NEW ON THE SHELF:

“Dracula Untold,” Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper. The fact that “Dracula Untold” actually finds a new angle on vampires is arguably the most impressive thing about this entertaining if dully acted affair, traveling back to a time when Drac was better known as Vlad (Evans, “Immortals”), a fearless and well-nigh indestructible warrior whose desire to take a break from impaling is thwarted when Turkish warlord Mehmed II (Cooper, “Captain American: The First Avenger”) turns up, looking to conquer scenic downtown Transylvania. Uncharacteristically outmatched, Vlad steals away to the Broken Tooth Mountains to meet with the Master Vampire (a sublimely creepy Charles Dance), who bestows great power, with a familiar price. “Nosferatu” it’s not, but some terrific CGI and clever tweaking of tropes elevate this “Dracula” above many of its ilk. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:33. Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $34.98

“John Wick,” Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe. You don’t mess with a man’s dog, especially when that man happens to be a former professional assassin. Unfortunately for a series of gruesomely dispatched onscreen villains that’s exactly what happens in “John Wick,” an oddly touching, occasionally whimsical, but mostly gleefully violent actioner, with Reeves appropriately menacing (when not crying about puppies) as the titular gunman. To its credit, “John Wick” knows exactly what its audience is looking for (in this case, breathlessly choreographed fight scenes and gory kills) and provides it in spades. Rated R. Running time: 1:41. Suggested retail price: $29.95; Blu-ray $39.99

“Ouija,” Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto. The old “kids messing around with a Ouija board” routine is always good for a few light scares and nostalgic fun, and this mildly spooky fright flick from first-timer Stiles White provides exactly that, observing young Laine (Cooke, “Bates Motel”) as she unwittingly releases a vengeful spirit via her otherworldly board game while trying to get some answers about her best friend’s recent suicide. The type of movie sleepovers were made for. Special features include a documentary on the history and theories behind the Ouija board. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:30. Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $34.98

VIDEOPORT PICKS:

“Dear White People,” Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson. Favorably recalling the early works of Spike Lee, writer-director Justin Simien is out to ruffle feathers with this take-no-prisoners campus comedy, following a pot-stirring podcaster (Thompson, “Selma”), a freaked-out journalistic (Williams, “Everybody Hates Chris”), a would be reality show star (Teyonah Paris, “Mad Men”) and the Dean’s politically minded son (Brandon Bell, “Ascension”) as they battle near-constant race relations problems while attempting to get a good education at Winchester University. Never afraid to dive right into a hot-button conversation (and, just as importantly, never afraid to admit when he doesn’t have the answers), Simien is an invigorating talent to keep an eye on. Rated R. Running time: 1:49. Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.99

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“Hector and the Search for Happiness,” Simon Pegg, Jean Reno. Based on the novel by Francois Lelord, “Hector” proves yet another ideal for Pegg’s particular charms, here portraying a jaded psychiatrist feeling stagnant at both work and home, spontaneously electing to travel the globe in search of the joy that seems to be eluding him, while his faithful and somewhat long-suffering wife (Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”) awaits his return. Misadventures range from thwarted romance to outright kidnapping, with Pegg blustering his way from one ridiculous situation to another, somehow managing to retain the audience’s sympathy throughout. That it works so well is testament to its terrific cast – which also includes Stellan Skarsgard and Toni Collette – but it’s Pegg’s show first and foremost, and he carries it smashingly. Rated R. Running time: 1:54. Suggested retail price: $29.99

NEW TO DVD:

“The Best of Me,” Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden. It’s hard to get through a year without a Nicholas Sparks (“The Notebook”) adaptation gracing the cineplex screens, and “The Best of Me” – with its timeworn tale of former high school lovers rekindling their former affair after tragedy brings both of them back to their hometown – offers plenty of the windswept romance and intense melodrama that keep readers and viewers reliably returning. Uneven but compelling, particularly for, again, Sparks fans. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:58. Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99

“Coffee Town,” Glenn Howerton, Steve Little. Amiably crude farce from the bawdy bros at CollegeHumor gives Howerton (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) the rare opportunity to play a relatively decent guy, a website manager working out of his beloved local coffee shop, a business he goes to great, not-at-all legal lengths to save when it becomes apparent that its owner is about to have it converted into an upscale bistro. Much like the website from whence it comes, “Coffee Town” is a bit too eager to offend, but enough gags land to warrant a viewing, and a great supporting role by musician Josh Groban as a pretentious barista sweetens the pot nicely. Not rated. Running time: 1:27. Suggested retail price: $19.97

NEW TO BLU-RAY:

“Diner,” Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg. The film that deservedly put writer-director Barry Levinson on the map, this 1982 semi-autobiographical coming-of-age period piece hangs out with six regular dudes (Rourke, Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly and Daniel Stern) in 50’s-era Baltimore, all attempting to get their lives together in a world that doesn’t always make a lot of sense or try to be all that nice. Thankfully, there’s always the “Diner,” where they can eat fries with gravy and talk crap about sports and women, and these hilarious and naturalistic conversations are what drive this still delightful comedy. Rated R. Running time: 1:50. Suggested retail price: $19.98

“Every Man for Himself,” Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Dutronc. Criterion spruces up Jean-Luc Godard’s 1980 segmented examination of sexual relationships, finding the filmmaker returning to his former fourth-wall-breaking ways and making good use of the fearless Huppert (“The Piano Teacher”) as an extremely grounded, unapologetic prostitute. Not rated. Running time: 1:28. Suggested retail price: $39.95

– Courtesy of Videoport


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