User blog:Ceauntay/DVD releases for the week of Aug. 23

If you’re in the mood for some mindless action with top-notch special effects you could do worse than “Battleship” (Universal, $24.98/DVD, $32.98/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13), director Peter Berg’s mega-budgeted sci-fi romp inspired by Hasbro’s popular Naval combat game of the same name. The film tells the story of an international fleet of ships that comes across an alien armada while on a Naval war games exercise and are forced to do battle to discover and thwart their destructive goals. While it is a goofy film filled with cinematic cliches and stilted dialogue that will have you rolling your eyes, there is still a lot of fun to be had here as it delivers some fantastic effects and cleverly staged action sequences. With an all-star cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, R&B songstress Rihanna, Ben Linkin and Liam Neeson, “Battleship” is a decent way to kill a couple of hours. Special features include several featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage, filmmaker commentary and an exciting previsualization of an alternate ending.

On the other hand, five young heroes are back in “Teen Titans: The Movie” (Warner Brothers, $24.98, $32.98/Blu-ray SRP, PG), the film adaptation of the late TV series with the same title which ran on Cartoon Network from July 19, 2003 to January 16, 2006 after five seasons and 65 episodes. In this film, the Teen Titans are facing into a much tougher competion as they face against their most evil but strongest enemey they could ever face, Tron. Special features includes behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and some scenes that were never been seen in theaters.

Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling headline “The Lucky One” (Warner Brothers, $24.99/DVD, $32.99/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13), an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. Efron plays Logan Thibault, a Marine who, after serving three tours in Iraq, travels to Louisiana to search for the unknown woman whose photograph he believes was his good luck charm during the war. Those familiar with the Nicholas Sparks formula of storytelling already know how this film will play out, but as predictable as the film is it is still worth checking out, especially for fans of Efron, who continues to get better with each role. Special features include three behind-the-scenes featurettes.

A battle-of-the-sexes rom-com with a lot of heart and plenty of laughs, “Think Like a Man” (Sony Pictures, $24.98/DVD, $32.98/Blu-ray SRP, PG-13) follows four friends who conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been reading Steve Harvey’s book on relationships “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” learning how to manipulate their men and force them to fall into line. With a multifaceted storyline and an impressive ensemble cast that includes Micheal Ealy, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco and the always hilarious Kevin Hart, “Think Like a Man” is perfect viewing for date night. Special features include a gag reel, deleted scenes, and the featurettes “The Guy Code,” “Men vs. Women” and “He Said, She Said.”

Visionary filmmaker Eduardo Sanchez may be best known as one half of the directing duo behind the revolutionary horror hit “The Blair Witch Project.” His latest project, the creepy and atmospheric “Lovely Molly” (Image Entertainment, $24.98/DVD, $32.98/Blu-ray SRP, R), proves that he is much more than a one-hit wonder as he attempts to redefine what scares us in this downright chilling tale of a newlywed named Molly (Gretchen Lodge) who moves into her deceased father’s house in the countryside, where painful memories soon begin to haunt her and she begins to experience unnerving and impossible things. Taking its time to explore the parallels between psychosis, addiction and demonic possession while amping up the tension, “Lovely Molly” is a better-than-average genre pic that will leave you chilled to the bone. Special features include the featurettes “Path to Madness,” “Haunted Past,” “Demonic Forces” and the 6 minute “Is It Real?”, which chronicles some of the strange happenings that occurred during the filming of “Lovely Molly.”

SKIP IT

I’ve seen a lot of bad films on SyFy, the channel that seemingly prides itself on providing the worst entertainment on cable television, but “Jersey Shore Shark Attack” (Anchor Bay, $22.99/DVD, $29.99/Blu-ray SRP, R) may be the absolute worst flick they’ve ever aired. Featuring some of the most unlikeable characters in cinematic history, horribly rendered CGI effects, terrible dialogue and even worse screenwriting, this film is an embarrassment to not only those who appear in it (poor Paul Sorvino ... he’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one), but also to anyone who attempts to suffer through it. The film, as the title suggests, is about a drilling operation that inadvertently unleashes a horde of man-eating albino bull sharks onto an unsuspecting Fourth of July crowd at the Jersey shoreline. Oh, and Joey Fatone is there. You would think that watching sharks devour a cast of “Jersey Shore” wannabe’s would be loads of fun. You would be wrong. This is the worst of the worst. Avoid at all costs.

While we’re on the subject, you could also skip “Jersey Shore: Season Five Uncensored” (MTV, $29.99/DVD only, Not Rated). Let’s face it, folks — this hit MTV show has lost its charm (if it even ever had charm) and is pretty much unwatchable. But the discs in this three-DVD set make nice coasters, Frisbees, kindling, etc.

TV on DVD/BluRay

AMC’s hit show “The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season” (AMC/Anchor Bay, $34.99/DVD, $44.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated) hits the shelves with some cool special features including webisodes, deleted scenes, commentaries and never-before-seen featurettes.

Steve Buscemi continues to light the screen on fire in “Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season” (HBO Studios, $45.99/DVD, $54.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated), available in a five-disc DVD or seven-disc Blu-ray set with tons of special features including character dossiers, commentaries, behind-the-scene and making-of featurettes and more.

The most action packed season yet, “Sons of Anarchy: Season Four” (20th Century Fox, $39.99/DVD, $49.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated) comes in a four-disc DVD or three-disc BluRay set with extended and extended scenes, a gag reel, commentary on multiple episodes and much more.

Other popular television shows hitting DVD include the three-disc DVD set of “Two and a Half Men: The Complete Ninth Season” (Warner Home Video, $34.99/DVD only SRP, Not Rated), “Glee: The Complete Third Season” (20th Century Fox, $34.99/DVD, $44.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated), the five-disc Blu-ray or DVD set of “Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season” (ABC, $39.99/DVD, $51.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated), the Claire Danes-starring “Homeland: The Complete First Season” (Showtime, $44.99/DVD, $54.99/Blu-ray SRP, Not Rated), and “In Plain Sight: Season Five” (Universal, $29.98/DVD only SRP, Not Rated), the final season of the critically acclaimed series.