‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs’

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Sony, $28.96/$34.95; Blu-ray, $39.95

Judi and Ron Barrett’s 1978 picture book imagines a town where food rains from the sky and what happens to its residents when a meal-storm forces an evacuation. The feature-length computer-animated adaptation expands on the Barretts’ concept, adding a hapless scientist and a succession of disaster-movie-style action sequences. Writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a fine sense of whimsy, but even at under 90 minutes, the movie is overstuffed. Kids will enjoy it, but don’t be surprised if they don’t make it to the closing credits. The DVD doesn’t add much of note, beyond a chummy Lord-Miller-Hader commentary; the Blu-ray throws in a few bland featurettes and an option to pitch virtual food at the screen during the movie.

Lorna’s Silence

Sony, $28.96

Belgium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne began their careers making jittery, naturalistic dramas about such topics as religion and economic inequity, but in recent years they’ve adapted their style (and their social consciousness) to distinctive thrillers with gripping, twisty plots. “Lorna’s Silence” begins as a study of the chilly relationship between a drug addict and his foreign-born wife, then shifts easily into another kind of film in which the heroine ends up hiding from the mob in a remote forest cabin. “Lorna’s Silence” has points to make about human exploitation and social responsibility, but they’re integrated into the backdrop of another great Dardenne yarn. The DVD arrives devoid of special features.

Mighty Mouse --

The New Adventures

The Complete Series

Paramount, $45.98

In 1987, the stewards of CBS Saturday morning greenlighted an updated version of ‘40s superhero Mighty Mouse, headed up by renegade animator Ralph Bakshi. For 19 episodes over two years, Bakshi let a team of budding geniuses create an exaggerated, garishly colored parody of television, cartoons, capitalism and the heroic ideal. Along the way, he helped shape the talents that have led the animation renaissance of the last two decades. Now, the complete series is available on DVD, along with a lively 30-minute retrospective and three original “Mighty Mouse” cartoons.

Trucker

Monterey, $26.95

Michelle Monaghan gives a career-best performance in writer-director James Mottern’s debut film, in which she portrays a long-haul trucker whose style is cramped when her 11-year-old son comes to live with her. Monaghan plays off an excellent cast that matches her no-nonsense approach to the material. There’s really not much of a story here, and though Mottern tries to avoid “reluctant mother-son” bonding clichés, the movie’s dry misery isn’t much of a step up. Still, the performances compensate -- which the DVD seems to acknowledge by including a featurette about how Monaghan prepared for the role of a lifetime.

And . . .

Kendra

The Complete First Season

20th Century Fox, $22.98

Obama’s War

PBS, $24.99

The Philanthropist

The Complete Series

Universal, $26.98

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