NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY:

“RIO,” animated with the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway. Family-friendly fun finds a mild-mannered small-town macaw named Blu (Eisenberg, doing another amusing take on his befuddled young milquetoast character) impulsively following bird-of-his-dreams Jewel (Hathaway) to Rio de Janeiro, where an amusing if predictable series of comedic complications occur. Entertaining, funny and beautiful to look at, with a great cast (most notably Jane Lynch of “Glee” and Jemaine Clement of the musical comedy duo “Flight of the Conchords”) bringing the proceedings to vivid life. Rated G. Running time: 1:36

Additional Photos

Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann) and her pal Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) enjoy a morning ritual in “Rio.” Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99 

“SOUL SURFER,” starring AnnaSophia Robb and Dennis Quaid. Fact-based story of Bethany Hamilton (“Bridge to Teribithia”), a bubbly tween and competitive surfer who lost an arm in a shark attack and proceeded to overcome both fear and handicap to get back on the board professionally. Director Sean McNamara (“Bratz”) favors a glossy MTV style that undercuts somewhat the naturally compelling story, but the surfing scenes are thrilling, and Quaid and Helen Hunt lend gravitas as Hamilton’s ultra-encouraging folks. Rated PG. Running time: 1:46

Suggested retail price: DVD $30.99; Blu-ray $38.99 

NEW ON DVD:

“EASTBOUND AND DOWN: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON,” starring Danny McBride and Katy Mixon. Love-it-or-loathe-it black comedy series from HBO finds immensely (and hilariously) unlikable former pro baseball player Kenny Powers (McBride) heading to Mexico, joining a local team and hooking up with a nightclub singer (Ana de la Reguera) in between offending almost everyone in sight. Will be comedy gold to some and kryptonite to others. Not rated; contains nonstop language, crude humor, drug content, sexual content and violence. Running time: 3:00

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.98

“JESSE STONE: INNOCENTS LOST,” starring Tom Selleck and Rae Ritka. The seventh entry in the popular TV-movie series based on characters created by Robert B. Parker follows boozy former police chief Stone (Selleck) investigating the death of a friend while the office he left behind struggles to contend with an unpleasant new boss. Not rated; contains language and violence. Running time: 1:30

Suggested retail price: $26.99

“UNITED STATES OF TARA: THE THIRD SEASON,” starring Toni Collette and John Corbett. Diablo Cody’s (“Juno”) now-defunct comedy of multiple personalities proved a remarkable showcase for the considerable talents of Collette, who was asked here to portray several parts within one character as the titular Tara, a suburban mom who is also occasionally a redneck man, a sullen teenager and a sunny 1950s-era housewife. Not rated; contains language and thematic material. Running time: 5:28

Suggested retail price: $49.99 

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

“BETTER OFF DEAD,” starring John Cusack and Curtis Armstrong. This enduring 1984 cult classic has held up better than many of its ilk, thanks not only to Cusack’s typically likable sad-sack performance but to writer-director Savage Steve Holland (“One Crazy Summer”), whose refusal to conform to any known comedy formulas leads to one offbeat tangent after another, from Japanese Howard Cosell impersonators to the hamburger who sings Van Halen. Well worth checking out for newcomers, and always worth a second, third or 14th look for its many fans. Rated PG for language, crude humor and drug references. Running time: 1:37

Suggested retail price: $22.99

“THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN,” starring Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach. Stylish and hugely entertaining Americanized 1960 remake of Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai” repeats the tried-and-true formula with cowboys, whose impossibly cool ranks include Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. With a cast this great, all director John Sturges (“The Great Escape”) had to do was turn on the camera and aim it in the general direction of the action, which comes fast and furious. A guns-a-blazin’ classic that we humbly suggest you go watch with your dad. Not rated, contains violence. Running time: 2:08

Suggested retail price: $16.99 

VIDEOPORT PICKS:

“EXPORTING RAYMOND,” documentary. Having scored a major hit with the now-classic sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” creator Phil Rosenthal takes it upon himself to provide Russia with its very own version of the show, an enterprise laden with hilarious and occasionally surreal culture clash. Rosenthal proves as engaging in front of the camera as he was behind the scenes, firing off wry one-liners and reacting with priceless incredulity to the many unexpected roadblocks he encounters. Special features include actual episodes of “Everybody Loves Kostya.” Rated PG. Running time: 1:26

Suggested retail price: DVD $30.99; Blu-ray $35.99

“THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED,” starring J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci. Quiet but profoundly moving, this criminally underseen drama from first-time director Jim Kohlberg gives longtime character actor Simmons (“Juno”) a rare starring role as Henry, a regular joe struggling to reconnect with his estranged son, Gabriel. Repairing their relationship is now rendered near impossible due to a brain tumor that prevents Gabriel from forming new memories. Through a specialized form of therapy, it’s discovered that Gabriel’s memory and ability to communicate can be triggered through listening to his favorite music, forcing Henry to familiarize himself with decades’ worth of classic rock music (which makes up the killer soundtrack to end all killer soundtracks) in order to re-establish the relationship. Rated PG. Running time: 1:45

Suggested retail price: $27.98

— Courtesy of Videoport

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