NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE DARKEST HOUR,” starring Emile Hirsch and Olivia Thirlby. A trio of American pals abroad in Moscow find their traveling plans rudely interrupted by, wouldn’t you know it, energy-based alien invaders who appear to be comprised of glittery dust clouds. While it’s initially fun watching people get obliterated into powder by the ill-intentioned extraterrestrials, director Chris Gorak fails to deliver anything more substantial than a few solid B-movie thrills, and Hirsch and castmates don’t exactly give it their all — although some good effects and a breakneck pace help matters considerably. Special features include a commentary from Gorak and deleted scenes. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:29

Suggested retail price: $26.99; Blu-ray $34.99

“THE IRON LADY,” starring Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent. Cleverly constructed and wonderfully performed, director Phyllida Lloyd’s (“Mamma Mia!”) engrossing biopic manages to avoid being simply a vehicle for Oscar winner Streep to strut her stuff. As expected, she does exactly that, and beautifully as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, shown here mulling over her life with the imagined presence of her late husband, played by the always welcome Broadbent. With a wealth of memorable scenes held together via an unfailingly touching narrative device, “Lady” handily avoids the slow pace one might be led to expect given the subject matter, and delivers a more than worthy portrait of a historically divisive public figure. Rated PG-13 for some brief nudity. Running time: 1:45

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

NEW TO DVD

“DONALD GLOVER: WEIRDO,” starring Donald Glover. Best known as Troy from the TV favorite “Community,” jack-of-all-trades Glover takes a break from his sitcom and rap career to deliver a consistently hilarious stand-up special, revealing a knack for storytelling and clearly engaging a very enthusiastic audience. A terrific set from a talented newcomer. Not rated; contains language and crude humor. Running time: 1:05

Suggested retail price: $14.98

“SLEEPING BEAUTY,” starring Emily Browning and Rachael Blake. This controversial, symbolic drama from first-time director Julia Leigh takes a far less family-friendly approach to the popular fairytale, saddling the “Beauty” in question (Browning) with the none-too-desirable job of being paid to get drugged and then subjected to sexual intercourse with strangers while asleep. A stylish allegory that clearly will not appeal to all audiences, Leigh’s gutsy debut nonetheless provides some sobering food for thought for the patient viewer. Not rated; contains language, graphic nudity and strong sexual content. Running time: 1:41

Suggested retail price: $24.98

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“Thou Shalt Not Kill Except,” starring Brian Schulz and Sam Raimi. Notoriously gonzo low-budget 1985 actioner from the crazed masterminds behind “The Evil Dead” is a willfully ridiculous answer to the Vietnam movies so popular in that particular decade. Schulz returns from Vietnam to find his best girl kidnapped by a cult led by Raimi, gleefully going well over the top and back again with his performance. Largely filmed in the backyards and garages of the financers (which somehow doesn’t require as much suspension of disbelief as you might expect), this bizarre cult favorite (no pun intended) is a wonderfully sick example of guerrilla filmmaking at its most unhinged. Not rated; contains language, violence and gore. Running time: 1:24

Suggested retail price: $29.95

“A TRIP TO THE MOON,” starring Georges Melies and Bluette Bernon. Absolutely gorgeous remastering of Melies’ 1902 masterpiece is really a reimagining of sorts. There’s a new and just-about-perfect score by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel of AIR, and an amazing color restoration resulting from years of painstaking work by the people at Lobster Films pieced together from film fragments unearthed in Spain previously thought to be unusable. An essential cinematic artifact given an impressive and respectful polishing. Rated G. Running time: 2:10

Suggested retail price: $39.95

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“INTO THE ABYSS,” documentary. Once known for uncompromising dramas and singular collaborations with the inimitable (and possibly insane) Klaus Kinski, filmmaker Werner Herzog has focused his energies on documentaries in his later years, applying the same fearlessness and honesty to arguably even greater effect in such films as “Grizzly Man” and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams.” In this chilling, unforgettable 2011 doc, Herzog tackles possibly his most complex subject yet: The death penalty. Focusing on a 2001 triple homicide in Texas, Herzog conducts probing but never unkind interviews with both those convicted of committing the crime and the family and friends still reeling in its aftermath. What impresses most about Herzog’s work is his refusal to take a side, simply presenting the information as thoroughly and professionally as possible, and reaching out to the participants on a human level rather than a coldly journalistic one. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:47

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

“MISS REPRESENTATION,” documentary. Actor-turned-filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom is done fooling around. The target is sexism in the media, and no conglomerate is spared as she effectively assembles a dizzying, near-unbelievable pastiche of rampant examples of the undermining of the fairer sex, be it in advertising, entertainment or the news. Amply leavened with humor and with insightful interviews with Katie Couric, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and many others, “Miss Representation” alternately functions as an expose, a rallying cry and an entertaining documentary all at once. Not rated; contains language and sexual content. Running time: 1:25.

Suggested retail price: $19.99