Love Actually
The two-hankie kings Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis (the film’s writer-director) orchestrated this sweet suite of overlapping romances. New York’s Peter Rainer thought it was “cheeky fun” that nonetheless suffered from “an overdose of treacle.” R; $26.98.
The Cooler
In Wayne Kramer’s unsatisfying and murky Vegas film, a gruff, smart Maria Bello outshines William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin (who did not deserve that Oscar nomination). R; $26.98.
Stuck on You
After Shallow Hal, this conjoined-twins dud left us worrying that the Farrelly brothers may have lost their edge. PG-13; $27.98.
Big Fish
Supplemented by strong extra features that offer peeks inside director Tim Burton’s very strange mind, this sentimental southern oddity dramatizes the best whoppers ever told by Ed Bloom, lifelong master of the tall tale. PG-13; $28.95.
The Statement
A plodding, stiff political thriller, starring Michael Caine as a war criminal on the run. R; $26.96.
A Perfect Candidate
The sharp, down-the-rabbit-hole record of Ollie North’s bizarre 1994 Senate campaign. NR; $24.95.
OUR PICK
Before producers began compiling The Kids in the Hall: The Complete Season One, they Web-polled the die-hard fans of the defunct sketch-comedy show. Apparently, admirers of the Kids’ envelope-pushing, cross-dressing comedy had plenty to say—because aside from the show’s twenty episodes from 1989 and 1990, this borderline-obsessive set adds more than two hours of extras: extensive interviews with all the Kids and producer Lorne Michaels, fan-selected “best” sketches, and a half-hour of never-broadcast comedy performed live in Toronto, where the troupe first began making people laugh uncomfortably. Whether your favorite sketch is “Dr. Seuss Bible” or Buddy’s guitar duel with the Devil, there’s so much to watch, it just may crush your puny little head. Four discs; NR; $59.95. Extras: All those listed above, plus audio commentary; “An Oral History.”