JUNO (Fox) + LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Sony) The differing fortunes of last fall’s two most critically favoured comedies are discernible from their respective treatments on DVD. The snarky swollen-teen movie that’s attracted devotees and player-haters in equal measure, Juno gets a two-disc set loaded with testaments to the greatness of screenwriter Diablo Cody, who really should think about retiring that leopard-print jacket. As for Lars and the Real Girl — which got just as much buzz as Juno at TIFF but had zero traction in wide release — Sony’s no-frills edition seems symptomatic of its runner-up status. The cover doesn’t even include an “Academy Award Nominee” tag for Nancy Oliver, who was bested in the screenplay category by the unstoppable Cody.

Yet Lars and the Real Girl’s blend of mild kink and Capra-style sweetness still holds considerable charm on a second viewing, which cannot be said of Juno’s overstylized adolescent argot and sub-Rushmore cutesy aesthetic. Its admirers will nonetheless lap up the extras, which include a commentary by Cody and director Jason Reitman, additional featurettes and deleted scenes, one of which includes the sight of Juno’s mom in an old Minnesota North Stars jersey. Screw the hamburger phone — I want that.

RETRIBUTION (Maple) Another existential variation on J-horror tropes, this ghost story is Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s own 2046. In other words, the Japanese director repurposes favourite elements, themes and motifs to create a nominally new work that provokes much déjà vu. But for every instance of self-plagiarism — hard to avoid given that this is his umpteenth movie with Koji Yakusho, again playing a detective who investigates a spooky crime — there’s another scene that pushes his cerebral brand of horror into fresh terrain. The dilapidated and depopulated city settings also allow Kurosawa to crib just as freely from Antonioni’s The Red Desert as he does from his own movies. EXTRAS: alternate ending, footage from premiere.

Also out this week
ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM (Fox) Whether in comics or on screen, these interplanetary foes have been battling for nearly two decades. So how about spicing up the same-old with a charismatic new contender? Producers can contact my agent about my script for Aliens vs. Predator vs. Michael Clayton. EXTRAS: commentaries, production featurettes, stills gallery.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD (THINKFilm) Octogenarian Sidney Lumet shows the whippersnappers how it’s done with this nasty crime drama. EXTRAS: featurette, commentary by Lumet with stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE (Fox) Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds and Matthew Lillard really should work together more often. EXTRAS: featurette, deleted and extended scenes, trailers.

Out April 22
Charlie Wilson’s War, The Savages, One Missed Call and Cloverfield — did I mention that Aliens vs. Predator vs. Michael Clayton is going to be shot entirely with cellphones and my dad’s VHS camcorder?

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