New on DVD
Moneyball
Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $35.99/$40.99
The big-screen adaptation of Michael Lewis’ nonfiction bestseller “Moneyball” successfully and entertainingly conveys the book’s argument for statistical modeling as a fiscally sound method of assembling baseball teams, making good use of the book’s cast of colorful individuals, anchored by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (played here by Brad Pitt). Director Bennett Miller — working from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin — raises a few pertinent questions about whether the magic of the game can be reduced to a spreadsheet. But the movie is also structured in a way to give Beane’s A’s some measure of triumph, capturing the businesslike atmosphere of modern sports in a way that doesn’t disregard the fun. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes and featurettes that dig deeper into the real Beane story.
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season
HBO, $59.99; Blu-ray, $79.98
HBO’s period gangster epic “Boardwalk Empire” really came into its own in its second season, which deepened the characters, story and the world of Prohibition-era Atlantic City. But the first season — belatedly arriving on home video — is plenty good as well, introducing corrupt city treasurer Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) and the network of real-life crooks and politicians who kept the money and booze flowing through the United States in the early ‘20s. Rich in historical detail and cinematic splendor, “Boardwalk Empire” charts the changes of between-the-wars America, in gender roles, in race relations and in how people wield power. It’s a fascinating place to visit, and the DVD and Blu-ray enhance the experience with “character dossiers” to help viewers keep the players straight, along with episode commentary tracks and featurettes about how the show’s creative team conjures history.
Killer Elite
Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98
The hard-boiled action flick “Killer Elite” stars Jason Statham as a conflicted solder of fortune who takes a job he doesn’t want to bail out an old friend (Robert DeNiro). First-time feature director Gary McKendry and screenwriter Matt Sherring adapt Ranulph Fiennes’ (possibly) true-life adventure novel “The Feather Men,” and while they go in too much for the clichés of the European “lad movie” — tough guys, thick accents, snazzy editing tricks, old British pop hits, etc., — there’s an earnestness about “Killer Elite” that’s a refreshing change from the recent run of winking two-fisted actioners. The DVD and Blu-ray come lean, sporting only deleted scenes.
What’s Your Number?
20th Century Fox, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99
Another week, another gimmicky rom-com. In “What’s Your Number?,” Anna Faris plays a flustered young woman who freaks out when she realizes she’s slept with twice as many men as the national average and decides to reconnect with her former lovers — with the help of a hunky neighbor played by Chris Evans — to see if any of them have the potential to become husband material. Though admirably raunchy, “What’s Your Number?” is nowhere near as funny or true-to-life as the recent “Bridesmaids” or “Friends With Benefits”; it’s more like a poorly researched women’s magazine article mixed with a bad stand-up comedy routine. The DVD and Blu-ray prolong the torture, via deleted and extended scenes.
And…
Higher Ground
Sony Blu-ray, $45.99
An Idiot Abroad
BBC Warner, $34.98
There Be Dragons
20th Century Fox, $22.98; Blu-ray, $29.99
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