short circuits

DVD Western reimagined Writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen remake the 1969 western that earned John Wayne his only Oscar, a pedigree that might give lesser egos pause. In this case, "True Grit" has received the care, consideration and classy retooling that Charles Portis' novel has deserved. Hailee Steinfeld makes an uncommonly assured debut as the invincible Mattie Ross, whose father has been shot by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Mattie arrives in Fort Smith, Ark., to claim her father's body, acquire cash by way of canny horse trading and avenge her father's death by hunting Chaney down and seeing him hang. She enlists U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to go into Indian territory and bring Chaney in. "True Grit" evinces none of the snarky ironic distance that can sometimes mark and mar a Coen brothers production. Here, the film's considerable humor comes not from the filmmakers' superior remove but from the characters. The DVD and Blu-ray (Paramount, $30-$40) include featurettes on the casting of Mattie, re-creating Fort Smith, dressing for the 1880s and "Colts, Winchesters & Remingtons: The Guns of a Post-Civil War Western."

WASHINGTON POST

Also out Tuesday: "Another Year," "The Big C" (Season 1), "Blue Crush 2," "Breaking Bad" (Season 3), "Burn Notice" (Season 4), "The Company Men," "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights," "Just Go With It," "Leverage" (Season 3), "Pretty Little Liars" (Season 1), "Sanctum," "White Collar" (Season 1 & 2); Blu-rays of "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," "Hair," "Happy Gilmore," "The Man Who Would Be King," "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "61*, " "The Stunt Man," "Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology," "Vera Cruz."

A familiar D&D quest "Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale" ($15 download for Xbox 360, PS3; rated Teen) won't win any awards for breaking ground. If you've played a dungeon crawler, most of what you'll experience -- the quest structure, the threadbare story, the endless array of grunt enemies that await your weapon -- will look familiar to a distressing degree. "Daggerdale" competently covers the basics, with multiple character classes, collectable loot, a useful array of spells and a character-leveling system that upgrades the usual attributes. It also, unlike the vastly overrated "Torchlight," can challenge players by swarming them with enemies who are actually somewhat formidable. If you absolutely need some dungeon crawling and can forgive the complete lack of inspiration, the offline co-op (two players) is the best way to play.