THE APARTMENT (MGM/Fox) + THIS SPORTING LIFE (Criterion/Paradox) These two early-’60s classics retain their vitality thanks to their frankness in regards to both sex and realty. In Billy Wilder’s 1960 Best Picture Oscar winner, Jack Lemmon’s meek salaryman gets ahead in business by letting higher-ups use his pad for extramarital trysts. He’s crushed when the girl of his dreams (an especially fetching Shirley MacLaine) turns out to be his boss’ mistress. A domestic arrangement has even more dire results in Lindsay Anderson’s ferocious first feature from 1963, This Sporting Life, which stars Richard Harris as a rugby player who directs a volatile mix of lust, fury and need at his cowering landlady. Though The Apartment’s tart humour is easier to take than the raw force of This Sporting Life, neither film flinches at the prospect of revealing the darker elements of desire. Moreover, decent DVDs for both were long overdue. The single-disc edition of The Apartment includes a great commentary track by historian Bruce Block and docs on the movie and Lemmon. Providing an invaluable overview of Anderson’s oft-fraught career, Criterion augments its pristine new transfer with extras like his final film, Is That All There Is?, a wry self-portrait shot largely
in the filmmaker’s own domicile, a much quieter place by all appearances.

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Warner) The commercial failure of Andrew Dominik’s western proved one showbiz adage: don’t give away the ending in the title. Taking 160 minutes to reach that foregone conclusion would appear to be another foolhardy move. But the gorgeous cinematography by Roger Deakins, the finely nuanced performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck and Dominik’s obvious reverence for Ron Hansen’s original book all make this an uncommonly rich viewing experience, especially now that audience members have the chance to add an intermission or two. EXTRAS: none.

Also out this week
Across the Universe (Sony) Julie Taymor’s Beatles musical often goes way too far over the top (Bono’s “I Am the Walrus” sequence will live in infamy), but the subtler moments are worth savouring. EXTRAS: commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, more performances.

TOOTSIE: 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Sony) This snappy tribute to the joys of drag was one of the best Hollywood comedies of the ’80s. And Dustin Hoffman never looked hotter. EXTRAS: original screen tests, deleted scenes, making-of doc.

2 Days in Paris (Samuel Goldwyn Company) Julie Delpy’s deft relationship dramedy was one of last summer’s more deserving sleeper hits. EXTRAS: extended scenes, Delpy interview.

Elizabeth: the Golden Age (Universal) This overblown follow-up to Cate Blanchett’s star-making regal drama would’ve been immeasurably improved if Blanchett had done the part in her Bob Dylan suit. EXTRAS: commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes.

Out Feb 12
We Own the Night, Gone Baby Gone and Amy Hecklering’s straight-to-vid rom-com I Could Never Be Your Woman — starring Tracey Ullman as Mother Nature!