TV

New on DVD: March 12

This week on DVD, Anthony Hopkins channels the legendary auteur in Hitchock

Hitchcock

Hot on the heels of the HBO film The Girl, which looked at director Alfred Hitchcock’s obsession with actress Tippi Hedren, comes this big-screen look at the master of suspense (here played by Anthony Hopkins) and his relationship with his loyal wife (Helen Mirren) as he takes on the much more graphic true story of serial killer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott) and begins to create what would eventually become Psycho. EXTRAS include deleted scenes, a feature on Hopkins’ transformation into Hitchcock and much more. (Fox)

The Life of Pi

Director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) adapts the best-selling novel by Yann Martel about a young man (Suraj Sharma) who, after a disastrous shipwreck, spends 227 days lost at sea in a small lifeboat alongside a Bengal tiger. (Also available in digital 3D). (Fox)

Rise of the Guardians

When Pitch the Nightmare King (Jude Law) devises a plan to bring permanent darkness to the entire world, the Guardians – which are made up of Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and the Sandman – enlist the help of Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to stop him in this CG-animated film. Also available in digital 3D). (Dreamworks)

Cirque de Soleil: Worlds Away

Using a combination of performers and acts from the seven different Cirque shows currently playing in Las Vegas, this film (also available in 3D) tells the magical story of a young girl who goes to the circus and ends up in an enchanted world where she interacts with the Cirque performers. (Paramount)

Jay and Silent Bob Get Irish

In yet another filmed version of the popular podcast, Kevin Smith and his sidekick Jason Mewes travel to Ireland to share more of their stories in front of a new audience. This includes a second disc on which you get a third performance, this one from Las Vegas.

TV ON DVD

Ripper Street: Season One

This gritty new British series picks up in 1889, 6 months after the last reported killing attributed to Jack the Ripper, a serial killer that has never been caught or even identified. Now, with a series of new murders haunting Whitechapel, the police believe that the ritualistic murderer has returned. Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg star as the investigative team that tackles this case as well as others in this chilling and thrilling Victorian drama. This 2-disc set features all 8 episodes. (BBC Home Entertainment)

Father Dowling Mysteries: The Final Season

This light-hearted mystery series starred Tom Bosley (Happy Days) as an amateur sleuth, who along with his younger nun companion Sister Steve (Tracy Nelson) got into one crime-ridden predicament after another. This 5-disc set features all 22 episodes from the series final season. (Paramount)