The larcenous tale of “American Animals” tops this week’s new releases, but if you are a fan of DVD sets of television shows, this is a major week for you.
• “American Animals”: Four bored University of Kentucky students decide to steal rare books from Transylvania University’s special collections library. Give “American Animals” director Bart Layton credit for turning what would have been a mildly interesting heist tale into a fascinating examination of crime and the unfettered thinking of youth. His accounts of a robbery gone band works because the filmmaker best known for his documentary work took some big chances with his first foray into scripted moviemaking.
The story is played out by four young actors — Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Jared Abrahamson and Blake Jenner — but Layton elevates the movie by having the participants talk directly to the camera. This is nothing new, used as recently as in “I, Tonya.” What makes Layton’s version different is the testimonial sections are done by the four actual participants.
The director was smart enough to listen to the documentarian in his head and trust that a tale of larceny conveyed through a strong restaging of the real events coupled with a recounting from the source is enough to be entertaining.
“Tag”: This is not only the latest example of how Hollywood is running out of original ideas, but proof no one seems to care that the imagination void is getting deeper and wider. The latest example of banal and boring material passed off as entertainment is the story of five friends who have been playing a game of tag in the month of May for 30 years.
Jerry (Jeremy Renner) is the king of tag having never been touched. The four other friends — Hoagie (Ed Helms), Callahan (Jon Hamm), Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Chilli (Jake Johnson) — decide this is the year the untouched string ends. They have great hopes of succeeding as they know Jerry will be in a specific place dealing with his wedding.
“Tag” plods along banking on the cast’s likability to be enough distraction that the script could have been written on a message from a fortune cookie. And even the cast feels like the B-team that had to be called in when smarter actors passed on the project.
Also on DVD
• “Unikitty: Sparkle Party, Season 1, Part 1”: Fan-favorite character from “The LEGO Movie” goes on her own adventures.
• “Chicago Med: Season Three”: The DVD set includes 20 episodes of the drama set in a Chicago hospital.
• “Once Upon a Time: The Complete Seventh Season”: The final adventures of the fairy tale characters trying to deal with the real world is seen through the perspective of an adult Henry Mills (Andrew J. West).
• “Criminal Minds: The Thirteenth Season”: The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit deals with the most bizarre and dangerous cases. Matthew Gray Gubler stars.
• “The Originals: The Fifth and Final Season”: Thousand-year-old vampires battle in the city that they built. Daniel Gillies stars.
• “Flash: Season Four”: Included in the 23 episodes of the superhero series starring Grant Gustin is the DC Comics crossover event.
• “Scandal: The Complete Sixth and Seventh Seasons”: Kerry Washington stars in the network series that shows the scandalous side of politics.
• “Star: Season 2”: Series follows three talented singers, desperate for a new start and with ambitions of stardom.
• “Lucifer: The Third and Final Season”: This devilish tale of Satan taking a holiday features Tom Ellis in the title role of the series inspired by the comic book of the same name.
• “S.W.A.T.: Season 1”: Shemar Moore stars in this series that follows an elite group of police officers in Los Angeles.
• “Woman Walks Ahead”: Jessica Chastain plays a widowed artist who, in the 1880s, travels to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes).
• “Book Club”: Four lifelong friends attempt to shake things up by tackling “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
• “RBG”: A look at the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• “Brainscan”: High-tech wizardry of interactive video game enters subconscious of a lonely teenager (Edward Furlong).
• “Mindgame”: This cult hit film shows how a near-death experience changes a person.
• “Ready Jet Go!: Jet’s First Halloween”: Jet learns all of the classic Halloween to-dos, such as carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating.
On digital HD
• “Superfly”: Career criminal faces numerous roadblocks in his efforts to change careers. Will be available on Blu-ray and DVD Sept. 11.
• “The Padre”: U.S. Judge (Nick Nolte) and his hired gun, Gaspar (Luis Guzm?n), track down a small-time con man (Tim Roth).
