This week’s big release is The Green Hornet, which I’m only tepidly interested in, but there are a few catalog and indie releases worth looking at, especially Bergman’s comedy (yes!) Smiles of a Summer Night hitting Blu-ray, and indie musical Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, which I’ve been quietly championing throughout its festival run when I had opportunity. If you check up on upcoming Instant Watch releases using InstantWatcher.com, you may have noticed a whole heap load of Miramax films set to debut on May 1st, including a bunch of Tarantino and Rodriguez films. These did not actually release – I don’t know if they will soon, or what, but anyway, they decided to release a bunch of different ones instead with no warning. I say that only because I added the new ones on in something of a hurry this morning and stuck a lot of them in the More Releases section to save time, so be sure to glance through that section – there are several in there that look interesting to me, but I don’t know very much about.

BUY

Smiles of a Summer Night: Criterion Blu-ray
One of my absolute favorite Bergman films (and I won’t even pretend it’s not at least partially because it’s among his most light-hearted and accessible), with a bunch of European nobles taking a holiday in the country – complicated by the fact that several of them are having affairs with each other. The maid played by Harriet Anderson steals the show, and the audience’s heart.
1955 Sweden. Director: Ingmar Bergman. Starring: Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD (previously released) | Netflix (DVD and streaming)

RENT

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
I saw this a year and a half ago at a festival and haven’t stopped hoping for a chance to see it again. It’s like a cross between a New Wave film and a Hollywood musical, with a bit of Cassavetes thrown in – very enjoyable, and I hope the fact that it’s coming to Instant Watch as well will give it the bigger audience that it deserves. Please check it out.
2009 USA. Director: Damien Chazelle. Starring: Jason Palmer, Desiree Garcia.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

A Somewhat Gentle Man
Stellan Skarsgård usually plays heavies and character parts in the US, but over in Europe, he’s one of the best they’ve got at any role. Here he’s playing a gangster out for revenge, but he’s distracted by the potential of a quiet, normal life instead. That’s enough to hook me. Also on Instant Watch.
2010 Norway. Director: Hans Petter Moland. Starring: Stellan Skarsgård, Bjørn Floberg, Gard B. Eidsvold.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

Being Human: Season 3
This is being made into a US TV show this year, but as usual, the original British show is where it’s at. I’ve only see a few episodes of the first season, about a group of supernatural creatures (a ghost, a werewolf, a vampire) trying to live together in a flat and show a “normal” face to the world. Good fun.
2011 UK. Creator: Toby Whithouse. Starring: Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

The Green Hornet
I doubt I’ll end up liking this very much, but with Gondry at the helm, I might have to at least give it a shot now that I can see it at home with no threat of 3D in the air. At the least maybe it’ll be good, mindless fun.
2011 USA. Director: Michel Gondry. Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon Blu-ray 3D (includes Blu-ray & DVD) | Netflix (5/31)

SKIP

The Dilemma
Let me see, vaguely romantic comedy PLUS Ron Howard? Strike one, strike two, and I’m out despite the fact that I do enjoy Jennifer Connolly.
2011 USA. Director: Ron Howard. Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connolly, Winona Ryder.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix (5/31)

WATCH INSTANTLY

Kick-Ass [5/6]
Kick-Ass to some degree tries to have its cake and eat it, too, with an ordinary teen deciding to be a superhero (badly), but who soon finds himself drawn into a superhero revenge plot – the breakout, though, is Chloe Moretz as the amoral Hit-Girl.
2010 USA. Director: Matthew Vaughn. Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Yay! This expired from Instant a month or two ago, and I was sad. To my mind, this is the best thing Marilyn Monroe has ever done (Some Like It Hot notwithstanding), and the best distillation of her smart-dumb blonde persona. Plus, Jane Russell is awesome.
1953 USA. Director: Howard Hawks. Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn.

Raging Bull
Scorsese’s stylized black and white drama about self-destructive boxer Jake La Motta won Robert De Niro an Oscar, and it’s not that hard to see why. It’s a powerful film, but not one that hit me as hard (pardon the pun) as I hoped it would.
1980 USA. Director: Martin Sorsese. Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci.

Topsy-Turvy
Just released on Criterion Blu-ray, and now it’s on Instant Watch – Mike Leigh’s highly enjoyable tale of Gilbert and Sullivan and the strife-ridden creation of “The Mikado.”
1999 UK. Director: Mike Leigh. Starring: Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Dexter Fletcher.

A Film Unfinished
I’ve been hoping this documentary about Nazi propaganda films of the Warsaw ghetto and how newly uncovered footage reveals the extent that the Nazis distorted reality in making them would come on Instant Watch. Now it has, and it’s at the top of my doc-watching list.
2010 Germany/Israel. Director: Yael Hersonski.

Harold and Maude
A black comedy of a teenage boy obsessed with death and a 70+ year old woman and the strange relationship that develops between them. When I first saw it, I didn’t really connect with it, but I ought to revisit it.
1971 USA. Director: Hal Ashby. Starring: Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles.

eXistenZ [5/6]
This is one of the first Cronenberg films I remember seeing, and I loved it immediately. It plays with several of my favorite things – video games and virtual reality, the blurring line between fantasy and reality, and, uh, overall weirdness.
1999 USA. Director: David Cronenberg. Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law.

Reality Bites
Whoa, Ben Stiller directed this? How did I not know that? I’m now like, 30% less interested in watching it. Is that mean?
1994 USA. Director: Ben Stiller. Starring: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn.

Speed
High-concept thrillers don’t get a much more solid than this, with a bomb on a bus that will go off if the bus drops below 50mph. The cast seems a little dubious now, but they get the job done, and the film made a star of Bullock.
1994 USA. Director: Jan De Bont. Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock.

Anna and the King of Siam
The first of several film versions of the story of schoolteacher Anna Leonowens and her adventures teaching the children of Siam’s king – the most notable being The King and I. This one is earlier and non-musical, but really solid. Definitely worth a look.
1946 USA. Director: John Cromwell. Starring: Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison.

The Andromeda Strain
I’ve yet to see this 1970s sci-fi thriller, but it’s been on my radar for a while. Didn’t realize it was directed by Robert Wise, though – he did a fine job with The Day the Earth Stood Still, so there’s that.
1971 USA. Director Robert Wise. Starring: Arthur hill, David Wayne, James Olson.

Contact
A slow-burn sci-fi drama about a scientist and philosopher working to interpret and understand the first message received from an alien intelligence. Haven’t seen it myself (dislike for McConaughey keeps putting me off), but maybe I’ll try it sometime.
1997 USA. Director: Robert Zemeckis. Starring: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt.

The Invisible Man
This Universal horror monster doesn’t get quite the press that Dracula and Frankenstein enjoy, but directed by James Whale, this is a very solid classic horror film, with all the ethical concern that Victorian horror (which this is based on) is known for.
1933 USA. Director: James Whale. Starring: Claude Rains, William Harrigan, Gloria Stuart.

Heaven Can Wait
In this unusual Lubitsch fantasy, a recently deceased man tries to convince Satan that he’s belongs in hell; unconvinced, Satan listens to him recount his life. As with anything Lubitsch, wit and sophistication abounds.
1943 USA. Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Starring: Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, Charles Coburn.

The Panic in Needle Park
A harrowing tale of NYC heroin addicts, exemplifying the dark side of youth culture that New Hollywood does so well. A star-making turn for Al Pacino, just a year prior to The Godfather.
1971 USA. Director: Jerry Schatzberg. Starring: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint.

The Front Page
For his version of this story (previously filmed in 1931 and in 1940 as the gender-modified His Girl Friday), Billy Wilder returned to the original set-up, with two male newspapermen squabbling – Lemmon wanting to leave the biz, Matthau determined to make him stay.
1974 USA. Director: Billy Wilder. Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Susan Sarandon.

Sid & Nancy
Biopic of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, following their downward spiral of a story that’s become almost as iconic as the band itself.
1986 USA. Director: Alex Cox. Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman.

Cecil B. Demented
Cult filmmaker John Waters takes on the world of B movies (or dare I say, C or D movies), providing his signature sense of camp fun and shock value.
2000 USA. Director: John Waters. Starring: Stephen Dorff, Melanie Griffith.

The Thomas Crown Affair
A cat-and-mouse heist game between a bored playboy who hijacks art for the sheer thrill of it and the insurance investigator who comes after him in more ways than one. This is a fun film, but it will forever live in my memory because of the chess game sequence, which has to be the absolute sexiest fully-clothed scene ever.
1968 USA. Director: Norman Jewison. Starring: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway.

Fellini’s Casanova
A cursory glance through the Netflix reviews suggests this film may be somewhat of a mess, but a Fellini mess would still have to fall under “worth watching” for me. Plus, I’m really curious to see how Donald Sutherland would pull off playing Casanova.
1976 Italy. Director: Federico Fellini. Starring: Donald Sutherland, Tina Aumont.

Maverick
Based on the classic TV series, Gibson is a card sharp trying to make enough to get into a big tournament, which he hopes to win from Foster, while staying away from marshal Garner.
1994 USA. Director: Richard Donner. Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner.

The American President
A romantic comedy about the widowed POTUS infuated with a Washington lobbyist, but rumors surrounding their relationship threaten his political clout. I’m not a romcom fan, but in my experience, Rob Reiner ones are a bit above average.
1995 USA. Director: Rob Reiner. Starring: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox.

The Wizard
A cheesy family comedy that’s still good clean fun, with Savage and Lewis (later of the band Rilo Kiley) running away to take Savage’s troubled kid brother to a video game tournament to show off his skills. Also fun to see a young Christian Slater.
1989 USA. Director: Todd Holland. Starring: Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Christian Slater, Beau Bridges.

Expiring Soon from Instant Watch

Hover over an image to see title and date of expiration.

Other Releases

MOVIES AND TELEVISION
According to Jim: Season 3 (2003 USA, creator Tracy Newman, Jonathan Stark, stars Jim Belushi; Netflix)
Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula (2011 USA, dir Timothy Friend, stars Jordan Baranowski, Tiffany Shepis)
Boy Meets World: Season 5 (1997 USA, creator Michael Jacobs, April Kelly, stars Ben Savage; Netflix)
Drop Dead Diva: Season 2 (2010 USA, creator Josh Berman, stars Brooke D’Orsay, Brooke Elliott; Netflix)
From Prada to Nada (2011 USA, dir Angel Gracia, stars Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega; Blu-ray, Netflix)
Melrose Place: Season 6 Vol. 1 (1998 USA, creator Darren Star, stars Heather Locklear; Netflix)
Waiting for Forever (2010 USA, dir James Keach, stars Rachel Bilson, Tom Sturridge; Blu-ray, Netflix)

NEW ON BLU-RAY
All the Right Moves (1983 USA, dir Michael Chapman, stars Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson)
The Crow: City of Angels (1996 USA, dir Tim Pope, stars Vincent Perez, Mia Kirschner)
Fat Girl Criterion (2001 France, dir Catherine Breillat, stars Anais Reboux, Roxane Mesquida)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996 USA, dir Robert Rodriguez, stars George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949 USA, dir Henry King, stars Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe)
What Dreams May Come (1998 USA, dir Vincent Ward, stars Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr)

INSTANT WATCH
Alfie (2004 USA, dir Charles Shyer, stars Jude Law, Marisa Tomei)
American Gun (2002 USA, dir Alan Jacobs, stars James Coburn, Virginia Madsen, Barbara Bain)
Babe: Pig in the City (1998 USA, dir George Miller, stars Elizabeth Daily, James Cromwell)
BASEketball (1998 USA, dir David Zucker, stars Trey Parker, Matt Stone)
The Chamber (1996 USA, dir James Foley, stars Chris O’Donnell, Gene Hackman, Fay Dunaway)
Conan the Destroyer (1984 USA, dir Richard Fleischer, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Cookie’s Fortune (1999 USA, dir Robert Altman, stars Glenn Close, Julianne Moore)
Dudley Do-Right (1999 USA, dir Hugh Wilson, stars Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker)
Fear (1996 USA, dir James Foley, stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon)
Forest Warrior (1996 USA, dir Aaron Norris, stars Chuck Norris, Terry Kiser, Megan Paul)
The Fury (1978 USA, dir Brian De Palma, stars Andrew Stevens, Amy Irving, John Cassavetes)
The Gingerbread Man (1998 USA, dir Robert Altman, stars Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz)
The Golden Child (1986 USA, dir Michael Ritchie, stars Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, J.L. Reate)
Gorky Park (1983 USA, dir Michael Apted, stars William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Brian Dennehy)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 USA, dir Henry Levin, stars James Mason, Pat Boone)
Junior (1994 USA, dir Ivan Reitman, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito)
Kalifornia (1993 USA, dir Dominic Sena, stars David Duchovny, Michelle Forbes, Brad Pitt)
Leaves of Grass (2009 USA, dir Tim Blake Nelson, stars Edward Norton, Richard Dreyfuss)
Little Big League (1994 USA, dir Andrew Scheinman, stars Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield)
Mercury Rising (1998 USA, dir Harold Becker, stars Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin)
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997 USA, dir P.J. Hogan, stars Julia Roberts, Rupert Everett) [5/6]
Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie (1996 USA, dir Jim Mallon, stars Kevin Murphy)
Nighthawks (1981 USA, dir Bruce Malmuth, stars Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams)
Original Sin (2001 USA, dir Michael Cristofer, stars Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie)
Prince of Darkness (1987 USA, dir John Carpenter, stars Donald Pleasence, Lisa Blount)
The Shadow (1994 USA, dir Russell Mccahy, stars Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller)
Shoot Out (1971 USA, dir Henry Hathaway, stars Gregory Peck, Pat Quinn, James Gregory)
The Taqwacores (2010 USA, dir Eyad Zahra, stars Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf)
Things Change (1988 USA, dir David Mamet, stars Joe Mantegna, Don Ameche) [5/6]
To Be or Not to Be (1983 USA, dir Mel Brooks, stars Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft)
Ulzana’s Raid (1972 USA, dir Robert Aldrich, stars Burt Lancaster, Bruce Davison)
The Vanishing (1993 USA, dir George Sluizer, stars Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001 USA, dir David Wain, stars David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo)
When We Were Kings (1996 USA, dir Leon Gast, stars Muhammad Ali, George Foreman)
White Palace (1990 USA, dir Luis Mandoki, stars James Spader, Susan Sarandon)
The Whitest Kids U’ Know: Season 1, 2, 3 (2007-2009, starring Trevor Moore, Sam Brown)
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010 USA, dir Yony Leyser)

EXPIRING SOON FROM INSTANT WATCH
Lorna’s Silence (2008 France, dir Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, stars Arta Dobroshi, Jeremie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione) [5/5]
Above the Rim (1994 USA, dir Jeff Pollack, stars Tupac Shakur, Duane Martin) [5/6]
Brewster’s Millions (1985 USA, dir Walter Hill, stars Richard Pryor, John Candy) [5/11]
Corrina, Corrina (1994 USA, dir Jessie Nelson, stars Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta) [5/12]
Bicentennial Man (1999 USA, dir Chris Columbus, stars Robin Williams, Sam Neill) [5/15]

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.