New on DVD

The Departed

This Oscar-nominated Martin Scorsese drama pits an Irish-mob mole in the police force (Matt Damon) against a deep-cover cop among savage criminals (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film's core brilliance overcomes its brutal violence – cartoonish by the end – and such minor shortcomings as the ebb and flow of plausible Boston accents (real-life locals Damon and Mark Wahlberg set the bar high). Jack Nicholson is at his fully immersed best as, well, Jack Nicholson (playing lurid boss baddie Frank Costello). DiCaprio brings his own live-wire intensity. A full disc of extras includes a short, worthwhile documentary on the complex world of South Boston, a full-length "Scorsese on Scorsese" feature that includes wonderful home-movie clips, and deleted scenes thoughtfully explained by the director. Grade: A–
– Clayton Collins

Sofia Coppola's stylized costume drama about the life of Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) is eye candy. A palette of pastels and artful cinematography make it as delectable as the French confections that abound in Coppola's interpretation of King Louis XVI's court. But it's hard not to feel the artifice is too effective. Even while underscoring the frustration of a reluctant young queen, the film's decadence overwhelms its emotional drama. With scenes of Coppola at work and Dunst reclining as her impossibly architectural updo is powdered, the making of the film feature is not to be missed. Nor is its in character parody of MTV's "Cribs," touring the ultimate pad – Versailles. Grade: A–
– Teresa Méndez