NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE WOLF OF WALL STREET,” Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill. Gleefully unhinged and packed with enough crass entertainment for several movies, director Martin Scorsese’s vicious and hilarious takedown of Wall Street is an all-you-can-eat buffet of dark-hearted decadence and coked-out frivolity. It follows Jordan (DiCaprio) and his deranged crony Donnie (Hill) as they use penny stocks to bilk workers out of millions of dollars, turning the two friends’ lives into one big, drug-fueled orgy. A wonder to behold for those who can stomach some truly terrible behavior, “Wolf” is Scorsese’s funniest picture to date, with some bravura set pieces and inspired work by the two leads. Special features include interviews with cast and crew. Rated R. Running time: 2:59. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99.

“DELIVERY MAN,” Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt. Remaking his own film (the 2011 Canadian hit “Starbuck”), writer-director Ken Scott Americanizes his amusing and touching tale of a frequenter of sperm banks (Vaughn, curbing his motormouthed tendencies with mixed results) and the 533 children he’s unknowingly fathered, 142 of which are hoping to meet him. With lawyer pal Pratt (“Parks and Recreation”) on hand for both legal and parenting advice, Vaughn begins dabbling in his children’s lives without revealing his identity, enriching his own fairly disastrous life by becoming active in theirs. It’s a winning formula rich in both comic and dramatic possibilities, and while Vaughn isn’t a perfect fit for the lead, the fail-safe storyline and message more than compensate. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:45. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $32.99.

“WALKING WITH DINOSAURS: THE MOVIE,” animated, with the voices of John Leguizamo, Justin Long. Extension of the popular 1999 documentary series is a visual stunner, bringing the dinosaurs to life with an impressive melding of live-action and CGI, though the trite dialogue and cobbled-together plot are aimed solely at the kiddies. The bigger the screen, the better the experience here. Rated PG. Running time: 1:27. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99.

NEW TO DVD

“CALIFORNICATION: THE SIXTH SEASON,” David Duchovny, Evan Handler. The continuing, frequently soused adventures of novelist, professor, screenwriter and general ne’er-do-well Hank Moody (indelibly portrayed by Duchovny) are entertainingly documented in season six of Showtime’s acclaimed series, finding Hank hooking up with young rock groupie Faith (Maggie Grace, “Rehab”) during a stint in rehab. Not rated. Running time: 5:41. Suggested retail price: $45.99.

“ODD THOMAS,” Anton Yelchin, Willem Dafoe. Based on the popular novel by Dean R. Koontz, the appropriately named “Odd Thomas” (Yelchin, “Star Trek”) is a seemingly unassuming short order cook, save one important detail: an ability to see and communicate with the dead, a skill set that makes him a considerable crime-solving asset to the local police force, led by Chief Porter (Dafoe). Alternately funny and creepy, is an entertaining mishmash of genres that would have made for a bang-up TV series. Not rated. Running time: 1:36. Suggested retail price: $27.99; Blu-ray $34.99. 

“VEEP: SEASON TWO,” Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Tony Hale. More foul-mouthed, incompetent political shenanigans from not altogether effective Vice President Selena Meyer (Louis-Dreyfuss) and her caustic cabinet of ringers, including “Upright Citizens Brigade” vet Matt Walsh as surely the worst communications director in history and former Maine resident Timothy Simons as Jonah, the distinctly unhelpful White House liaison. Joining the cast to excellent effect this year is Gary Cole (“Office Space”) as senior strategist Kent Davison, employed seemingly for the purposes of keeping Selena away from the commander in chief. The nasty laughs come fast and furious, with an affectionate albeit unflattering portrait of the current state of politics that one imagines is probably more accurate than we’d hope. Special features include four commentaries with cast and crew! Not rated. Running time: 4:38. Suggested retail price: $39.99; Blu-ray $49.99.

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“THE KING OF COMEDY,” Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis. Proving that the flair for dark comedy he so memorably exhibited in “The Wolf of Wall Street” isn’t as unexpected as some might think, director Martin Scorsese’s pitch-black 1983 curiosity may resonate with audiences of today more strongly than it did during its original release, foretelling as it did a fame-obsessed culture where any schlub off the street can fancy himself celebrity material. In this case, the schlub is one Rupert Pupkin (hauntingly and hilariously portrayed by De Niro), a would-be stand-up comedian desperate to get his big break on the late night talk show hosted by Carson clone Jerry Langford (a rare and effective dramatic turn by Lewis), enough so that kidnapping the popular host doesn’t strike Pupkin as out of the question. What seemed like improbable farce at the time could pass for a documentary in these days of YouTube and reality TV. Rated R. Running time: 1:49. Suggested retail price: $24.99. 

“THE SWIMMER,” Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard. Based on a short story by John Cheever, this difficult-to-classify but unforgettable 1968 cult favorite follows successful suburbanite Neddy Merrill (Lancaster) on an odd and singular quest: to swim across town going from one neighbor’s pool to the next, a lark that becomes something far darker when each stop forces Neddy to revisit events and people from his past, pieces that begin to add up to a disturbingly unrewarding puzzle of a life. A brilliant, disturbing work no matter how you look at it. Rated PG. Running time: 1:35. Suggested retail price: $29.99.

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“KEY AND PEELE: SEASON ONE AND TWO,” Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele. Sketch shows come and go with alarming frequency on Comedy Central, so if one manages to stick around awhile, chances are better than average it’s comedy gold, and that’s absolutely the case with “Key and Peele.” Veterans of “MAD TV” and longtime comedians and friends, Key and Peele’s scenarios and characterizations have a surreal silliness all their own, whether lampooning the ridiculous names of professional football players, alluding to the simmering rage beneath Obama’s measured speeches or portraying Mr. T as an overly sensitive basket case. Inspired work by talented guys, with an overwhelmingly positive hit-to-miss ratio. Not rated. Running time: 6:36. Suggested retail price: $22.98; Blu-ray $24.99.

“WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE,” Adam Brody, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Long-in-the-tooth action stars tend to go the self-aware parody route once Hollywood stops acknowledging their auditions for the latest summer blockbuster. It’s not always a pretty sight, but few have done it with the success and gusto of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Not content to simply rattle off wacky dialogue with a knowing twinkle in his eye, Van Damme commits with an unhinged deadpan that all but carries “Jungle” by itself, elevating what might have been a pedestrian tale of nerdy office workers forced into a “Lord of the Flies” situation into must-see territory. Assured comic support from Rob Huebel (“Children’s Hospital”), Dennis Haysbert (“24”), and Kristen Schaal (“Gravity Falls”) add to the fun. Jean-Claude Van Damme: The next Leslie Nielsen? Here’s hoping! Not rated. Running time: 1:35. Suggested retail price: $19.99; Blu-ray $26.99.

– Courtesy of Videoport

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