A weekly round-up of the latest DVD releases.

By Damon Smith

New to rent on DVD/Blu-ray

DVD of the week

The Way Way Back (Cert 12, 103 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Comedy/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99)

Starring: Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Zoe Levin, Sam Rockwell, AnnaSophia Robb, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, River Alexander.

Fourteen-year-old Duncan (Liam James) wanted to spend the summer vacation with his father in San Diego. Instead, he's being forced to tolerate a holiday on the East Coast with his mother Pam (Toni Collette), her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and Trent's tearaway teenage daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). Feeling desperately alone, Duncan ventures to a nearby Water Wizz theme park where the wise-cracking owner Owen (Sam Rockwell) takes pity on the miserable teenager and hires him for the summer. Keeping the job secret from his mother, Duncan gains confidence under his reckless mentor and musters the courage to strike up a conversation with Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), who lives in a neighbouring beach house with her boozy and indiscreet mother, Betty (Allison Janney). Drawing obvious comparisons with Little Miss Sunshine, The Way Way Back is a bittersweet coming-of-age story, which navigates a haphazard path through Duncan's growing pains with tenderness and affection. The script spares the characters few blushes as they seek the tiniest glimmers of self-fulfilment. James delivers an impressive, emotionally raw performance, and he is the perfect foil for Rockwell's wise-cracking man-child. Janney is a hoot as the mother from hell, who has no concept of personal boundaries or social graces when the liquor is flowing. First-time directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have fashioned a near perfect portrait of adolescent angst that eschews mawkish sentimentality yet still manages to tug the heartstrings with aplomb.

Rating: *****

Released

Elysium (Cert 15, 109 mins, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sci-Fi/Action/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray £27.99)

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, Diego Luna, Faran Tahir, William Fichtner.

The year is 2154. While most of the population live in squalor on the surface of Earth, the wealthy inhabit a state-of-the-art space station called Elysium governed by President Patel (Faran Tahir) and his no-nonsense Secretary Of Defence, Delacourt (Jodie Foster). Back in the slums on terra firma, factory worker Max DeCosta (Matt Damon) is involved in an industrial accident resulting in exposure to dangerous levels of radiation. Max knows his only hope is to breach Elysium's defences so he can access one of the space station's medical bay and banish the cancer ravaging his system. Local criminal Spider (Wagner Moura) agrees to help and Max is fitted with an exoskeleton, hardwired into his brain, to bolster his strength as he embarks on his suicidal mission with Secretary Delacourt's favourite contract killer, Kruger (Sharlto Copley), in hot pursuit. Elysium is an entertaining yarn which unfolds at a brisk pace, punctuated with flashbacks to Max's childhood to establish a romantic bond with a nurse called Frey (Alice Braga). Although it lacks the depth of Neill Blomkamp's thrilling first feature, District 9, this ambitious follow-up is distinguished by slickly orchestrated action sequences and the South African writer-director brings together all of the surviving characters for a rousing slam-bang finale that proves one brave man can make a difference. In the absence of a decent back-story for his protagonist, Damon doesn't have any emotional meat to sink his teeth into and simply imposes his physical presence on the film. Foster slinks with lip-smacking glee while Copley, star of District 9, is wasted in an undernourished supporting role.

Rating: ***

We're The Millers (Extended Cut) (Cert 15, 114 mins, Warner Home Video, Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £22.99)

Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman.

Small-time drug dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) attempts to save a homeless girl, Casey (Emma Roberts), from being mugged. In the process, he loses his entire stash of ill-gotten gains and reluctantly agrees to his debts by picking up a small consignment of drugs from Mexico for his boss Brad (Ed Helms). To throw customs police off the scent, David approaches sassy stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his wife and he recruits Casey and next-door neighbour Kenny (Will Poulter) to portray their adorable kids. The Millers proceed with the seemingly simple plan but David's dream of a big payday turns into a living nightmare when he discovers that the marijuana in their possession is the property of a powerful Mexican drug lord. We're The Millers is a comical road movie that trundles down familiar paths. We're treated to a pornographic game of Pictionary in the company of a wholesome clan of fellow travellers as well as a spider sinking its fangs into poor Kenny's nether regions. Sudeikis delivers the one-liners with aplomb and fittingly looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Aniston does her best with a woefully under-developed part, including a striptease in her underwear that proves the 44-year-old is still in excellent shape. The revelation is British star Poulter, who melds sweetness, vulnerability and goofiness to winning effect. The underlying theme of family unity doesn't ring true though, especially when it's slathered in so much schmaltz by the screenwriters.

Rating: ***

Lovelace (Cert 18, 93 mins, Entertainment One, Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £21.99)

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Adam Brody, Debi Mazar, Juno Temple.

Linda (Amanda Seyfried) is firmly under the thumb of her fiercely controlling mother Dorothy (Sharon Stone) and father John (Robert Patrick) in 1970s Florida. Whenever Linda strays from the path of righteousness - arriving home five minutes past curfew or sunbathing topless in the back garden with best friend Patsy (Juno Temple) - Dorothy doles out the punishment. Then handsome older man Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard) sweeps Linda off her feet and persuades her to leave home and marry him. Chuck soon becomes her manager and introduces Linda to the lucrative world of adult entertainment. On set, Linda impresses director Gerard Damiano (Hank Azaria), producer Butchie Peraino (Bobby Cannavale) and co-stars Harry Reems (Adam Brody) and Dolly Sharp (Debi Mazar) but behind the scenes, Chuck physically and verbally abuses her to maintain his control until she finally dares to break free. Lovelace is a lovingly crafted biopic, which dramatises the meteoric rise of Linda Lovelace, born Linda Boreman, who became an overnight sensation as the fresh-faced star of hardcore adult film Deep Throat. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's film evokes the era in style, recreating groovy fashions and hairstyles, including a cameo from James Franco as Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner. The structure of Andy Bellin's script, though, proves the film's undoing. For the opening hour, there are only hints of Traynor's malevolent control and Linda is portrayed as complicit in her own corruption. Once the film shows what was happening behind closed doors, it's too late to paint Linda as a figure of sympathy.

Rating: ***

Pain & Gain (Cert 15, 123 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, Comedy/Action/Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £26.99)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Rebel Wilson, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong.

Wheeler dealer Danny Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) secures a position as manager of the Sun Gym, where he grows envious of the rich and fabulous lifestyle of some of his unfit clients. In particular, Danny yearns to splash the cash like Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub). So the money-oriented meathead devises a hare-brained scheme to abduct Kershaw, aided by two fellow adrenaline junkies: personal trainer Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie), who has been rendered impotent through steroid abuse, and ex-con Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), who has turned his life around on the outside thanks to Jesus. Danny, Paul and Adrian are woefully inept and it takes them more than one attempt to capture and restrain their target. The trio quickly discovers that Kershaw won't sign over his assets without a fight. Scenes of torture escalate into attempted murder but their target proves remarkably resilient. Based on an outlandish true crime, which was chronicled in a series of articles published in the Miami New Times, Pain & Gain is an ordeal. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely mix a heady cocktail of violence and dark humour in the style of the Coen brothers, but it all curdles. Director Michael Bay indulges his usual visual excesses while reducing virtually all female characters to scantily clad sex objects or dim-wits. He might have been able to trim the 25 million US dollar budget by replacing all women in the film with cardboard cut-outs. Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie embrace the dim-wittedness of their characters by forgetting to act.

Rating: **

Also released

Deadly Assassin (Cert 15, 86 mins, Studio Canal, Thriller/Action, also available to buy DVD £15.99 - see below)

Essex Boys Retribution (Cert 18, 81 mins, Metrodome Distribution, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £17.99 - see below)

Vendetta (Cert 18, 106 mins, Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, Thriller, also available to buy DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99 - see below)

Vikingdom: The Bloody Eclipse (Cert 18, 100 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, Action/Fantasy, also available to buy DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99 - see below)

Wolf Children (Cert 12, 117 mins, Manga Entertainment, Animation/Drama, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Collector's Edition Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £34.99 - see below)

New to buy on DVD/Blu-ray

Downton Abbey: The London Season (Cert PG, 108 mins, ITV Studios Home Entertainment, DVD £30.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Drama/Romance/Comedy)

Released on Boxing Day, the day after it premieres on ITV1, this festive edition of the award-winning period drama welcomes Paul Giamatti to the fold as the Crawley family and the staff below stairs prepare for a busy summer of social obligations. Lady Rose (Lily James) excitedly awaits her 'coming out' and a chance to meet the dashing Prince of Wales (Oliver Dimsdale) at Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is faced with a dilemma that could destroy his family's reputation and the imperious Dowager (Maggie Smith) meets every obstacle with a pithy one-liner.

Elementary - The First Season (Cert 15, 1056 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, DVD £34.99, Drama)

The legend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary sleuth comes to life in this modern update, which resets the action to Manhattan, where former Scotland Yard consultant Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) checks into rehab, determined to overcome his drug addiction. He meets disgraced former surgeon Dr Jane Watson (Lucy Liu) and they join forces to solve diabolical crimes under the auspices of Captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn) of the NYPD. Detective Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill) aids Sherlock and Holmes from within the ranks of the police but the crime-fighters meet their match in the brilliant and deadly criminal mastermind, Moriarty (Natalie Dormer). The six-disc box set includes all 24 episodes.

Vendetta (Cert 18, 106 mins, Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Thriller)

Danny Dyer plays a bruiser hankering for revenge in Stephen Reynolds's graphically violent thriller. Cab driver George (Tony Denham) witnesses a gang of youths attacking a woman and he bravely intervenes, but accidentally kills one of the aggressors. The following night, the gang invades George's home, beats the cabbie, then sets him alight along with his wife Sandra (Emma Samms). Their son, Jimmy (Dyer), returns home soon after under a cloud of shame, having been dishonourably discharged from the Royal Marines in Afghanistan. He learns of his parents' grisly demise and vows to track down the gang responsible and make them pay. He sets his first victim alight and systematically slaughters the other gang members, which inadvertently puts Jimmy's ex-wife Morgan (Roxanne McKee) in jeopardy.

Wolf Children (Cert 12, 117 mins, Manga Entertainment, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99/Collector's Edition Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £34.99, Animation/Drama)

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, Wolf Children is a feature-length Japanese animation about a widow forced to single-handedly raise her remarkable offspring. Nineteen-year-old college student Hana (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) falls head over heels in love with classmate Ookami (Takao Osawa). They begin to date and as the relationship blossoms, Ookami makes a shocking confession: he is the last surviving wolfman, descended from an extinct Japanese bloodline. Hana's love is undiminished and the couple live together. Eventually Hana falls pregnant and, mindful of Ookami's revelation, she decides that it would not be safe to have the baby delivered in a hospital in case the newborn turns out to be a wolf pup. So Hana delivers at home - first a daughter called Yuki (Hary Kuroki) and a year later, a son called Ame (Yukito Nishii). Tragedy strikes and Ookami is killed while foraging for his family. A distraught Hana vows to honour his memory by raising their little ones alone, far from the prying eyes of the outside world. A three-disc collector's edition comprising over 100 minutes of special features and four hand-illustrated character sketches by Mamoru Hosada is also available.

Fresh Meat - Complete Third Series (Cert 15, 315 mins, 4DVD, DVD £19.99, Comedy/Romance)

Josie (Kimberley Nixon) has moved back to Southampton to pursue a course in zoology, leaving JP (Jack Whitehall), Kingsley (Joe Thomas), Oregon (Charlotte Ritchie), Vod (Zawe Ashton) and Howard (Greg McHugh) to return to Manchester Medlock University for an eventful second year. This series, the students experience fresh romance and rejection, and a new fresher Candice (Faye Marsay) turns heads.

The Green Green Grass - Series Four (Cert 12, 240 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £19.99/The Complete Collection DVD Box Set £29.99, Comedy)

Boycie (John Challis) and Marlene (Sue Holderness) face serious challenges to their new life in the countryside in the fourth series of the sitcom spin-off from Only Fools & Horses. Marlene grows tired of the rigours of daily life at Winterdown Farm and she feels that her husband is neglecting her. So she throws herself into charity work and when The Antiques Roadshow arrives in Oakham, she looks for an heirloom to catch the eye of the production crew. Meanwhile, Boycie recounts his memoirs to a tape recorder including his glory days with Del Boy and Rodney, unaware of the threat to his relationship with Marlene on the eve of their ruby wedding anniversary. An eight-disc box set comprising all four series is also available.

Essex Boys Retribution (Cert 18, 81 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £17.99, Thriller)

In 1995, three drug dealers were murdered in a Range Rover in Rettendon, Essex. The two men convicted of this heinous crime have loudly protested their innocence. This story of violence and betrayal has been dramatised in films including Rise Of The Footsoldier and The Fall Of The Essex Boys. Director Paul Tanter continues the story almost 20 years later in this fictional crime drama, which follows a new generation of Essex Boys as they attempt to fend off rivals to their criminal empire. Conscious that the killer has never been brought to justice, likely lads Mike (Ian Virgo) and Neil (Ryan Winsley) vow a belated and exceedingly bloody revenge.

The Bible - The Epic Mini-Series (Cert 12, 561 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, DVD £24.99/Blu-ray £29.99, Drama)

Diogo Morgado, Amber Rose Revah, Joe Wredden, Greg Hicks and Roma Downey star in this 10-part dramatisation of sections of the Old and New Testaments including the story of Creation, Noah's Ark, Judas's betrayal of Jesus and the Resurrection. Robert Powell, who famously played Jesus of Nazareth in the 1977 mini-series of the same name, narrates each episode.

The Apparition (Cert 15, 79 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99, Horror/Thriller)

During his student days, Ben (Sebastian Stan) participated in a scientific experiment, which set out to prove that supernatural activity was a product of the overactive human mind. During the closely monitored trial, an evil spirit was unleashed and one of Ben's good friends vanished without trace. Some months later, Ben and his girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene) move into a new house. They both experience strange phenomena within the building and Ben fears the terrifying supernatural entity has returned to take someone else from him.

Deadly Assassin (Cert 15, 86 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £15.99, Thriller/Action)

Steven Seagal reprises his role as renegade cop Elijah Kane in two more episodes of the US TV drama True Justice, which are repackaged as a single feature-length investigation for British viewers. The Special investigations Unit comprising Kane and his team - Johnny Garcia (Jesse Hutch), Mark Simms (Lochlyn Munro) and Sarah Montgomery (Sarah Lind) - has been disbanded so arch-villain The Ghost may never be unmasked. Out of the blue, the CIA approaches Kane to test his skills as one of the world's best long-range snipers on a potentially deadly mission. The assignment could bring Kane face to face with The Ghost but first, the cop must confront specters of his shadowy past.

Big Ass Spider! (Cert 15, 85 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £17.99, Horror/Thriller)

Mike Mendez's B-Movie sci-fi comedy lives up to its title, unleashing a gargantuan arachnid upon the residents of Los Angeles. The alien spider escapes from a top-secret military laboratory and runs amok in the metropolis. Exterminator Alex (Greg Grunberg) and security guard Jose (Lombardo Boyar) are the unlikely heroes, who join forces to halt the hulking predator in its tracks before it completely obliterates the city.

Vikingdom: The Bloody Eclipse (Cert 18, 100 mins, Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd, DVD £12.99/Blu-ray £15.99, Action/Fantasy)

Every 800 years, there is a blood eclipse when it is possible to open a gateway between Heaven and Hell. As the next eclipse beckons, ancient Norse god Thor (Conan Stevens) returns to Earth in human form, determined to open this doorway and initiate mankind's destruction. Former Viking king Eirick (Dominic Purcell) is re-animated to stop Thor, who must collect a series of lost relics to achieve his dastardly goal. Eirick amasses an army capable of defeating the Norse god but the former Viking will have to make terrible sacrifices to avert Armageddon.

DVD retail top 10

1 (2) Monsters University

2 (1) Despicable Me 2

3 (3) The Class of '92

4 (9) The World's End

5 (5) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

6 (8) Micky Flanagan: Back in the Game Live

7 (4) Top Gear - The Perfect Road Trip

8 (-) The Great Gatsby

9 (-) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

10 (7) Man of Steel

Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk

DVD rental top 10

1 (1) Now You See Me

2 (2) Oblivion

3 (3) World War Z

4 (4) Monster's University

5 (5) Behind The Candelabra

6 (6) Snitch

7 (7) Cloud Atlas

8 (8) Hummingbird

9 (9) Trance

10 (10) After Earth

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com

Film streaming top 10

1 (-) Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger

2 (1) Immortals

3 (2) Broken City

4 (3) Johnny English Reborn

5 (4) What's Your Number

6 (5) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo II

7 (6) Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part

8 (-) Hall Pass

9 (-) Scrroge

10 (-) The Art of Getting By

Chart supplied by www.LOVEFiLM.com