New in Home Entertainment
September 25, 2012
Delicacy
Rated PG-13 for some strong language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In French with English Subtitles
The very beautiful French actress Audrey Tautou (Amelie) stars in this charming little romantic comedy about a young widow who finds romance at work years after her husband dies in an accident. I say romantic comedy but in actuality the film is rather plain at first, then depressing as can be, and then finally a third way in starts to blossom into a workable romance with plenty of laughs. Much of the laughter though comes from a weirdness brought on by the Swedish love interest played by Francois Damiens. His strange mannerisms and even stranger actions make you think that truly anyone could have a chance with lovely Audrey. Movies are such liars aren’t they. While adorable much of the time the film does suffer from occasionally dull writing and wardrobe choices that are almost unforgivable. Seeing Tautou wearing a Captain Kirk costume for half of the film shows that either the budget needed a slight increase or the costume designer needed to be sacked. But even with its faults, I still found myself enjoying this little foreigner which had me laughing and crying in equal measure. B+
The Carol Burnett Show: Carol’s Favorites
Available on DVD
Some of my earliest laughs I remember come from watching the Carol Burnett Show in the early 70’s. Very quickly into this set it’s easy to see that much of today’s television comedy is inspired by this brilliant lady and her terrific writing team. Time Life is releasing, mostly through their website, a variety of different options including 22-disc and 11-disc options, but this batch of Carol’s favorites includes a mere 18 hours of Carol’s own picks with guests like Steve Martin, Betty White, The Jackson Five and many others. I especially loved some of the bonus features including a rare interview with two of my favorite classic comedians Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. A
Modern Family: The Complete Third Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Three years ago everyone was telling me to watch this new show that frankly I just wasn’t interested in. But shortly after the first season had completed I decided to see what the big deal was. Baby what a big surprise. What I thought from the outside looked like a run-of-the-mill family comedy I soon learned was one of the best written and acted television programs in years. The third season is full of winners and there is little wonder why season three just brought home so many trophies at the Emmys. Like The Carol Burnett Show and MASH were in their day and Seinfeld was a decade later, Modern Family will one day be thought of fondly as a great American classic. A