, Moonrise Kingdom). The film is set in a fictional American desert town, circa 1955. Junior Stargazers and Space Cadets from across the country assemble for the annual Asteroid Day celebration — but the scholarly competition is spectacularly upended by world-changing events. The film earned $27.9 million at the domestic box office.

The supernatural thriller Nefarious will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Aug. 15 from Mill Creek Entertainment. Based on the book A Nefarious Plot by New York Times best-selling author Steve Deace, the film grossed $5.4 million in theatrical release. In the film, on the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer gets a last-minute court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. The killer surprises the psychiatrist with his claim that instead of trying to avoid his fate, he is in fact a demon who wants the execution to go forward — and further claims that before their brief time together is over, the doctor will have committed three murders of his own. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery (Powder, “The Boys,” The Boondock Saints), Jordan Belfi (“Entourage,” “Chicago Fire,” “Scandal”), James Healy Jr. (Tulsa King, “The Staircase,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) and Cameron Arnett (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” I Still Believe, Running the Bases).

The action comedy The Machine will debut on Blu-ray and DVD Aug. 15 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film follows Bert Kreischer, who rose to fame as a stand-up comedian known as The Machine, and in his signature set he recounts his true experience with Russian mobsters while on a booze-soaked college trip. Now, 23 years later, that trip has come back to haunt him as he and his estranged father (Mark Hamill) are kidnapped back to Russia by the mob to atone for something they say he did. Together, Bert and his father must retrace the steps of his younger self (Jimmy Tatro) in the midst of a war within sociopathic crime family, all while attempting to find common ground in their often fraught relationship. The Machine earned $10.5 million at the domestic box office.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will release the animated movie Babylon 5: The Road Home on Blu-ray Disc, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and for digital purchase Aug. 15. A continuation of the 1993-98 sci-fi TV series, The Road Home finds the inhabitants of the Babylon 5 space station taking a journey through the past to determine the future. Station commander John Sheridan (voiced by Bruce Boxleitner, reprising his role from the series), unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the universe. Other returning cast members include Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari, Bill Mumy as Lennier, Tracy Scoggins as Elizabeth Lochley, and Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander. The voice cast also includes Paul Guyet as Zathras and Jeffery Sinclair, Anthony Hansen as Michael Garibaldi, Mara Junot as Reporter and Computer Voice, Phil LaMarr as Dr. Stephen Franklin, Piotr Michael as David Sheridan, Andrew Morgado as G’Kar, and Rebecca Riedy as Delenn. Babylon 5: The Road Home was written and executive produced by series creator J. Michael Straczynski. The film was directed by Matt Peters, with Rick Morales as supervising producer and Sam Register as executive producer for Warner Bros. Animation.

Lionsgate will release season one of “The Lincoln Lawyer” on Blu-ray Aug. 15 exclusively through Amazon.com. “The Lincoln Lawyer” stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Magnificent Seven), and features Neve Campbell (“Scream” film franchise), Becki Newton (TV’s “Ugly Betty”), Angus Sampson (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Jazz Raycole (TV’s “Insatiable). In the series, which is available to stream on Netflix, lawyer Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) runs his law practice out of his Lincoln, and he’s ready to hit the gas again after being sidelined by personal issues. After inheriting an acquaintance’s law practice, Haller finds himself with a batch of new cases, including a significant murder trial he must hastily prepare to defend. Moving swiftly through the city of Los Angeles, he takes case after case while balancing a private life that includes being the father of a teenager and having two ex-wives — one who works with him, the other the city’s Deputy District Attorney.

The action film Kill Shot will be released on digital, Blu-ray and DVD Aug. 15 from Well Go USA Entertainment. In the film, during a hunting trip in Montana, a wilderness guide and former Navy SEAL (Rib Hillis) and his client (Rachel Cook) stumble upon a cache of heist money, unwittingly making themselves the one obstacle standing between a dangerous terrorist group and its lost fortune. Eager to take some of the cash for themselves, the pair learns far too late how easy it can be to make someone disappear in the vastness of Big Sky country. Directed by Ari Novak (Himalayan Ice), the film stars Rib Hillis (“Port Charles,” “Baywatch”), model Rachel Cook (The Hack Job), former UFC fighter Bobby Maximus, Mara Ohara (The Hellenbacks 3), Mark Murphy (Cowboys vs Dinosaurs), and Xian Mikol (Time Framed).

The Korean horror film Seire will be released on DVD Aug. 15 from Film Movement. In Korean folk traditions, “seire” is the 21 days after a baby is born in which they’re uniquely vulnerable to bad luck, curses — even evil spirits. Many superstitions surround these first three weeks in a baby’s life, and, in Seire new mother Hae-mi carefully follows every one of them. Father Woo-jin is reluctantly willing to play along, but when he attends an ex-girlfriend’s funeral, he unwittingly opens the door to dark supernatural dangers. Plagued by terrible nightmares, the skeptical Woo-jin gradually begins to understand the seire custom, as he is forced to unravel the mystery of what is haunting him and his family. Seire, writer-director Park Kang’s horror film debut, was an Official Selection in the Fantasia New Flesh Competition, was nominated for Best Film and captured the New Currents FIPRESCI Prize at the Busan International Film Festival, and received a nomination for a Golden Eye Best International Feature at the 2022 Zurich Film Festival.

Film Movement will release the Korean drama Aloners on DVD Aug. 15. It is available now digitally. In the film, Jina (Gong Seung-yeon) is the top employee at a call center, but despite talking to customers all day, she has shut out the world beyond her headset; she lives alone, eats alone, sleeps alone, and her cell phone is her constant companion. When one day she’s tasked with training a friendly and naive new hire (Jung Da-eun), her icy armor is threatened. At the same time, she must navigate an incessantly ingratiating new neighbor, and increasingly urgent phone calls from her father, leaving Jina teetering on the edge of an existential crisis, forcing her to confront why she has isolated herself all these years. Riffing on the Korean ‘honjok’ — a phenomenon of young people who live alone and skirt social interaction — the film examines the personal traumas of loss and alienation. A New York Times Critic’s Pick, Aloners also captured critical acclaim at festivals around the globe, including the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at the 2021 Golden Horse Film Festival and the Jury Award for Best Film at the CinemAsia Film Festival in 2022. Additionally, Gong Seung-Yeon was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2021 Asian Film Awards and won the Best Actress Award at the 2021 Torino Film Festival. The release includes a bonus short film, the Australian The Moths Will Eat Them Up, directed by Luisa Martiri and Tanya Modini. It follows a woman’s normal night train ride home that turns into a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a stranger until an unforeseen force emerges.

Shout! Kids, in collaboration with Animagrad Animation Studio and Film.UA Group, will release the Ukrainian CG-animated feature Mavka: The Forest Song on DVD and for digital download Aug. 15. Produced by Ukraine-based Animagrad Animation Studio (Stolen Princess) amid the ongoing attack from Russia, Mavka‘s filmmaking process was arduous and hindered by continuous armed bombardment, gunfire, unrest, and massive property destruction onsite. Based on the Ukrainian drama “The Forest Song” by celebrated poet and author Lesya Ukrainka, the ecological animated fable unfolds in a universe that blends ancient Slavic traditions and folklore with a modern narrative that showcases Ukrainian culture, values, designs and music. The movie boasts a soundtrack written by well-known Ukrainian musicians, a mix of folk tunes in modern adaptations, and compositions created especially for the animated adventure. Oleg Malamuzh and Sasha Ruban direct the English-language movie. The voice cast includes Laurie Hymes (Lupin III: The First), Eddy Lee (Your Name), Sarah Natochenny (Pokemon Master Journeys), Tom Wayland (Pokemon), Marc Thompson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Scottie Ray (Zane Truesdale), HD Quinn (A Night Before Christmas), Nikki Thomas (Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous), Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (Pokemon), and Mike Pollock (A Cat in Paris). The film follows Mavka — the soul of the forest — who has been chosen by the supreme spirits to become the forest’s new guardian. But when she meets a talented human musician named Lucas — a man on the hunt for a mysterious tree with the power to give life — she is faced with an impossible choice between her newfound love and her duty to the spirits. Bonus features on DVD include a featurette, a music video and trailers. The film first drew international attention when the initial teaser was presented at the MIFA content market in 2017, held within the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It gained further acclaim as the only Ukrainian project to be selected to be pitched at the European animation forum Cartoon Movie 2017 in Bordeaux for two years in a row. The project has since grown into a multi-platform IP — Mavka Universe, which brings together people from the creative, technological, and business spheres, scientific and public institutions, and government agencies.

Pixar Animation Studios’ Elemental will debut on digital platforms Aug. 15 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Elemental is set in Element City, where residents of Fire, Water, Earth and Air live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. Directed by Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur, “Partly Cloudy” short), and produced by Denise Ream (The Good Dinosaur, Cars 2), Elemental features the voices of Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie as Ember and Wade. It arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD Sept. 26.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release the Jennifer Lawrence comedy No Hard Feelings on digital Aug. 15. In No Hard Feelings, Maddie thinks she’s found the answer to her financial troubles when she discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son Percy and bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college. But awkward Percy proves to be a real challenge, and time is running out. She has one summer to make him a man or lose it all. It arrives on Blu-ray Disc and DVD Aug. 29.

Lionsgate will release the comedic horror flick The Blackening for regular digital purchase Aug. 15. The Blackening follows a group of Black friends reunited for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a masked killer who forces them to play a twisted board game by his rules. The film skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: If the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first? Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Barbershop) with a screenplay and screen story by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, TV’s “Harlem”) and Dewayne Perkins (TV’s “The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), the film stars Grace Byers (TV’s “Empire”), Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America), Melvin Gregg (House Party), X Mayo (TV’s “American Auto”), Dewayne Perkins (TV’s “The Upshaws”), Antoinette Robertson (TV’s “Dear White People”), Sinqua Walls (TV’s “White Men Can’t Jump”), with Jay Pharoah (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”) and Yvonne Orji (TV’s “Insecure”). The film has been available via premium VOD since July 7. It arrives on 4K Ultra HD combo pack, Blu-ray combo pack and DVD Aug. 22.

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Shout! Studios will release the Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. 2 Blu-ray Disc collection of kung-fu actioners Aug. 15. The set includes 12 films released between 1970 and 1974 by the venerable Shaw Brothers Hong Kong Studio not previously available on Blu-ray in North America: Lady of Steel, Brothers Five, The Crimson Charm, The Bride From Hell, The Shadow Whip, The Delightful Forest, The Devil’s Mirror, Man of Iron, Water Margin, Heroes Two, The Flying Gulliotine and The Dragon Missile. Stars featured in the set include Chen Kaun Tai, Cheng Pei-Pei, Sammo Hung and Ti Lung. The set also contains an abundance of special features including interviews and new audio commentaries from authors, critics, and experts such as Brain Bankston, Chris Poggialia, David West, Ian Jane, James Mudge, Jim Marcovic, Joseph Ellison, Meredith Lewis and Tony Rayns, along with trailers, still galleries and more.

Paramount Home Entertainment will release the classic 1953 romance Roman Holiday for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Aug. 15 for its 70th anniversary. In the film, Audrey Hepburn stars as a European princess who escapes her secluded lifestyle and embarks on an adventure in Rome with an American journalist played by Gregory Peck. Roman Holiday originally premiered in the United States on Aug. 27, 1953. Director William Wyler’s fairy tale was one of Hollywood’s first on-location motion pictures and memorably captures the bustling streets and iconic sites of Rome. Ranked as the No. 4 greatest love story of all time by the American Film Institute, Roman Holiday earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Actress for Hepburn, Best Costume Design for legendary designer Edith Head, and Best Writing (Motion Picture Story) for Dalton Trumbo. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee and his name was not included in the film’s original credits. In 1992 the Board of Governors of the Academy voted to finally credit Trumbo for the “Story Writing” Oscar and his widow received a statuette in 1993. In 2011, the WGA restored Trumbo’s name to the screenwriting credits. This release correctly credits Dalton Trumbo with both the screenplay and story by credits. Fully restored and remastered, Roman Holiday is presented in 4K Ultra HD in a two-disc set that includes access to a digital copy of the film and a Blu-ray Disc with more than an hour of previously released special features.

The Japanese stop-motion animated Junk Head will be released on Blu-ray Disc Aug. 15 from Synergetic Distribution and MVD Entertainment Group. In the sci-fi fantasy film, mankind can no longer reproduce because of gene manipulation aimed at making life longer. The clones ruling the bottomless underworld may have become fertile. Parton is selected to go on a mission through a subterranean labyrinth crawling with monsters to secure humanity’s future. Hailed by Academy Award Winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) as a “work of deranged brilliance,” the film won a 2021 New York Asian Film Festival Audience Award; a 2017 Fantasia Film Festival, Satoshi Kon Award, Best Animated Feature, Special Mention; a 2017 Fantastic Festival Best Director award for Takehide Hori; and a 2021 Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg Golden Stork Award.

The documentary The Thief Collector arrives on disc Aug. 15 from MVD Entertainment Group and FilmRise. The Thief Collector, directed by Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and visual journalist Allison Otto, is available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. It follows the story of one of the most valuable stolen paintings of the 20th century that was found hanging in a New Mexico home. In 1985, Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre” was cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Then, 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in a New Mexico home. The film played at more than 20 film festivals in the United States including Cleveland IFF, SFIFF, Palm Springs IFF, Hamptons Doc Fest, Hot Springs DFF, Santa Fe IFF and Mountainfilm. It premiered at SXSW in the United States and at Hot Docs in Canada in 2022. Bonus features include a photo gallery; a theatrical trailer; and extended interviews.

The mystery thriller Scheme Queens arrives on disc Aug. 15 from MVD Entertainment Group and FilmRise. In Scheme Queens, due on DVD and Blu-ray, when four girlfriends — bad girl Sam, influencer Lauryn, trophy fiancée Zoe and the devout Audra — find themselves down on their luck, they decide to rob a ruthless Rastafarian jewel thief by conning his second-in-command. The cast includes Brii Renee’, a radio personality at Streetz 94.5 Atlanta and the host of “Black Girl Stuff” on Revolt TV; Jacky Oh model, public figure, and actress, producer, and poet Ernestine Johnson Morrison; and actress, musician, and stand-up comedian B. Simone. Special features include a photo gallery and the theatrical trailer.

The 1988 film Paradise Calling (aka Les Pyramides Bleues, La Novacia), arrives on DVD Aug. 15 from VCI Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group. The film stars Omar Sharif (Doctor Zhivago, Top Secret!) and Carole Davis (The Flamingo, “Sex and the City”). In the film, Elise, the beautiful young lover of a much older, wealthy magnate named Alex, who lavishes her with his love, adoration and money, is only partially content in her high station in life. Another part of her longs for a life of sanctity and purity, that only a life with God can bring. This angers Alex, who wants all her attention and affection for himself. After a terrible accident occurs at one of their fancy parties, while Alex is in a drunken state, things come into focus for Elise. Desperate to get away, she flees to a convent in France to hide from Alex. Distraught over Elise leaving him, Alex hires agents to find her and bring her back to him. But, unbeknownst to Alex, Elise has since become involved in another entanglement.

The Only Way arrives on Blu-ray with a 4K restoration Aug. 15 from VCI Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group. The film stars Jane Seymour (Somewhere in Time, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) and is set during World War II. In April 1940, the armies of Nazi Germany invade Denmark. The Danish government promise peaceful cooperation on the condition that Denmark’s Jews remain free. The Nazi’s agree. In October 1943, the agreement is broken. This is the true saga of Denmark’s valorous actions to save Danish Jews from Nazi extermination at peril of death.

“The Cisco Kid” 13-film Western collection arrives on DVD Aug. 15 from VCI Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group. Of all the heroes of the Old West, few are as well-loved or as easily recognized as the Cisco Kid, based on O’Henry’s famous character. Together with his bumbling, but lovable amigo Pancho, Cisco has entertained millions of children and adults for many years. This five-DVD Cisco Kid collection, containing 13 movies, combines the talents of both Gilbert Roland and Duncan Renaldo starring in the role of the Cisco Kid. The movies in the collection include The Gay Amigo (1949), The Cisco Kid in Old New Mexico (1945), The Cisco Kid Returns (1945), Satan’s Cradle (1949), South of the Rio Grande (1945), King of the Bandits (1947), Robin Hood of Monterey (1947), Riding the California Trail (1947), South of Monterey (1946), Beauty and the Bandit (1946), The Girl from San Lorenzo (1950), The Daring Caballero (1949), and The Gay Cavalier (1946). The release includes two bonus “Cisco Kid” episodes in color from the popular 1950s TV series; an archival video interview with Duncan Renaldo; an archival video interview with Duncan Renaldo and Colonel Tim McCoy; and multiple photo and poster galleries.

Jack Armstrong (1947), due on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration Aug. 15 from VCI Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group, is a cliffhanger series. It follows a brilliant scientist working on atom-powered motors who is kidnapped and taken to a mysterious island where the master villain hopes to conquer the world. Jack Armstrong, of course, thwarts these evil plans in the nick of time. The series is filled with exciting chases, fights and thrills through 15 chapters. For those old enough to remember, it is reminiscent of the old radio show.

The Italian horror flick Frankenstein ’80 (1972) arrives on Blu-ray from Cauldron Films and MVD Entertainment Group. In Frankenstein ’80, when Professor Schwarz invents a new serum that helps transplant patients better accept their new organs, Dr. Frankenstein quickly steals it to bring to life his greatest creation — Mosaic. Once alive, Mosaic is uncontrollable and escapes from the lab nightly to solicit prostitutes and leave a trail of corpses across the city that only seems to baffle the police and create a wave of fear. Mario Mancini’s (camera operator on Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace and Black Sunday) only film as director is a stylish, gory, and sleazy take on the Frankenstein story in true Italian exploitation fashion. With nods to giallo films, a streak of dark humor, featuring gruesome special effects by Carlo Rambaldi (E.T., Bay of Blood) and starring Gordon Mitchell (Shanghai Joe), Xiro Papas (Black Killer), John Richardson (Black Sunday), Renato Romano (The Fifth Cord) and Dalila Di Lazzaro (Flesh for Frankenstein), Cauldron Films presents Frankenstein ’80, uncensored and restored on Blu-ray for the first time. It features a 2K restoration from the uncensored negative in English audio and Italian audio with English subtitles. Extras include “Dalila Forever: The Recorded Memories of Dalila Di Lazzaro”; “Little Frankensteins: History of Italian Frankenstein films with Domenico Monetti”; audio commentary by film historian Heather Drain; and a reversible Blu-ray wrap with alternate artwork.

Kino Lorber on Aug. 15 releases a special Blu-ray Disc edition of director René Clément’s 1966 classic Is Paris Burning?, an epic war film about the August 1944 liberation of Paris. As the Nazi jackboot marches through Europe, the freedom fighters of Paris mount a brave resistance. A desperate Hitler sends a top general to determine if the Nazis can hold the city. If not, Paris will be burned. With a script by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola and a score by legendary composer Maurice Jarre (Doctor Zhivago), the film features an international cast of screen legends, including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Jean-Pierre Cassel, George Chakris, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Gert Fröbe, Yves Montand, Anthony Perkins, Michel Piccoli, Simone Signoret, Robert Stack, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Orson Welles. For its Blu-ray Disc release, the film was digitally restored from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative by Paramount Pictures in association with American Zoetrope and Francis Ford Coppola. The Kino Lorber release features a new audio commentary track by film historians Daniel Kremer and Howard S. Berger.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Aug. 15 releases Metalocalypse: The Complete Series, featuring all 62 episodes from Adult Swim’s award-winning original adult animated series. The package, available on DVD as well as digitally, also includes “Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem — A Klok Opera.” “Metalocalypse,” created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, began its four-season run in August 2006 and was followed in October 2013 by “The Doomstar Requiem,” a one-hour musical special. The series centered on the exploits of the fictional death-metal band Dethklok, and was hailed as a smart parody of heavy metal culture.

The animated Barbie Double Feature: Barbie: Mermaid Power/Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure will be released on DVD Aug. 15 from Mill Creek Entertainment. In Barbie: Mermaid Power, viewers join Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts, Barbie “Malibu” Roberts, and her sisters Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea on an underwater adventure as they transform into mermaids to help save the world of Pacifica. In Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure, when a birthday party at the water park she works at goes awry, Skipper’s babysitting skills save the day. The success renews Skipper’s confidence in her babysitting business, and she and her new friends start a babysitting squad. The voice cast for the animated adventures includes America Young as the voice of Barbie Malibu Roberts (BAMF Girls Club, Far), Tatiana Varria as the voice of barbie Brooklyn Roberts (“Modern Family,” “Monster High”), Nicolas Roye as the voice of Rafa (“Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” Madagascar: A Little Wild) and Kirsten Day as the voice of Skipper (“The Loyalists,” Barbie Princess Adventure).

Virgil Films will release the documentary Utter Nonsence via digital sellthrough and VOD Aug. 15. Utter Nonsense is a touching, informative and very personal journey into the world of drug addiction. Focusing on the notorious Kensington section of Philadelphia where she was raised, Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter traces the disease of addiction through her family and others. Utter Nonsense not only educates about the genesis and cost of drug addiction, but it also offers hope that “the life” can be overcome.

The drama Gump: The Dog Who Taught People to Love will be released on digital and DVD Aug. 15 from 4 Digital Media and Distribution Solutions. A feel-good story that highlights the need for friendship, family, and – for many – dogs in our lives.A story told through the eyes of a stray dog called Gump . On a journey to find his way home to his owner, Gump encounters many challenges, meets new people, and makes a few canine friends along the way. A story about the devotion of a dog, who without hesitation will give his own life for the life of its beloved owner. Gump stars Bolek Polívka (Divided We Fall, Wild Flowers), Ivana Chýlková (The Price of Happiness, Bear With Us), Eva Holubová (The Lady Terrorist, The Good Plumber) and Jana Plodková (Black Widows, Lost in Munich). The release coincides with International Dog Day on Aug. 26.

The action thriller The Engineer will be released in theaters and via on demand, Blu-ray, DVD and digital Aug. 18 from Lionsgate. Based on true events and starring Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) and Tzahi Halevi (Bethlehem), the film is in the vein of “Homeland” or “Fauda.” In The Engineer, as Israel is rocked by a series of terrorist bombings, a U.S. senator’s daughter is killed in a bloody explosion. Ex-Mossad agent Etan (Hirsch) must lead an elite, covert team of agents and mercenaries to find the man responsible — the elusive “Engineer.”

A complete list of new disc and digital releases, compiled each week by the Media Play News market research team, can be found here.

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