Today’s Blu-ray offerings aren’t quite as good as the avalanche of titles from last week, but there are still a number of strong films to consider, including some of 2008’s biggest earners and a handful of catalog reissues.

“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight)

Most avid movie fans are probably going to want to own the Best Picture winner, but “Slumdog Millionaire” is so good that it deserves a place in everyone’s collection. Director Danny Boyle has never made a bad film to my knowledge, but this is by far his best thanks to the amazing cast of actors led by Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto. I’m still a little confused why Patel wasn’t nominated for an acting award (surely the Academy could have given him Michael Shannon’s spot), but considering just how many other awards it won at this year’s Oscars, I’m willing to overlook the omission. Unfortunately, while the movie looks absolutely brilliant in HD, Fox’s Blu-ray release doesn’t include any additional material. Some kind of BD-Live trivia game (done in the style of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” of course) would have been fun, but it doesn’t really change the fact that this is the must-own title of the week.

“South Pacific” (20th Century Fox)

The Rodgers & Hammerstein classic isn’t exactly my cup of tea (read: musical), but it’s certainly one of the most unique films in the genre. Along with utilizing colored filters throughout the course of the movie, it’s also the only musical I’ve ever seen that features a song performed exclusively as thoughts in its characters’ heads. Fans of the film really have no reason not to upgrade, because for a 50-year-old film, the picture looks absolutely incredible. The two-disc set also includes a host of extras like a special “Road Show” edition of the movie, karaoke sing-a-long subtitles, two audio commentaries, a rare Mitzi Gaynor screen test, a full-length documentary and much, much more.

“Pitch Black” / “The Chronicles of Riddick” (Universal)

Back in 2000 when “Pitch Black” was first released, Vin Diesel was a virtual unknown. Granted, he had already directed a feature film, shot a small part for the movie “Boiler Room,” and even worked under Steven Spielberg, but Diesel didn’t become a household name until “The Fast and the Furious.” That didn’t stop the sci-fi horror film from doing a good bit of business in theaters, though, and for good reason. Shot on a relatively low budget, “Pitch Black” is one of those movies that are enjoyable as is, but could have been so much better in the hands of a better director. Worse yet, the film’s 2004 sequel took the franchise in a completely different direction by ramping up the sci-fi and dropping the horror completely. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but “The Chronicles of Riddick” certainly didn’t do for the character what many thought it had the potential to become. Vin Diesel apologists will still get a kick out of both films, and though they don’t really look any better or worse on Blu-ray, the HD editions contain some new bonus features that fans will definitely be interested in checking out.

Also Out This Week:

“Marley & Me” (20th Century Fox)
“Seven Pounds” (Sony)
“The Matrix” (Warner Bros.)