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A close shave: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen in “50/50.” In the keep-it-real buddy dramady directed by Jonathan Levine (“The Whackness), Rogen helps pal Gordon-Levitt come to terms with a diagnosis of a rare form of spinal cancer.

Updated: January 24, 2012 1:09PM

NEW THIS WEEK

50/50 ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Rated: R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick

T hough it’s packaged with crowd-pleasing elements ranging from buddy comedy to budding romance, all designed to take the hex off the big C, t he best thing about the cancer dramady “50/50” is its stubborn streak of genuineness. Based on the personal experiences of TV producer-turned-screenwriter Will Reiser, who was diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer at age 24, “50/50” stays true to the plan he outlined with his friend Rogen, when both were working on “Da Ali G Show” — to write a buddy comedy about coping with cancer. Instead of a rude, crude yuk-fest about terminal illness, though, Reiser wrote a story in which comedy is a side attraction, focusing on the way coping with a potential death sentence realigned his relationships with the important people in his life. Remarkably, the keep-it-real strategy works nicely, partly because of substantial yet understated performances by Gordon-Levitt, playing Reiser’s stand-in character, and Rogen, sort of playing himself. And partly because of the direction of Jonathan Levine (“The Whackness”), who keeps the mood light and low-key throughout, but also emotionally credible and grounded in painful reality. Despite the jokes, it’s always clear that our responsible, over-cautious, uptight and seemingly humorless hero’s life is unraveling in a lonely and increasingly terrifying way.

HAPPY, H APPY★ ★ ★

Rated: R for sexual conent including brief graphic nudity

Stars: Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen

Doomed relationships crumble inevitably, but not uninterestingly, in this emotionally and tonally complex Norwegian dark comedy. Far too effusively cheerful young wife and mother Kaja (Kittelsen, a radiant presence), whose facade masks a desperate desire for love, lives in the snowy boondocks with her glowering, unloving husband and obnoxious young son. Kaja eagerly anticipates the arrival of city-folk Elisabeth (Maibritt Saerens) and Sigve (Rafaelsen) and their adopted young Ethiopian son Noa, who are leasing the house next door, as potential relief from loneliness — but, of course, complications ensue. Beginning with her son’s insistence on playing master and slave with Noa and Kaja’s increasing attraction to Sigve. “Happy, Happy” never quite develops into the penetrating examination of life, marriage and happiness it aspires to be, but it makes an impression that lingers. Winner of the grand jury prize for World Cinema at this year’s Sundance festival.

RE AL STEEL★ ★ 1/2

Rated: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly

Though it tries to mix the robo-thrills of the “Transformers” with the emotional uplift of “Rocky” and the heart of “E.T.,” this frequently spectacular, generally entertaining, but soulless sci-fi boxing melodrama is far too pre-programmed and manipulative to generate anything but a semblance of an emotional response. The only thing that’s really unexpected in “Real Steel” is the degree to which the hero is genuinely scummy. Former boxer turned sleazy, small-time robot-boxing promoter Charlie Kenton (Jackman) is a selfish, cocky, obnoxious deadbeat dad who actually sells off his rights to his long-ago-abandoned boy Max (Dakota Goyo) for $100,000 to repay gambling debts. He has to look after the boy for a summer, though, which gives Charlie just enough time for redemption as he and Max guide a hopeless sparring ‘bot up from the robo underground to a shot at the title. “Real Steel” does have its selling points. The CGI boxing matches are imaginative, exciting and entirely believable and director Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”) maintains a loose, easy-going quality within the confines of the various formulas built into the plot until shamelessly goading reactions during the David vs. Goliath finale—attempting to feed us pre-digested emotions as if we were so many hungry bab y birds.

RECENT RELEAS ES

BELLE DE JOUR★ ★ ★ ★

Rated: R

Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli

Director Luis Bunuel’s transgressive 1967 comedy about a bored Paris housewife (Deneuve) with a day job in a kinky bordello is meant to mock bourgeois sexual mores, yet there’s surprising warmth and humor here—and a true spirit of liberation in its celebration of fantasy. This Criterion Collection release features a new hi-def digital restoration plus extras including a new interview with co-screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, an excerpt from the French TV “Cinema” program featuring Carrere and Deneuve, and a 1970s interview with Bunuel .

THE IDES OF MARCH★ ★ ★ 1/2

Rated: R for pervasive language

Stars: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti

Director/co-writer/co-star Clooney makes up nicely for “Leatherheads” here, turning in a smart, finely crafted and utterly ruthless political drama in which ideals die hard, as well as a solid performance as an Obama-like presidential candidate with a scandalous libido and a streak of rattlesnake meanness. “Ides” is Gosling’s movie, though, and he leaves a searing impression as a brilliant campaign strategist who will pull any dirty trick for a cause he believes in. Extras include commentary by Clooney and producer Grant Heslov.

ALSO NEW

THE CONFESSION

A hit man (Kiefer Sutherland) enters a church on Christmas Eve, where his confessions to a priest (John Hurt), originally broadcast in 10 seven-minute segments on Hulu, culminate in a desperate bid for redemption. Brad Mirman (“Crime Spree”) wrote and directed the drama.

GODZILLA

This 1954 great-granddaddy of all radioactive-monster movies, concerning a prehistoric beast rampaging through Tokyo, gets the deluxe Criterion Collection treatment. In addition to a new, high-def digital restoration, extras include the 1956 American release, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters” (starring Raymond Burr), commentary by historian David Kalat on both versions of the film, new interviews with actors and technicians, an interview with score composer Akira Ifukube, theatrical trailers and a booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman.

MEMPHIS

This Tony Award-winning musical (being performed here by the original cast) dramatizes the birth of rock ’n’ roll through the 1950s romance between a white deejay (Chad Kimball) and black blues singer (Montego Glover).

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

Two young sisters (Katie Featherston and Sprague Grayden) begin a friendship with an invisible entity that lives in their home. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (“Catfish”) directed this prequel to the horror series. Rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use. Extras include the extended version of the film.

QUEEN OF THE SUN: WHAT ARE THE BEES TELLING US?

This documentary explores the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder, or the world-wide disappearance of honeybees from their hives — a phenomenon Albert Einstein reportedly said would predate the extinction of mankind by four years.

REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR

Chris Paine returned to direct this follow-up to his 2006 documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” — this time exploring the resurgence of battery-powered automotive technology. Actor Tim Robbins returns as narrator.

UNDERDOG: COMPLETE COLLECTOR’S EDITION

This nine-disc box set from Shout! Factory includes all three seasons of the 1964 Saturday Morning cartoon series about a superhero canine (with the nebbish voice of comedian Wally Cox), plus short cartoons featuring Go Go Gophers, Klondike Kat and Commander McBragg. Extras include alternate openings and closings of episodes plus commentaries.

WORLD WAR TWO IN 3D

This A&E documentary features dramatic moments of World War II history (including Allied reconnaissance photos and images documenting the rise and fall of the Third Reich) that were captured in 3D with stereograph technology, then filed away and forgotten — plus an actual 3D film shot by the Nazis in 1943.

NEXT WEEK

Tune in for TV upgrades. The first two seasons of “Agatha Christie’s Poirot,” starring David Suchet as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, have been remastered for their Blu-ray debut. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is also Blu-ray bound, with the feature length pilot as well as two fan-favorite episodes scheduled as a sampler. Throughout the year, the entire seven-season series will be re-released in 1080p high-definition as a precursor to additional hi-def TV reruns.