'Precious' (R) Oscar wins for Best Supporting Actress for Mo'Nique and Best Adapted Screenplay for Geoffrey Fletcher will no doubt elevate the presence of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," and the attention couldn't be any more deserved. It's easily one of the most riveting films of the year, and one that was certainly worthy of a Best Picture Oscar.

Directed by Oscar nominee Lee Daniels, "Precious" features two acting revelations: Gabourey Sidibe as Precious -- an overweight, illiterate Harlem teen victimized by incest -- and Mo'Nique as her violently abusive mother. Pregnant with her second child and with no hope for the future, Precious' life begins to turn around when she enrolls in an alternative school that begins to rebuild her self-esteem, which gives her a sense of purpose.

Uplifting but ultimately bittersweet, Daniels doesn't try to completely steer away from the cold, hard reality with "Precious," as the story takes a hard right turn in the film's heartbreaking third act. Despite its coarse language and sensitive subject matter, the film's a must-see for all adults -- and is a shocking but necessary dose of reality for high school viewers. It's a film lesson that people won't soon forget.

DVD, Blu-ray features: Commentary with Daniels; an interview with Sapphire; production featurettes; Sidibe's audition video and more. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

'Up in the Air' (R) Starring Best Oscar nominee George Clooney in his best role to date, the recession-themed "Up in the Air" is a masterfully written and directed dramedy that mixes in real-life testimonials from the nation's unemployed. Like "Precious," the film was elevated by multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture, but was grounded on all fronts with no wins.

Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, is a loner who flies around the country to fire employees for assorted corporations, and then help them transition into unemployment and examine new career paths. The irony is, he soon finds his own job in peril -- and that's a double-whammy since he's met a fellow frequent flier (Vera Farmiga) who, for the first time, has him thinking commitment.

Relative newcomer Anna Kendrick is brilliant as a corporate up-and-comer who threatens Ryan's way of life, but the real star of the movie is director Jason Reitman, who puts a human face on the characters in the film's narrative and the real people in the film's sullen documentary footage.

DVD, Blu-ray features: Commentary by Reitman and crew; production featurette; deleted scenes with optional commentary and more. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Also New:
'2012' (PG-13) "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" director Roland Emmerich poses the "what if?" scenario of the world going to hell-in-a-hand basket at the end of the Mayan calendar (that's Dec. 21, 2012, for those who are counting) with mixed results.

John Cusack plays the protagonist in the movie, a failed-writer-turned-limo driver who dodges one disaster after the next to save his estranged family from almost certain doom.

Emmerich takes the disaster movie genre to the extreme with "2012." The visual effects are breathtaking, but they begin to lose their luster as soon as the "bigger is better" "Godzilla" filmmaker blends mind-numbingly stupid dialogue and increasingly ridiculous scenarios into the mix. The world can't come to an end soon enough for this monstrous slice of Hollywood excess. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).