NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE BLING RING,” starring Emma Watson and Leslie Mann. A culture of permissive parenting, social media addiction and celebrity obsession gets neatly eviscerated in this stylish, difficult to classify film from director Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”). Based on actual events detailed in a popular Vanity Fair article, “Ring” is the sobering tale of a quintet of privileged young Californians who graduate from boredom-inspired petty crime to breaking into the homes of celebrities and making off with high-end goods, all the while remaining utterly vapid and remorseless. Rated R. Running time: 1:30

Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.99

“WORLD WAR Z,” starring Brad Pitt and Mireille Enos. Loosely based on the bestselling novel by Max Brooks, this retooled adaptation may put off purists with its completely reworked final act, but its massive box-office success belies an audience that remained for the most part unbothered. As always, Pitt makes an engaging protagonist, all the more so for dialing down the heroics and coming up with a believably, fully fleshed character in an unthinkably horrible situation. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:56

Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $54.99.

NEW TO DVD

“ARROW: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON,” starring Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy. “Arrow” is of course Green Arrow, embodied here by Amell, a formerly spoiled rich kid who returns from a five-year disappearance with a fancy outfit and a deadly bow and arrow set, determined to clean up the city streets. Mostly avoiding the potentially dour trappings of the genre, “Arrow” admirably focuses on dumb fun, and the results are surprisingly addictive. Not rated. Running time: 16:29

Suggested retail price: $59.98; Blu-ray $69.97

“BATES MOTEL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON,” starring Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore. Those who recall young Highmore from his family-friendly days in such films as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” may be taken aback to discover his latest role: That of the young Norman Bates, the deadly mama’s boy attacking showering travelers in Hitchcock’s game-changing horror classic, “Psycho.” “Bates Motel” reconfigures the iconic character for the iPhone age, reimagining the entire enterprise from the ground up and fully exploring the circumstances that would lead to a modern Norman, most of which involve his deranged mother, played to the hilt by Farmiga. Not rated. Running time: 7:15

Suggested retail price: $44.98; Blu-ray $49.98

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“DAY OF THE DEAD,” starring Lori Cardille and Terry Alexander. Choke on ’em! A possible double feature for “World War Z” might be this somewhat misunderstood 1985 entry in George Romero’s enduring zombie saga, primarily set in an underground bunker where military officers and scientists hide out while zombies wreak havoc upstairs. Not the action/gore-packed extravaganza of its predecessors, but when the gore DOES hit, look out! Not rated. Running time: 1:41

Suggested retail price: $29.93

“SLACKER,” starring Brecht Andersch and Rudy Basquez. In which one of the finest filmmakers bursts onto the scene with practically no money but a surplus of talent, Richard Linklater’s 1991 opus is a deceptively ramshackle look at the citizens of Austin, Texas — both the workaday joes and janes and the oddballs and outcasts who shun the system, and the enlightening if awkward interactions that occasionally transpire when the two worlds collide. As invigorating as ever, “Slacker” is rife with an audaciousness you don’t find in the film community nearly often enough. Special features include deleted scenes, home movies and three commentaries from Linklater, cast and crew. Rated R. Running time: 1:40

Suggested retail price: $39.95

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“BEHIND THE CANDELABRA,” starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Based on the 1988 tell-all memoir by Scott Thorson (memorably portrayed by Damon), “Candelabra” tells the sometimes affectionate, sometimes damning, supposedly fact-based account of the relationship between young confused Thorson and world-renowned entertainer Liberace (Douglas, in a remarkable performance). With excellent supporting roles for Scott Bakula, Dan Aykroyd and Rob Lowe, “Candelabra” is a controversial (and thus thoroughly entertaining) look at the dark side of fame. Not rated. Running time: 1:58

Suggested retail price: $19.97; Blu-ray $24.99

“DISCONNECT,” starring Jason Bateman and Paula Patton. It doesn’t get much more timely than “Disconnect,” an insightful and expertly orchestrated look at life in the age of Facebook, where secrets are made public knowledge at the touch of a button and opportunities for a communication breakdown are rampant. Director Henry-Alex Rubin (“Murderball”) introduces us to a gradually interconnected group of struggling characters, each tragically betrayed by technology in one way or another. If you’re not throwing your phone or laptop out the window at the end, you’ll certainly be seeing it in a whole new light. Rated R. Running time: 1:55

Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.99

— Courtesy of Videoport