CLOONEY CAN’T SAVE IT
Dope
Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98 Available on VOD on Tuesday
The fizzy combination of caper picture and high-school comedy from writer-director Rick Famuyiwa follows three teenage nerds from Inglewood who get caught in the middle of a war between local drug dealers and then find themselves with a cache of Molly (a.k.a. Ecstasy) they’re expected to sell. There’s a lot of plot here — maybe too much — but Famuyiwa keeps the story moving, and his diverse young cast maintains an enjoyably breezy tone even when things turns violent. More important, “Dope” feels up-to-date in a way few films of its ilk do these days. This is a movie that understands how an underclass coming-of-age story in 2015 requires its own slang, codes, songs and props, unlike ones made in other eras. The DVD and Blu-ray include featurettes.
Tomorrowland Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99 Available on VOD on Tuesday
Director Brad Bird and writer Damon Lindelof are smart entertainers, but their big Disney movie is for the most part an admirable misfire. Britt Robertson stars as a science-obsessed young woman who gets invited to visit a decaying extra-dimensional city. She’s helped by an older cynic (played by George Clooney) who knows about this Tomorrowland but who no longer believes in its mission. The movie’s premise is original, and its sets and technology look fantastic, but too much of the two-hour running time is dedicated to explanations and lectures, instead of genuine wonder. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes, featurettes and retrospectives of Disney’s past visions of the world to come.
Devil in a Blue Dress
Twilight Time Blu-ray, $29.95
It’s a pity that writer-director Carl Franklin’s 1995 adaptation of Walter Mosley’s period detective novel didn’t launch a franchise, as intended. But at least one very good “Easy” Rawlins movie got made, featuring excellent performances by Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle, and some fine neonoir atmosphere courtesy of Franklin. It’s a tantalizing reminder of what might’ve been. This Bluray edition comes with a Franklin commentary track, plus a look at Cheadle’s original screen test.
Mad Men
The Complete Series
Lionsgate Blu-ray, $209.97
The last season (and last episode) of AMC’s groundbreaking drama lacked the kind of big twists and grand summations that other long-running TV series go for. But that was entirely appropriate for this show, which tackled a grand subject — the evolution of American culture and values in the 1960s — via small, almost literary vignettes, centered on disaffected New York adman Don Draper. Jon Hamm’s thorny, Emmy-winning lead performance exemplified everything “Mad Men” was about: He played Draper as attractive, elusive and torn between a disappearing past and an uncertain future. In addition to containing some of the best television of the last decade, this set is filled with commentary tracks and featurettes — the latter dealing with how the show was made, and what creator Matt Weiner learned about the times he tried to portray.