New on DVD
The Lincoln Lawyer
Lionsgate, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99
Anyone who tries to adapt the work of bestselling mystery novelist Michael Connelly in the future should take a long look at this, which gets the author exactly right. Matthew McConaughey plays clever, in-demand attorney Mickey Haller, who works out of his car and never misses an angle; Ryan Phillippe is his latest client, a rich kid accused of a violent crime. The case is nothing that hasn’t been seen in hundreds of other legal thrillers, but McConaughey delivers his most charismatic performance in more than a decade, and director Brad Furman (with screenwriter John Romano) includes all the little details about the politics of L.A. lawyering that makes Connelly’s Haller novels special. The DVD and Blu-ray include deleted scenes and a trio of Connelly-focused featurettes.
Arthur
Warner Bros., $28.98; Blu-ray, $29.98/$35.99
The 1981 film “Arthur” was a sweet nothing of a movie about a rich drunk who risks his fortune when he falls in love with a working-class woman. The 2011 remake — directed by Jason Winer from a script by Peter Baynham — follows the same formula, but the flavor’s a little different, largely because Dudley Moore has been replaced by Russell Brand. Moore brought a maturity and melancholy to the role, even when he was being childish; Brand, while funny, is so chronically impish that he’s hard to take seriously as the hero. His Arthur’s not bad, but there’s no compelling reason to watch it so long as the original’s available. The DVD and Blu-ray load up on deleted scenes and outtakes, which should tickle Brand fans.
Insidious
Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $35.99
Director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell’s horror movie is effectively nerve-jangling, using a hushed tone and dissonant Joseph Bishara score to tell a story about a family plagued by the paranormal. Granted, there’s not much of a story in “Insidious,” which is more content to bombard the audience with spooky images and banging noises. It’s a bare-bones kind of haunted-house movie, but it works, so long as you come in with low expectations. The DVD and Blu-ray add featurettes in which Wan and Whannell celebrate their own old-school aspirations.
Rango
Paramount, $29.99; Blu-ray, $44.99
For all the knocks that director Gore Verbinski’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies have taken from critics over the years, they are visually stunning and at times gleefully weird. That’s why it’s great to see Verbinski really get to play with the animated feature “Rango,” a spaghetti western riff (written by John Logan) about a pet iguana who gets stranded in the desert and helps a strange town with its drought and predator problems. The movie is too violent and, well, odd for younger kids, but Johnny Depp’s mumbly voice performance as the title character is consistently hilarious, and Verbinski and Logan bring a sense of visual invention and wit that makes “Rango” like an animated Coen brothers film. As is typical for these kinds of movies, the DVD and Blu-ray come loaded with fun featurettes.
And…
Brother’s Justice
Well Go USA, $24.98; Blu-ray, $29.98
Buster Keaton Short Films Collection
Kino, $34.95; Blu-ray, $49.95
Miral
Starz/Anchor Bay, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
[Rec] 2
Magnolia, $26.99
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Strand, $27.99; Blu-ray, $34.99
White Irish Drinkers
Screen Media, $24.98; Blu-ray, $29.98
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