New on DVD this week

GREEN LANTERN (2011, Warner, PG-13, $30) — Ryan Reynolds has enough charisma for a dozen movie stars, but he can't save this silly origin story involving yet another DC Comics superhero. As the titular crime fighter, Reynolds is enlisted to take out Parallax (Clancy Brown), a fire-breathing giant octopus-ish villain hellbent on decimating the Green Lantern Corps. Given the cast (Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Blake Lively), the director (Martin Campbell, who oversaw the Bond reboot "Casino Royale") and the budget ($150 million), "Green Lantern" should have burned a whole lot brighter. Extras: deleted scenes on the DVD, an extended cut of the movie, featurettes on the Blu-ray.

From left, the superheroic 'Green Lantern,' the
dark comedy 'Horrible Bosses,' the animal
romp 'Zookeeper' and the mind-bending 'Tree of Life.'

TREE OF LIFE (2011, Fox, PG-13, $30) — Terrence Malick's fifth feature in 38 years is a humdinger, an unclassifiable mind-bender of a movie that encompasses everything from dinosaurs to a depiction of small-town American life in the 1950s. The heart of the story belongs to Jack O'Brien (superb Hunter McCracken), a youngster being raised in Texas by a strict dad (Brad Pitt) and a caring mom (Jessica Chastain). No mere coming-of-age story, "Tree of Life" is after something bigger. It's a look at what came before us and, if we're lucky, what comes after. Occasionally confusing, always ravishing, "Tree of Life" is a movie of gripping questions, not easy answers. Extras: 30-minute making-of short.

HORRIBLE BOSSES (2011, Warner, R, $29) — Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman star as three put-upon employees who decide the only way to deal with their overbearing supervisors (Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey) is to knock them off. A few scenes fall flat, as the cast members attempt to out-raunch each other, but other scenes work beautifully, especially the ones demonstrating just how horrible the bosses are. Aniston is a nightmare predator, Farrell is a frequently hungover bully and Spacey has a sadistic streak a mile wide. Extras: deleted scenes on the DVD, extended cut, featurettes on the Blu-ray.

ZOOKEEPER (2011, Sony, PG, $30) — In a nutshell, it's "Night at the Museum" meets "Doctor Dolittle," with cheesier special effects and more slapstick comedy. Kevin James stars as a gentle zookeeper who is such a big loser in the romance department that his four-legged friends have to help him snag the hottie (Leslie Bibb) of his dreams. Even though celebrities like Adam Sandler, Cher, Sylvester Stallone and Nick Nolte provide the voices for the talking animals, the critters, bizarrely, take a backseat to James' love life. You'll see most of the twists coming a mile away, but James' good-natured performance and some quirky touches make this a passable family diversion. Extras: blooper reel, featurettes.

TERRI (2011, Fox, R, $28) — Reminiscent of such deadpan delights as "Cyrus" and "Chuck and Buck," Azazel Jacobs' poetic and funny coming-of-age film centers on an overweight high-schooler named Terri (Jacob Wysocki) who is so depressed about being bullied that he's taken to wearing his pajamas to class. His life takes a turn for the better when he's befriended by Vice Principal Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly), a former outcast willing to share his survivor's wisdom. Don't miss this one; Jacobs' affection for his flawed characters permeates every frame. Extras: featurette and deleted scenes.

SUBMARINE (2011, Anchor Bay, R, $30) — When Welsh teenager Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) discovers that his mum (Sally Hawkins) has taken a shine to a leather-pants-wearing psychic (Paddy Considine), his mission to woo his new gal pal (Yasmin Paige) takes a backseat to his efforts to keep his parents from splitting up. Beautifully shot by director Richard Ayoade, this coming-of-age comedy isn't wildly original, but the characters' complexity and the wry performances help keep it afloat. Extras: making-of featurette and deleted scenes.

BEAUTIFUL BOY (2011, Anchor Bay, R, $30) — Kate (Maria Bello) and Bill (Michael Sheen) are barely on speaking terms when tragedy strikes and they discover that their only child (Kyle Gallner) has shot and killed 17 of his classmates before taking his own life. In the days and weeks that follow, Kate and Bill try — and, mostly, fail — to get a handle on their grief. Like the equally inert "Rabbit Hole," the film is marred by so much psychobabble that the dialogue begins to sound like it was lifted from a self-help book. Extras: commentaries and deleted scenes.

FORGED (2010, Maya, unrated, $28) — Shot in Scranton, Pa., on a shoestring budget, this wintry crime saga unreels the story of Chuco (Manny Perez), an ex-con who's recently finished serving an eight-year sentence for killing his wife. After his release, Chuco not only has to deal with members of his old crew; he also has to make peace with his son (David Castro), who's determined to exact revenge for his mother's death. "Forged" has pacing problems, but its depiction of no-exit desperation is delivered with understatement, thanks to the evocative screenplay by Perez and director Will Wedig. Extras: nine featurettes and two commentaries.

LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (1989, Summit, R, $22) — Garbage litters the street, a hooker named Tralala (Jennifer Jason Leigh) lures sailors to an abandoned lot to be robbed by a gang of hoodlums (Peter Dobson, Stephen Baldwin), a union rep (Stephen Lang) pays a high price for hiding his homosexuality. Hell has nothing on this corner of Brooklyn, where goodness has gone missing. Based on a novel by Hubert Selby Jr., the new-to-Blu-ray potboiler is a lurid powerhouse, as electrifying as a downed power line. Extras: commentary by director Uli Edel and featurette.

CRY TERROR! (1958, Warner Archive, unrated, $25) — The first season of "24" owes a small debt to this almost-real-time suspenser about a family (James Mason, Inger Stevens) kidnapped and forced to take part in an extortion scheme by a gang of criminals (Rod Steiger, Neville Brand, Angie Dickinson, Jack Klugman). Steiger makes a great, smirking villain, while director Andrew L. Stone keeps it tense, edgy and Hitchcockian. Extras: none.

GRANDVIEW, U.S.A. (1984, CBS, R, $20) — An Illinois demolition derby might seem like an unlikely setting for a sweet-natured romance, but this frank, funny film is full of surprises. A recent high school grad (C. Thomas Howell) finds an escape from his stressful life by hanging out at a derby run by a hard-working beauty (Jamie Lee Curtis) whose heart belongs to her star driver (Patrick Swayze), a hothead who has yet to realize that his adulterous wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is no good for him. It's not a great movie, but it's a hugely enjoyable one. Extras: none.

GREAT ITALIAN DIRECTORS COLLECTION (2011, Kino, unrated, $50) — Antonioni, Fellini, De Sica and Visconti are, indeed, "great" directors, but it's the lusty, full-bodied actresses — Sophia Loren, Virna Lisi, Romy Schneider, Anita Ekberg — who make this three-film set such a delight (even if the sexism is a bit hard to swallow). On tap: "Story of a Love Affair," a shadowy tale of jealous husbands and trophy wives; "Boccaccio '70," an anthology of comic morality tales; and the sly "Casanova '70," a look at an army officer (Marcello Mastroianni) who can get aroused only in dangerous situations. Extras: documentaries.
TAYLOR SWIFT'S JOURNEY TO FEARLESS (2011, Shout Factory, unrated, $17) — The Grammy winner's latest concert DVD, oddly divided into three 45-minute "episodes," intercuts energetic live footage from her headlining "Fearless" tour with home movies, chirpy interviews and too-brief clips of a young Swift performing for deejays and singing the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers game. Extras: none.
BONES: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON (2010, Fox, unrated, $60) — Of course, there's plenty of fascinating — and icky — cases to be investigated by Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz). Check out the Jersey Shore episode for some crackerjack crime solving. But this season is marked by a new respect for the show's reliable supporting characters, especially the pregnant Angela (Michaela Conlin) and her main squeeze Hodgins (T.J. Thyne). If that wasn't enough to keep you watching, the Brennan/Booth romance heats up anew. Extras: featurettes, commentaries, extended episodes, gag reel and the pilot episode of "The Killing."