New on DVD and Blu-ray Disc

The flashy drama “21” is just out on DVD and Blu-ray, but don’t pop your buttons just yet. The film is based on the real-life MIT students who worked to take Las Vegas for millions, and let’s just say that this is such a deeply fictionalized account of that time, all involved should have known when to fold them (before production began).

In the film, Kevin Spacey is the sleezy math professor behind the scam, Laurence Fishburne is the casino henchman on to Spacey and his students, and Jim Sturgess is at the center of the story as Ben Campbell, who needs the cash to go to medical school--and who sells his soul in order to do so. While Sturgess is good here and Spacey chews on the script as if it were a piece of meat (actually, it is--hamburger), there are no surprises, only a story that’s about as interesting as the plot it offers--counting cards.

Those seeking real-life drama--at least of the political sort--should consider two Biography Channel documentaries, “John McCain” and “Barack Obama,” each of which tells a reasonably balanced tale of the candidates they’re covering. The information doesn’t go beyond what most don’t already know about these presidential hopefuls, but for those who haven’t been paying attention, expect a good overview.

Two brassy cartoon collections are available from Warner--Steven Spielberg’s “Freakazoid: Complete First Season,” which is suitable for Web-minded tweens, and “Tiny Toons Adventures: Season One, Vol. 1,” which is suitable for parents who like the idea of tiring out their own tots. The collection is energetic, frenetic and exhausting. It’s also fun.

High on the list is the quirky Canadian television series “Terminal City,” in which Maria Del Mar’s Katie finds herself in the unlikely situation of turning a breast cancer diagnosis into reality television fame. If that sounds like a stretch, consider today’s reality television programming, in which anything is possible, and you’ll get the idea of the dark, sometimes caustic wit that’s offered here. Del Mar is particularly good in the role, which won her Canada’s equivalent of the Emmy.

New to market are four DVDs from Koch Vision that are worth noting, with the best coming down to two documentaries that focus on that current hotspot, China, where the summer Olympics is set to begin.

First up is “Secrets of China’s First Emperor: Tyrant and Visionary,” a brief yet well-done documentary based on the life of Qin Shi Huangdi, who shaped much of that country in the third century B.C. What he left behind is a complex legacy, to say the least. While his reign is stained by his absolute disregard for human life, Qin Shi Huangdi also is responsible for the creation of Xi’an’s staggering, 7,000-strong terra cotta army, and he was the visionary behind China’s Great Wall.

Those interested in the latter should, in fact, consider “China’s Great Wall,” a two-part documentary that explores how the wall was built (in stages), while also dispensing a few myths about it, such as the idea that it can be seen from space. It can’t.

Also available from Koch are “City of Vice,” an entertaining series that follows Henry and John Fielding (Ian McDiarmid, Iain Glen) as they work to carry out the trash (the human sort) from 18th century London, and the sixth season of “McLeod’s Daughters,” with more soapy adventures taking place among the women fighting hardships and finding love in the Australian outback.

Those who prefer their action films served with a measure of drama should definitely turn to Wolfgang Peterson’s 1993 movie “In the Line of Fire,” which is just out on Blu-ray disc in a great high-definition transfer. The film is one of Clint Eastwood’s best, with the actor cast as Frank Horrigan, a boozy, aging Secret Service Agent haunted by a troubling past. When he’s pitted against John Malkovich’s Mitch Leary, a creep eager to take out the President, who Frank is charged to protect, it’s up to Frank to shake off his demons and rise to the challange. Dylan McDermott and Rene Russo co-star.

For lighter action fare, look to “The Bank Job,” which arrives Tuesday on DVD and Blu-ray disc from Lionsgate, with Jason Statham sporting enough stubble to scrape the metal off a gun. Not that he’d want to do so in this slight, silly heist movie, which turns out to be plenty of fun.