New on DVD

By Noel Murray, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Sept. 11, 2011 12 AM PT

Star Wars: The Complete Saga

20th Century Fox Blu-ray, $139.99

A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas launched a sci-fi series that won legions of fans for its ingenuity and personality. And ever since — or so it seems — Lucas has been working overtime to make those fans angry. Now out on Blu-ray, the six-film “Star Wars” saga has been tinkered with yet again by Lucas, with re-done effects and enhancements making the series even less like what people loved so much in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. That said, it’s “Star Wars” on Blu-ray! With commentary tracks, retrospective interviews, deleted scenes, documentaries and all kinds of how-they-did-it featurettes. What, are people who love “Star Wars” not going to buy it? If nothing else, they’ll want to see it just to be well-informed about Lucas’ latest “outrage.”

Thor

Paramount, $29.99; Blu-ray, $44.99/$54.99

Thor was always one of the weirdest of the Marvel superheroes — he is a Norse god, after all — so it should be no surprise that the “Thor” movie is an odd one. Half celestial sword-and-sorcery fantasy, half fish-out-of-water comedy, “Thor” stars the handsome and charismatic Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-wielding Asgardian, along with a stellar cast that includes Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba as the story’s various deities and humans. Director Kenneth Branagh has trouble keeping the highfalutin clash-of-the-mighty scenes from becoming too heavy, but once Thor comes to Earth stripped down to mortal status, the movie picks up steam. The end result is worthy, if not exceptional. The DVD and Blu-ray are quite nice too, adding an articulate Branagh commentary track, deleted scenes, featurettes and teasers for next summer’s “The Avengers.”

Meek’s Cutoff

Oscilloscope, $29.99; Blu-ray, $34.99

Director Kelly Reichardt’s historical drama “Meek’s Cutoff” is like a classic Anthony Mann western, rendered with art-house austerity and ambiguity. Reichardt and writer Jonathan Raymond tell the story of mid-19th-century Oregon settlers who get lost in the desert, but the filmmakers are more interested in how long it takes to fix a wagon axle than they are in having the characters converse around the campfire about their lives and hopes. Michelle Williams is terrific as an especially headstrong pioneer, and the movie builds to a strange and compelling ending, but while it’s gorgeous to look at, “Meek’s Cutoff” willfully withholds some of the entertainment value that Mann would’ve worked in seamlessly. The DVD and Blu-ray add only 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage.

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop

Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98

In 2010, Conan O’Brien negotiated an exit from “The Tonight Show” that required him to stay off television for six months. To fill the time — and have some fun — O’Brien took his team of writers and sidekicks out on tour, performing music and comedy at sold-out concerts. Rodman Flender’s “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” documents what O’Brien did onstage — part pep rally, part variety show — and his backstage anxiety. It’s not as revealing a portrait as it pretends to be, because O’Brien acts like this on his TBS show pretty much every night, but it’s a fun watch for fans — especially on the DVD and Blu-ray, which include extra footage and an O’Brien commentary track.

And…

“Bill Cunningham New York”

Zeitgeist, $29.99

“Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking”

HBO, $19.98

“Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition”

Warner Bros., $49.92; Blu-ray, $64.99/$78.89

“Glee: The Complete Second Season”

20th Century Fox, $59.98; Blu-ray, $69.99

“The Good Wife: The Second Season”

Paramount, $62.99

“Hesher”