NEW ON DVD AND BLU-RAY

“STONE,” starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton. This unjustly overlooked thriller pits a pair of acting giants head-on in an evenly matched battle of wills, with retirement-minded parole officer De Niro forced to contend with live-wire prisoner Norton, an expert con artist whose attempts to secure an early release extend to loaning out his gorgeous wife (Milla Jovovich) in an effort to move his request along. How this all plays out makes for compelling viewing throughout, with Norton in particular relishing the volatility of his character.  Rated R. Running time: 1:45.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99.

“TAKERS,” starring Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen. Breezy cinematic junk food finds craggy detective Matt Dillon tirelessly pursuing a justifiably overconfident team of bank robbers made up of Walker, Christensen, Idris Elba (“The Wire”), Michael Ealy (“Seven Pounds”) and pop star Chris Brown. By-the-numbers plot gets a shot in the arm from the kinetic cast and director John Luessenhop. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:47. 

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.95; Blu-ray $34.95.

“JUSTIFIED: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON,” starring Timothy Olyphant and Nick Searcy. Well-received FX series gives the always-engaging Olyphant (“Deadwood”) a chance to play a cowboy again as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a no-nonsense, old-school lawman who receives an unwelcome transfer from Miami back to his old eastern Kentucky hometown after one too many instances of shooting first and asking questions later. Based on a book by the great Elmore Leonard, “Justified” is pure down-and-dirty entertainment from the first scene onward, a good old-fashioned weekly Western with modern sensibilities and the dark, often profane humor that FX has become renowned for. Furthermore, fans of “The Shield” will be happy to see Walton “Shane Vendrell” Goggins back on the small screen as Givens’ former best friend, now the leader of a training camp for budding young Nazis. Special features include commentary from cast and crew on select episodes. Not rated, contains language and violence. Running time: 9:12. 

Suggested retail price: DVD $39.95; Blu-ray $49.95.

NEW ON DVD

“MERLIN: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON,” starring Colin Morgan and Bradley James. Youth-oriented sci-fi series follows the magical, slightly-less-assured adventures of young wizard Merlin, memorably brought to life by Morgan (“Parked”). The series recalls “Smallville,” with its structure of a hero struggling to balance the pitfalls of adolescence with the responsibilities of a superpower-endowed being. Special features include behind-the-scenes footage. Not rated, contains mild violence and language. Running time: 9:31.

Suggested retail price: $49.98.

NEW ON BLU-RAY

“BURIED,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Steven Tobolowsky. Claustrophobics need not apply, but those in the mood for some good old fashioned suspense should find plenty to like about this minimalist thriller from director Rodrigo Cortes (“The Contestant”), which gives current Hollywood “It” boy Reynolds his best role yet. He plays Paul Conroy, a contractor working in Iraq who finds himself buried alive in a coffin following an attack with nothing but a rapidly dying cell phone and a cigarette lighter to help his seemingly hopeless cause. Given that viewers spend the entirety of the film in the coffin with Reynolds, it’s a testament to this actor’s abilities that he is able to carry the picture on his shoulders, but Cortes employs a wide variety of effective tricks to make up for the necessarily limited set. Aptly compared to Hitchcock’s better efforts, “Buried” is something of an oddity but a thoroughly worthwhile one. Rated R. Running time: 1:35.

Suggested retail price: Blu-ray $29.95.

“THE NAKED KISS,” starring Constance Towers and Anthony Eisley. Positively lurid for its time, director Sam Fuller’s (“The Big Red One”) typically melodramatic drama is unavoidably a bit dated, yet still retains some power to shock thanks to thematic elements (including prostitution, pedophilia and abortion) that generally weren’t broached in your average early-’60s American film. A cast-against-type Towers (“General Hospital”) portrays Kelly, a former lady of the night seeking redemption in a small town and seemingly finding it via a new job working with handicapped children. This being a Fuller film, all does not go according to plan, however, and the upsetting chain of events that follows is bizarrely thrilling in spite of the often seamy subject matter. Special features include interviews with Fuller and Towers and illustrations by cartoonist Dan Clowes. Not rated, contains violence, sexual content and thematic elements. Running time: 1:30.

Suggested retail price: $39.95.

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“ANIMAL KINGDOM,” starring Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton. Australia is a country all too often overlooked when it comes to cinema, and if you’ve seen even one Australian movie, chances are you’re just as surprised as we are that more people aren’t clamoring for more big-screen entertainment from the land down under. “Animal Kingdom” is an electrifying crime drama with cult classic written all over it. Anchored by a phenomenal performance by Mendelsohn (“The New World”) as the head muscle of a family of criminals, “Kingdom” follows wide-eyed teenager Josh (newcomer James Frecheville) as he contends with both the realization that he was born into a family of killers, and the determined detective (Guy Pearce) trying to get him to turn on his family. A dazzling take on a familiar tale, with several potentially star-making performances. Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language. Running time: 1:53.

Suggested retail price: DVD $28.95; Blu-ray $34.95.

“JACK GOES BOATING,” starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan. Despite what some would term overexposure, you can always count on Hoffman to involve himself in worthwhile projects, and with his directorial debut “Jack Goes Boating,” he proves himself almost as adept behind the camera as he is in front of it. Hoffman’s Jack is an initially none-too-ambitious New York City limo driver whose existence doesn’t extend far beyond work and getting high in his apartment. Upon being introduced to Connie (Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”) by a pair of mutual friends, Jack begins to find himself slowly but surely taking an interest in such heretofore ignored activities as cooking, swimming and, yes, boating. The modest reawakening is all the more powerful for its contained, unsure nature, and having originated the role on stage, Hoffman positively owns the character, with the always-likable Ryan providing strong support. Rated R for language, drug use and some sexual content. Running time: 1:29.

Suggested retail price: DVD $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99. 

— Courtesy of Videoport