This Week in DVD

Dear John: No, this is NOT the 1990s Judd Hirsch sitcom, but some chick flick based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. I'm sure this film is filled with sadness, but what kind of sorrow can compare to that which stems from the complete absence of the Hirsch "Dear John" from today's cultural landscape?

The signs are everywhere: Jere Burns has a recurring role on "Breaking Bad." I saw the guy who played Ralph on "How I Met Your Mother" a few weeks ago. Now a movie of the same name hits video. The TV show is no classic, but I remember it as a funny enough effort at recapturing some "Taxi" magic. Isn't thinking about that "Dear John" much more appealing than pondering a Nicholas Sparks movie?

The Road: Say what you will about Nicholas Sparks novels, but they don't depress you with cannibalism. At least, I don't think they do. "The Road" aspired to be the feel-bad movie of the year, but nobody seemed to realize it actually came out, so the honor went to "Old Dogs."

Stagecoach (Criterion): Criterion makes the questionable decision of packaging the 1939 John Ford/John Wayne film rather than the definitive Willie Nelson/Kris Kristofferson version. This has already been out on DVD for years, but nobody complains about double dips when they come from Criterion. I'm just stunned that Netflix is carrying this edition.

Bing Crosby TV Specials: Speaking of Netflix, I really wish the company would see fit to stock these, which fit in my "love to see once, probably don't need to own" zone. This set features 4 of Der Bingle's TV specials from the fifties, sixties, and seventies, and I think it's great that Infinity is releasing these. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't carry much from Infinity these days.

Royal Pains Season 1: I was scanning the new releases when I noticed the MSRP for this set: a whopping SIXTY BUCKS! So Amazon's price, even with a healthy 33% discount, is still a sky-high 40 smackers. USA Network's philosophy is "Characters welcome..." and so is your money.

Leverage Season 2: By comparison, this new DVD set is a bargain at $40 MSRP and a $27 price at Amazon for 15 episodes. The team of Timothy Hutton and his merry men and women should rob from whoever's collecting that "Royal Pains" dough and give to the poor.