NEW ON THE SHELF

“DEVIL’S DUE,” Alison Miller, Zach Gilford. “Rosemary’s Baby” is revisited, found-footage style, in this uninspired but occasionally creepy fright flick, wherein lovey-dovey newlyweds Samantha (Miller, “17 Again”) and Zach (Gilford, “Friday Night Lights”) find their idyllic relationship put to the test when Samantha’s unexpected pregnancy appears to be transforming her into a bloodthirsty minion of Satan, forcing her to begin carving archaic symbols of evil into their nursery floor, a far more concerning development to her spouse than having to run out in the middle of the night for ice cream and pickles. Little new is brought to the table here, but as always the tropes of this omnipresent subgenre pack an immediate visceral punch, particularly here in the Selfie Age. Rated R. Running time: 1:29. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99.

“THE LEGEND OF HERCULES,” Kallan Lutz, Liam McIntyre. One of two “Hercules” movies slated for 2014, veteran action director Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2”) mines clear inspiration from “300” and “Gladiator” for his version, with Herc (Lutz, “Twilight”) sold into slavery by his unsupportive stepdad, King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins, “The Bourne Ultimatum”), forcing the strongman to literally break his chains and brawl/stab/bludgeon his way back to his rightful home. Special features include a commentary from Harlin and Lutz. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:38. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99. 

“LABOR DAY,” Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin. One of the most consistent filmmakers working today, director Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”) connects once again with this skillful and affecting adaptation of Joyce Maynard’s 2009 novel, a quiet, occasionally tense but never manipulative tale involving an escaped convict (Brolin) and the broken family whose house he essentially invades in order to avoid unwanted attention. Eventually finding himself more welcomed than feared by the home’s residents, the convict begins to assume the role of husband to troubled single mom Adele (Winslet) and a much-needed father figure to young Henry (Gattlin Griffith, “Green Lantern”). What could have been implausible at best and a Lifetime movie at worst becomes a genuinely moving experience, thanks to committed performances from all concerned and the usual sure-handed direction from Reitman. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:51. Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99. 

NEW TO DVD

“GIMME SHELTER” Vanessa Hudgens, James Earl Jones. As if her widely publicized turn in “Spring Breakers” wasn’t enough to shed her squeaky clean “High School Musical” image, Hudgens cuts her hair and downgrades her wardrobe considerably to become Apple, a textbook troubled teen with an addict mom (Rosario Dawson), a supportive but distant dad (Brendan Fraser), and an unplanned baby on the way. Much needed guidance arrives in the form of Father McCarthy (Jones, in a rare and terrific performance that justifies a rental alone) and social worker Kathy (Ann Dowd, “Compliance”), but will it be enough to put Apple on the right path? A maudlin redemption tale elevated by an excellent cast. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:41. Suggested retail price: $19.99; Blu-ray $24.99. 

“MR. SELFRIDGE: SEASON TWO” Jeremy Piven, Frances O’Connor. Once again arriving to fill the need for amazing costumery and beautiful 20th-century set decor that the hiatus of “Downton Abbey” leaves behind, “Mr. Selfridge” (entertainingly if anachronistically portrayed by Piven) finds his revolutionary department store enjoying its fifth anniversary while World War I rages on in the background, adding an aura of unrest to his already chaotic day-to-day. Not rated. Running time: 7:30. Suggested retail price: $39.99; $44.99. 

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“IL SORPASSO,” Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Louis Trintignant. A mild-mannered law student (Trintignant, “Amour”) and a boisterous middle-aged man (Gassman, “Big Deal on Madonna Street”) hit the back roads of 1960s rural Italy for an unexpected day of rambling leisure in this delightful and refreshingly straightforward 1962 comedy from director Dino Risi (the original 1974 “Scent of a Woman”). Special features include interviews with screenwriter Ettore Scola, film scholar Remi Fournier, and Risi. Not rated. Running time: 1:45. Suggested retail price: $39.99. 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW,” Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber. In the end, writer-director Randy Moore’s “Escape from Tomorrow” may be more of a stunt than a movie, but it’s a hugely intriguing one: sneaking actors and cameras into Walt Disney World to surreptitiously make a movie about a newly unemployed father (Abramsohn, the upcoming “Area 51”) gradually losing his sanity during a trip to the famed theme park. Given that Disney would never have allowed such a thing had Moore simply sought permission, the entire production is lent a gleefully illicit feel which adds greatly to the crazy shenanigans on display. Certainly not the most polished or seamless film you’ll ever watch, but under the circumstances Moore has managed a singular and memorable cinematic feat with “Tomorrow.” Not rated. Running time: 1:30. Suggested retail price: $19.99. 

“GLORIA,” Paulina Garcia, Sergio Hernandez. There are instances where a single performance can make a movie worth watching, but in the case of “Gloria,” the performance IS the movie, and what a performance it is. The wonderful Paulina Garcia (“I Am from Chile”) plays Gloria, an aging divorcee taking to local nightclubs of late looking for a change of scenery and perhaps a little company. Enter Rodolfo (Hernandez, “No”), a seemingly worthy candidate for companionship who brings some much-needed light into Gloria’s life. When problems inevitably do emerge – partly in the form of Rodolfo’s adult-aged but less-than-capable daughters – Gloria must re-examine how good she had it as a single gal. It’s extremely refreshing to find filmmakers increasingly willing to look at the dating scene among the older set, and “Gloria” is as good an examination of this as we’re likely to get. Rated R. Running time: 1:49. Suggested retail price: $26.99.

– Courtesy of Videoport