New streaming, on-demand highlights for February 19-25, 2024

This week’s digital-to-own and on-demand titles are led by filmmakerJonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest," which is among the finest films about the Holocaust you’ll ever see. The movie focuses on the daily activities of the family of Rudolf Höss as they live in the shadow of the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is a haunting, lyrical descent into the banality of evil. Anything is possible if you allow it to happen.

Those looking for something less weighty could turn to the romantic drama “Anyone But You” or Tina Fey’s musical reimagining of “Mean Girls.” I’m more likely to try “Memory” with Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, the bizarre looking “Phantom Warrior,” or Mads Mikkelsen in the 18th-century-set drama “The Promised Land.”

This week’s physical releases are primarily catalog titles given 4K upgrades. I’d point your direction to the classic “The Heroic Trio," starring Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh, and its sequel “Executioners.” Sticking with the Asian cinema theme, you’ll want to take a look at the 4K release of 2006’s “Paprika,” an animated sci-fi thriller about a future where a technological advancement blurs the line between reality and nightmare.

The Zone of Interest

Studio 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. A hypnotic and deeply chilling masterpiece from filmmaker Jonathan Glazer ("Under the Skin"), starring Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel.

Anyone But You

Studio Synopsis: In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold -- until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So, they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.

The Bad Shepherd

Studio Synopsis:In remote wilderness, a group of friends embark on a fateful hunting trip that takes a dark turn when they unintentionally take the life of a mysterious stranger carrying a bag brimming with illicit cash. As guilt and paranoia consume them, their loyalties are pushed to the brink. However, their nightmare intensifies when the bag's mysterious owner begins a relentless pursuit, forcing the friends into a treacherous game of survival where their bonds are tested, secrets unravel, and the desperate quest for redemption takes an unforgiving toll on their once unbreakable friendships.

The Company (2003)

Studio Synopsis: An ensemble drama centered around a group of ballet dancers, with a focus on one young dancer who's poised to become a principal performer. Directed by Rovert Altman and starring Neve Campbell, James Franco, and Malcolm McDowell.

How I Learned to Fly

Studio Synopsis:Two African-American teenage boys are suddenly and mysteriously abandoned by their parents. The two have to learn how to survive on their own. From this desertion, comes an experience of beauty, meaning and enduring love.

Mean Girls (2024)

Studio Synopsis:From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, "Mean Girls". New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.

Memory

Studio Synopsis:A love-struck couple attempt to build a relationship while dealing with trauma and dementia, in Michel Franco’s dramatic study of memory, identity, and trust. Starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard.

Phantom Warrior

Studio Synopsis:"Phantom Warrior" is the origin story of the masked vigilante, Nemesis Knight. A new breed of superhero for a changing world. From young feral orphan to deadly crusader, balancing the equilibrium between good and evil. She wears the Mask of Dionysus, given to her as a gift by The God of The Underworld, Hades as she rides her black horse named Zeus, armed with her trusted rifle and sidearm strapped to her leg, ferociously sending criminals to the other side!

The Promised Land

Studio Synopsis:In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) – a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out to tame a vast, uninhabitable land on which seemingly nothing can grow. He seeks to start farming crops, build a colony in the name of the King, and gain a noble title for himself. This beautiful but forbidding area also happens to be under the rule of the merciless Frederik De Schinkel, a preening nobleman who realizes the threat Kahlen represents to his power. Struggling against the elements and local brigands, Kahlen is joined by a couple who have fled the clutches of the rapacious De Schinkel. As this group of misfits begins to build a small community in this inhospitable place, De Schinkel swears vengeance, and the confrontation between him and Kahlen promises to be as violent and intense as these two men.

Afire

Studio Synopsis:While vacationing by the Baltic Sea, writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) and photographer Felix (Langston Uibel) are surprised by the presence of Nadja (Paula Beer), a mysterious young woman staying as a guest at Felix’s family’s holiday home. Nadja distracts Leon from finishing his latest novel and with brutal honesty, forces him to confront his caustic temperament and self-absorption. As Nadja and Leon grow closer, an encroaching forest fire threatens the group and tensions escalate when a handsome lifeguard and Leon's tight-lipped book editor also arrive.

The Criterion Collection: The Heroic Trio / Executioners 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis:The star power of cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh fuels these gloriously unrestrained action joyrides from auteur Johnnie To and action choreographer Ching Siu-tung. "The Heroic Trio" and its sequel, "Executioners," follow a new kind of justice league: a team of blade-throwing, shotgun-toting, kung fu–fighting heroines who join forces to battle evildoers in a dystopian, noirish city. Blending dazzling martial-arts mayhem with exhilarating blasts of comic-book lunacy, these beloved superhero movies reimagine the genre through the giddy genius of the Hong Kong film industry at its height.

Beverly Hills Cop: 3-Movie Collection 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis:Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the action-comedy classic "Beverly Hills Cop" follows the one-and-only Axel Foley, a street-smart cop from Detroit. Tracking down his best friend's killer in Beverly Hills, Axel smashes through the local barriers in a hilarious, high-speed pursuit of justice.

Darkman: Collector's Edition 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis: Liam Neeson ("Taken") and Oscar winner Frances McDormand ("Fargo") star in this explosive, action-packed thriller from director Sam Raimi (the "Spider-Man" trilogy). When the laboratory of Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) is blown up by gangsters, he is burned beyond recognition. Altered by an experimental medical procedure, he assumes alternate identities in his quest for revenge.

Leviathan 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis:On the dark and forbidding ocean floor, the crew of a deep-sea mining rig discovers a sunken freighter that harbors a deadly secret: a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. With a storm raging on the surface and no hope of rescue, the captain (Weller) and his team are propelled into a spine-tingling battle for survival against the ultimate foe—a hideous monster that cannot die...and lives to kill.

The Criterion Collection: Nothing But a Man

Studio Synopsis:Michael Roemer’s groundbreaking first feature, sensitively shot by his close collaborator Robert M. Young, is a still-resonant expression of humanity in the face of virulent prejudice. Made at the height of the civil rights movement, "Nothing but a Man" reveals the toll of systemic racism through its honest portrait of a southern Black railroad worker (Ivan Dixon) confronting the daily challenges of discrimination and economic precarity, as he attempts to settle down with his new wife (jazz great Abbey Lincoln) and track down his father (Julius Harris). Admired by Malcolm X and now recognized as a landmark of American cinema, this tender film grounds its social critique in characters of unforgettable complexity and truth.

Paprika 4K UHD Steelbook

Studio Synopsis:Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination -- where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device -- before it falls into the hands of a "dream terrorist" in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.