‘Flower’ has its heart in the right place

Even though it strains a little too hard to be shocking, “Flower” (2018, Lionsgate, R, $25) is a first-rate comedy.

Zoey Deutch stars as a rebellious teenager who teams up with her friends to turn the tables on a possible child predator (Adam Scott). Director Max Winkler (“Ceremony”) loves his actors and they reward him with fearless, effervescent performances, particularly Deutch who has never been better. Even when you think you know where “Flower” is headed, it keeps on delivering surprises. Extras: commentaries.

Also New To DVD

Keep the Change (2018, Kino, unrated, $28): While it’s extraordinary that director Rachel Israel decided to cast actors with autism to play characters with autism, the real miracle of this romantic comedy is how universal it feels. When David (Brandon Polansky) is forced by a judge to attend a program at the local Jewish Community Center, he winds up clashing with, and then falling for, the talkative Sarah (Samantha Elisofon). After surviving his smothermother (Jessica Walter) and her past boyfriends, the pair learns to love each other in spite of their flaws. What a sweet treat! Extras: deleted scenes and featurette. Terminal (2018, RLJ,

unrated, $22): In thrall to “Pulp Fiction” and “Sin City,” this bizarre saga of paid assassins, lecherous schoolteachers and mysterious janitors is all style and no substance. Set in a vast, neon-lit train terminal, the plot revolves around a contract killer (Margot Robbie) who attempts to pit two hit men (Max Irons, Dexter Fletcher) against each other in hope of stealing their business. Not even worth seeing for the usually reliable Robbie, “Terminal” is a dire, deeply forgettable dud. Extras: featurettes. Bowling for Columbine (2002, Criterion, unrated, $30): Both scathing and sorrowful, Michael Moore’s documentary aims to solve the riddle of America’s love affair with guns. Moore ambushes NRA mouthpiece Charlton Heston, quizzes Timothy McVeigh’s buddy Terry Nichols and, in the most startling sequence, accompanies two Columbine survivors to Kmart, where the bullets still lodged in their bodies were originally purchased. In the wake of so many mass shootings in America, Moore’s film is as timely today as when it was first released. Extras: featurettes. A Lost Lady (1934, Warner Archive, unrated, $20): Even though this melodrama is based on a well-regarded Willa Cather novel, it is more of a potboiler than a high-class literary adaptation. That said, Barbara Stanwyck is terrific as a depressed young woman who marries a wealthy, much-older man (Frank Morgan) only to find herself falling in love with a rich playboy (Ricardo Cortez). For a film that reportedly drew Cather’s ire, “A Lost Lady” is spiked with arresting scenes and strong performances. Extras: none. The House That Dripped Blood (1971, Shout Factory, PG, $22): When a film star (Jon Pertwee) goes missing, a Scotland yard detective travels to his last known address only to discover a haunted house that seems to bring out the worst in its inhabitants. A series of flashbacks starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Denholm Elliott involve creepy wax figures, witchy youngsters and deranged killers, but it’s the twist endings which are the most captivating. Extras: commentary track. Auto Focus (2002, Twilight Time, R, $30): Now that director Paul Schrader is back in the spotlight thanks to “First Reformed,” it’s a good time to revisit his underrated biopic about “Hogan’s Heroes” star Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear). Even as Crane was starring in the hit sitcom and appearing in Disney movies, he was descending into sex addiction, aided and abetted by an electronics whiz (Willem Dafoe) who made it easy for him to document his encounters with women. As much about fame as it is about sex, “Auto Focus” also proves that, in his quest for endless selfies, Crane was, in a very creepy way, ahead of his time. Extras: commentaries, deleted scenes and featurettes. The Addiction (1995, Arrow, unrated, $30): After shaking up the cop and gangster genres with “Bad Lieutenant” and “King of New York,” maverick filmmaker Abel Ferrera tried to pump fresh blood into the vampire movie. Lili Taylor stars as a philosophy student who is bitten by a beautiful woman (Annabella Sciorra) and soon finds herself thirsting for human blood. Ferrera equates vampirism with drug addiction, and throws in lots of quotes by Santayana and Nietzsche, but the end result is rather anemic. Still there’s one sequence that ranks with Ferrera’s best. Set at a party celebrating Taylor’s graduation, this seemingly genial gathering descends into savagery at the blink of an eye. Extras: featurettes and new making-of doc directed by Ferrera.

Menace and Murder (2018, Acorn, unrated, $60): From “Prime Suspect” creator Lynda LaPlante comes three series overflowing with mystery, intrigue and razor-sharp performances by Eammon Walker, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Bettany and Miriam Margolyes. While it’s the shortest of the series, “Mind Games,” starring Fiona Shaw, is the stand-out. In this nerve-jangler, a former nun draws on her faith to complete her new job as a criminal profiler. Extras: none.

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