FOX

CHICAGO – Can anyone else believe that it’s been 20 years since “Dances With Wolves”? In a lot of movie snob circles, the Kevin Costner epic has been relegated to a tragic tale as the thing most remembered about it is that it stole several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, from a movie that even Costner himself would probably now admit deserved them more — “GoodFellas.” Watching it again after so long, it’s easy to see what people liked about the film. It may not have deserved Best Picture but it’s still a worthy addition to many a movie lover’s collection.

CHICAGO – After Robert De Niro’s “Pupkin”-esque acceptance speech on Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, some of our younger readers may be curious about some of the films that got him to that awkward moment. His second Oscar came for what is undeniably one of the best performances of all time. De Niro would give at least a dozen great performances, some before and some after, but “Raging Bull,” recently released in a beautiful 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, is the peak of one of the most notable acting careers in film history.

CHICAGO – As the weeks, months, and years make it clearer that we will never get a live-action continuation of one of the best television programs ever, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (it’s just cruel that there are two “Sex and the City” movies and we can’t even get a “Buffy” reunion special), fans of the franchise are forced to turn to alternate advancements in the universe, such as the Dark Horse Comics series. The very-popular and critically-acclaimed comics have been turned into Motion Comics and released in a 2-disc Blu-ray set with mixed results.

CHICAGO – “Machete” may be one of the most wonderfully-conceived films of 2010. The idea that one of the fake trailers from “Grindhouse” could ever become a full-length film is a movie lover’s dream come true (and it’s so ironic that “Machete” grossed more domestically than the movie that spawned it). While I love the very existence of “Machete,” the movie itself is something of a disappointment, and it’s not helped by a mediocre Blu-ray that barely has any special features.

CHICAGO – After a few misfires recently, FOX seems to have found a program to be proud of in the promising sitcom “Raising Hope,” which they announced today will be renewed for the 2011-12 season. The Tuesday night program airs at 8pm CST.

CHICAGO – Remember when every Oliver Stone movie caused waves? There was a time when he was a love-him-or-hate-him director who provoked conversation with every outing. Perhaps the most interesting thing about his recent work like “World Trade Center” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is how little impact it has had. He seems to be making movies most people like but no one loves or hates. The sequel to one of his best films is a good drama but doesn’t really resonate like the man used to do every time out.

CHICAGO – The opening crawl of “Family Guy: It’s a Trap!” jokingly suggests that the viewer should lower his expectations since the writers had totally run out of steam by this point and were pressured by Fox into doing a spoof of “Return of the Jedi” to close out their “Star Wars” trilogy, now released in one Blu-ray set known as “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy.”

CHICAGO – 2011 will be an undeniably different year on the television landscape as it will be the first in some time with no “Lost” and no “24.” When the history books are written about the most-influential and important programs of the first decade of the new millennium, they would be incomplete without a chapter on Jack Bauer and the incredible success of FOX’s “24.” The final season is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, closing an important program with a comparably-lackluster installment but a great BD.

CHICAGO – What did audiences expect from “The A-Team” that Joe Carnahan’s explosive blockbuster didn’t deliver? Were they upset by the lack of Murdock’s character development? The lack of shading in Hannibal’s dialogue? Come on. “The A-Team” is about ridiculous, over-the-top lunacy and it totally works as testosterone-enhanced entertainment. It may have disappointed in theaters, but audiences will love it on Blu-ray.

CHICAGO – John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill (and Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener) prove to be a perfect comedy duo in the nearly-great “Cyrus,” a delightfully left-of-center comedy that allows these two talented men to prove that they have some of the best comic timing in the business. “Cyrus” is a daring comedy about when someone new in your life crosses the line from “eccentric” to “dangerous.” Don’t miss it.