NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP,” documentary. An unsurprisingly hilarious look at the brilliantly, famously jilted talk-show host, whose swift ousting from “The Tonight Show” at the hands of NBC and Jay Leno provides O’Brien with enough material to fuel a sold-out, 32-city stand-up tour. Accompanied by his ever-loyal sidekick, the wry Andy Richter, O’Brien allows filmmaker Rodman Flender (“Idle Hands”) an all-access pass to his private life, capturing an accommodating, generous, yet deeply angry man at a crossroads in his impressive career. Rated R. Running time: 1:29

Suggested retail price: DVD $26.98; Blu-ray $29.98

“THOR,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. Yet another in the seemingly endless parade of superhero adaptations, “Thor” is notable for the pedigree behind the camera (one Kenneth Branagh, the man behind such grand Shakespeare updates as “Henry V” and “Hamlet”), lending a low-rent B-movie far more class than it deserves. While a far cry from the Bard, “Thor” turns out to be pretty darn entertaining, with Hemsworth (“Star Trek”) nailing the God of Thunder’s particular mix of formidability, arrogance and slight denseness. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:55

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

NEW ON DVD

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“THE BIG BANG THEORY: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON,” starring Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki. All brains and no social skills, the four young scientists that bring this very funny sitcom to life find themselves in an ever-increasing variety of awkward situations. Cast breakout Parsons clones himself with disastrous results, and Howard (Simon Helberg, “A Serious Man”) ends up in the hospital after a close encounter with a robotic arm. Not rated; contains language, sexual content and crude humor. Running time: 8:49

Suggested retail price: DVD $44.98; Blu-ray $54.97

“GLEE: SEASON TWO,” starring Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch. The once-omnipresent buzz surrounding this thoroughly addictive high school comedy-drama-musical couldn’t help but dissipate after having taking over TV and radios across the nation. But although fans claim writers took a few wrong plot turns in the second season, the catty one-liners and infectious musical performances are on full display, and Lynch continues to steal the show as the ridiculously vindictive cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Not rated; contains language and thematic content. Running time: 16:41

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

“IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA: SEASON SIX,” starring Charlie Day and Kaitlin Olson. Boasting the most hilariously horrible characters since the heyday of “Seinfeld,” Charlie, Mac and the gang at Paddy’s pub continue to handle delicate situations as indelicately as humanly possible, broaching one hot-button topic after another. Absolutely not for the easily offended, “Philadelphia” is about as dark a comedy as the small screen has ever seen. Not rated; contains language, sexual and drug content, violence and crude humor. Running time: 4:24

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

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NEW ON BLU-RAY

“CITIZEN KANE,” starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten. Still widely regarded by critics and film historians as the greatest American film ever made, Welles’ 1941 masterpiece (made when he was just 26) gets the deluxe hi-def treatment it deserves, replete with making-of docs, storyboards, call sheets and commentaries from Roger Ebert and Peter Bogdanovich. Not rated; nothing objectionable. Running time: 1:59

Suggested retail price: $64.99

“STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA,” starring Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. Not only a great sci-fi series but one of the most significant pop-culture events of the latter half of the 20th century, George Lucas’ groundbreaking, eye-popping and just plain fun saga of The Force and The Dark Side defined a generation in the ’70s and ’80s, then proceeded to alternately re-thrill and alienate (no pun intended) that very same generation. Travel to a galaxy far, far away with all six remastered movies, loaded with special features (and content tweaks that will no doubt prove controversial with purists). All films are rated PG except for “Revenge of the Sith” (PG-13). Running time: 13:27

Suggested retail price: $139.99

VIDEOPORT PICKS

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“HESHER,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rainn Wilson. While it embraces many of the indie trappings that have made the overpopulated genre something of a chore, Spencer Susser’s rebel-minded drama is elevated to must-see status via a strong script and excellent cast. Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”) plays a violent, transient metalhead who manages to cause chaos simply by showing up. Taking up semi-permanent residence in the garage of bereaved father Paul (Wilson), Hesher winds up playing big brother of sorts to young T.J. (Devin Brochu), alternately instilling him with some much-needed confidence and handing down many of his own self-destructive habits. Rated R for disturbing violent behavior, sexual content including graphic dialogue, pervasive language and drug content — some in the presence of a child. Running time: 1:46

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.98; Blu-ray $29.99

“MEEK’S CUTOFF,” starring Michelle Williams and Bruce Greenwood. Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt applies her naturalistic, contemplative approach to the ever-neglected Western genre, and it proves a perfect fit, melding modern deadpan/bizarre humor with the austere backdrop and gritty interplay of your average Western. Williams was practically born to play the plucky, hardscrabble heroine, but it may be dependable character actor Greenwood (“Star Trek”) who makes the biggest impression as Meek, whose abilities as a guide are immediately called into serious question after he gets Williams and her husband extremely lost on the Oregon Trail, with no help or water in sight. Rated PG for some mild violent content, brief language and smoking. Running time: 1:44

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.99; Blu-ray $34.99

– Courtesy of Videoport

 


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