New on DVD: June 26

PICK OF THE WEEK

The Artist

Jean Dujardin took home an Oscar for his performance in this black-and-white silent film that pays tribute to the era of Hollywood that produced those same kind of films. In it, he plays George Valentin, a swash-buckling charmer who is king of the silver screen at the tail end of the silent films. After off-handedly helping a cute young actress (Berenice Bejo) get her big break in films, the starlet becomes the “it girl” of the incoming “talkies” and Valentin’s pride leaves him in her wake. This is a beautifully shot and directed film (courtesy of Michel Hazanavicius, who along with his OSS 117 films shows he has a true love of old cinema) that makes one want to dig out some of those pre-sound classics. EXTRAS include bloopers (silent, of course); “making of” featurettes and a 45-minute Q&A with the cast and crew. (Alliance)

21 Jump Street (Fox)

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in this reboot of the 1980s TV series as two (fairly) young-looking rookie cops who are offered the assignment of going undercover in a high school to bring down a drug ring. Expect equal parts laughs and action and maybe even a Johnny Depp cameo. (Fox)

Mirror Mirror

In the first (and lighter) of this year’s Snow White films (the second – Snow White and the Huntsman – hit theatres in June), Lily Collins (of Blind Side) plays the beautiful young orphan that captures the heart of a charming prince (Armie Hammer) and the jealous rage of an evil queen (Julia Roberts) who banishes her to the forest where she teams up with seven little men. (Alliance)

Wrath of the Titans

In this sequel to the 2010 film, Peseus (Sam Worthington) is forced to battle the deadly Titans in the Underworld to rescue his father Zeus (Liam Neeson) after he is abducted by Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Ares (Edgar Ramirez). (Warner)

Gone

When her sister is kidnapped, the one survivor (Amanda Seyfried of Red Riding Hood) of a serial killer knows that she was the intended target and takes matters into her own hands to track them down before he kills her in this by-the-books thriller. (eOne)

Bending the Rules

Jamie Kennedy teams up with WWE star The Edge in this action-comedy about a U.S. District Attorney that teams up with corrupt cop to try and find the D.A.’s rare 1956 Studebaker after it’s been stolen only to find themselves hot on the trail of the case of their careers. (eOne)

Sound of Noise

This unusual Swedish musical comedy follows a group of masked percussionists whose attack on popular music includes guerrilla musical “graffiti” in public places and the tone-deaf cop who is out to stop them. (eOne)

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Dougray Scott (My Week with Marilyn) stars in this TV adaptation of the famous tale of a doctor whose experiments lead him to create another identity- that of a brutal killer. (Anchor Bay)

Bullhead

This unusual Dutch film stars Mathaias Schoenaerts as a farmer with a mysterious past who injects not only his cattle with a strange steroid, but also himself and who finds himself involved with the murder of a cop. (Image)

Deliverance (Blu-ray)

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this shocking 1972 drama from director John Boorman – about four friends whose weekend getaway turns into a deadly nightmare, Warner has released this collector’s edition of the film looking better than it ever has before and includes not only a brand-new retrospective featuring the stars (Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox), but also audio commentary from Boorman and over an hour of other features. (Warner)

Christopher Nolan: Director’s Collection

This 7-disc set features all of director Christopher Nolan’s films (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Inception) from 2000 through 2010. This is just a repackage of his previously released films with no new features or additional discs, but if you don’t own them on Blu-ray already, this is a great opportunity to get them at a reduced rate. (Warner)

TV ON DVD:

Damages: Season Four

In this season-long case, Ellen (Glenn Close) and Patty (Rose Byrne) take on a high-powered defense contractor over allegations of illegal interrogation techniques overseas. But the company’s connection with the CIA not only makes the lawyers’ job more difficult, it also makes it much more deadly. John Goodman and Dylan Baker join the cast this season making it one of the series’ best. All 10 episodes are available on 3 discs. (Sony)

The Buddy Ebsen Story

This loving tribute to the man most remembered for portraying Jed Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies is a treat for his many fans. Produced and narrated by Steve Waltner, is a pretty straight-forward biography of the actor from his early days as a vaudeville dancer alongside his sister Vilma, through his life-long career in films and TV. The highlights of this hour-long documentary are the all-too-brief interview segments with Ebsen himself (filmed before his death in 2003 at age 95) and the clips from some of his rarer and more dramatic work (including great scenes from the 1956 war film From Heaven to Hell with Robert Wagner and the 1981 TV movie Fire on the Mountain with Ron Howard). If you think Ebsen’s talents begin and end with Uncle Jed, well doggies, you’re in for a real surprise with this DVD. (This is only available on-line through www.buddyebsen.com).

Love in a Cold Climate

This 1980 BBC miniseries (based on the books by Nancy Mitford) stars Judi Dench and Michael Aldridge. Set in England between the two World Wars, this drama deals with the rich Linda Radlett (Lucy Gutteridge) and her friends and family looking for love and fun amid the English countryside. This 3-disc set contains all 8 episodes. (Acorn)

Little Mosque on the Prairie: Season Five

This Saskatchewan-set sitcom stars Zaib Shaikh and Sitara Hewitt and deals with the personal problems of a small group of Muslims living in the Canadian prairies. As the fifth season opens, Amaar (Shaikh) has received permission from Rayyan’s father to ask her to marry him and Rev. Thorne (Brandon Firla) is trying to recover from his slight against the Muslims. This disc set features all 13 episodes. (eOne)

The Best of Foyle’s War

Fans of traditional British mysteries will enjoy this collection from the long-running series from Anthony Horowitz (Midsomer Murders) which stars Michael Kitchen as Detective Chief Superintendant Foyle. Set during the Second World War, Foyle takes on the toughest cases going while the threat of a German invasion hangs over his country’s head. This 6-disc set features six of the finest feature-length mysteries from the entire series run. (Acorn)

CatDog: Season Two – Part One

This DVD set features the first 10 episodes of this much-loved cult series about an odd couple of conjoined brothers – one of which is a dog and the other a cat – whose personalities and interests couldn’t be more different. (Shout Factory)