Precious

Before the Oscar hubbub quiets, maybe now is the time to check out a few of the nominees from the comfort of your own couch. This week's new DVD releases include two best picture nominees that you may not have seen yet, along with a documentary for a bit of brain food.

Up in the Air

In Up in the Air, director Jason Reitman brings us the story of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), the grim reaper of job employment. Bingham zips between companies to orchestrate layoffs, using his disconnectedness to get the job done. However, once an uptight protege (Anna Kendrick) and a love interest (Vera Farmiga) enter the picture, Bingham begins to question his lonely-by-choice stance. Even though it was ultimately overlooked for Oscar statuettes, this one was one of my favorites of the year. DVD extras include a deleted scene with George Clooney in a spacesuit (really) and the video for a song I liked from the film, Sad Brad Smith's "Help Yourself."

90%
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

I got major goosebumps during the Oscar clips of Precious in Sunday's telecast. So much that it almost made me want to view it a second time around — and that is saying a lot. The film centers on Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an undereducated pregnant teen living with a terrifyingly abusive mother (Mo'Nique). It's hard to watch, yes, but the message is surprisingly hopeful. Not to mention, Mo'Nique's performance has undoubtedly been one of the most buzzed about this entire award season. Rent it for her scene at the social worker's office. It's jaw-droppingly good. DVD extras include a featurette with Oprah and Tyler Perry and a two-and-a-half-minute clip of star Gabourey Sidibe's audition.

91%
One more release to check out when you read more

While accepting her best actress award for her breakout role in Precious at the NAACP Awards, Gabourey Sidibe was hit with some weighty remarks from her director and, later, some unsolicited attention from Chris Rock. Precious director Lee Daniels took the podium to speak about his film, saying, "No one in Hollywood told me they wanted to see a movie about a 350 pound black girl who had HIV." Immediately realizing his offense, he back-peddled, "She's not 350 pounds, Gabby . . . but the book says . . . before you were hired." Gabourey looked on mortified, while Daniels struggled to dig himself out of a sinking hole. The remark puts Gabby's weight in the spotlight, when it's obviously her performance that deserves attention.

Still, what's equally disturbing is US Weekly's account of Chris Rock's on-stage butt grab: "[When] Sidibe won the night's best actress award . . . she laughed as presenter Chris Rock squeezed her bottom." OK? Now I'm confused. To see why, read more

The Oscars are around the corner and we're gearing up by taking a look at what to expect from the exciting night! Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana, and Gabourey Sidibe are this year's young contenders battling it out for our title of "It" girl. We're looking forward to seeing them all on the red carpet — watch and find out who we think is fast on her way to the A-list!