DVD Review

CHICAGO – If the Koch brothers have proven anything over the last several months, it’s that money speaks louder than the truth. Facts may not be for sale, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be buried. At a time when more information is available to the general public than ever before, an alarming number of Americans are content in remaining blissfully uninformed.

CHICAGO – Say or sing “I’m so glad we had this time together…” and persons of a certain generation will immediately respond, “…just to have a laugh or sing a song.” The theme to the “The Carol Burnett Show” is indelibly etched in show business memory, and Time Life Video is taking advantage of those days with the DVD release of “The Carol Burnett Show: Carol’s Favorites.”

CHICAGO – They don’t make ‘em like Robert Mitchum any more. Every few years, there’s a DVD collection of classic movies that rises above the others for the holiday season. One of this year’s most star-packed entries includes not only Mitchum but John Wayne, Deborah Kerr, Kirk Douglas, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Widmark, Gene Kelly, Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Marilyn Monroe, and many more. Mitchum may be the face on the cover but the set is a trip through the golden era of Hollywood through more than just one star.

CHICAGO – Every year from about February to May, TV pundits play the cancellation game. We look at the ratings, read about picked-up pilots, and try to figure out what the networks will renew and cancel. Two of the biggest question marks of this past season were The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and “Nikita,” but they were both spared the sharp end of the axe and are returning this month to the air. Why? What did the networks and fans see in them? Check out the first season of “Hart of Dixie” on DVD and the second season of “Nikita,” available on Blu-ray and DVD, to find out.

CHICAGO – Local writer/director Nicholas Smith, who set and shot his lauded indie horror flick “Munger Road” in St. Charles, Illinois, has some undeniable talent. I think his debut gets a little lost in the final act but there is a lot to like about this little movie for even those with no connection to its Chicago roots. You’re going to be deluged with options this Halloween season for your horror-loving time. Take a trip to “Munger Road.”

CHICAGO – Why are audiences turning away from “New Girl” this season? I would hope that it’s purely a question of time slot competition (Tuesdays have gotten crowded all of a sudden) and overall decline in FOX ratings because it sure as Hell has nothing to do with quality. This is a show that increased steadily in laughs-per-minute over its first season, just released on DVD, and continues to work at the start of its second. Check out the new Fox DVD release to see how it all went down.

CHICAGO – You’re probably still processing the news that Seth MacFarlane is hosting the Oscars next year and wondering if his TV show is still as funny as it used to be. Quick review? It’s not. The show has suffered creatively for a few years now as I think MacFarlane was spread too thin with his dozen or so projects. However, the DVD releases from FOX are still stellar, packed with special features.

CHICAGO – Do young people know of the importance of Steve Martin to the history of comedy? In the ’70s, he helped revolutionize the form through his unique, smart, daring approach on-stage and in his TV comedies and on “Saturday Night Live.” Much of the material that made him a superstar has been collected in a stellar three-disc set from Shout Factory, now available on DVD under the banner “Steve Martin: The Television Stuff.”

CHICAGO – Charlie Kaufman (“Adaptation,” “Being John Malkovich”) once wrote for a TV sitcom so odd that its network and most of the U.S. had no idea what to make of it. Without question, “Get a Life” was ahead of its time. So much of the twisted comedy of 2012 owes a debt to this true oddity from two decades ago, a unique gem that is finally getting a complete series release years after fans started clamoring for it.

CHICAGO – The irony of Dallas Richard Hallam and Patrick Horvath’s immensely unsettling little shocker, “Entrance,” is that it has caused many viewers to exit before the end credits have rolled. A surprising number of critics have complained that the film betrays its audience by setting up a low-key indie drama and then turning the tables in the final act. Clearly, these people weren’t paying attention.