New on DVD

The White Ribbon

Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $38.99

The Cannes prize-winning and multiple-Oscar-nominated German drama “The White Ribbon” represents writer-director Michael Haneke at his most direct and accessible — or at least as accessible as a 144-minute black-and-white film about the roots of European fascism can be. Set in a small village in the year before World War I, “The White Ribbon” explores how the tyrannical and capricious local authorities teach the younger generation the wrong lessons about how to be righteous. The movie’s message is blunt, but its atmosphere is suitably haunting, re-creating the feeling of being trapped in a universe where every act is harshly judged. “The White Ribbon” DVD and Blu-ray add almost two hours of interviews and footage from the set.

Hot Tub Time Machine

MGM, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.99

A great title and a great cast do not guarantee a great movie, though “Hot Tub Time Machine” is at least funny enough to qualify as good. John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson costar as mopey middle-agers who take a trip to their once-favorite ski resort and find themselves transported back to adolescence and given one more chance to fix what they messed up. The script is much sloppier than it needs to be, but “Hot Tub Time Machine” has an undercurrent of real emotion beneath all the jokes about sex, drugs and bodily fluids. The unrated DVD and Blu-ray throws in more raunch, plus 10 minutes of deleted scenes.

The Crazies

Overture/Anchor Bay, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

George Romero’s 1973 horror movie “The Crazies” arrived between his more popular zombie pictures but told a similar story of a soul-destroying plague and the equally destructive human response. The 2010 remake isn’t as artfully ragged as Romero’s, but it’s still pretty effective, showing how a small Iowa town flips out when a personality-altering nerve toxin enters the water supply. Like Romero, director Breck Eisner stages an impressive apocalypse on a small budget, largely by showing how the characters react to the madness multiplying around them. “The Crazies” DVD and Blu-ray are also well assembled, with an Eisner commentary and more than an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

20th Century Fox, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99

Kid-lit author Rick Riordan’s popular “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” adventures finally arrives on the big screen with an adaptation of the first book, “The Lightning Thief,” in which the titular teen hero (played by Logan Lerman) learns that he’s the son of Poseidon and that he and the other children of the gods have a treacherous mission to complete. Director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two “Harry Potter” movies, strikes a good balance between freaky special effects and coming-of-age melodrama. There’s nothing terribly fresh here, but fans of the books should be satisfied. The DVD includes a handful of deleted scenes and featurettes; the Blu-ray doubles that.

Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series

Shout! Factory, $199.99

Though often cited as the prime example of ‘50s suburban sitcom blandness, “Leave It to Beaver” is much sharper than its reputation, thanks to some precisely pitched deadpan comedy and a keen kids’-eye-view of school and family life that doesn’t spare the anxiety. Shout! Factory’s complete series box set contains all 234 Beaver episodes that aired between 1957 and 1963, plus the original pilot (which had a mostly different cast), some vintage promotional material, and hours of new interviews.

And...

“Creation” (Lionsgate, $27.98); “Don McKay” (Image, $27.98; Blu-ray, $35.98); “The Eclipse” (Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98); “Everlasting Moments” (Criterion, $39.95; Blu-ray, $39.95); “How the Earth Changed History” (BBC Warner, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.99); “It Came From Kuchar” (Indiepix, $24.95); “Night Train to Munich” (Criterion, $29.95); “Paranormal Cops: The Complete Season One” (A&E, $19.95); “Predator” (20th Century Fox Blu-ray, $29.99); “Pretty Bird” (Paramount, $22.98); “Return of the One-Armed Swordsman” (Dragon Dynasty, $19.93); “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” (Zoe, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.98); “Stolen” (MPI, $19.98; Blu-ray, $29.98); “SuicideGirls Must Die!” (First Look, $28.98); “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo: The Complete Series” (Warner, $19.98); “A Traveler’s Guide to the Planets” (National Geographic, $29.97; Blu-ray, $39.97); “Warehouse 13: Season One” (Syfy, $49.98); “The Warlords” (Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98); “When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors” (Eagle Rock, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.98)