You can pick a sweet tale of growing older or a high-octane action offering from among the new DVD releases.
• “Hello, My Name Is Doris,” 3 stars: In less talented hands, the May-December comedy “Hello, My Name Is Doris” would have ended up either a maudlin dark comedy or an over-the-top love story. But Sally Field’s acting skills and her natural charm elevate this production to a sweet, quirky and endearing tale.
Field’s work makes it a lovely story about how life can start at any age.
The film works because of Field. Even when she takes the character to an extreme — such as a night spent watching a concert by an electronic music band — she never comes across as pitiful or sad. That comes from the energy and joy she brings to the role.
• “London Has Fallen,” 3.5 stars: If there were a hall of fame for action movie heroes, Gerard Butler would make a strong case with “London Has Fallen.” He has the wicked wit of Bruce Willis, the grit of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the mumbled dialogue of Sylvester Stallone.
Combine that with over-the-top violence, video-game-style battles and special effects that will knock the cup of afternoon tea right out of your hand, and this film is the stuff of dreams for action-movie fans.
“London Has Fallen” is a follow-up to “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013), which introduced Butler as Secret Service agent Mike Banning in a film that was “Air Force One” meets “Die Hard.” Director Babak Najafi has stepped up the action by taking the fight with terrorists to London during the funeral for a world leader.
Also on DVD
• “Eddie the Eagle”: An underdog in ski jumping will not back down. Hugh Jackman stars.
• “The Young Messiah”: Based on the novel “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” by Anne Rice.
• “10 Cloverfield Lane”: Group goes underground to escape a major disaster. John Goodman stars.
• “Suspects: Series 1 and 2”: British procedural crime drama tackles difficult subjects.
• “Maude: Season Five”: Bea Arthur stars in the comedy created by Norman Lear.
• “Jeepers Creepers”: Two teens become the target of evil.
• “Margarita With a Straw”: Young Indian woman with cerebral palsy explores her sexuality after moving to New York.
• “Masterpiece Mystery!: Grantchester; Season 2”: James Norton and Robson Green are an improbable crime-fighting team.
• “Gridlocked”: Injured cop, actor must work together to protect a facility.
• “The Midnight After”: Sixteen people on a city bus emerge from a tunnel to find the entire population of the city has vanished.
• “The X-Files: The Event Series”: Mulder and Scully return for this six-episode production.
• “The League: The Final Fantasy”: One last attempt is made to win the Shiva trophy.
• “Littlest Pet Shop: Making Friends”: Blythe offers lessons on how to make friends.
• “Ballers: The Complete First Season”: Retired football player (Dwayne Johnson) becomes a business manager in this HBO series.
• “Bodyguards and Assassins”: Donnie Yen stars in the martial arts tale set in Hong Kong in 1905.
• “Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle: Complete Season One”: Includes 16 animated episodes.
• “Get a Job”: Four college graduates deal with realities of life.
• “Alaskan Bush People: Seasons 1 and 2”: Family has lived in the Alaskan wild for 30 years.
• “Toni Braxton: The Movie Event”: Cable film based on the memoir “Unbreak My Heart.”
• “Altered Minds”: Judd Hirsch plays a father of a family with dark secrets.
• “Birds of a Feather: Set 1”: Lives of sisters are not the same after their husbands are convicted of armed robbery.
On Digital HD
• “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”: Novice war correspondent tries to adjust to the strange world around her. Tina Fey stars.
• “Eye in the Sky”: Military officer in command of drone operation must stop a suicide mission.
