New to DVD and Blu-ray Disc

"America at War"
From A&E and the History Channel, a well done, 14-disc collection that explores our nation's war efforts, beginning with the American Revolution and the Alamo and following straight through to our conflicts in the Persian Gulf and our ongoing war in Iraq. Newsreel and archival footage add weight and interest to the already substantial commentary provided by experts in the field, and especially by those who lived through some of the events themselves. As with any undertaking this massive, there are sticking points. While the Vietnam, Korean and WWI coverage seem unusually truncated by being limited to only one disc each, the American Revolution warrants three discs, while World War II is offered exploration on only two discs. Finally, while the quality of this set doesn't rise to the level of a documentary by, say, Ken Burns, it does an admirable job offering enough insightful angles to allow for a solid overview. Grade: B+

“The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Complete Seasons 1-5”
A fascinating series that roams the world to study and explore 20 famous pieces of art, from such Renaissance masterpieces as Piero della Francesca’s “The Resurrection” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” to such Impressionist works as Van Gogh’s “The Sunflowers” and Auguste Renoir’s “Dance at the Moulin de la Galette.” Also in this award-winning set are revealing observations of Edouard Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe,” Whistler’s iconic painting of his mother in the then-controversial “Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist’s Mother,” and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” The value of this collection is evident at the start: In spite of how well known these works are, the art historians assembled to discus them nevertheless manage to build drama through insight, such as when they explore “Michelangelo’s David” or Rodin’s “The Kiss.” In doing so, “The Private Life of a Masterpiece” neatly skirts the pitfalls of mainstream familiarity to offer the surprise of something new, a fresh angle we might not have considered, and the richness that rests within. Grade: A

“There’s Something About Mary” Blu-ray
Eleven years out, the film bears at least some responsibility for the continued decline of our culture, but it has held up and it remains funny. The film follows Mary (Cameron Diaz), a blonde-haired, blue-eyed bombshell with a whole lot of chutzpah, charm and je ne sais quoi. There’s something about her smile, something about her golf swing, something about the hair gel she uses, something about the men she chooses, and even something about her neighbor’s dog that makes her an absolute target for tomfoolery, buffoonery and, from time to time, even blasphemy. The film begins with a young, nerdish Ben Stiller snagging his manhood in a zipper while on his way to the prom with Mary (“We’ve got a bleeder!”), and disintegrates from there with sight gag after sight gag--until some, those with weaker stomachs, literally will be left gagging. But in a good way. Rated R. Grade: B+

"The Transformers: Special Edition” Blu-ray
With the new sequel just out in theaters, now is the time check out the high-definition version of the original. It clocks in at nearly 21⁄2 hours but it greases by without ever feeling as long. Shia LaBeouf is Sam Witwicky, a genial nerd caught in a plot that finds Earth under attack by the Decepticons, huge robots in search of the Allspark, a giant cube that, if found, will allow these beasts the devastating powers of evil they seek. Working against them are the Autobots, who also are seeking the Allspark but who instead want to use its power for good. Since neither the Decepticons nor the Autobots know where the Allspark is located on Earth, anything goes in their efforts to find it. Though Megan Fox, Anthony Anderson John Voight and John Turturro co-star, the real stars of the show are the Transformers themselves, whose incorporation into the film's real-life surroundings is as seamless a feat as you could imagine. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Waltz with Bashir” DVD, Blu-ray
Folman’s Academy Award-nominated “Waltz with Bashir” is about the ramifications of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre that took the lives of hundreds of unarmed men, women and children during the Lebanon war. It uses animation not only as a means to generate the film’s stunning imagery--you’ve never seen a war movie quite like this war movie. More profoundly, it employs the animated form as a method of underscoring the surreal and hallucinatory aspects of war, and all the varied difficulties of coping in the wake of war. As such, it takes a medium best known for pleasing tots and uses it to inform its story and characters in ways that real life couldn’t. This isn’t new (Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” did it, as did others) but the way it’s handled here is something of a contradiction--a beautiful-looking film about an ugly, unthinkable event. If Folman had chosen to tell his story via live action, it goes without saying that the film’s mix of horror and bloodshed would be anything but beautiful, but it is here. And what are we to make of that? Rated R. Grade: A