NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“BEASTLY,” starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. This critically lambasted adaptation of the novel by Alex Flinn is indeed an overly earnest and not especially well-written update of the ever-popular “Beauty and the Beast” tale. Pretty boy Pettyfer is magically transformed into a hideous mutant (or, in this case, a bald guy with a bunch of artsy lines on his head and face) after making the mistake of insulting the resident witch at his high school, played by none other than Mary-Kate Olsen. Only by truly telling a woman he loves her can the spell be lifted. Tweens looking for an involving romance should be pleasantly entertained by this slick-looking affair. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:26.

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.95; Blu-ray $34.95. 

“SEASON OF THE WITCH,” starring Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman. Pleasingly dunderheaded medieval actioner finds deserting Crusaders Cage and Perlman forced to transport a young witch (Claire Foy) to a monastery containing an ancient book that will purportedly exorcise the demons within her that are evidently causing the Black Plague. In the meantime, there’s lots of fighting and shaky CGI effects. Cage sleepwalks through his scenes, but Perlman handily makes up for it, playing it big and having fun with the silly material. An undemanding Saturday afternoon kind of flick with some memorable action scenes. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:35.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99. 

“SUCKER PUNCH,” starring Abbie Cornish and Emily Browning. Proudly ridiculous and transcendently superficial, “Sucker Punch” is what happens when you combine the visceral thrills of a video game with the nonstop action of a comic book, then populate it with sexy young women for good measure. Ostensibly the tale of a lobotomized girl (Browning) who re-imagines her bland and troubling asylum environment as a cross between a cabaret and a brothel, the framework is mainly an excuse to showcase as many insane fight scenes and erotic dance sequences as possible. Those looking for a cohesive plot or an intelligent drama are advised to look elsewhere, but for pure eye candy, “Sucker Punch” is hard to beat. Rated PG-13. (Also available in an R-rated extended cut on Blu-ray.) Running time: 1:50.

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99. 

“THE WARRIOR’S WAY,” starring Dong-Gun Jang and Kate Bosworth. Inspired silliness in which the supposed greatest swordsman in the world (Jang) flees to the American West with the infant he rescued from his murderous mentor and finds kinship in a town seemingly populated almost entirely by circus performers — including knife expert Bosworth and rambunctious drunk Geoffrey Rush. Flat-out strange and impossible to pigeonhole, first-time director Sngmoo Lee has crafted something truly original here. Rated R for strong bloody violence. Running time: 1:40.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99. 

NEW ON DVD

“RIZZOLI & ISLES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON,” starring Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon. Popular newcomer from TNT pairs level-headed medical examiner Alexander (“Yes Man”) with firecracker detective Harmon (“Law & Order”) as an effective and thoroughly entertaining crime-fighting team, with the streets of Boston providing colorful background. Based on the bestselling novels by Camden resident Tess Gerritsen. Special features include interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Not rated, contains language and violence. Running time: 7:20.

Suggested retail price: $39.98. 

“WAREHOUSE 13: SEASON 2,” starring Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly. Inventive and addictive SyFy series follows Secret Service agents McClintock and Kelly as they seek out some of history’s most mysterious and dangerous artifacts under the employ of the titular storage facility, home to such odd items as an invisibility-granting samurai sword and a comb that turns its user into a murderer. Not rated, contains mild language and violence. Running time: 8:44.

Suggested retail price: $49.98.

NEW ON BLU-RAY

“THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY,” starring Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen. Considered by many to be the greatest trilogy in film history, this essential Blu-ray set collects the deservedly acclaimed extended director’s cuts of Peter Jackson’s ground-breaking adaptation of the Tolkien fantasy classics. Fans already know the wealth of special features waiting for the lucky viewers on this deluxe set, where commentaries, featurettes and galleries abound. Rated PG-13. Running time: 11:22.

Suggested retail price: $119.98. 

“SERENITY,” starring Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres. First of all, don’t even think about watching this without first watching “Firefly,” the short-lived sci-fi/Western series on which the film is based, in its entirety. It’s some of creator Joss Whedon’s (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) most purely enjoyable work, and Fillion makes for one of the most likable rogue heroes since Han Solo as Mal, the ready-for-anything captain of a ragged but tough crew of an equally rundown spaceship. Special features include outtakes, extended scenes and much more. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:59.

Suggested retail price: $26.98. 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“BARNEY’S VERSION,” starring Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman. You really can’t go wrong with Paul Giamatti. Whether classing up a bad movie (“Shoot ‘Em Up,” “Big Fat Liar”) or elevating an already great one as in this fine character study from Richard J. Lewis, you can’t take your eyes off him. While he can seemingly play any character you throw at him, Giamatti specializes in irascible outsiders, making him the ultimate choice to portray Barney Panofsky, the unapologetically unpleasant TV producer of Mordecai Richler’s acclaimed 1997 novel of the same name. Following Panofsky over three decades of his successful but often miserable existence, Lewis and Giamatta pull no punches in documenting Barney’s foibles and considerable missives, whether crank-calling his ex-wife or falling in love with one of the guests at his own wedding. Rated R for language and some sexual content. Running time: 2:14.

Suggested retail price: DVD $38.96; Blu-ray $38.96. 

“ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST,” starring Ian McCulloch and Alexandra Delli Colli. When determining our picks for the week, we try to single out the latest low-budget indie flick or fascinating but relatively unknown documentary as much as possible. But sometimes, we just gotta watch a good zombie flick — or better yet, a hilariously bad one. This gut-chewing wonder from 1980 comes from the prolific Italian director Marino Girolami, the man behind such intriguingly titled winners as “College Girl on Vacation.” For gorehounds hunting for their latest obsession, “Holocaust” will not disappoint. The “plot” concerns the prerequisite wackjob scientist who enlists an entire island of cannibal tribesman in the hopes of transforming them into an army of zombies for one reason or another. Rated R for nonstop gore, language and nudity. Running time: 1:24.

Suggested retail price: DVD $20.98; Blu-ray $20.98. 

— Courtesy of Videoport

 

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