New releases: 'Top of the Lake' starring Elisabeth Moss out on DVD
Top of the Lake
BBC Warner, $34.98
The New Zealand TV miniseries "Top of the Lake" is a different kind of mystery-procedural — more like a cross between "Twin Peaks" and "The Killing" than an episode of "Law & Order." Credit the creators: writer Gerard Lee and writer-director Jane Campion, the latter of whom is best known for her Oscar-winning film "The Piano." Here Campion tones down her arty, elliptical style and conforms to television conventions, telling a slow-burning but fairly gripping story about a big-city police detective (Elisabeth Moss) who returns to her rural hometown and gets involved with a missing persons case that brings her into contact with a temperamental crime boss (Peter Mullan) and a longhaired self-help guru (Holly Hunter). "Top of the Lake" can be too weird at times, but it has a sense of place and an atmosphere that's rare for this kind of show. The DVD set adds interviews.
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The Act of Killing
New Video/Drafthouse, $27.95; Blu-ray, $29.95
Available on VOD beginning Jan. 7
One of the most talked about documentaries of 2013, Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Act of Killing" reflects on the violent civil war in Indonesia in the mid-1960s, focusing on a group of teenage criminals who followed orders and slaughtered their fellow citizens, and were rewarded with money, power and prestige. The twist is that Oppenheimer allows these now-past-middle-age men to reenact their crimes in the style of the old Hollywood movies they love; and in the process, these ruthless killers who've spent decades justifying their misdeeds are forced to confront what they did. It's a bold experiment in trial-by-media, made even bolder by the DVD and Blu-ray editions, which have a 40-minute-longer director's cut, plus featurettes, more deleted scenes and conversations between Oppenheimer and his producers Errol Morris and Werner Herzog.
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The Following: The Complete First Season
Warner Brothers, $39.98; Blu-ray, $49.99
The Fox network had a hit last year with "The Following," a serialized detective series starring Kevin Bacon as a brilliant, damaged FBI agent confounded by a network of disciples who act on the orders of an incarcerated serial killer (James Purefoy). The second season begins soon, though it's hard to imagine where creator Kevin Williamson is going to take this story after a 15-episode Season 1 that saw the hero jerked every which way by surprise twists: unexpected villains, abrupt murders, et cetera. "The Following" is violent and nihilistic to the point of being difficult to invest in emotionally, though it is stylish and suspenseful, with powerful lead performances. The DVD and Blu-ray contain deleted scenes, commentary tracks and featurettes.
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The Wicker Man (1973)
Lionsgate Blu-ray, $19.99
It'd be a shame if the spectacularly terrible 2006 remake of "The Wicker Man" kept people from seeking out the original 1973 film, which is a masterpiece of movie horror. Adapted by screenwriter Anthony Shaffer and director Robin Hardy from David Pinner's novel "Ritual," "The Wicker Man" stars Edward Woodward as a moralistic policeman investigating a missing persons case on a remote island, where he discovers that the locals are still following the old gods of the harvest. Memorably creepy, "The Wicker Man" is a travelogue with a great soundtrack, a dark streak and a shocking ending. The new Blu-ray edition holds Hardy's restored director's cut, plus featurettes.
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And…
Closed Circuit
Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98
Available on VOD beginning Jan. 7
I'm So Excited!
Sony Blu-ray, $40.99
Available on VOD beginning Jan. 7
The Killing Fields: 30th Anniversary Edition
Warner Bros. Blu-ray, $27.98
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