The Hurt Locker
Finally out on DVD, it's the movie everyone's been talking about, the Golden Globe nominee that's a front-runner for a Best Picture Oscar. Does it live up to the hype? Yeah. Yeah, it does. It may not have the traditional three-act structure of Bigelow's Point Break or Near Dark, but it's definitely intense, awesomely acted and full of amazing cameos. (Evangeline Lilly! Guy Pearce! Ralph Fiennes! David Morse!) In other words, definitely worth a rental before Oscar night, if only so you have someone to root for. Jeremy Renner FTW!

In the Loop
Aside from James Gandolfini, there aren't a lot of big names in this movie, and the little names aren't very recognizable. Tom Hollander is nothing like his Pirates of the Caribbean character, Peter Capaldi plays a more vitriolic bureaucrat than the one he played in Torchwood: Children of Earth, Mimi Kennedy is far from the hippie mom of Dharma & Greg and Anna Chlumsky is almost 20 years older than she was in My Girl (still cute, though). But each and every one of them is hilarious in this fast-talking intercontinental satire about how all it takes to get the Western World to declare war on the Middle East is one mid-level paper-pusher's poorly stated opinion. Steve Coogan turns up midway through as a man upset about a crumbling wall, and is genius, but by then you hardly even notice him. Watch the deleted scene compilation for what feels like a shorter (but equally funny) alternate version of the film.

Post Grad
Maybe if they'd called this movie Post-Gilmore Girls or Post-Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, it would have done better financially.

Moon
Fans of this breathtakingly retro science-fiction movie (1970s retro, not 1950s retro) think it warrants an Academy Award nomination, although there was no money to spend on promoting it to voters. Now that it's out on DVD, hopefully it will be seen by enough people to get Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor nods.

Fame
This updated version of the 1980 movie and 1982 TV series didn't exactly knock it out of the park, but you have to hand it to them for reuniting Cheers co-stars Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth as teachers at a performing arts school. Also, for bringing together Will & Grace's Megan Mulally and Roc's Charles S. Dutton, just because.

Big Fan
Another critically acclaimed film, this one features Patton Oswalt in his first major non-rat role. I knew you could do it, Patton! Not play a rat, I mean.

Downloading Nancy
Maria Bello gives another tortured performance in this movie about a woman who leaves her husband (Rufus Sewell) for a man who she met on the Internet (Jason Patric), who apparently promised to, well, torture her for their mutual pleasure. From the people who named Chasing Amy, Surviving Picasso and Inventing the Abbots.

Also out this week:
The Brothers Bloom Do Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo realize they made this movie?
I Can Do Bad All By Myself Also known by the title Madea Makes a Cameo.
The Burning Plain Apparently, what the writer of Babel and 21 Grams really wants to do is direct depressing movies.
Passing Strange Spike Lee filmed the last three performances of this musical so you can maybe get around to seeing it someday. No rush.
Wrong Turn at Tahoe A shoot 'em up with Miguel Ferrer and Harvey Keitel? Even Cuba Gooding Jr. can't keep me away.
Halloween II (Unrated Director's Cut) Finally, the tenth Halloween movie the way Rob Zombie intended it!