A return to Coen country

Burn After Reading

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

Joel and Ethan Coen disappointed some fans with the follow-up to their Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men.” Arch to the extreme and populated by cartoonish character turns, “Burn After Reading” offers a darkly comic riff on the D.C. thriller genre, in which everyone’s an arrogant idiot. But the movie’s also hilarious and brilliantly constructed with a script that adds and subtracts elements exactly when necessary. “Burn After Reading” isn’t for everyone, but it has a point of view on mankind’s malicious machinations that’s more true than condescending.

American Teen

Paramount Vantage, $29.99

In the wake of the reality TV explosion, “American Teen’s” glimpse at the problems of actual middle-American high-schoolers might not be as novel as it would’ve been, say, 20 years ago. But the beauty of director Nanette Burstein’s approach is the way she defies both the glossiness of MTV docu-series and the reductive nature of John Hughes-style teen comedies, selecting five “typical” seniors -- a “jock,” a “nerd” and so on -- and showing how they’re not so easily stereotyped. For now, the disc contains bonus footage and cast interviews.

Death Race

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

The 1975 action-comedy “Death Race 2000” became a midnight movie classic thanks to its high-camp style and casual misanthropy. (Who doesn’t remember the point system for running over specific pedestrians?) Director Paul W.S. Anderson’s remake plays the material much straighter, casting the doggedly unironic Jason Statham as a convicted criminal who races to save his life. “Death Race” is a serviceable futuristic action-adventure, but it lacks any of the kink that made the original memorable. The DVD is equally stock, adding standard making-of material to an Anderson commentary.

Hamlet 2

Focus/Universal, $29.98

In the thin, dry air of Park City, Utah, Andrew Fleming’s musical-comedy “Hamlet 2” looked like a can’t-miss cult smash, sure to leave audiences rolling in the aisles with its story of a narcissistic high school drama teacher (played by the always-funny Steve Coogan) trying to save his job by staging a Shakespeare sequel. Unfortunately, it failed to find much of an audience during its theatrical run. The film should fare better on home video, where its offbeat humor is likely to find a more appreciative audience. Fans of “Hamlet 2” will also enjoy the DVD’s special features, which include a Fleming commentary and a few tongue-in-cheek looks at high school theater.

Savage Grace

IFC, $24.95

Though largely ignored by critics and other award-giving types, Julianne Moore’s portrayal of the unstable, self-conscious heiress Barbara Baekeland in director Tom Kalin’s true-crime drama “Savage Grace” is one of the year’s most bravura performances, full of witty wordplay and terrifying neurosis. The movie is a nasty piece of work, but it’s absorbingly creepy and undeniably stylish throughout. The DVD is stingy with the bonuses.

Also this week

Beethoven’s Big Break

Universal, $29.98

Pulse 3

Weinstein Co., $19.98

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