New to View: Johansson grabs the spotlight in ‘Lucy’
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 20:
Lucy (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: This far-fetched and silly crime thriller with science-fiction overtones serves as a showcase for Scarlett Johansson.
Her performance keeps you enthralled for the film’s entire running time.
The movie centers on an ordinary woman given extraordinary abilities because of a dangerous drug.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 2.0 descriptive audio track and Spanish and French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English 2.0 descriptive audio track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on the scientific aspects of the movie and a behind-the-scenes look with Johansson at the transformation of Lucy comprise the bonus features.
The Drop (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: This is a thriller awash in atmosphere that keeps reeling you in — even as you suspect where it is heading.
Tom Hardy’s performance as a bartender who is underrated by everyone around him is the movie’s driving force.
The film also features the final performance by James Gandolfini as the bar owner who thinks he is smarter than he 
truly is.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extras include deleted scenes, a commentary, a profile of Gandolfini’s character, a making of featurette, a look at filming in Brooklyn, a featurette on Rocco the dog and a featurette on the making of the film.
The Boxtrolls (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, action, peril, rude humor
The lowdown: Kids will feast on this animated feature about the Boxtrolls, unusual creatures who have raised a human boy named Eggs.
When Eggs’ family is threatened, the boy and his new friend, Winnie, set out to save the Boxtrolls.
To take advantage of the 3D, you will need a 3D television, Blu-ray player, glasses and HDMI cable.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS Surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS Surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a series of preliminary animatic sequences, a featurette on the voice talent, a featurette on fabricating the characters, a look at the changing faces of Snatcher because of his cheese allergy, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the ballroom dance sequences, a look at the Mecha-Drill stop motion puppet/prop, a series of behind the scenes featurettes and a commentary track.
Annabelle (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, intense and disturbing violence and terror
The lowdown: A feature based on the doll from “The Conjuring,” spotlights Annabelle, who is given as the perfect gift by a young husband to his wife.
Of course, Annabelle wreaks havoc and scares the pants out of the audience.
Maybe the guy should have just given his wife some jewelry?
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and French Dolby Digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus features include a featurette on the curse of Annabelle, deleted scenes, a featurette on the bloody tears of possession, a look at dolls of the demon and a behind-the-scenes featurette on the demonic process.
Boyhood (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Jan. 6
Details: 2014, Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language, sexual references, teen smoking and drug use
The lowdown: Richard Linklater’s drama chronicles one boy’s journey to adulthood. The fact that it was filmed in pieces over 12 years may make it sound like a gimmick movie, but that is not the case.
“Boyhood” offers finely wrought a performance by young Ellar Coltrane as he faces the highs and lows of growing up.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English descriptive audio track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English descriptive audio track; English closed-captioned and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on the 12-year process of making the movie and a question-and-answer session with Linklater and cast members comprise the bonus offerings.
A Walk Among the Tombstones (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2014, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence, disturbing images, language, nudity
The lowdown: Liam Neeson stars as former police officer Matt Scudder who now works as an unlicensed private investigator.
He agrees to help a heroin trafficker hunt down the men who killed his wife. Scudder learns that the killers have committed similar murders and sets out to stop them before they can kill again.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Digital 2.0 descriptive audio track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 Dolby Digital audio descriptive track and Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital surround; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: A profile of Matt Scudder featuring his creator, author Lawrence Block, and screenwriter-director Scott Frank and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and its characters comprise the major bonus offerings.
On Golden Pond: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1981, Shout! Factory
Rated: PG, language
The lowdown: Henry Fonda won his only Academy Award in his final film, which teamed with his Katharine Hepburn, also an Oscar winner, and his daughter, Jane.
The story centers on a retired college professor, his wife, his strained relationship with his daughter and the young boy who spends the summer with the elderly couple.
The film’s father-daughter relationship mirrors the real-life tension between the Fondas.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a look back at the making of the movie, a featurette on Hepburn and a commentary track.
Glee: The Complete Fifth Season
Release date: Jan. 6
Details: 2013-14, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A six-disc set featuring all 20 fifth season episodes of the hit Fox series, which was highlighted by the touching tribute episode to former cast member Cory Monteith, who played Finn.
In happier moments, Rachel fulfills her Broadway dream, while other New Directions graduates try to find success in the Big Apple.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A celebration of the show’s 100th episode, a look at “Glee” in New York City and a “Glee” music jukebox comprise the major bonus features.
House of Lies: The Third Season
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2014, Showtime Entertainment-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, sexual content, violence
The lowdown: In season three of this satiric look at corporate America, management consultant Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) starts his own firm, while Jeannie (Kristen Bell) gets a promotion at the old firm.
During the season relationships are strained and tested and allegiances are not always what they seem.
Technical aspects: 16×9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital stereo.
Don’t miss: No bonus offerings.
The Zero Theorem (Blu-ray)
Details: 2013, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, language, sexual content, nudity
The lowdown: Terry Gilliam directed this techno-thriller starring two-time Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz as a computer genius plagued with existential angst.
Waltz’s character lives in a burned-out church where he works on a top-secret project to discover the meaning of life.
The cast includes Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton and David Thewlis.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette and a look at the visual effects comprise the main supplemental offerings.
Coherence
Details: 2013, Oscilloscope Laboratories
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Eight friends at a dinner party experience a series of troubling reality bending events on a night when an astronomical anomaly occurs.
The film is part science fiction and part relationship drama. The mystery and tension may grab you.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, a commentary track and test footage comprise the bonus features.
White Bird in a Blizzard (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual content, nudity, language, drug use
The lowdown: Shallene Woodley stars in this thriller as a young woman whose mother mysteriously vanishes.
While the police investigate the disappearance, the young woman enjoys her newfound freedom and begins to embrace her sexuality.
Soon, though, the mystery surrounding her mother begins to weigh upon her.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a commentary track, deleted and extended scenes, an interview with director Gregg Araki, an interview with Woodley and an AXS TV episode devoted to the film.
Episodes: The Third Season
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2014, Showtime Entertainment-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated, sexual content, adult themes
The lowdown: In season three of this 2-disc set, Matt is working feverishly to save his show, his career and remake his fortune.
On the personal side, he is facing a custody battle, a stalker and a DUI charge.
Good thing, this series is a comedy and that Matt LeBlanc is a fine comedic actor, or things could sound depressing.
Technical aspects: 16×9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and Spanish Dolby Digital stereo.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
Little House on the Prairie: Season Four: Deluxe Remastered Edition (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1977-78, Lionsgate
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Among the highlights of the fourth season of this beloved NBC series is the blindness of Mary, a drowning, a kidnapping, a disappointing trip to Chicago, a marriage and a surprise inheritance.
As usual, the episodes are strong on family and positive messages.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby Digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on a day in the life of the series is the major bonus component.
Two Mothers
Release date: Jan. 13
Details: 2014, Canteen Outlaws
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A German feature about the challenges a same-sex couple faces in an effort to become loving and responsible parents.
The movie looks at the obstacles the women face and how it changes their relationship.
Technical aspects: 16×9 widescreen picture; German stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: No extras.
The Magic School Bus: Season One
Details: 2014, Cinedigm-Scholastic
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set featuring all 13 first season episodes of this series that is geared to entertain and educate youngsters.
Mrs. Frizzle and her students travel inside the human body, get swept up by a tornado and visit a beehive, among other adventures.
Technical aspects: Full-screen picture; English and Spanish Dolby Digital stereo.
Don’t miss: No extras.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
By the Gun (Blu-ray) (Millennium Entertainment)
Gnome Alone (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Life’s a Breeze (Blu-ray) (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Lost Legion (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Swamp People: Season 5 (Lionsgate)
FOR KIDS
Dora the Explorer: Mermaid Adventure Collection (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment, Jan. 13)
Coming next week: Fury
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob.com. The Film Yap and other print and online publications, He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.