New on Blu-ray

“The Neon Demon” (Broad Green DVD, $26.99; Blu-ray, $34.99; also available on VOD)

One of 2016’s most divisive films, Nicolas Winding Refn’s “The Neon Demon” is partly a slow-burning psychological thriller and partly a savage satire of the predatory modeling industry. Mostly though, it’s an exercise in style for style’s sake. Elle Fanning stars as a nice, pretty Southern girl, who moves to Los Angeles to break into the business. She soon discovers that her peers and her bosses have strange habits, which blur the line between mean-spirited coldness and occult violence. “The Neon Demon” isn’t especially scary or profound, but it does have a slyly deadpan sense of humor, and an astonishing look. Pretty much the entire film resembles one of those freaky, artistic photo shoots that appear in upscale magazines. The movie won’t be for everyone, but it could become a cult favorite among people who love strong cinematic visions — regardless of whether they’re coherent.

Special features: A Refn/Fanning commentary track and featurettes.


VOD

“Danny Says” (available 9/30)

As a rock journalist, record label publicist and business manager, Danny Fields was heavily involved with promoting and shepherding the early waves of American punk rock. Brendan Toller’s rollicking and tuneful documentary “Danny Says” tells Fields’ story, which also happens to be the story of multiple bands and scenes: Andy Warhol’s Factory; Detroit hard rock gods the MC5 and the Stooges; the legendary Ramones (whom Fields essentially discovered); and more. This movie is a vital record of one of pop culture’s unsung heroes, and a reminder that it takes more than musical genius to be successful in showbiz.

TV set of the week


Teresa Marczewska in “Dekalog.” (Janus Films )

“Dekalog” (Criterion Blu-ray, $99.95)

Television didn’t magically become a serious artistic medium when “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999. Criterion’s outstanding Blu-ray set of one of the greatest TV events of all time, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Dekalog,” shows how the Polish director was fusing the literary and the cinematic on the small screen way back in 1989. Based loosely on the Ten Commandments, the 10-part miniseries is set in a joyless Warsaw apartment building, following its inhabitants through various moral, spiritual and relationship crises. Kieślowski employs different cinematographers and applies different storytelling styles in nearly every part, making 10 hour-long films that run the gamut from thriller to black comedy. The result is a far-ranging study of human nature that doubles as a snapshot of Poland during its transition away from Soviet rule, as well as a celebration of European cinema at the end of the 20th century.

Special features: A visual essay and archival interviews.


From the archives

“A Scandal in Paris/Lured” (Cohen Blu-ray, $55.99)

When Douglas Sirk directed “A Scandal in Paris” in 1946 and “Lured” in 1947, he was still a few years away from the run of colorful, intense Hollywood melodramas that would make his reputation. Watching the two films back-to-back on a new Cohen Blu-ray, it’s easy to spot early signs of the fervid emotions and hyper-reality that would become Sirk’s hallmarks. “Scandal” stars George Sanders as Eugène François Vidocq, a notorious French criminal who concocts a scheme to infiltrate the government, then begins to rethink some of his life choices. Sanders appears again in “Lured” as a shady theatrical producer who becomes romantically involved with a dancer (Lucille Ball), who’s been recruited by the police to help trap a serial killer. Both films mix elements of film noir and romance, and though they’re more European in attitude and setting than the dreamy small town Americana of later Sirk, they show him moving toward the embrace of the lurid that made his work so singular.

Special features: Scholarly commentary tracks on both.


Three more to see

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in “Central Intelligence,” (Warner Bros. )

“Central Intelligence” (Warner Bros. DVD, $28.98; Blu-ray, $29.98; 4K, $44.95; also available on VOD); “The Shallows” (Sony DVD, $26.99; Blu-ray, $34.99; 4K, $45.99; also available on VOD); “Warcraft” (Universal DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.99; Blu-ray 3-D, $44.98; also available on VOD)