Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • November 7, 2012 DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) robot, and the result is a high-tech variation of the “Odd Couple.” The robot is Frank’s chance to reawaken skills he has not used in years, thus giving him purpose and direction. The robot, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard and played by Rachael Ma, repeatedly tells Frank that it is not human. Yet viewers see a camaraderie and rapport developing. The first-rate supporting cast includes James Marsden, Liv Tyler, and Susan Sarandon. “Robot and Frank” is available in Blu-ray and DVD editions. Bonuses were not announced at press time. “Coma” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is a mini-series based on the best-seller by Michael Crichton. Young medical student Susan Wheeler (Lauren Ambrose) discovers that something terribly unusual is going on in her hospital after routine procedures send more than a few seemingly healthy patients into comas on the operating table. For a thriller, this production makes the mistake of diluting its suspense with padding. Rather than progressing briskly, the film is needlessly sidetracked by subplots that slow the narrative. The cast is not the problem. There are some great actors here: James Woods, Geena David, Richard Dreyfuss, and especially Ellen Burstyn, who plays a sinister, mysterious woman in charge of a facility dedicated more to secrecy than healing. Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”) is better in the early scenes, as a wide-eyed, enthusiastic intern eager to learn the ropes and become an integral part of the hospital’s medical family. As the film progresses, however, her character is made to function in typical old dark house thriller mode, investigating dark places, eluding dangerous people, and attempting to break through a wall of secrecy. The underlying premise, however, is quite interesting, and the movie is helped considerably by Burstyn’s eerie performance. There are no bonuses on this unrated DVD release. “Lili” (Warner Archive) was a follow-up to Leslie Caron’s auspicious film debut in “An American in Paris.” Sixteen-year-old Lili Daurier (Caron), saddened by the death of her father, travels to the French coast to get a job with her father’s old baker friend, only to learn that he, too, has died. She gets work at a traveling carnival and becomes enchanted by the puppets of Paul Berthalet (Mel Ferrer), who talks to her through his puppets, hiding a secret crush on her. Caron is charming as a girl who believes what she sees on the surface. She does not understand deceit, selfishness, or ulterior motives; this makes her interaction with the puppets all the more endearing, as she often forgets they are not real. A highlight of the film is an elaborate dream ballet in which Paul’s puppets come to life. Caron sings the film’s only song, the Academy Award-nominated “Hi Lili, Hi Lo.”