NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“THE CHANGE-UP,” starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. Hearkening back to the glut of “body-switch” comedies that flooded theaters back in the late ’80s, “The Change-Up” takes a welcome R-rated approach to the concept, granting stressed-out family man Bateman and stoner babe magnet Reynolds their idle wish to switch places when they both happen to simultaneously urinate into a magical fountain. Clearly, very little is sacred in this anything-goes farce. Rated R. Running time: 1:52

Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $34.98

“HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. A saga – nay, an era – draws to a cataclysmic close in the finale to J.K. Rowling’s multi-gazillion-selling epic tale of a boy wizard, his ragtag friends and an unspeakable evil, all leading to a showdown that ranks among cinema’s best. A faithful, fitting end to the most lucrative franchise in movie history, with every beloved character given the opportunity to bow out in style. Rated PG-13. Running time: 2:10

Suggested retail price: $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99

NEW TO DVD

“ATLAS SHRUGGED PART I,” starring Taylor Schilling and Edi Gathegi. Long overdue and widely panned adaptation of Ayn Rand’s enduring 1957 anti-government novel is bound to be of considerable interest to fans of the book wondering how events translate to screen. But for the casual viewer, the many scenes of business meetings, the obsession with railroads and the stiff performances are unlikely to win any converts to Rand’s cause. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:37

Suggested retail price: $22.98; Blu-ray $29.99

“DESTROY ALL MONSTERS,” starring Akira Kubo and Jun Tazaki. Long-awaited remastering of a B-movie classic gathers all the heavy hitters of Japanese Kaiju monster-movie cinema — including Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Gorosaurus and Manda — and simply unleashes them on the world at large. Special features include image galleries and storyboards. Rated G. Running time: 1:29

Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $29.98

“DOCTOR WHO: THE SIXTH SERIES — PART 2,” starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. One of the most successful reboots in television history continues its sterling track record, with Smith an adept additional to the ever-expanding roster of time-traveling Docs and Gillan proving a lively (not to mention adorable) sidekick. Not rated; contains mild language and violence. Running time: 10:55

Suggested retail price: $24.98; Blu-ray $29.98

“THE RIVER WHY,” starring Zach Gilford and Amber Heard. Based on the novel by David James Duncan, this pleasingly eccentric drama follows young Gus (Gilford) as he flees his tumultuous home and constantly fighting parents in favor of a quiet, fishing-intensive life in the back woods of Oregon. But solitude proves a more difficult goal than expected, as both a potential love interest (Heard) and a grizzled guru (William Devane) insinuate themselves into his increasingly less laid-back routine. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:41.

Suggested retail price: $27.97; Blu-ray $29.97

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“BLUE VELVET,” starring Kyle MacLachlan and Dennis Hopper. Suburbia never recovered from the needful savaging it received at the hands of director David Lynch’s 1986 cult classic, which drops a naive hometown boy (MacLachlan) into a nightmarish situation involving a severed ear, a beautiful but deeply damaged woman (Isabella Rossellini) and, unforgettably, the psychotic Frank Booth, a thoroughly despicable gangster embodied by Hopper in one of the most purely villainous performances in the history of film. Rated R. Running time: 2:00

Suggested retail price: $24.99

 

“FANNY AND ALEXANDER,” starring Pernilla Allwin and Bertil Guve. One of acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s final films is also one of his most personal, and arguably most accessible, casting a nostalgic, alternately delightful and mournful look at the tumultuous childhood of its title characters, whose largely joyful family life is turned upside-down when their beloved father dies and their mother marries a strict, distant clergyman. Special features include an audio commentary from film scholar Peter Cowie and a documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew. Rated R. Running time: 10:18

Suggested retail price: $59.95

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“LIFE IN A DAY,” documentary. Can’t think of anything to make a movie about? Why not do what Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”) and producer Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) did and ask everyone around the world to film exactly what they’re up to on a particular date, then edit the hours of footage together into an immediately compelling and incredibly moving feature-length documentary? As wide-reaching, encompassing and poignant representation of our world as it currently stands, hundreds of requested YouTube videos are brilliantly tied together to create this portrait, which leaves no emotion unrepresented. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:35

Suggested retail price: $19.99; Blu-ray $29.99

“PUTTY HILL,” starring Sky Ferreira and Cody Ray. A look at an impoverished, emotionally deadened Baltimore community and their often maddeningly simplistic reactions to the aftermath of the death of one of their own: A young drug dealer who has overdosed on heroin. Unlike your average Hollywood drama, real life is frustratingly short on catharsis, and Porterfield seems to understand this better than most, providing a dispiriting memorial service that is somehow all the more fascinating for the lack of emotion on display. “Putty Hill” is not the movie to put in if you’re looking to kick back on a Friday night with a fun flick. But for fans of thoughtful and risk-taking independent cinema, it’s a real gem. Not rated; contains language and drug content. Running time: 1:25

Suggested retail price: $34.95

— Courtesy of Videoport

Copy the Story Link