A fairly slim week this week, for which I’m a bit grateful after last week! Still, there are some things I’m very much looking forward to seeing, like Claire Denis’ latest film White Material, which gets a Criterion DVD and blu-ray as well as an Instant Watch debut. Not too many other new Instant Watches debuting this week, but there are a bunch of expirations coming up on the 21st, so check those out if there’s anything you haven’t seen yet. Do note there are bunch of releases from the Warner Archive out this week; I put all of them under “More Movies” simply because I don’t know much about a lot of them and couldn’t write anything decent about them, plus they won’t be available to rent because they’re only burned on-demand. But check out the titles down there and see if there’s anything you’ve been waiting for – I’ve got to admit I’m pretty interested in seeing Bogart and Stanwyck in their only film together, The Two Mrs. Carrolls, but not sure I’m willing to pay DVD-R on-demand prices for it right now. I’m pretty sure TCM plays it occasionally.

BUY

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Okay, I guess this is a conditional buy based on whether you intend on collecting all the Harry Potter movies or not. That said, the series as a whole is very solid, and this one, though it’s only half a book, does a lot more with the arguably boring half of Book 7 than I feared it might. Steve’s HP retrospective
2010 USA/UK. Director: David Yates. Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray (includes DVD and digital copy) | Netflix (5/10)

Le cercle rouge Criterion Blu-ray
This has been out on Criterion DVD and on Instant Watch for a little while, but I’m perfectly willing to consider splurging sight unseen on a Blu-ray edition. Everything I’ve seen so far from Melville has been fantastic, and this promises to be also fantastic, but in color! And the screenshots I’ve seen suggest it may have been a bit influence on Miller’s Crossing, so I’m totally down for that.
1970 France. Director: Jean-Pierre Melville. Starring: Alain Delon, Andre Bourvil.
Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix (DVD and streaming)

RENT

White Material Criterion
I skipped a chance to see Claire Denis’ latest at the LA Film Festival last year, but I’m still very interested in checking out her post-colonial take on Europeans in Africa. The fact that Criterion is putting their weight behind it only ups the ante. Also on Instant Watch.
2009 France. Director: Claire Denis. Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Heartless
The poster for this one is pretty disturbing – which I suppose is appropriate for a film about a guy dealing with some pretty severe demons, which may not be so inner. I quite like Jim Sturgess, and sounds like the supporting cast here is pretty spot-on, too. Kurt’s Review Also on Instant Watch.
2009 USA. Director: Philip Ridley. Starring: Jim Sturgess, Noel Clarke, Clémence Poésy, Eddie Marsan.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

Marwencol
A documentary about a guy who recovers from a coma-inducing beating by creating a miniature WWII-era town in his backyard and losing himself in a fantasy world set in it. I’m kind of fascinated by this idea and curious to see how it plays out. Bob’s Review
2010 USA. Director: Jeff Malmberg. Starring: Mark Hogancamp.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

A Summer in Genoa
I’ve never heard of this, and looks like it’s going straight-to-DVD in the US, after a premiere at the American Film Market in 2008. But with Michael Winterbottom directing and an extremely solid cast, I’m definitely willing to give it a shot. Kurt’s Review, Marina’s Review
2008 UK. Director: Michael Winterbottom. Starring: Colin Firth, Catherine Keener.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

SKIP

Country Strong
I watched the trailer for this, and it just made me want to go rewatch Nashville. So I think I’ll do that instead of watching this one.
2010 USA. Director: Shana Feste. Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix (5/10)

BOX SETS AND COLLECTIONS

Tracy and Hepburn: The Definitive Collection
A shiny-looking box set with all nine films co-starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn? Yes, please. Keeper of the Flame has never been on DVD at all, though it is coming out today on its own as well, so that’s a bonus. But at less than $50, this set is a deal just for Adam’s Rib, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Desk Set and Woman of the Year, arguably the best of their collaborations (the quality varies on the others). There are a bunch of these I’ve never seen, including some of the “good ones” I just mentioned – I should get on that.
Includes: Woman of the Year (1942), Keeper of the Flame (1942), Without Love (1945), Sea of Grass (1947), State of the Union (1948), Adam’s Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
Amazon DVD

WATCH INSTANTLY

Around a Small Mountain
I try to keep up with New Wave and post-New Wave directors and their continuing careers, but this latest film from Jacques Rivette snuck by me. Looks like a charming provincial film with good dollops of humor and nostalgia, things that often capture me in French films.
2009 France. Director: Jacques Rivette. Starring: Jane Birkin, Sergio Castellitto.

Icons Among Us
A jazz doc combining archival footage, interviews, and live concert recordings covering the most iconic jazz artists of the past and present. I’m just starting to get into jazz, trying to expand my horizons, so I’m definitely interested in checking this out and getting some inspiration.
2009 USA. Director: Lars Larson, Michael Rivoira, Peter J. Vogt. Starring: Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Esperanza Spaulding.

Ricky
François Ozon’s name would be enough to interest me in this film, though I hadn’t heard of it before, but the story also sounds whimsically intriguing – a couple have a child, Ricky, who suddenly sprouts wings. Consider my curiosity piqued.
2009 France. Director: François Ozon. Starring: Alexandra Lamy, Sergi López, Arthur Peyret.

The Other Guys
I have little interest in an Adam McKay-Will Ferrell buddy cop action comedy, but if I ever did watch it, it would have to be on Instant Watch. So there’s that. And it is a high-profile recent release, which add mainstream cred to Netflix’s streaming offerings.
2010 USA. Director: Adam McKay. Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson.

EPIRING SOON FROM INSTANT WATCH

Since there aren’t a lot of new release on Instant this week, it’s a good time to catch some expirations before they leave, and there are definitely some notable things expiring over the next couple of weeks. Definitely try to see at least a few episodes of the original 1960s cult TV show The Avengers (expiring on the 15th) – I haven’t seen any of the ’68 series myself, but ’67 is probably the cream of the crop, with Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee in top form. The original Karate Kid is high on my personal list to see – I never have. And please don’t miss the great Up documentary series, following a group of British kids throughout their lives, checking in on them every seven years. It’s pretty amazing, and expires on the 21st. Beyond that, my big recommendations would be Amelie, of course, if you somehow haven’t seen it, and the highly atmospheric and effective Spanish horror film The Orphanage. Hover over any poster to see the title and expiration date.

Other Releases

MOVIES AND MORE
Behind the Burly Q (2010 USA, dir Leslie Zemeckis; Netflix)
Confidential Agent (1945 USA, dir Herman Shumlin, stars Charles Boyer, Lauren Bacall)
Days of Glory (1944 USA, dir Jacques Tourneur, stars Gregory Peck, Tamara Toumanova)
Devotion (1946 USA, dir Curtis Bernhardt, stars Olivia de Havilland, Ida Lupino, Paul Henreid)
Farewell (2009 France, dir Christian Carion, stars Diane Kruger, Willem Dafoe; Blu-ray, Netflix)
Keeper of the Flame (1942 USA, dir George Cukor, stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn; Netflix)
Muay Thai Fighter (2007 Thailand, dir Kongkiat Khomsiri, stars Akara Amarttayakul; Netflix)
Ricky (2009 France, dir François Ozon, stars Alexandra Lamy, Sergi López; Netflix)
Sea of Grass (1947 USA, dir Elia Kazan, stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn; Netflix)
Secret of the Urn (1966 Japan, dir Hideo Gosha, stars Kinnosuke Nakamura; Netflix)
The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947 USA, dir Peter Godfrey, stars Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck)
Wagons Roll at Night (1941 USA, dir Ray Enright, stars Humphrey Bogart, Sylvia Sidney)

TELEVISION
Car 54 Where Are You: Season One (1961 USA, creator Nat Hiken, stars Joe E. Ross; Netflix)
Dallas: The Movie Collection (USA, stars Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval)
Doctor Who: Kinda (Story 119) (1982 UK, creator Sydney Newman, stars Peter Davison; Netflix)
Doctor Who: Snakedance (Story 125) (1983 UK, creator Sydney Newman, stars Peter Davison; Netflix)
Dragnet 1970: Season Four (1970 USA, creator Jack Webb, stars Jack Webb, Harry Morgan; Netflix)
H.R. Hufnstuf: Complete Series Collector’s Edition (1969-1970 USA, creators Marty & Sid Krofft, stars Jack Wild, Billie Hayes; Netflix)

INSTANT WATCH
Black Heaven (2010 France, dir Gilles Marchand, stars Pauline Etienne, Grégoir Leprince-Riguet)
Fear Me Not (2008 Denmark, dir Kristian Leyring, stars Paprika Steen, Ulrich Thomsen)
Forget Paris (1995 USA, dir Billy Crystal, stars Billy Crystal, Debra Winger)
Life in Flight (2008 USA, dir Tracey Hecht, stars Amy Smart, Kevin Rosseljong)

EXPIRING SOON FROM INSTANT WATCH
The Missing Person (2008 USA, dir Noah Buschel, stars Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan) [4/13]
Mouth to Mouth (2005 Canada, dir Alison Murray, stars Ellen Page, Eric Thal) [4/14]
The Karate Kid Part II (1986 USA, dir John G. Avildsen, stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita) [4/15]
The Karate Kid Part III (1989 USA, dir John G. Avildsen, stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita) [4/15]
Ken Burns: The Civil War (2006 USA, creator Ken Burns) [4/15]
Loverboy (2005 USA, dir Kevin Bacon, stars Kyra Sedgwick, Dominic Scott Kay) [4/15]
Pyaar Impossible (2010 India, dir Jugal Hansraj, stars Uday Chopra, Priyanka Chopra) [4/15]
The Specials (2000 USA, dir Craig Mazin, stars Thomas Haden Church, Rob Lowe) [4/15]
Eddie Izzard: Live from Madison Square Garden (2010 USA, stars Eddie Izzard) [4/16]
The Man Without a Face (1993 USA, dir Mel Gibson, stars Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl) [4/16]
Agnes and His Brothers (2004 Germany, dir Oskar Roehler, stars Moritz Bliebtreu) [4/21]
American Zombie (2007 USA, dir Grace Lee, John Solomon) [4/21]
Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006 USA, dir Bob Hercules, Cheri Pugh) [4/21]
The Goebbels Experiment (2005 USA, dir Lutz Hachmeister, stars Kenneth Branagh) [4/21]
Jacob the Liar (1975 Germany, dir Frank Beyer, stars Vlastimil Brodský) [4/21]
A Jihad for Love (2007 UK, dir Parvez Sharma) [4/21]
La Vie Promise (2002 France, dir Olivier Dahan, stars Isabelle Huppert, Maud Forget) [4/21]
The Libertine (1969 France, dir Pasquale Festa Capanile, stars Catherine Spaak, Jean-Louis Trintignant) [4/21]
Unborn in the USA (2007 USA, dir Stephen Fell and Will Thompson) [4/21]
Matinee (1993 USA, dir Joe Dante, stars John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty) [4/22]

Disclaimers

• Amazon links use my affiliate account, and will kick a small percentage of your purchase back to me. You pay the same price you would anyway.
• Not all new releases are available on Netflix immediately. Some studio films have a 30-day release window before Netflix can rent them, and some smaller releases are not picked up by Netflix immediately. Add them to your “saved” queue if you’re interested; that tells Netflix there is demand for the disc.
• Not all new Blu-ray releases are available on Netflix – Netflix usually buys both DVD and Blu-ray editions of new releases, but if a DVD has already been released, they don’t always get the Blu-ray when it comes out later.
• Instant Watch releases are not always 100% accurate – often the data from the API is not fully accurate until the actual day of release. I always check on release day to make sure things actually do hit Instant Watch, but for things that come out later than Tuesday when I publish this post, I won’t be able to tell.
• Instant Watch expirations are not always 100% accurate – sometimes they don’t expire after all, sometimes things expire with little advance warning. I always check to make sure the data is accurate to the best of my knowledge when I publish the post, but things could still change, especially since I’m giving expiration warnings up to two weeks in advance.
• I rely on Box Office Mojo and InstantWatcher for the majority of the data for these posts, so thank you to them for the work they do.