NEW ON THE SHELF

“HAYWIRE,” starring Gina Carano and Ewan Macgregor. The ever restless and intriguing Steven Soderbergh puts his unmistakable stamp on yet another genre. Applying his unique sensibilities to reinvigorating the rock ’em-sock ’em action pic, he discovers a more-than-suitable hero in Mixed Martial Arts champ Carano, who cuts a formidable yet alluring figure as a freelance black ops expert on a mission of revenge after a colleague very unwisely double-crosses her. That’s a plot we’ve seen more than a few times, but Soderbergh and an excellent cast (which also includes Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender) work overtime to make an old trope seem like the next big thing. Rated R. Running time: 1:33

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

“JOYFUL NOISE,” starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton. A pair of choir leaders find themselves at odds as to how their talented group should prepare for an upcoming national competition in this family-friendly comedy/musical. As might be expected, Latifah and Parton are more than up to the required brassiness quotient, and writer-director Todd Graff (“Camp”) keeps the proceedings lively and fun. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:58

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

“NEW YEAR’S EVE,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Hilary Swank. Viewers looking for comforting, none-too-taxing date-night entertainment can always count on veteran director Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman”) to fill the bill nicely, and this likable follow-up to “Valentine’s Day” keeps the alternately wacky and touching romantic subplots coming. A huge cast of familiar faces (including Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Abigail Breslin and Zac Efron, just to name a few) tirelessly pile on the charm, so less enthusiastic significant others can always play “spot the guest star” if it comes to that. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:58

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

NEW TO DVD

“COVERT AFFAIRS: SEASON TWO,” starring Piper Perabo and Peter Gallagher. Popular hit series stars Golden Globe nominee Perabo (“Coyote Ugly”) as a beautiful and brilliant CIA agent doing her thing, with blind computer expert Christopher Gorham (“Popular”) providing invaluable backup. It’s a good old-fashioned spy show that avoids getting bogged down in details and concentrates on the fun factor, and Perabo continues to wow in more ways than one. Not rate; contains language, violence and mild sexual content. Running time: 12:00

Suggested retail price: $39.98

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“JEREMIAH JOHNSON,” starring Robert Redford and Will Geer. Director Sydney Pollack’s 1972 western adventure holds up rather nicely. Redford is his usual charismatic self as the “Jeremiah” of the title, a relatively inexperienced mountain man attempting to carve out a simple hermitic lifestyle for himself before unwittingly becoming embroiled in a seemingly endless battle of wills with the local Native Americans. An old-fashioned yarn that should still easily hold the attention of more jaded modern audiences thanks to a solid narrative and gorgeous scenery. Rated PG. Running time: 1:56

Suggested retail price: $19.98

“THE WIZARD OF GORE”/”THE GORE GORE GIRLS,” starring Amy Farrell and Frank Kress. A pair of enjoyable seedy, blood-drenched mind-blowers from the grandfather of gore, Mr. Herschell Gordon Lewis. “Wizard” from 1970 finds proudly unappealing magician Montag the Magnificent drawing a crowd by hypnotizing audience members and involving them in a series of disgusting tricks that generally result in someone leaving without their intestines. And 1972’s “Girls” is a gonzo would-be mystery concerning the graphically depicted murders of strippers and a sleazy private detective’s attempt to sort things out amidst an onslaught of ridiculous suspects. Not rated; contains nonstop gore and sexual content. Running time: 2:56

Suggested retail price: $17.97

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD,” documentary. As a member of arguably the most influential rock group in history, George Harrison’s contributions to The Beatles, and to popular music in general, can easily get overlooked simply due to the reserved nature of the man himself. Lacking Lennon’s media antics, McCartney’s ceaseless output and Ringo’s well, whatever it is that Ringo does, George was content to remain in the relative background, letting his music speak for itself to his millions of dedicated fans. Filmmaker and music aficionado Martin Scorsese gives this profoundly talented man his due, culling long unseen, intimate Beatle footage and interspersing it with interviews from McCartney, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, and “Monty Python” members Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle, among many others. Not rated; contains some language. Running time: 3:50

Suggested retail price: $24.98; Blu-ray $24.98

“THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY,” starring Hardy Kruger and Colin Gordon. Notable for being one of the few films to present a German soldier as a character to sympathize with and even actively root for, this 1957 WWI-era drama effectively casts a terrific Kruger as Franz von Werra, a German soldier captured after his plane is shot down during the Battle of Britain. Headstrong to say the least, von Werra’s numerous attempts to evade his captors and make it back to his homeland are impossible not to get wrapped up in. Not rated; contains violence. Running time: 1:46

Suggested retail price: $14.99

– Courtesy of Videoport