Addiction Incorporated
The tobacco industry maintained that cigarettes were safe lifestyle accessories until a collection of whistleblowers, outraged congressmen, activist attorneys and investigative journalists finally tore the lid off a half-century of denial and intimidation by corporations willing to spend fortunes to sue their critics. A compelling documentary, Addiction Incorporated focuses on Philip Morris research scientist Victor DeNoble who revealed lab tests showing how easily rats become addicted to nicotine and that cigarettes are designed to addict smokers.
Turn It Up! A Celebration of the Electric Guitar
Turn It Up! is a series of interviews with guitar players—some of them (Les Paul) no longer with us. There is a certain amount of guitar-geek talk, but most of the discussions dwell on larger subjects. For Kiss’ Paul Stanley, The Beatles were a phenomenon that changed the orbit for the world rather than merely a band. B.B. King, a humble man, refers to his “stupid fingers” because he never learned to play slide.
“The Odd Couple: Season One”
Neil Simon’s play is a perennial; The ’60s film and ensuing ’70s television show perpetuated the laughter over two divorced men, an irredeemable slob (Oscar) and a compulsive neat freak (Felix), sharing quarters after their divorces. The new TV remake updates the comical theme: Oscar does a sports podcast from home and Felix has a pollen alert app. The Matthew Perry-Thomas Lennon duo falls short of classic casting, yet the scenario remains fertile ground for humor.
Perry Mason Movie Collection: Volume 5
In the ’80s, Raymond Burr returned with a popular series of made-for-TV movies reprising his most famous role. As he slipped toward death in the early ’90s, the network continued to produce Perry Mason mysteries without Mason, substituting a motorcycle-riding lawyer called Bill Mckenzie (played by the great character actor Hal Holbrook). Those productions fill out this final DVD set with good acting from lead cast (including Tony Curtis as a blustering Trump type).
