Short Circuits: 'Silver Linings Playbook' on video, pizza via Xbox, more

Video

"Silver Linings Playbook" — the fractured fairy tale of mental illness, family drama, ragged romance and die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fandom — has landed in the superbly capable hands of director David O. Russell.

As the movie opens, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is being discharged from a psychiatric facility, having been sent there after an incident involving his estranged wife. Meanwhile, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a sharp-tongued young widow with an acute nonsense-detector and a knack for brutal honesty equaled only by Pat's impulsive, socially disastrous candor.

The tart, brutally frank chemistry that fuels "Silver Linings Playbook" plays out in the film's visual approach, which eschews air-brushed Hollywood aesthetics for a far more jagged, intimate imperfection.

The DVD and Blu-ray (Starz/Anchor Bay, $30-$40) include deleted scenes and featurettes.

Washington Post

Colin Covert says: "Silver Linings Playbook" tells us that happily-ever-after might depend on finding people who coexist with our lunacy, not ones who can lead us out of it. In any case, it's crazy good.

TV: "Ben Hur" (miniseries), "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1982), "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (Season 3), "Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Best of Both Worlds."

Blu-ray debuts: "Funny Girl," "Strictly Ballroom," "The Vampire Lovers."

Microsoft's pushing the boundaries of technology again, this time with an Xbox 360 application that lets people order a pizza without picking up a phone.

The console's new Pizza Hut app works with the Kinect motion sensor, so people can wave their hands and talk to the TV to specify their pizza and have it delivered without getting up from the couch. This might compensate for calories lost when using the Kinect to play motion games and run exercise programs on the console.

The Xbox 360 already provides a sort of online shopping mall where people can buy digital games, music and movies. But this is the first time people will be able to order a physical product from the Xbox, Microsoft said. That sounds like a hint that more shopping and product delivery services are coming to the console.

Facebook's major push into the mobile world — via a new update for Android phones (free for select models) — puts the social network at the heart of Android smartphones, which should appeal to its most addicted users.

Friend updates appear on the lockscreen, from which users can double-tap to like a post or chime in with a comment. Facebook's messenger program can move with you from app to app with an overlay that keeps you from having to switch into its own app.

Still, while the app makes using Facebook much easier, it probably won't appeal to those who aren't heavy Facebookers. It takes a few more swipes to get to your apps, and letting Facebook become the center of your phone means that Android users lose a lot of customization.

McClatchy News Service

The Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow Speakers (www.sound-oasis.com) slide into any size pillow for relaxing sound. While they are marketed for enhanced therapy or privacy use, they're a great accessory for bedtime TV audio.

The speakers are also available in the Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow ($50), which has them built-into the 20-by-26-inch pillow. A cord, with the in-line speaker control, connects to your device from the pillow. The speakers can be removed so the pillow can be cleaned.