NEW ON THE SHELF

“CBGB,” Alan Rickman, Malin Akerman. Less an overview of the notorious NYC punk club than a testament to the tenacity of the man behind its inception, “CBGB” stars Rickman as Hilly Krystal, a debt-ridden failure whose attempt to transform a dilapidated building into a country music club backfires profitably when the local punk musicians take a shine to the building’s squalid atmosphere, resulting in an effective showcase for such then-fledgling bands as The Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads. Rated R. Running time: 1:41. Suggested retail price: $20.99; Blu-ray $24.99.

“DON JON,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson. Having already established himself as one of the most engaging and reliable young actors working today, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”) proves a force to be reckoned with behind the camera as well with this knowing and funny look at dating in the age of rampantly available pornography, with Gordon-Levitt writing himself a plum lead role as “Jon,” a likably meat-headed womanizer whose dedication to online porn sites far outweighs his faithfulness to any of his many lady friends. Enter Barbara (Johansson, a lot of fun in one of her better recent roles), a gorgeous, no-nonsense force of nature who just might be the one to coax him back into the real world of relationships. Great performances down the line, including a surprisingly terrific turn from Tony Danza as Jon’s hot-headed dad. Rated R. Running time: 1:31. Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99. 

NEW TO DVD

“HELL BABY,” Leslie Bibb, Rob Corddry. From the warped comic minds behind “Reno 911!” and “The State” comes this exorcism send-up, with new parents-to-be Bibb and Corddry (“Hot Tub Time Machine”) finding their newly purchased fixer-upper is the neighborhood haunted house, a fact that comes into play when it appears their unborn baby might be possessed. Enter writer-directors Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, clearly enjoying themselves playing extremely unorthodox Vatican priests keen to battle whatever evil happens to be lurking in Bibb’s womb. Rated R. Running time: 1:33. Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.98. 

“LOVE, MARILYN,” documentary. Remarkably, there are details of Marilyn Monroe’s life that haven’t already been made public, and they’re all brought to life by an impressive cast of readers in this HBO doc, with F. Murray Abraham (“Amadeus”), David Stathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck”) and even Lindsay Lohan showing up to interpret recently unearthed letters and poetry penned by the ever-popular bombshell. Not rated. Running time: 1:47. Suggested retail price: $29.95.

“SWEETWATER,” Ed Harris, January Jones. Boldly strange western from filmmakers (and twins) Logan and Noah Miller (“Touching Home”) follows recently widowed Sarah (Jones, “Mad Men”) as she attempts to track down her missing husband, a disappearance believed by Sheriff Jackson (Harris) to have been perpetrated by local crazy preacher Josiah (Jason Isaacs, the “Harry Potter” series). Rated R. Running time: 1:35. Suggested retail price: $20.99; Blu-ray $24.99. 

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2,” Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne. Effective if superfluous followup to James Wan’s 2011 sleeper hit is a prequel of sorts, providing an equally chilling backstory for the terrifying events detailed in the original. Having previously helmed the notoriously gruesome “Saw” series, Wan appears to be eschewing gore and torture in favor of truly trying to frighten his audience (as he previously did earlier this year in “The Conjuring,” to date his most impressive film), a welcome change of pace. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:46. Suggested retail price: $30.99; Blu-ray $40.99. 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“LAST LOVE,” Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy. At the end of the day, does it get any better than Michaeul Caine? Is there anyone in the business more instantly relatable and believable, regardless of the genre? Here portraying Matthew, a widower struggling to move on after having lost his wife to cancer three years prior, Caine runs the gamut of difficult emotions, bringing an alternately cantankerous and vulnerable character to vivid life as only he can, and we never once question that young Pauline (Poesy, “In Bruges”), a dance instructor he meets on the bus, might take an interest in him, to the consternation of Matthew’s somewhat estranged children (Gillian Anderson and Justin Kirk). Caine is still one of our finest actors. Not rated. Running time: 2:00. Suggested retail price: $27.97; Blu-ray $29.97.

“SISTER,” Gillian Anderson, Lea Seydoux. Impressively tense and well-realized character study from director Ursula Meier (“Home”) accompanies young Simon (Kacey Mottet Klein, “Gemma Bovery”) as he ekes out a living by rifling through the belongings of well-to-do tourists at the upscale ski resort near his dilapidated apartment building, selling off whatever items he manages to pilfer to support himself and his older sister (Lea Seydoux, “Blue is the Warmest Color”), who works a dead-end job and beds local men at random. It’s a grim situation, but always entertaining thanks to the impressive performances by the two young leads, a brief but memorable supporting turn from Gillian Anderson (this week’s “Last Love”) as a sympathetic tourist, and the confident direction from Meier. Not rated. Running time: 1:37. Suggested retail price: $29.95.

– Courtesy of Videoport

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