By Angela Dawson, Front Row Features

ARRIVING on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD is the hit superhero action movie X-Men: Apocalypse. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy lead a powerhouse cast in director Bryan Singer’s sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past. After thousands of years, Apocalypse — the first and most powerful mutant — has awakened to find a world led by humans. Intent on cleansing the Earth of mankind, he recruits a group of mutants to create a new world order. In a desperate race to save humanity, Professor X (McAvoy) leads the young X-Men in an epic showdown — against an unstoppable enemy — that will determine the fate of the world.

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Special features include deleted and extended scenes with optional introductions by director singer, a gag reel, a wrap party video, an hour-long documentary called X-Men: Apocalypse Unearthed, audio commentary by Singer and writer Simon Kinberg as well as concept art and a photo gallery.

*****

It’s the golden anniversary of Charlie Brown’s All Stars! the beloved Peanuts television special. To mark the occasion, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released this classic animated special in a deluxe, 50th anniversary edition, completely remastered in high definition.

Charlie Brown’s All Stars! follows the bittersweet story of Charlie Brown, who won’t give up on trying to bring his baseball team to victory, though he faces great criticism from his team’s players.

It’s summer and baseball season gets underway with Charlie Brown being put in charge of managing the Peanuts’s baseball team again even though, in the past, it has only suffered crushing defeat from its opponents. The disillusioned players blame Charlie Brown for the team’s past poor performance. When a sponsor offers Charlie Brown real baseball uniforms and a chance to be part of an actual league, he is thrilled. He believes the new uniforms and acceptance into a real league will motivate his players. His excitement however, soon turns into disappointment when he learns that if he accepts the offer, Snoopy, Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda will be kicked off the team because the league’s policy prevents girls and dogs from playing. Poor Charlie Brown. He not only is criticized by his teammates for being a bad manager, he’s now faced with a difficult moral dilemma of whether to accept the uniforms.

Charlie Brown’s All Stars first aired in 1966 on CBS. It was the second animated prime time Peanuts special to air on television after A Charlie Brown Christmas, and it received two prime time Emmy nominations.

*****

Embark on a journey through the snow-covered Norwegian mountains with Academy Award nominated director Nils Gaup’s (Pathfinder) The Last King, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under its Magnet Label. Starring Jakob Oftebro (The Snowman) and Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), The Last King brings viewers not only an action-packed journey but also depicts a story of love, sacrifice, honor and revenge.

Based on true events, a battle for the throne between the Norwegian King Håkon and the Church’s Bishopmen has left the country in the middle of a decades-long civil war. Following an assassination attempt by those closest to him, the king reveals on his deathbed that he has a newborn son born in secret. To shield their newborn from those looking to end the family bloodline, two Birch Leg fighters, Torstein (Hivju) and Skjervald (Oftebro), make the arduous journey across the snow-covered terrain to return him safely to the kingdom.

Special features include an interview with Hivju and a music video with scenes from the epic-action movie.

*****

Satanic arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under its Magnet Label. Starring Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Steven Krueger (The Originals), Justin Chon (Twilight) and Clara Mamet (The Neighbors), the thriller follows four coeds as they summon demons and make promises they quickly regret.

Before taking a road trip to Coachella, the group checks into a hotel, the scene of a gruesome suicide that was made in homage to Satan, for their own satanic tour in the City of Angels. The thrill seekers visit the site of the infamous Manson murders and an unnerving satanic store, leading the group to mistakenly interrupt a cult’s sacrifice of a girl named Alice (Sophia Dalah, Unbroken). Ultimately allowing her to break free, the travelers soon begin to question her innocence as she has an unsettling admiration for the spirit of the previous “suicide” victim, Lainey Gore.

Special features include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, exclusive interviews with the cast and a glimpse at the special effects used to create some of the film’s most terrifying scenes.

*****

The heartwarming comedy Wild Oats arrives on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment and available on Digital HD and On Demand from Starz Digital.

The film, directed by Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama), is set in the golden years of life and features Academy Award winner Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment), Academy Award winner Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Billy Connelly (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) and Demi Moore (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle).

Eva (MacLaine), a widow and retired history teacher, enjoys a quiet life. Everything changes when she receives a life insurance check accidentally made out for $5 million instead of the expected $50,000. At the not-so-gentle urging her best friend Maddie (Lange), Eva deposits the money and the two friends head to the Canary Islands with every intention of living it up. But their fantasy is short-lived when they discover that they have become media sensations. Fugitives from justice, the two are forced to outwit a trio of con men, led by the local wine “warlord” Carlos (Santiago Segura), outmaneuver a dogged life insurance agent Vespucci (Howard Hesseman) who has teamed up with Eva’s daughter, Crystal (Moore), and outrun the law. What they don’t expect is to be good at it.

*****

YouTube sensation KSI makes his feature film debut alongside fellow Internet star Caspar Lee in the comedy Laid in America. A mix of sex, stupidity and fun for its millennial audience, the comedy arrives on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It also is available on Digital HD.

Duncan (KSI) and Jack (Lee) are exchange students with just one night left in the US and one final chance to lose their virginity with the girls of their dreams. To accomplish their goal, they must get into the school bully’s house party that night even though their names aren’t on the list and they can’t get in. The two friends then hatch an elaborate and desperate plan, which takes them on an unexpected adventure, navigating a minefield of problems from gun-wielding gangsters to deviant drug lords. Their friendship is tested as they blunder through the night in a bid to fulfill their fantasies before their flights back home. A “making of” documentary is included.

Sam Milman and Peter Vass (Bad Weather Films) co-directed the film, produced by Max Gottlieb and executive produced by Adam Margules/Alongside KSI and Lee, the film features digital stars Josh Leyva, Bobby Lee, Madison Iseman and Bart Baker.

*****

It’s not too early to think of Christmas… and murder as Murdoch Mysteries: A Merry Murdoch Christmas makes its DVD/Blu-ray debut.

Set in Toronto at the turn of the last century — inspired by Maureen Jennings’s novels — Murdock Mysteries explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders.

In this feature-length Christmas special, Murdoch and the team launch their investigation when the host of a Christmas charity gala for sick children is killed, and all the presents he was going to give away are stolen. Murdoch and Dr. Ogden (Helene Joy, Durham County) find the host, dressed as Santa Claus, dead and the presents gone. When witnesses report hearing a wild animal near the scene, Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig, Coronation Street) suspects it may be the work of the legendary creature Krampus. Meanwhile, Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris, Still Standing) worries he’ll have nowhere to spend the holidays. It’s up to Murdoch and his colleagues at Station House No. 4 to catch the murderer before the holiday.

The special Christmas episode guest stars Ed Asner (Lou Grant, Up), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey) and Kelly Rowan (The O.C.). The DVD and Blu-ray each include the “Making Murdoch: A Merry Murdoch Christmas” featurette. Available on AcornOnline.com.

*****

Cartoon Network’s funniest and most endearing animated bear brothers are coming to DVD with the release of We Bare Bears: Viral Video. Climb onto the bearstack with Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear and get set for 12 episodes from the hit animated comedy series. We Bare Bears has captivated audiences with its hilarious storylines, clever pop culture references and adorable characters.

We Bare Bears follows three bear siblings: Grizzly (Eric Edelstein), Panda (Bobby Moynihan) and Ice Bear (Demetri Martin), who try to fit in to society and make friends. Whether they’re looking for food, trying to make human friends, or scheming to become Internet famous, it’s obvious that being a bear in the civilized, modern world is tough. They have a lot to learn about the trendy residents that surround their humble Bay Area cave, but at least they have each other. The Bears’ favorite way to get around town is by bearstack, where Grizzly stands atop Panda who stands atop Ice Bear who walks them wherever they want to go.

In We Bare Bears: Viral Video, the bear trio open up their own food truck, try to become Internet stars by making a viral video and try to save their home when it’s threatened by a construction project. Panda develops a crush on a woman who saves his life after he suffers a peanut allergy attack. Grizz becomes obsessed with a bear-sized burrito and takes it with him everywhere he goes. The bear brothers meet Chloe, a very smart girl who observes them for her college presentation and they also get to know Charlie, a Bigfoot who spends a weekend in their home.

We Bare Bears was created by Annie award-winner Daniel Chong and is based on his web comic The Three Bare Bears. The animated series premiered on Cartoon Network in 2015 and has since become enormously popular with both adults and children.

*****

Join the Venture family as they begin a new chapter in New York City on the sixth season of the hit animated Adult Swim series, The Venture Bros., available on Blu-ray and DVD. Dr. Venture inherits a fortune and moves his family into a spectacular new home in the Big Apple. Fabulously wealthy and settled in their luxurious, new compound, twin brothers Hank and Dean and their clan embark on an exciting new season filled with more drama and danger. Joining them is their tough-as-nails bodyguard Brock (Patrick Warburton, Seinfeld) who was appointed by the government to protect the family from any threat or violence. Together, they embark on a series of odd misadventures that take them around the globe as they fight off villains, most notably The Monarch, the family’s arch villain.

Created by Jackson Publick (The Tick) The Venture Bros. launched 12 years ago and since then has emerged as one of Adult Swim’s most watched shows. The animated series spoofs popular animated science fiction and adventure shows of the 1960s.

The Venture Bros.: Season Six features all eight episodes from the season as well as bonus material, including commentaries for every episode, deleted scenes and special All This And Gargantua-2, all of which have never been released on Blu-ray or DVD before.

*****

When the final episode of the Cinemax fan-favorite action-drama Banshee aired in May, it sent legions of “Fanshees” into a tailspin.  Never fear. Banshee: Final Season has arrived on Blu-ray and DVD (both including Digital HD), and fans of the series can celebrate once again. The three-disc sets are packed with behind-the-scenes extras including audio commentaries, exclusive deleted scenes, episode recaps, Banshee Origins (which tells the story behind the story with eight prequel videos featuring the cast of Banshee), Zoomed In Episodes 1-8 (an on the set feature highlighting how key action scenes were created) and specially created cast retrospectives on Best Fight Scenes and Job’s Best Outfits.

Created by Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, this action drama charts the final twists and turns that follow Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-convict who assumed the identity of sheriff in the Amish-area town Banshee, where his former lover and partner-in-crime was living under her own alias, Carrie Hopewell. The fourth and final season takes place two years after Lucas gave up his badge after a bloody, multimillion-dollar heist at the Camp Genoa Marine Base which proved costly: Carrie’s husband Gordon was killed, and Lucas’s longtime computer-hacker partner, Job (Hoon Lee), was abducted by a shady criminal ring. After settling a score with a “recruiter” from Lucas’s past whom he hoped would have intel on Job, Lucas went on a bender before being rescued by an unlikely savior, Proctor’s niece.

Emerging from a self-imposed exile, Lucas returns to Banshee to find it a changed town. Brock Lotus is now sheriff, Kai Proctor is the mayor, and the old “Cadi” police station has been replaced by a state-of the-art facility. A new deputy with ties to Proctor, Nina Cruz, has joined Brock’s team, along with Kurt Bunker, the skinhead-turned-deputy who continues to make amends for his dark past while fighting the racist overtures of the group led by his younger brother Calvin. After reuniting with Carrie, their daughter Deva, and ex-boxer Sugar Bates, Lucas becomes immersed in a new Banshee crisis: rooting out a vicious serial murderer whose latest victim is someone near and dear to his heart.

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