New on Blu-ray

“Long Shot” (Lionsgate DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99; also available on VOD)

Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen make a surprisingly charming couple in the romantic comedy “Long Shot.” She plays Charlotte Field, a hard-working U.S. Secretary of State, trying to bolster her legacy for a presidential bid. He plays Fred Flarsky, a trouble-making gonzo journalist and childhood friend of Charlotte’s, who becomes her speechwriter. Directed by Jonathan Levine and co-written by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah, “Long Shot” suffers from some of the problems common to modern comedies. It’s too long and shaggy, and doesn’t have much insight into politics and journalism beyond “just be yourself.” But the two leads are such good company — so funny and so disarmingly self-deprecating — that by the end, the movie becomes a lovely little gem.

[Special features: Featurettes]


VOD

“The Red Sea Diving Resort” (available July 31 on Netflix)

In the early 1980s, Mossad agents helped transport Jewish Ethiopian refugees into Israel by using a clever scheme, which involved clandestinely renovating and then managing a previously abandoned Sudanese vacation spot, and then sneaking the refugees in under the cover of “business.” The historical drama “The Red Sea Diving Resort” stars Chris Evans as a fictionalized version of the mission’s leader, and Michael Kenneth Williams as his local liaison. Ben Kingsley, Greg Kinnear, Haley Bennett and Alessandro Nivola also star, in an unusual kind of adventure film, written and directed by Gideon Raff — best-known for creating the Israeli TV series that was later adapted in the U.S. as “Homeland.”

TV set of the week


“BoJack Horseman: Seasons One & Two” (Shout! Factory DVD, $34.99; Blu-ray, $54.99)

Fans of Netflix’s absurdist animated showbiz satire “BoJack Horseman” — or even non-subscribers who’ve always wandered what all the fuss is about — will be pleased to know that the show’s first two seasons are finally coming to DVD and Blu-ray, in a features-packed special edition set. These early episodes introduced the show’s lead character: a humanoid horse and minor celebrity (voiced by Will Arnett) who’s half-heartedly trying to get famous again, because he needs the validation … and the company. Offhandedly surreal and deeply melancholy, “BoJack” is easily the funniest TV show ever made about a depressed horse.

[Special features: Commentary tracks and featurettes]

From the archives


“Jefferson in Paris” (KL Studio Classics DVD, $14.95; Blu-ray, $29.95)

One of the more forgotten collaborations between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the 1995 drama “Jefferson in Paris” stars Nick Nolte as Thomas Jefferson. Set during the time when France was preparing for revolution — and when Jefferson was an ambassador from the fledgling United States — the movie considers both the future president’s advocacy for liberation and his illicit romance with his slave Sally Hemings (Thandie Newton). Released in an era when the Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala trio were winning Oscars for the likes of “Howards End” and “The Remains of the Day,” “Jefferson in Paris” went under-appreciated, even though it points out and critiques the ironies of the late 18th century enlightened.

[Special features: An Ivory commentary track]

Three more to see


“Body at Brighton Rock” (Magnet DVD, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98; also available on VOD); “Domino (2019)” (Lionsgate DVD, $19.98; Blu-ray, $21.99; also available on VOD); “UglyDolls” (Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; also available on VOD)