‘REFORMED,’ A TALE OF FAITH AND OBSESSION
New on Blu-ray First Reformed Lionsgate DVD, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.99; also available on VOD
The 72-year-old Paul Schrader — writer of “Taxi Driver” and director of some of the most daring and distinctive American movies of the last 40 years — has made perhaps his best film with this one, an uncompromising contemporary social drama that synthesizes his recurring themes of religious faith and dangerous obsession. Ethan Hawke stars as the Rev. Ernst Toller, a minister whose dedication is tested by a shrinking congregation and personal tragedy. When he meets a compassionate young woman (played by Amanda Seyfried) whose husband is considering an act of environmental terrorism, Toller starts seeing two possible ways to live out the rest of his days: by taking dramatic action or by recommitting to a quiet life of service. Schrader externalizes this internal dilemma, making the spiritual crisis as gripping as any thriller. Special features: A Schrader commentary track and a brief featurette VOD Arizona Available Friday Short” in this darkly comic neonoir that uses the collapse of the American real estate market as the backdrop for a twisty, violent story. Rosemarie DeWitt plays a struggling real estate agent who sees her boss get killed by an angry client, played by Danny McBride. The killer kidnaps her, and then a series of accidents and calamities keeps the body count rising, all in a suburban gated community that no one can afford anymore. Director Jonathan Watson and screenwriter Luke Del Tredici drop some tense cat-and-mouse sequences into this sly satire about people desperately trying to hang onto their pieces of the American dream. TV set of the week The Terror: The Complete First Season Lionsgate DVD, $24.99; Blu-ray, $29.97
Dan Simmons’ bestselling 2007 novel “The Terror” is a terrifying historical adventure, based on a real-life 1840s Arctic naval expedition that went horribly awry. AMC’s acclaimed TV adaptation emphasizes the supernatural elements in Simmons’ book, teasing out the threat of a strange force keeping these sailors trapped in the ice. But thanks to a top-notch cast of British character actors — including Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds and Ian Hart — the show’s also a carefully crafted study of the British class system, considering how fealty to order is a reasonable method of survival until the wild becomes impossible to contain. Special features: A few short featurettes From the archives Wild at Heart: Collector’s Edition Shout Select Blu-ray, $22.97 David Lynch became something of a pop culture phenomenon in 1990 with the springtime success of his TV series “Twin Peaks” spilling over into the summer, where this cranked-up road picture won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. In retrospect, this ultra-violent riff on “The Wizard of Oz” — with Nicolas Cage as an Elvis-loving ex-con who hits the road with his true love (Laura Dern), yearning to escape the ugliness of the world — is more crudely sensationalistic than Lynch’s earlier masterpieces “Eraserhead” and “Blue Velvet.” But it’s a fascinating transitional work, finding the director reconciling his attraction to Hollywood iconography and American optimism with his deeper sense that humanity’s rotten to the core. Special features: Extensive new and old featurettes, plus more than an hour of deleted scenes
Three more to see Action Point
Paramount DVD/Blu-ray combo, $19.99; also available on VOD
Deadpool 2
20th Century Fox DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $24.99; 4K, $44.99; also available on VOD
Show Dogs
Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD