NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE LORDS OF SALEM,” starring Sheri Moon Zombie and Meg Foster. Taking a well-earned respite from the grisly backwoods mayhem of such films as “The Devil’s Rejects,” director Rob Zombie indulges his abstract artist side with this extremely ambitious and occasionally mind-blowing highbrow horror offering. His wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, gets a rare leading role opportunity as Heidi, a rock radio DJ who unwittingly unleashes an evil spell that leaves her questioning her sanity, which appears to be the general effect the Zombies are going for here. Special features include a commentary from Zombie. Rated R. Running time: 1:41

Suggested retail price: $26.98; Blu-ray $39.99 

“NOW YOU SEE ME,” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mark Ruffalo. Breezy heist caper follows a quartet of slick illusionists (Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco) as they flit between their amazing Vegas show and knocking off banks, the spoils of which they share with their audiences.

Purists have scoffed at the fact that the tricks themselves are primarily pulled off via CGI, and for the most part would be virtually impossible without actually breaking the laws of physics. But surrender to the performances and storyline, and you’ll likely have a magical enough experience with this fun popcorn flick. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:55

Suggested retail price: $29.95; Blu-ray $39.99 

“SHARKNADO,” starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering. Somehow, one of the SyFy channel’s willfully brain-dead monster TV-movies (e.g. “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus,” among many others) ended up setting the Twitterverse on fire to the point that it actually received a brief, lucrative theatrical run. Meet “Sharknado,” an unabashedly stupid movie about — you guessed it — a roving whirlwind containing live, hungry sharks. Not rated. Running time: 1:30

Suggested retail price: $19.93 

“ARTHUR NEWMAN,” starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt. An effective character study by way of road trip, this low-key dramedy from first-time director Dante Ariola follows the always compelling Firth as Newman, an unhappy divorcee who takes it upon himself to fake his own death and start over in another state with a new identity and job. En route, he encounters Mike (Blunt, “The Five Year Engagement”), an equally troubled lost soul with some demons of her own, and what begins as a potentially helpful relationship between kindred spirits takes an unexpectedly criminal turn. Rated R. Running time: 1:41

Suggested retail price: $24.95; Blu-ray $29.95 

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON,” starring William Berger and Ira von Furstenberg. Having directed a grand total of 37 feature films throughout his legendary career, Italian director Mario Bava (“Black Sunday”) is often lauded for his brilliant use of color and uncanny ability to achieve a dreamlike quality in his films. The average horror fan may require a bit more action and gore, but Bava’s mod-tastic, Eurobabe-centric films have plenty of surreal craziness to go around, and this 1970 thriller about murders racking up at a business resort on a remote island is certainly no exception to that rule. Special features include a commentary from author and Bava aficionado Tim Lucas. Not rated. Running time: 1:18

Suggested retail price: $24.95

“THE FUGITIVE,” starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. It’s never an enjoyable realization to learn that a film that feels like it just came out last week is in fact enjoying its 20th anniversary. But that’s absolutely the case with this 1994 action-thriller classic, which recreates the beloved ’60s TV series so well that at this point, it may have eclipsed the popularity of its source material.

Both Ford and Jones are at their growly best as mouse and cat respectively, the former a wrongfully accused surgeon out to find out who really killed his wife, and the latter a dogged (and Oscar-winning) U.S. marshal who will stop at nothing to get his man, whether his target is guilty or not. A veritable lesson in how to make an action movie, “The Fugitive” hasn’t aged a day, and if there’s anyone left who hasn’t already seen it, this disc is an ideal introduction. Rated PG-13. Running time: 2:10

Suggested retail price: $19.98 

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“THE ICEMAN,” starring Michael Shannon and Ray Liotta. If you’re looking to cast someone that manages to combine intimidation, intelligence and insanity all in one performance, these days you’re hard pressed to improve upon Michael Shannon. An intense, tough-to-pin-down presence, Shannon commands attention even when he’s just standing around, and as Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski, he nails the famed hitman’s cold and calculating nature.

Previously seen in a 1992 HBO documentary, Kuklinski’s rise from regular schmoe to notorious mob assassin is a bit too involved to shoehorn into the average running time of a feature film, but Shannon and director Ariel Vromen paint an indelible portrait of everyday evil. The top-notch supporting cast includes Winona Ryder, Chris Evans (“The Avengers”), and even an effectively sleazy turn from David “Friends” Schwimmer. Rated R. Running time: 1:45

Suggested retail price: $28.99; Blu-ray $29.99 

“THE LEAGUE: THE COMPLETE SEASON FOUR,” starring Mark Duplass and Nick Kroll. A semi-improvised comedy about a fantasy football league and the hilariously underhanded shenanigans perpetrated by its colorful members, “The League” has slowly and unassumingly become one of the most purely funny (yet still somewhat overlooked) half hours on TV. Season four finds the arrival of Kevin and Jenny’s new baby cutting into the couple’s FF time, while the ever oblivious Taco finds himself in a surreal altercation with Chicago Bears alumnus Jim McMahon. A reliable hoot whether or not you’re a football fan. Not rated. Running time: 4:41.

Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $34.99

– Courtesy of Videoport

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