New DVDs: 'Knocked Up' is a keeper

Pick of the week: Knocked Up
Dog of the week: Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Arrest

In "Knocked Up," Judd Apatow deftly married the stoned-lovable-loser movie to old-school romantic comedy. Moviegoers fell hard for the year's best date movie. Reviews were great; word of mouth sold a GDP-sized fortune in tickets for Universal Pictures.

The Seth Rogen-Katherine Heigl comedy should register as one of the year's biggest home videos. Apatow's sassy script and the rapid-fire obscure pop-culture references make repeat viewings mandatory.

Then there's the star-making performance of "Grey's Anatomy" actress Heigl, an utter delight. (What if Bacall and Hepburn got to swear up a storm?)

A lot of couples will enjoy hitting pause for some back-and-forth over the sexual politics and moral pop quizzes at the heart of the film.

The HD DVDlooks like a studio film done right; images are crisp and clear. The audio stays mostly front and center, good for the many choice songs on the soundtrack.

Also: Stoned lovable losers should check out the U.K. sick flick "Broken," well acted and made for nothing; Lamberto Bava's fun "Demons"; and William Friedkin's horror comeback "Bug."

New and notable:
As You Like It (HBO Video)
Babel Special Collector's Edition (Paramount)
Broken (Dimension Extreme)
Bug (Lionsgate)
Cracker: A New Terror (Acorn Media)
Demons 1 & 2 (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Elvira's Movie Macabre (Shout! Factory)
Evening (Universal)
Frostbitten (Genius Products)
Home Run Derby, Vol. 3 (MGM)
The King of Queens 9 (Sony)
Knocked Up (Universal)
Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection (Warner)
My Name Is Earl 2 (Fox)
Next (Paramount)
Roger Corman Collection: The Intruder, Eat My Dust (Buena Vista)
Tekkonkinkreet (Sony)
The TV Set (Fox)
Twisted Terror Collection (Warner)

Complete list of today's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org