A grinch warms up (with friend’s help)

‘Dedication’

Weinstein/Genius, $19.95

Actor Justin Theroux makes his directing debut with this quirky film about a disagreeable children’s book author (Billy Crudup) dealing with a multitude of dysfunctions. An oddly endearing friendship between Crudup and Tom Wilkinson gives way to a far more conventional romantic comedy with Mandy Moore. Extras: non-existent.

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‘Gone Baby Gone’

Disney, $29.99, Blu-Ray, $34.99

Ben Affleck proved to be a pleasant surprise as a first-time director with this morally ambiguous drama adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel. Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Michelle Monaghan and Oscar nominee Amy Ryan star in the grim but suspenseful story of the search for a missing Boston girl. Two mini-documentaries and a commentary with Ben Affleck and Stockard revel in the working-class neighborhoods where the film is set.

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‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’

Weinstein/Genius, $24.95

This at-times-charming Michelle Pfeiffer-starring romantic comedy finally sees the light-of-day after a tortured journey through distribution hell. Pfeiffer plays a fortysomething TV producer who falls for a much younger actor (Paul Rudd) while her daughter (“Atonement’s” Saoirse Ronan) finds first love. Writer-director Amy Heckerling and producer Cerise Hallam Larkin provide sardonic commentary about the film’s fate along with three deleted scenes.

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‘In the Shadow of the Moon’

ThinkFilm, $19.99

A must-see for anyone remotely interested in the space program, this rapturous documentary captures the excitement and adventure that defined the Apollo missions that landed man on the lunar surface. Director David Sington skillfully blends stunning archival footage and interviews with surviving astronauts to chronicle one of humanities’ most incredible accomplishments. More than an hour of additional footage and interviews turn up in the extras, and a short with composer Philip Sheppard on scoring the film.

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‘We Own the Night’

Sony, $28.95, Blu-Ray, $38.96, PSP, $24.94

A cop movie with the tone and temperament straight out of the ‘70s, James Gray’s crime drama crackles with enough action to compensate for its credibility-straining plot. Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Walhlberg and Robert Duvall head a strong cast in this tale of two brothers on opposite sides of the law in 1988 New York City. A trio of making-of featurettes focus on the creation of the film’s tone, action sequences and period detail, while Gray provides an erudite commentary track.

-- Kevin Crust