New on DVD: August 14

PICK OF THE WEEK

Jaws

As part of Universal Studio’s 100th anniversary, they are re-releasing many of their best films of the last century – some of which, like this one, for the fist time on Blu-ray. In 1975, Jaws changed the cinema-going experience when it became such a huge success that the term “blockbuster” became the a catchphrase and the goal of many films to come.

This gripping story of a small New England coastal town terrorized by a great white shark – starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw – has been completely restored from the original negative to look better than it ever did before (even correcting some things that director Steven Spielberg couldn’t do when he first made the film). This process is covered in one of the many special features available on this two-disc set which has two feature-length documentaries including the new The Shark is Still Working and much more. (Universal)

DVDs:

Breathless

If you like “white trash” comedy, then look no further than this film starring Gina Gershon as the long-suffering wife of a greasy repeat offender (Val Kilmer), who upon getting released from prison wastes no time in robbing a bank. But it isn’t his life of crime that bothers her, its that he won’t share the spoils. (Anchor Bay)

Tonight You’re Mine

Luke Treadaway and Natalia Tena star in this Scottish romantic comedy about two musicians who don’t get along that end up handcuffed to each other the day before they are expected to perform at a rock festival. The entire film was shot during Scotland’s T in the Park Festival, which adds a note of authenticity to the proceedings. (Sony)

Hick

Based on the novel by Andrea Portes, this thriller stars Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) as a young runaway who falls in with a beautiful con artist (Blake Lively) only to find herself an accessory to a robbery and hunted down by a unhinged drifter (Eddie Redmayne).

Lake Effects

Jane Seymour stars in this heart-warming fantasy-drama about a woman who brings together her two estranged daughters after the death of their father and their return to their lakeside summer home which may have a Loch Ness-type monster living nearby. (Anchor Bay)

The Raid: Redemption

Its martial arts, blazing gun-fire and non-stop action in this Indonesian-set thriller about an elite SWAT team sent to a fortified Jakarta apartment building housing most of the city’s criminal underworld in order to bring down the drug lord that runs it. When they become trapped inside, they have to fight for their lives to get out safely.

Hell

This German-made film (whose title translates into the English word “bright”) is a post-apocalyptic thriller about a group of strangers struggling to survive in a world where the sun is getting hotter and water and food are becoming less available.

The Flowers of War

Between Dark Knight films, Christian Bale starred in this epic historical drama set in 1937 Nanking where he plays a mortician who disguises himself as a priest to help rescue a group of women from the invading Japanese forces.

TV ON DVD

Injustice

James Purefoy (HBO’s Rome) stars in this thrilling British series as Will Travers, a lawyer who leaves his big-city practice with this wife and daughter to move to the countryside. When he is asked by an old friend to defend him in a murder case, Travers finds himself immersed in a complex web of deceit and corruption. All five episodes are featured here. (Acorn)

Dexter: The Complete Sixth Season

This season finds Dexter (Michael C. Hall) taking on the Doomsday Killers (Edward James Olmos and Colin Hanks), a teacher and student team of serial killers who base their murders on the Book of Revelations in the bible. Mos Def also joins the cast this season as a former drug addict turned preacher who Dexter first suspects may be behind the killings. This 4-disc set features all 12 episodes from the season. (Paramount)

Community: The Third Season

The Greendale Seven are back with another season of meta-comedy that continues to prove that this is another series that may be too smart for the masses – a dangerous thing for a network series. Take the award-winning “Remedial Chaos Theory” episode in which several different alternate realities are all decided on the toss of a dice; or the episode spoofing Glee; or the pillow and blanket fort war that is shot in the style of Ken Burns documentary. All 22 episodes are on this 4-disc set. (Sony)

Glee: The Complete Third Season

This season (of 22 episodes) features memorable episodes as a musical tribute to the late Whitney Houston and classic disco film Saturday Night Fever, as well as the usual drama and heart-break that keeps it fans coming back for more.

Vega$: The Third Season, Volume Two

In this third and final season, Robert Urich’s private eye Dan Tanna faces off against the usual array of criminals, but the guest star list in these final 11 episodes is getting a bit slim with Wayne Newton, Broderick Crawford and Tori Spelling being the biggest ones. (Paramount)

Poirot: Series 6

Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth is back with another selection of classic “whodunits” in this 4-disc set featuring four feature-length mysteries: Hecule Poirot’s Chrismas; Hickory Dickory Dock; Murder on the Links; Dumb Witness. (Acorn)

Angry Beavers: Season 3, Part 2

Bachelor beaver brothers Norbert Foster and Daggett Doofus are back with the final 11 episodes of this animated Nickelodeon series’ third season available on two DVDs. (Shout! Factory)