It is a flat-out ridiculously great week at the video store, with five of 2008’s most acclaimed, must-see, love-‘em-or-hate-‘em-they’re-sure-to-be-talked-about-for-decades-hence kind of movies: Milk, Rachel Getting Married, Happy-Go-Lucky, Synecdoche New York and Let The Right One In. Add in the animated classics Pinocchio and Gulliver’s Travels in new special editions, a complete collection of the superb Robbie Coltrane crime series Cracker, and even the legendary so-bad-it’s-bad boondoggle Howard The Duck and man, where do you start?
But with all that goodness (and in one case, sublime badness) to sort through, it would be a shame if one of ‘08’s undersung gems got lost in the shuffle. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss Role Models, which combines the snarky comic stylings of Paul Rudd and The State/Stella crew (with a few Apatow vets thrown in) and the underdog-makes-good/slob-versus-snob uplift of classic ‘80s comedies. It’s a real treat.
The Baron: The Complete Series
Koch, $59.98
Battle In Seattle
Universal, $14.98; Blu-ray, $28.98
Ben X
Film Movement, $24.95
The Best Years: The Complete First Season
Koch, $49.98
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Miramax, $29.99
Brokeback Mountain
Universal Blu-ray, $29.98
Cadillac Records
Sony, $27.96; Blu-ray, $39.95
Caroline In The City: The Second Season
Paramount, $39.98
The Casino Job
Maverick, $24.98
Cracker: The Complete Collection
Acorn, $119.99
Crowley
Starz/Anchor Bay, $26.97
Escape To Witch Mountain
Disney, $19.99
Family Ties: The Fifth Season
Paramount, $39.98
Forgotten Ellis Island
PBS, $24.99
Fractals: Hunting The Hidden Dimension
PBS, $24.95
Get Smart: Season 2
HBO, $24.98
Groom Lake
Koch, $19.98
Happy-Go-Lucky
Miramax, $29.99
Howard The Duck
Universal, $14.98
Japan Japan
Water Bearer, $19.95
Let The Right One In
Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $34.98
L’Innocente
Koch, $24.98
Marie And Bruce
Weinstein/Miriam, $24.95
Max Fleischer’s Gulliver’s Travels
Koch, $14.98; Blu-ray, $19.98
Milk
Universal, $29.98, Blu-ray, $39.98
The Miracle Worker (1979)
Shout! Factory, $14.99
Pinocchio
Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $35.99
Primal Fear (1996)
Paramount, $14.98; Blu-ray, $29.99
Rachel Getting Married
Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $39.95
Return From Witch Mountain
Disney, $19.99
Role Models
Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
A Secret
Strand, $27.99
South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season
Comedy Central, $49.99; Blu-ray, $69.99
The Starter Wife: Season 1
Universal, $34.98
Stevie Wonder: Live At Last
Motown, $19.99; Blu-ray, $24.95
The Story Of India
PBS, $34.99
Synecdoche New York
Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $39.95
Transporter 3
Lionsgate, $29.95/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.99)