A few Academy Award nominees hit the shelf this week:

– Up in the Air: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick’s performances bring Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner’s screenplay to life in a way that’s both brutally honest and yet somehow endearing. How is that possible? We’re not totally sure, but it happens here.

–Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire: The little-indie-that-could from last year’s Sundance, it changed its name from Push to Precious and gained some high-profile fans (Ms. Winfrey, we’re looking at you) before growing into an indie powerhouse that charmed critics, fans and awards season voters alike.

– Planet 51: The Rock assumed cartoon form to headline last summer’s clever humans-as-alien-invaders tale of an astronaut who lands on the wrong planet, scares the inhabitants with his strange human appearance, and must depend on the kindness of one of those citizens to try and get back home.

– Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore’s latest documentary returned to his old stomping grounds, scrutinizing corporations, focusing this time on how unregulated capitalism contributed to financial meltdown. This is all done is Moore’s patented, no-holds-barred fashion. Timeliness was key here, as he aimed to channel the public’s growing frustration with banking bailouts into action on the individual and political fronts. Was he successful? Cannot predict now. Ask again later.

See more of this week’s releases in our DVD & Blu-ray section.