"Good Night, and Good Luck": George Clooney wore his politics on his sleeve last year, coming away with a supporting-actor Academy Award for the oil-industry thriller "Syriana" and six Oscar

"Good Night, and Good Luck": George Clooney wore his politics on his sleeve last year, coming away with a supporting-actor Academy Award for the oil-industry thriller "Syriana" and six Oscar nominations for this terrific drama that's daring in form and content. Director, co-writer and co-star Clooney spins the story of newsman Edward R. Murrow (best-actor nominee David Strathairn) in his TV battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy over the 1950s communist witch hunt, the story told in smoky black and white with archival footage interwoven into the dramatic narrative. In a behind-the-scenes segment, Clooney notes that he loves how people like Murrow and his producing colleague Fred Friendly (whom Clooney plays) stuck their necks out; Strathairn adds that Clooney and writing-producing partner DVD, $28.98. (Warner Bros.)
"A History of Violence": David Cronenberg goes mainstream as only he can -- with a crowd-pleasing film whose dark themes and images of sex and violence are nearly as disturbing and creepy as those in his more esoteric tales. Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt (in a small, scene-stealing role that nabbed him an Oscar nomination) star in the story of a small-town family torn apart when an act of violence brings them to the attention of invasive mobsters. The DVD has a visceral deleted scene, a gruesome dream sequence that Cronenberg really liked but found out of place in the film, as though it had been dropped in from another picture. Cronenberg also provides commentary, and the disc's featurettes include a nice glimpse of the director's experiences at the Cannes Film Festival. DVD, $28.98. (New Line)
"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio": As usual, Julianne Moore gives her all, but in service of a tale that's far too cute and precious for its own good, or for the audience's. The syrupy tale casts Moore as a real-life 1950s mother of 10 who copes with her boozy husband (Woody Harrelson) and puts food in the kids' mouths by winning advertising jingle contests. Director Jane Anderson piles on whimsical camera and effects flourishes, but the gimmicks grow distracting, and it's Moore's earnest performance alone that makes the movie passable viewing. Moore provides one commentary track, Anderson another. DVD, $29.99. (DreamWorks)
"Ice Age: Super-Cool Edition": With the sequel "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" about to warm up theaters, the 2002 animated hit returns in a two-disc set. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary provide the voices of a woolly mammoth, a sloth and a saber-toothed tiger who become unlikely buddies and caretakers for a human child as their prehistoric world is overrun by a big freeze. The DVD set allows viewers to segue into deleted scenes while watching the movie, with director Chris Wedge and co-director Carlos Saldanha offering commentary. The set also has a short film featuring the movie's rodentlike co-star Scrat, plus Wedge's Oscar-winning short "Bunny." DVD set, $19.98. (20th Century Fox)
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