NEW ON THE SHELF:

“Book of Life,” animated, with the voices of Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana. Old-school Mexican folklore meets state-of-the-art CGI in this gorgeously animated family fare, energetically voiced by a terrific cast (which also includes Ron Perlman, Kate del Castillo and Ice Cube) It relates the tale of Manolo (Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum), childhood friends who both pine for the beautiful Maria (Saldana), a competition that lasts well into adulthood and has piqued the interest of supernatural royalty in Xibalba (Perlman), King of the Land of the Forgotten, and La Muerte (del Castillo), Queen of the Land of the Remembered, who dabble in the lives of our heroes in the interest of winning a friendly wager. A feast for the eyes somewhat reminiscent of Tim Burton’s “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Book of Life” pops both visually and narratively. Special features include a commentary from first-time director Jorge R. Gutierrez and several making-of docs. Rated PG. Running time: 1:35. Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99

“Fury,” Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf. Writer-director David Ayer (“End of Watch”) briefly abandons his usual police fare and successfully mounts a throwback to the war films of the ’40s and ’50s with “Fury,” named after the Sherman tank that the soldiers in question (who include Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal and Logan Lerman) call home. The GIs are situated on the front line to pick up German soldiers during World War II, led by Sgt. Don (Pitt). Struggling to maintain both sanity and humanity in the face of death and claustrophobic chaos, the group is put through the ringer, and the audience along with them. Never one to let the viewer off the hook, Ayer ensures that you’re seated right alongside these men for the carnage, but he also provides us with well-developed characters, vividly embodied by the talented cast. Rated R. Running time: 2:14. Suggested retail price: $30.99; Blu-ray $34.99

“The Judge,” Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall. A successful Chicago-based attorney (Downey) is forced to reconnect with the family he’d long ago left in the dust when his disagreeable and increasingly senile father (Duvall), a respected judge, is accused of killing a cyclist in an automobile accident, requiring the two to set aside their many differences once son agrees to represent dad in court. An indulgent running time keeps “The Judge” from totally hitting the dramatic heights to which it clearly aspires, but the top-shelf cast (which also includes Billy Bob Thornton and Vera Farmiga) easily ensures that no one comes away bored. Rated R. Running time: 2:21. Suggested retail price: $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99

– Courtesy of Videoport

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