NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE HUNTER,” starring Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Powerful, uncompromising character study from director Daniel Nettheim (“Angst”) follows emotionally guarded mercenary Martin (Dafoe) as he takes to the Tasmanian wilderness to track down the elusive, possibly nonexistent Tasmanian tiger under the auspices of a shady biotech company. In the end, the tiger may represent the least of his problems, as less-than-trusting locals threaten his mission, and the young family he’s staying with start asking unwanted questions. Stylish, sobering and well worth checking out. Rated R. Running time: 1:42

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

“MAC AND DEVIN GO TO HIGH SCHOOL,” starring Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. Proudly idiotic stoner comedy attempts to create a Cheech and Chong for the new millennium with rappers Dogg and Khalifa, both of whom display an undeniable if barely conscious charisma as a high school senior who has stayed back 15 times and an impressionable valedictorian, respectively. The fact that the opening scenes involve a profane welcome from an animated talking joint should immediately prepare viewers for what lays in store. Rated R. Running time: 1:16

Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.99

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“BARBARELLA,” starring Jane Fonda and John Phillip Law. The sexy space grandma of cult classics in general, “Barbarella” is as cheesily wonderful as it ever was, with scantily clad astronaut Fonda showing up on the heavily shag-carpeted plant of Lythion to defeat the evil and morally bankrupt Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea), taking time out for the occasional zero-gravity striptease and a memorable ride on the “Excessive Machine.” The gloriously tacky sets and outfits are brought to vivid life via Blu-ray technology, and no Fonda fan or bad movie lover’s library should be without this excellently remastered trash masterpiece. Rated PG. Running time: 1:38

Suggested retail price: $29.99

“TREASURE PLANET,” animated with the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Thompson. Unjustly overlooked during its original release, Disney has thankfully seen fit to give this impressively animated futuristic update of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” a deluxe re-release for its 10th anniversary. A seamless melding of old-school hand-drawn animation and CGI, “Planet” has long deserved a second chance, and this worthy repackaging is your best chance yet to make amends. Special features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and much more. Rated PG. Running time: 1:35

Suggested retail price: $29.99

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“GOD BLESS AMERICA,” starring Joel Murray and Tara Lynne Barr. Not content to rest on his laurels as the guy with the squeaky voice from the “Police Academy” movies, Bobcat Goldthwait somehow along the way became a writer and director of some of the darkest, funniest and least compromising comedies around. This time, Goldthwait takes on everyone in the country, indirectly railing against our lazy, shock-for-shock’s-sake culture through his protagonist, Frank, played in a career-high performance by Murray. Lonely, bitter and terminally ill, Frank loads his gun and takes to the streets after one bad reality show too many turns him against the stupidity of the general populace, and along the way finds an unexpected kindred spirit in Roxy (Barr), a troubled teen eager to join him in dispatching the various irritating people they encounter. Rated R for strong violence and language, including some sexual sequences. Running time: 1:45

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

“JESUS HENRY CHRIST,” starring Toni Collette and Michael Sheen. Writer-director Dennis Lee’s (“Fireflies in the Garden”) difficult to classify film finds a potential new child star in Jason Spevack, a refreshingly unaffected young performer who effectively grounds an oft hyperactive feature that could otherwise have floated away on its own quirky cloud. Upon discovering that he was conceived in a petri dish, Spevack sets about searching for his father, a quest that ends up involving a lot of Post-It notes and help from his newly discoverws half-sister (Samantha Weinstein). A fairly straightforward tale told in a creatively roundabout manner, Lee piles on cutaways and unexpected laughs that serve to invigorate the story rather than distract. Rated PG-13 for some violent images, language and smoking. Running time: 1:32

Suggested retail price: $24.98

– Courtesy of Videoport