It is positively sweltering these days. Reason enough to find somewhere air conditioned and settle in with something new, possibly old, or somewhere in between, I'm particularly drawn to Kino Lorber's release of Patrice Leconte’s Girl on the Bridge (digital and Blu-ray, take your pick). On the digital front The Artic Convoy and Kill look appealing. I'm ashamed to say I've never watched the infamous The Linguini Incident. Please forgive me Bowie, I'll rectify that soon.

Physical release include the polar opposite titles of The Fall Guy and A24 Shop's 4K release of The Zone of Interest. Both belong in your collection. Anselm, the latest offering from the brilliant Wim Wenders, is highly recommended.

The Amy Whinehouse biopic Back to Black wasn't screened for local critics. I'm looking forward to that (and see how it compares to the A24 documentary Amy from a few years back). For fun I'll take on Eureaka's The Double Crossers and the Criterion Collection's 4K release of Risky Business. Revisiting Farewell My Concubine (in 4K for the first time) promises to be a robust visual and deeply emotional experience.

Did I mention Ezra? I missed in theaters, but Tony Goldwyn rarely fails. So much more here, it's actually rather daunting. As always, there aren't enough hours in the week to watch everything. I'll give it a go anyway.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die [Sony]

Synopsis: This Summer, the world's favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your-seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami's finest are now on the run.

Kill [Lionsgate]

Synopsis: When army commando Amrit (Lakshya) finds out his true love Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) is engaged against her will, he boards a New Delhi-bound train in a daring quest to derail the arranged marriage. But when a gang of knife-wielding thieves led by the ruthless Fani (Raghav Juyal) begin to terrorize innocent passengers on his train, Amrit takes them on himself in a death-defying kill-spree to save those around him — turning what should have been a typical commute into an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.

The Linguini Incident (1991) Director’s Cut [MVD Visual]

Synopsis: Lucy (Rosanna Arquette, Pulp Fiction) is an underpaid waitress at 'Dali', a terminally hip New York City restaurant, who's seriously in need of cash. Dali's new, mysterious, charming (and very in debt) bartender, Monte (David Bowie, The Hunger) needs to marry someone, anyone, by the end of the week... or else. Together they join forces-- along with Lucy's lingerie designing best friend, Viv (Eszter Balint, Stranger Than Paradise) -- to rob the popular eatery and solve their financial woes. However these three are far from master criminals and they soon learn that in robberies, as in love, things never go as planned.

Also available on Blu-ray

The Artic Convoy [Magnolia Pictures]

Synopsis: In 1942, the leader of a convoy carrying vital military supplies to a Norwegian outpost decides to proceed through treacherous, enemy-infested waters despite the recall of their military escort. Fighting for their lives against German air and naval forces, the 35 civilian merchant ships brave brutal Arctic seas to bring much needed support to soldiers on the front lines.

Dead Sea [ Vertical Entertainment]

Synopsis: Stranded in the open sea after a fatal accident, a young woman and her two friends are rescued by a fishing vessel's captain, unaware that the ship harbors a chilling secret.

Swan Song [Greenwich]

Synopsis: An immersive, behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s leading ballet companies as it mounts a new production of Swan Lake. Ballet icon Karen Kain, on the eve of her retirement, directs the National Ballet of Canada. The film weaves together intimate scenes of the creative process and the dancers’ personal lives. Executive Produced by Neve Campbell.

Stay With Us (2022) [Film Movement]

Synopsis: After three successful years living and working in America, French-Jewish actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh decides to move back home to Paris. He misses his family and friends. Or, at least that's what Gad tells his loving yet overbearing parents, Régine and David. However, it's not long before his parents find out the true reason for their son's return — after a long period of ambivalence towards his own Jewishness, Gad has officially decided to convert to Catholicism. Dumbfounded by his sudden obsession with the Virgin Mary, and with only five weeks before his baptism, Gad's family endeavor to bring him back to Judaism for fear of losing him forever.

Blu-ray & DVD

The Fall Guy: Extended Cut [Universal]

Synopsis: Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman fresh off an almost career-ending accident. Colt is persuaded to return to his stunt career when he's told his ex, Jody (Emily Blunt), is directing a film and asked for him specifically. With hopes of winning back the love of his life, Colt returns to set only to find the movie's leading man missing and production in peril. Ensnared in an increasingly wild conspiracy, he must solve the mystery to save Jody's film and get one last shot with her. What could possibly go right? David Leitch (director of Bullet Train and producer of John Wick) delivers hard-hitting action, hilarious comedy, and a classic love story all cannon-rolled into one stunt-filled adventure with The Fall Guy.

Anselm 3D [Criterion]

Synopsis: In Anselm, Wim Wenders creates a hypnotic portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. Shot in 6K resolution, and presented theatrically and on Blu-ray in 3D, the film presents an immersive cinematic experience of the German artist’s work, which explores the overawing beauty of human existence, landscape, and myth while confronting the horrors of his country’s history and seeking to undo the postwar silence in which both artist and director came of age. Through archival footage, biographical scenes, and direct access to his subject at work amid the massive installation in France where he now lives among his creations, Wenders traces the arc of Kiefer’s career, provoking an engagement with creativity through the senses, the intellect, and the spirit.

Arcadian [RLJ Entertainment]

Synopsis: In a near future, normal life on Earth has been decimated. Paul and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. Every night, after the sun sets, they face the unrelenting attacks of a mysterious and violent evil. One day, when Thomas doesn't return home before sundown, Paul must leave the safety of their fortified farm to find him. A nightmarish battle ensues that forces the family to execute a desperate plan to survive.

Back to Black [Universal Pictures]

Synopsis: The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.

Ezra [Decal Releasing]

Synopsis: EZRA follows Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (introducing William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives. Directed by Tony Goldwyn, who also appears in the film alongside additional cast members Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg, EZRA is an endearing and often funny exploration of a family determined to find their way through life’s complexities with humor, compassion, and heart.

Halo: Season Two 4K UHD SteelBook [Paramount]

Synopsis: Master Chief John-117 leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. As humanity’s best hope for winning the war, John-117 discovers his deep connection to a mysterious alien structure that holds the key to humankind’s salvation, or its destruction — the Halo.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three 4K UHD [Warner Bros.]

Synopsis: Now fully revealed as the ultimate threat to existence, the ANTI-MONITOR wages an unrelenting attack on the surviving Earths that struggle for survival in a pocket universe. One by one, these worlds and all their inhabitants are vaporized! On the planets that remain, even time itself is shattered, and heroes from the past join the Justice League and their rag-tag allies against the epitome of evil. But as they make their last stand, will the sacrifice of the superheroes be enough to save us all?

The Strangers: Chapter 1 [Lionsgate Films]

Synopsis: After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in THE STRANGERS ― CHAPTER 1, the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.

The Zone of Interest 4K UHD A24 Shop Exclusive DigiPack [A24]

Synopsis: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

Confessions of a Serial Killer: Director’s Cut (1985) [Unearthed Films]

Synopsis: After being arrested, a Texas man begins confessing to the brutal murder of over 200 women. He recounts his random selection of victims and his traveling companions, his friend and friend's sister. But the police can't be sure whether to believe him or not until he locates a body and shows them some polaroids. Based on the true story of Henry Lee Lucas.

The Double Crossers (1976) [Eureka Entertainment]

Synopsis: Following his late father’s murder, police officer Detective Lung (Shin) discovers that both of his parents were involved in a smuggling ring – and that his father was killed by its leader, a violent criminal now living in Hong Kong under the name Wang (Chao Hsiung, THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN). Determined to avenge his father’s death, Lung resigns from the police force to take matters into his own hands. Teaming up with a smuggler who was once a close friend and partner-in-crime to his parents, Chang (Chen Sing, THE CHINESE BOXER), Lung heads for Hong Kong and sets about drawing Wang into a trap.

Farewell My Concubine (1993) 4K UHD [Criterion]

Synopsis: A breathtakingly intimate romance unfolds against a sweeping backdrop of social upheaval in renowned director Chen Kaige’s sumptuous saga of passion, fate, and the transcendent possi­bilities of art. Spanning fifty years of twentieth-century Chinese history, Farewell My Concubine follows aspiring actors Cheng Dieyi (a heartbreaking Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) as they emerge from a childhood of brutal training to become Beijing-opera stars, with life mirroring art as Dieyi’s unrequited love for Xiaolou and the country’s changing political tides engulf them in their own personal tragedies of jealousy and betrayal. The first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or is epic filmmaking of the highest order—visually and emotionally ravishing from frame to exquisite frame.

The Girl on the Bridge (1999) [Kino Lorber]

Synopsis: Girl on the Bridge is one of director Patrice Leconte’s (The Hairdresser’s Husband) most intoxicating romances. Shot in gorgeous B&W, it follows the whirlwind courtship of carnival knife thrower Gabor (Daniel Auteuil, Caché) and lonesome wanderer Adele (Vanessa Paradis, Half a Chance). Despairing of her future, Adele leaps into the Seine before being rescued by Gabor, and unexpectedly becomes the new assistant, and target, for his act. He flings knives at her across Europe, their love growing with each death-defying act. Living so close to the edge, how long can the luck of these lovers hold out?

Jaws: 3-Movie Collection (1978-1987) [Universal]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…all 3 sequels from one of the most successful blockbusters of all time are featured in the Jaws 3-Movie Collection. Years after being terrorized by a great white shark, the vacationers on Amity Island begin disappearing again in an all-too-familiar fashion and seek the help of Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) in Jaws 2. In Jaws 3, tourists marvel at the new "Undersea Kingdom", a maze of underwater glass tunnels that allow visitors to get up closer to marine life than ever before, until they get an unexpected visit from a very angry shark. Finally, in Jaws: The Revenge, Brody's wife seeks refuge in the Bahamas only to find herself reliving the horrors of her past and decides to take matters into her own hands. This time, it's personal!

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) 4K UHD [Sony]

Synopsis: Baffling murders, fascinating plot twists and remarkable camera work all contribute to this spellbinding, time-honored film noir written, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Hired to work on a yacht belonging to the disabled husband of femme fatale Rita Hayworth, Welles plays an innocent man drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue and murder. The subject of great controversy and scandal upon its initial release, THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI shocked 1948 audiences by presenting Hayworth with her flaming red hair cut short and dyed champagne blonde.

Risky Business (1983) 4K UHD [Criterion]

Synopsis: A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him to walk on the wild side. While Cruise boogying in his briefs yielded one of the most iconic pop-cultural moments of the 1980s, it is the film’s unexpected mix of tender romance (enhanced by a moody synth score by Tangerine Dream) and sharp-witted capitalist critique that remains fresh and daring.