New on DVD and Blu-ray Disc

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” DVD, Blu-ray
A romantic comedy about getting dumped by the love of your life. Where are the laughs in that, you say? They’re in here. The film follows all of the heartbreaking ugliness that occurs when Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) decides to end her 5-year relationship with Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) just when Peter thought they were at their happiest. Needing time away, Peter flees to the one place Sarah herself favored for a vacation retreat--Hawaii. Not surprisingly, she’s already at the same resort when he arrives. Worse for Peter is that she has traveled with her new English rock star boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), who is so amiably self-absorbed, it’s impossible to dislike him. Mila Kunis is Peter’s budding love interest, who ignites in him the sense of meaning and creativity he lost while with Sarah. Lifting him and the film higher are appearances by Jonah Hill of “Superbad,” Paul Rudd as a weed-smoking surfing dude, and Bill Hader as Peter’s bizarre stepbrother. Rated R. Grade: B-

“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” Blu-ray
A funny, affectionate and, as it happens, enormously dirty comedy that stars Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer, a doe-eyed neophyte in need of some serious manscaping (but not Viagra) who has gone a stretch longer than most when it comes to having sex. The film is a deceptive sleight of hand. It sounds as if it's purely low-brow, which it certainly is in parts, but not in total. No comedy this consistently laugh-out-loud funny could only be the result of sex jokes, which would lose their punch within minutes. Some will scoff at the idea that a picture so good-naturedly raunchy could also be bright and smart, but "Virgin," armed with its excellent cast, proves them wrong. The movie is expertly conceived, acted and written. Rated R. Grade: A

“Iron Man” DVD, Blu-ray
At its core, Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” is about one man’s massive mid-life crisis, and all the drama that springs from it. The movie’s focus is the cocky, ultra-smart billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., perfect), who is forced to reflect upon his life when the Taliban suddenly ambush him with his own weapons. Chest pains ensue--not that that’s a surprise. During the ambush, a bomb blew shrapnel into Stark’s chest, which now threatens his heart. Once mechanically healed, his mid-life crisis continues with flashy new duds and a swank new relationship. Indeed, Stark creates a suite of virtually indestructible Iron Man suits that allow him the power of fight and flight, and he falls for his assistant, Pepper Potts, who is played with cool knowingness by a very good Gwyneth Paltrow. With a bald, bearish Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, this is one hugely enjoyable popcorn movie, and not only because of its superb special effects. The movie’s pleasures come from the attention paid to its script, its accomplished performances and the fact that it’s driven by its characters first, its action second. Rated PG-13. Grade: A-

“Knocked Up” Blu-ray
The title makes the lot of it sound purely low-brow, which it is in parts, but not in whole--this excellent comedy from Judd Apatow is good-natured raunch. The film follows the ramifications of a one-night stand between Katherine Heigl's Alison Scott and Seth Rogen's Ben Stone. With Alison now pregnant, what ensues is a movie that follows the awkward courtship that emerges from their unlikely relationship. It's in this way that "Knocked Up" recalls the genesis of its title--it's something of a throwback. Ben is an immature wreck, sure, but he means well and he wants to do right by Alison, who recognizes in Ben someone who might be able to go the distance. Much of the laughs come from the superb supporting cast. There's Alison’s calculating sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann), and Debbie's husband, Pete (Paul Rudd), who have been married for years--and it shows. Also onboard are Ben’s stoner friends, a scattershot bunch who are as endearing as they are emotionally stunted, with Apatow seamlessly weaving their idiosyncrasies into the plot. Rated R. Grade: A

"L.A. Confidential" Blu-ray
Strip away all the lies, blood and corruption in “L.A. Confidential,” Curtis Hanson’s film about lies, blood and corruption in 1950s Los Angeles, and you’ll find hookers cut to look like movie stars, gangland-style executions, dead bodies rotting in dim basements, mobsters on the lamb, and cops privately flashing badges of racism while publicly raging against it. And that’s just in the opening credits. Upon its 1997 release, the film, now out on Blu-ray disc, put film noir back on screen just as magnificently as James Cameron, in that same year, put the Titanic back on the Atlantic Ocean. With its intense script and cast driving the lot of it--Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey--this Academy Award-winning movie doesn’t so much stylize the past as it brings out problems from it that remain alive in the present. It’s a terrific example of modern noir. Rated R. Grade A.

“Land of the Dead” Blu-ray
From George A. Romero, a movie that moves his franchise forward with ease, giving new purpose to the zombies Romero conceived in his 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead,” while offering fans plenty of high-definition gore in the process. What the film proves is that there still are fresh ideas to be found in the familiar rot of Romero's world. The director remains firm in his belief that it takes more than just ropes of dripping entrails and severed heads to make a horror movie satisfying. While those elements certainly flourish here--some might never where a bellybutton ring again--the film has other targets to explore, starting with society. Across the board, the acting is good, particularly from John Leguizamo and Robert Joy, but even from the lead zombie Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), a hulking beast who creates a run of chaos. Audiences should thank him for it. The moment Big Daddy gets involved, the movie flips into overdrive, with thousands of zombies trailing after him and straight into the film’s fiery climax. Rated R. Grade: B

"The Mist" Blu-ray
Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King's 1980 novella “The Mist” is now available on Blu-ray disc; it was one of last year’s more satisfying horror movies. It’s a film about how a mysterious mist takes rise on the horizon after a storm slams into a coastal Maine town, leaving its residents rushing to repair the destruction left in its wake. Of course, nothing in the mist is as terrifying--or as heroic--as what we ourselves can become when pressed by fear. That's the film's point and that's what it reveals so well, particularly with Marcia Gay Harden in the juicy role of the trouble-seeking, Bible-thumping Mrs. Carmody. With Thomas Jane in the lead, the movie offers solid supporting turns from Toby Jones and Laurie Holden, several surprises tucked within the so-so special effects, and an ending that's so good, it proves that even in today's mass-market movies, sometimes Hollywood has the guts to turn a blind eye to the box office, focus on what best serves the story--and just get it right. Rated R. Grade: B+

Also on DVD and Blu-ray disc

Also recommended on DVD are three crime-related shows, each different. Those seeking something gritty should turn to the fourth season of “CSI: NY,” with Gary Sinese, Melina Kanakaredes and crew keeping the series on edge thanks to their dealings with the 333 stalker. The fourth season of “Numbers” is available, with FBI agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) relying on his brother’s gift for mathematics to solve crimes in L.A. And for a bizarre, romantic twist on the genre, there’s “Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series,” which features the bestial love between a female district attorney (Linda Hamilton) and a man-beast named Vincent (Ron Perlman) that somehow worked without coming off as being too creepy. Well, at least until she gave birth to his son.

Also on Blu-ray are several horror movies, two of which should be axed from consideration--the chop-shop comedic chiller “Otis: Uncut” and the grisly “Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back.” Best not to look at either.

Other horror films recommended on high-def include the original “Amityville Horror,” with James Brolin and Margot Kidder saddled with a demonic house (a timely sequel might involve them battling a demonic mortgage); Brian De Palma’s “Carrie” finds a young Sissy Spacek revealing all that we have come to know about her--she’s one of our best actresses; and Neil Jordan’s “Interview with a Vampire” features a befanged Tom Cruise and a bewigged Brad Pitt in a moody retelling of Anne Rice’s 1976 novel. Stephen Rea, Antonio Banderas and a creepy Kirsten Dunst co star.

Finally, two variety show throwbacks are just out, each featuring its share of siblings. First is the slight and so-so “The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show,” which ran Saturday mornings in the mid-1970s and redefines the idea of a cheesy retro vibe, and second is “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season 3,” which aired during the 1968-69 television season.

During its brief run, what that show did brilliantly (and some might say ruinously) is that it used the tumultuous war years to bring such tension to the variety show format, CBS couldn’t handle the dark satire Tom and Dick Smothers offered. Censoring the show became a mainstay, even at the local level, which led to creative unrest, infighting and to CBS eventually cancelling the series. For today’s viewers, the reasons why it was cancelled might seem ridiculous, but from a historic perspective, this funny, uncensored set does offer a valuable look back.