NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“THE A-TEAM,” starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper. Gleefully over-the-top adaptation of the beloved ’80s action series dispenses with plot and logic altogether, wisely putting the focus on wisenheimer one-liners and ridiculously fun action sequences, wherein tanks are dropped from planes and people fall off buildings without sustaining any apparent bodily harm. Neeson ably fills the great George Peppard’s shoes as stogie-chomping leader Hannibal, while Cooper makes an ideal Face. Rounding out the cast are wrestler “Rampage” Jackson as B.A. “I pity the fool” Baracus and “District 9” lead Sharlto Copley as “Howlin’ Mad” Murdock. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:57.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99. 

“CYRUS,” starring John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill. “Mumblecore” goes mainstream with this improv-heavy comedy of sorts, which finds shut-in John (Reilly) seemingly finding the girl of his dreams in Molly (Marisa Tomei), only to find himself butting heads with her off-putting, overprotective son, Cyrus (Hill). Directors Mark and Jay Duplass seek to achieve a certain realism by encouraging improvisation within cut-and-dried situations staged on minimal sets, and, much like life, the results range from hilarious to awkward to boring to moving back to hilarious again. Rated R. Running time: 1:31.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99. 

“DESPICABLE ME,” animated with the voices of Steve Carell and Jason Segel. Charming and consistently funny 3-D-animated comedy concerns Gru (Carell), a basement-dwelling, self-styled do-badder bent on becoming the world’s most notorious supervilliain by means of stealing the moon. Inconveniently for Gru, a younger and perhaps more clever evil upstart (Segel) has the exact same plan, and the race for nefarious lunar domination is on. The cast of voices is a who’s who of popular comedians, including Russell Brand, Will Arnett and Danny McBride, just to name a few. Rated PG. Running time: 1:35.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.98. 

“LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE.” Animated with the voices of Jim Sturges and Helen Mirren. Dazzling animated epic based on the fantasy novel series by Kathryn Lasky and brought to the screen by “300” director Zach Snyder, who brings his distinct visual sensibilities to this sprawling universe in which a band of heroic owls fights to protect their species from enslavement by the Pure Ones, who represent, for lack of a better term, bad-guy owls. As ludicrous as it all looks on paper, “Guardians” turns out to be a thoroughly compelling throwback to such bygone fantasy favorites as “Watership Down” and “The Dark Crystal,” with some truly jaw-dropping sequences of animation. Rated PG. Running time: 1:37.

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

“NANNY McPHEE RETURNS,” starring Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes. Thompson is once again spoiling her ravishing good looks in the name of children’s entertainment in this amusing sequel, in which her magical, if vulgar, nanny turns up to assist a young mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) in running the family farm and minding her unruly children while her husband is away at war. Dismissed by some critics as “Mary Poppins with poop jokes,” “Nanny” nonetheless coasts easily on Thompson’s charm alone, with some help from the always welcome Gyllenhaal and a battalion of hilariously bratty kids. Rated PG. Running time: 1:49.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.98. 

“THE OTHER GUYS,” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Director Adam McKay (“Anchorman”) and Ferrell team up for another anything-goes bizarro comedy, this time wreaking havoc with the hallowed buddy-cop genre. A game and very funny Wahlberg is thrown into the mix as disgraced cop Terry, whose lethal overzealousness in the field has landed him at a desk job, pushing pencils alongside the deceptively straight-laced Allen (Ferrell). It isn’t long before the pair are forced to cooperate in order to solve an impossibly convoluted case, but any plot takes a backseat to barely controlled comedic chaos. Probably a bit longer than it needs to be, but “Guys” will absolutely satisfy fans of Ferrell’s unique comedy stylings. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:47.

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.96; Blu-ray $34.95. 

“THE TOWN,” starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner. Writer-director-star Affleck proves the filmmaking prowess he displayed in 2008’s “Gone Baby Gone” was no fluke with this equally tense Beantown-based heist flick, which finds troubled bank robber Doug stretching his loyalties between his loose-cannon partner (Renner), an upper-level gangster (a frightening Pete Postewaite), and the manager (Rebecca Hall) of one of his recently targeted banks, to whom he has taken a liking. Nothing new here story-wise, but Affleck and company put a new shine on a tried and true premise, and the heist scenes rank among cinema’s best. Rated R. Running time: 2:25.

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

NEW ON DVD

“24; SEASON EIGHT — THE COMPLETE FINAL SEASON,” starring Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub. Federal Agent Jack Bauer (Sutherland, in the defining role of his career) saves the world one last time in this typically cliffhanger-laden season of the enduringly popular and criminally addictive “real-time” thriller series. For the final season, Jack is saddled with the unenviable but undeniably exciting task of simultaneously preventing both the assassination of a Middle Eastern ambassador and an impending terrorist attack on New York City. Running time: 19:57.

Suggested retail price: DVD $59.98; Blu-ray $69.99. 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP,” documentary. The one more thinks about this one-of-a-kind documentary, the more alternately remarkable and impossible it seems. Revered British graffiti artist Banksy makes his way to L.A. to make his mark on some walls when he encounters a garrulous Frenchman named Thierry, who coincidentally spends most of his time videotaping the exploits of graffiti artists, and has fashioned a not-very-good film from the footage. Taking the project over from Thierry, Banksy offhandedly suggests that his new friend make some art of his own. When said art begins making Thierry thousands of dollars and landing him exclusive exhibitions of his work, the film veers off in another direction entirely. The jury’s still out on whether “Shop” is a hoax or not, but this tables-turning work of art that forces its audience to question the very concept of artworks wonders either way. Rated R for some language. Running time: 1:26.

Suggested retail price: $29.98. 

“JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK,” documentary. Comedians tend to make for fascinating case studies — Jerry Seinfeld in “Comedian” and Don Rickles in “Mr. Warmth” both being prime recent examples — but few have let their guard down to the extent that Joan Rivers does in this by turns hilarious, uncomfortable and heartbreaking all-access doc. Candid and frequently shocking, Rivers leaves no secret unspoken and no anxiety unshared, and while the brassy, uncensored persona she’s become known for over the years is on full display throughout, one comes away from “Work” with a newfound appreciation both for River’s humanity and for the tenacity that led her to make a name for herself (and pave the way for funny women everywhere) in a field once considered an exclusive men’s club. Rated R for language and sexual humor. Running time: 1:24.

Suggested retail price: DVD $27.98; Blu-ray $34.98. 

— Courtesy of Videoport