NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“ARTHUR,” starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren. Genial if relatively needless remake of the 1981 comedy favorite with the suddenly omnipresent Brand filling in for the sorely missed Dudley Moore as the “Arthur” in question, a perennially soused millionaire whose vast inheritance hangs in the balance when he falls for a girl (Greta Gerwig of “Greenberg”) his family doesn’t much care for. It probably goes without saying that the original isn’t improved upon here, but Brand is a suitably daffy stand-in, and while no one could possibly hope to match the great John Gielgud’s original performance as Arthur’s bitter butler, Mirren comes awfully close. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:50.

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

“INSIDIOUS,” starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. Genuinely chilling supernatural thriller from the normally far less subtle James Wan (“Saw”) finds young parents Josh (Wilson, “Little Children”) and Renai (Byrne, “Bridesmaids”) forced to contend with evil spirits, which take it upon themselves to put the couple’s young son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) into a coma. Relying on eerie atmosphere and quick glimpses of terror rather than rubbing the viewer’s face in as much gore as possible, Wan has delivered a good old-fashioned fright flick that hearkens back to such unexplained-evil-in-the-house classics as “The Exorcist” and “Poltergeist.” Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:43.

Suggested retail price: DVD $30.99; Blu-ray $35.99. 

“THE LINCOLN LAWYER,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei. Solid legal thriller gives McConaughey one of his better recent roles as Mick Haller, a defense attorney who conducts all of his business out of his Lincoln town car. When called upon to represent a wealthy real estate heir (Ryan Phillippe) accused of assaulting an escort, pieces start to fall together that seem to link back to an older case of Mick’s, and he begins to suspect a set-up. With an excellent supporting cast (including Bryan Cranston, Michael Pare and William H. Macy) and a brisk pace that makes it harder to notice how implausible the whole thing is, “Lawyer” is a slick and terrifically entertaining movie in the vein of “The Firm” or “And Justice for All.” Special features include deleted scenes. Rated R for some violence, sexual content and language. Running time: 1:58

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.95; Blu-ray $39.99. 

“RANGO,” animated with the voices of Johnny Depp and Timothy Olyphant. What to do when you’re an unassuming CGI chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp who finds himself stranded in a hardscrabble Western town? Why, run for sheriff, of course! From this not especially promising setup came one of this year’s most delightful surprises, a witty, exciting and gorgeously animated ‘toon that works as both bang-up kiddie entertainment and a sly parody of “spaghetti Westerns” for cinema-wise parents. Joining Depp in his reptilian hijinks are Bill Nighy, Ned Beatty and Alfred Molina. Special features include deleted scenes and a never-before-seen ending. Rated PG. Running time: 1:47.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.99; Blu-ray $44.99. 

NEW ON DVD

“DAMAGES: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON,” starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. Force of nature litigator Patty Hewes (Close, in the role that may define her career) faces off against her fiercest opponent yet: the Tobin family, a powerful clan clearly based on the Madoffs and comprised of Lily Tomlin as the formidable matriarch, the incomparable Campbell Scott (“Roger Dodger”) as her weaselly son, and none other than Martin Short as their loyal if overworked attorney. As ever, plot twists and tantrums abound, and Close holds everything together with her gutsy and proudly unlikable performance. Not rated, contains language, violence and sexual content. Running time: 9:33.

Suggested retail price: $39.95. 

“ENTOURAGE: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON,” starring Kevin Connolly and Adrian Grenier. Love ’em or hate ’em, the “Entourage” boys are back for another season of ill-advised antics and relentlessly crude insults. This time around, a life-threatening accident affects the guys in a variety of interesting and unexpected ways. Jeremy Piven’s Ari remains the biggest (albeit most entertaining) jerk on the planet, and Ari detractors may want to give this season a shot simply to enjoy the rare comeuppance he encounters during its finale. Not rated, contains language, crude humor, nudity and drug content. Running time: 5:30.

Suggested retail price: DVD $39.98; Blu-ray $49.99. 

“ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS III,” animated with the voices of Seth Green and Billy Dee Williams. Although the “Family Guy” parodies get more press, nobody makes fun of “Star Wars” like the pop-culture obsessed wackjobs behind “Robot Chicken,” and in this latest homage, we’re treated to intertwining back stories for three seminal members of the Star Wars universe (Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader and Boba Fett) and one less so (Gary the Stormtrooper). Fans of SW will be more appreciative of the many in-jokes and references, but comedy fans in general will find plenty here to tickle their funny bones. Special features include audio commentaries and a writer’s room featurette. Running time: 1:00.

Suggested retail price: DVD $14.98; Blu-ray $19.98. 

NEW ON BLU-RAY

“BRAZIL,” starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro. The film that put Monty Python member-turned-master-director Terry Gilliam on the map, this brilliant 1985 dystopian satire would have freaked out Kafka himself with its brutally funny take on a horrifically bureaucratic future, where a simple typographical error can render a well-meaning clerk (Pryce, “Glengarry Glen Ross”) into a suspected terrorist. Gilliam’s now-familiar visual style was a head trip for unsuspecting ’80s audiences, and its Oscar-nominated screenplay (co-written by Tom Stoppard) was a literary treat during a notoriously lowbrow era for film. Rated R. Running time: 2:12.

Suggested retail price: $26.98. 

“DAMNATION ALLEY,” starring Jan-Michael Vincent and George Peppard. Finally available (and in high definition no less), this long neglected but fondly remembered 1977 sci-fi B-movie follows George “A-Team” Peppard, Jan-Michael “Airwolf” Vincent and Jackie Earle Haley back in his “Bad News Bears” days as they navigate post-nuclear war devastation and battle mutant cockroaches in their specially designed armored vehicles. If that doesn’t describe an excellent Friday night’s entertainment, we don’t know what does. Rated PG. Running time: 1:31.

Suggested retail price: $26.97. 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“NAKED,” starring David Thewlis and Katrin Cartlidge. Director Mike Leigh (“Secrets and Lies”) is a famously divisive filmmaker, but no one could ever accuse him of playing by the rules. This difficult but fascinating character study begat one of the finest (and, sadly, least recognized) performances of the 1990s in Thewlis (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”), who goes for utter broke as a confrontational and downright cruel drifter wandering about the least quaint areas of Britain, making already bleak lives just a bit worse. If it can be called a comedy, it’s as black as it gets, but the fact that Thewlis failed to become a household name on the basis of his amazing work here remains an astounding shame. Rated R for language and violence, including rape. Running time: 2:11.

Suggested retail price: DVD $39.95; Blu-ray $39.95. 

“UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES,” starring Thanapat Saisaymar and Jenjira Pongpas. Patience and an open mind will reward the brave viewer of the works of Thai writer-director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, but “Uncle Boonmee,” for all its bizarre flights of fancy, is arguably Weerasethakul’s most accessible film to date. The alternately charming, hilarious and downright disturbing vignette details the many inexplicable events that the ailing Uncle Boonmee (first-timer Saisaymar) has encountered over the course of the many lives he’s apparently led on Earth. With dreamlike visuals unlike anything you’ve experienced elsewhere, “Boonmee” is a curiously beautiful meditation on the connections between the physical and spiritual world. And one thing’s for sure: you’ll never look at a catfish the same way again. Not rated, contains disturbing imagery and some violence. Running time: 1:54.

Suggested retail price: DVD $27.99; Blu-ray $34.99.

— Courtesy of Videoport

 

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