LIVES AT ‘SEA’ AND IN FLUX
New on Blu-ray
Manchester by the Sea Lionsgate DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99; also available on VOD
Don’t be put off by all the descriptions of the Oscarnominated film as a melancholy tear-jerker. Yes, this picture is suffused with sadness, and yes, Casey Affleck gives an emotionally devastating performance as Lee Chandler, a surly New Englander grappling with profound grief. But writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s film is also funny at times and filled with the stuff of life: banter, lust, familial affection and personal renewal. As Lee tries to take care of his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges) and reckon with his past, “Manchester” deals with how hard it is to overcome tragedy and how human it is to keep trying. Special features: A Lonergan commentary track, deleted scenes and a featurette
VOD
The Girl With All the Gifts Available Friday
Based on M.R. Carey’s post-apocalyptic sciencefiction novel, “The Girl With All the Gifts” stars Gemma Arterton as a teacher and psychologist who works with children infected by a disease that turns them into cannibals. The film version — written by Carey — retains the book’s twisty plot and gripping suspense. The result is an original and surprisingly nuanced reimagining of the zombie genre.
TV set of the week
The Level: Series One Acorn DVD, $39.99; Blu-ray, $39.99
Like the movie “The Departed” and the NBC series “Shades of Blue,” this British cop show is about a compromised police officer trying to do her job while deflecting her colleagues’ scrutiny. Karla Crome stars as a detective who’s spent her career hiding her connection to a high-profile crook until she happens to be in a secret meeting with him when he’s assassinated. What follows over the first season’s six episodes is a game of cat and mouse as the heroine buries evidence of her involvement while participating in the investigation of the crime. Special features: Featurettes
From the archives
3 Classic Films by Claude Chabrol: Betty / Torment (L’Enfer) / The Swindle Cohen Blu-ray, $49.99
Late French director Claude Chabrol made a wide variety of films during his 50year career, but he’ll always be best known for his thrillers, which display a frank sexuality, a mordant wit and a sophisticated approach to tales of murder and deceit.
Cohen’s “Classics of French Cinema” imprint collects three of the more delightfully nasty late-period Chabrols onto a two-disc Blu-ray set. Each of these highly entertaining movies illustrates how human desire can curdle into something foul. Special features: Scholarly commentary tracks on “Torment” and “The Swindle,” plus a lengthy interview with “Swindle” star François Cluzet
Three more to see
Elle Sony DVD, $25.99; Blu-ray, $30.99 Hacksaw Ridge Lionsgate DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99; 4K, $42.99; also available on VOD Nocturnal Animals Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD