A top TV comedy and a wickedly funny film from the past top the new DVD releases for Nov. 12.
• “Big Bang Theory: The Final Season” 3 1/2 : The CBS comedy ended the way it started — a show that took intelligent humor, mixed in some saucy moments and presented it through a first-rate cast. It is obvious looking at the slate of comedies on the networks this fall that the end of the series has created a comedy black hole.
Jim Parsons got the lion’s share of praise for his performance as the odd Dr. Sheldon Cooper, but as with all great situation comedies — “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “MASH,” “Seinfeld” — the reason the program worked was the solid ensemble cast throughout the 12 seasons. Particular praise should be given Mayim Bialik, who gave the series a huge comedy boost with her work as the quirky Amy Farrah Fowler.
The mix of pop culture references with real science showed that humor doesn’t have to live in the gutter as long as it is written with care and a commitment to being as smart as possible. It’s great the show can be owned on DVD because that kind of approach is difficult to find on the network lineups.
• “Heathers 30th Anniversary Steel Book” 3 1/2 : The 1988 feature film was not completely loved until it was made available to watch at home. That’s when the beauty of the dark comedy found in the script by Daniel Waters could fully be appreciated.
An all-star cast that includes Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Dougherty and Lisanne Falk takes on the story of the picture-perfect queens of the social scene at Westerburg High that everyone wants to be and are afraid to cross. Veronica (Ryder) is convinced she wants to be a Heather until she meets J.D. (Slater), who has some wild ideas about dealing with bullies.
Be sure to watch the production while keeping in mind it was made 30 years ago. That’s why it can deal with themes that come across as taboo compared with the way movies currently are made. The wickedly dark comedy remains one of the best movies set in high school.
Also on DVD, Blu-ray
• “The Angry Birds Movie 2”: The flightless angry birds and the scheming green piggies take their battle to the next level.
• “Good Boys”: Three sixth graders end up on an adventure when they skip school.
• “The Farewell”: A young woman discovers the family matriarch has not been told she’s dying. Tzi Ma stars.
• “47 Meters Down Uncaged”: Four teenage girls fight for survival in a submerged Mayan city.
• “The Peanut Butter Falcon”: A young man with Down syndrome runs away from a nursing home to fulfill his dream of attending a pro wrestling school.
• “Cross Rise of the Villains”: Callan (Brian Austin Green) is back with his team of weapons experts to defend Los Angeles from its biggest threat.
• “Scared of Revolution”: The film based on Christine Otten’s book, The Last Poets, looks at the life of Umar Bin Hassan.
• “Road Games”: A trucker and hitchhiker get pulled into a deadly game in this 1981 Stacy Keach movie.
• “Poldark Season 5”: Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) is determined to put Westminster behind him and spend more time with the people he loves.
• “Star Trek: Discovery – Season 2”: Streaming series where the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery join forces with Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).
• “Aquarela”: Cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and power of water.
• “Brian Banks”: Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) overcomes time in jail to reclaim his dream of playing in the NFL.
• “D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach”: Elite group of American soldiers go on what many thing is a suicide mission.
• “Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles”: Animated tale of a legendary artist in search of his purpose.
• “After the Wedding”: Woman (Michelle Williams) who has devoted her life to running an orphanage in a Calcutta slum travels to New York to secure funding.
• “Cobra Kai Season 1 and 2”: Series looks at “The Karate Kid” rivals more than 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament.
• “Royals & Romance 3-Film Collection”: Includes “Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal,” “Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance” and “William & Kate.”
On Digital HD
• “Bennett’s War”: A wounded soldier is determined to help his father save their farm. Will be on DVD and Blu-ray on Dec. 3.
