The biggest release of the week would be the DVD and Blu-ray box set of Stanley Kubrick films, if those films hadn’t already been released in box sets at least once or twice before. However, a couple of his films are coming to Blu-ray for the first time, so that’s definitely worthy of note. Aside from that, we have Best Foreign Film and Actor Oscar nominee Biutiful, which underwhelmed me but pleased many other people, the Nic Cage revenge flick Drive Angry, and some other stuff. We also get Once Upon a Time in the West in Blu-ray for the first time, which is awesome. Also note a bunch of Warner Archive stuff, largely really early Myrna Loy films, hitting the classics section. I haven’t seen any of these films, but for Loy fans, this is likely the only way you’ll ever be able to get them (unless TCM plays them). On the Instant Watch side, a lot of stuff is coming on today (June 1st), including a bunch of the Miramax titles that were rumored a few weeks ago – I only highlighted about fifteen, in keeping with my attempts to streamline this post a bit, but definitely check out the rest of the list. Lots of good stuff there. Most of the expirations went offline today, so there’s not much in that category this time, though still a couple worth looking at before they go away.

NEW RELEASE PICKS OF THE WEEK

Biutiful
I wasn’t a big fan of Iñárritu’s latest, which doesn’t really hang together all that well, though it has its moments. He’s managed to go from an ensemble cast to a single character, but still has a bunch of interlocking stories which are ultimately too much for the film to handle. RENT
2009 Mexico. Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu. Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Drive Angry
This looks SO stupid, and yet kinda fun, as Nicolas Cage returns from hell (yes) to wreak revenge on those who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter. Missed my shot to see it in 3D. OH WELL. RENT
2011 USA. Director: Patrick Lussier. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Kaboom
Looks a bit over the top, as one might expect from the director of The Doom Generation, but I’m always curiously about things that are stylistically out there, and this coming-of-age sci-fi story looks to be that. RENT
2011 USA. Director: Gregg Araki. Starring: Haley Bennett, Thomas Dekker.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

OTHER NEW RELEASES
Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) (2010 India, dir Kiran Rao, stars Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar; Netflix)
Hubble 3D (2009 USA, dir Tony Myers, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, K. Megan McArthur; Netflix)
Michel Legrand and the Cinema (2011 France, dir Francois Goetghebur, stars Michel Legrand, Patrick Fiori)
Passion Play (2010 USA, dir Mitch Glazer, stars Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox; Netflix)
Queen to Play (2010 France, dir Caroline Bottaro, stars Kevin Kline, Sandrine Bonnaire; Netflix)
Undertow (2009 Peru, dir Javier Fuentes-León, stars Tatiana Astengo, Manolo Cardona, José Chacaltana; Blu-ray/Netflix)
The Waiting City (2009 USA, dir Claire McCarthy, stars Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton; Netflix)

CLASSIC PICK OF THE WEEK

Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection
All of these are already out at least twice over, so yeah, they’re basically triple-dipping on Kubrick at this point, but if you don’t have the set yet, or want to upgrade to Blu-rays (including a couple that haven’t been on blu-ray until now), here’s your shot. BUY, if you don’t already have the set
1960-1998 USA/UK. Director: Stanley Kubrick. Starring: various.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray

OTHER CLASSICS
The Great Divide (1929 USA, dir Reginald Barker, stars Ian Keith, Myrna Loy)
The Mystery of Picasso (1956 France, dir Henri-Georges Clouzot; Netflix)
The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933 USA, dir Howard Hawks, W.S. Van Dyke, stars Myrna Loy, Max Baer)
So Goes My Love (1946 USA, dir Frank Ryan, stars Myrna Loy, Don Ameche)
Third Finger, Left Hand (1940 USA, dir Robert Z. Leonard, stars Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas)

BLU-RAY PICKS OF THE WEEK

Once Upon a Time in the West
The Man With No Name trilogy is pretty awesome, but for my money, Once Upon a Time in the West is the ultimate Leone film and spaghetti western. The opening alone is fantastic, but then it follows that with so much greatness. I own the DVD, but I may splurge for the upgrade on this. BUY
1969 Italy. Director: Sergio Leone. Starring: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD

Lolita and Barry Lyndon
The first blu-ray release for these two Kubrick films, neither of which I have seen, I’m shamed to say. But now I can see them for the first time in blu-ray, so…yay! They’re also included in the box set listed above. BUY
1962 USA. Director: Stanley Kubrick. Starring: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD
1975 USA/UK. Director: Stanley Kubrick. Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD

OTHER BLU-RAYS
American Graffiti (1973 USA, dir George Lucas, stars Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard; Amazon DVD)
Big Jake (1971 USA, dir George Sherman, stars John Wayne, Richard Boone; Blu-ray)
The Cat O’Nine Tails (1971 Italy, dir Dario Argento, stars James Franciscus, Karl Malden; DVD)
A Clockwork Orange Anniversary Edition (1971 USA/UK, dir Stanley Kubrick, stars Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee; DVD)
L’Age d’or (1930 France, dir Luis Bunuel)
Legend (1985 USA, dir Ridley Scott, stars Tom Cruise, Tim Curry; DVD)
A Man Called Horse (1970 USA, dir Elliot Silverstein, stars Richard Harris, Manu Topou; DVD)
Rio Lobo (1970 USA, dir Howard Hawks, stars John Wayne, Jorge Rivero; DVD)

TELEVISION PICKS OF THE WEEK

True Blood: Season 3
The third season of HBO’s Southern Gothic vampire story hits DVD and blu-ray this week; I’m still stuck back in S2, stuck out of lack of time, not lack of interest. It’s pretty much become a guilty pleasure show, but once I start watching it’s pretty hard to quit (until I have to wait for Netflix to send me the next disc). RENT
2010 USA. Creator: Alan Ball. Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Stargate Universe: Season 2
Though I’ve seen the movie, I’ve never had time to embark on the many-seasoned Stargate SG:1 or its spin-off Stargate: Atlantis, but when Stargate: Universe started up, I decided to hop in. Though S1 had its share of uneven plotting, S2 was really strong – not strong enough to keep from being canceled, but definitely worth watching, despite its tendency to ape BSG-style space opera. RENT
2010 USA. Creator: Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright. Starring: Robert Carlyle, Justin Louis.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

OTHER TELEVISION
The Dog Whisperer (2010 USA, starring Cesar Millan; Netflix)
Kung Fu: Season 3 (1975 USA, creator Ed Spielman, stars David Carradine, Keye Luke; Netflix)
Psych: Season 5 (2010 USA, creator Steve Franks, stars James Roday, Dulé Hill; Netflix)
Rookie Blue: Season 1 (2010 USA, creator Tassie Cameron, Morwyn Brebner, Ellen Vanstone, stars Missy Peregrym; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Swamp People: Season 1 (2010 USA)

INSTANT WATCH PICKS OF THE WEEK

Pulp Fiction
Tarantino’s postmodern, nonlinear, pop culture-infused film signaled that American filmmaking had changed forever, and over fifteen years later, it’s still quite a good time.
1994 USA. Director: Quentin Tarantino. Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis.

Reservoir Dogs
Tarantino burst on the scene with this electrifying debut; I don’t personally like it as much as most of his other films, but a lot of Tarantino fans rank it very high among them.
1992 USA. Director: Quentin Tarantino. Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn.

Animal Kingdom
One of a number of top-notch Australian crime thrillers to come out in recent years, and thanks to great performances from Mendelsohn and Weaver, one of the best. Looking forward to more from Michôd for sure.
2010 Australia. Director David Michôd. Starring: James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Jacki Weaver.

The Young Girls of Rochefort
I cannot tell you how excited I am for this to be back on Instant. This is one of the ten movies that make me ridiculously happy, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with a bunch of people now that it’s easily accessible.
1967 France. Director: Jacques Demy. Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac.

Detour
In many ways the quintessential noir film, bringing together pretty much all of the elements of noir into one grimy, existential package.
1945 USA. Director: Edgar J. Ulmer. Starring: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Edmund MacDonald.

A Hard Day’s Night
Part documentary, part concert film, and part comedy, but all fantastic as Lester follows the Fab Four as they prepare for a TV appearance, and get into various shenanigans on the way. Breathlessly fun and witty, while showcasing the Beatles as they’d never be showcased on film again.
1964 UK. Director: Richard Lester. Starring: The Beatles.

The Complete Superman Collection
The original run of Fleischer-directed, boldly animated Superman cartoons from the 1940s.
1941 USA. Director: Richard Fleischer.

The English Patient
A Best Picture winner that’s often dismissed, but I was quite swept up in it myself – not so much with the main romance, perhaps, but with the whole Juliette Binoche’s subplot and the gorgeous desert photography.
1996 USA. Director: Anthony Minghella. Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche.

Heavenly Creatures
One of Jackson’s early serious films, focusing on a perhaps too-close friendship that ended up in murder. I haven’t seen this yet, but it’s been on my list for a long time; looking forward to the opportunity to cross it off.
1994 New Zealand. Director: Peter Jackson. Starring: Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey.

Chasing Amy
This is the first Kevin Smith film I ever saw, and it remains one of my favorites, thanks to its suprisingly sweet but offbeat romantic comedy vibe.
1997 USA. Director: Kevin Smith. Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee.

Clerks
Smith’s first feature, made on a shoestring budget, showcases a pair of convenience store clerks who care nothing about the customer’s convenience. Funny, offensive, and electrifying to the indie film scene.
1994 USA. Director: Kevin Smith. Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson.

From Dusk Till Dawn
What starts out as a robbery and turns into a kidnapping eventually becomes something far different. For nothing else, I love the fact that this vampire film doesn’t turn into a vampire film for almost an hour.
1996 USA. Director: Robert Rodriguez. Starring: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel.

Dead Man
I have got to start catching up on my Jim Jarmusch films, so I’m hoping to get a chance to sit down with this unconventional western in the near future.
1995 USA. Director: Jim Jarmusch. Starring: Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt.

Scream
Forget Scre-four-um and go watch the first one again; it’s a smart and funny deconstruction of the slasher genre.
1996 USA. Director: Wes Craven. Starring: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Courteney Cox, David Arquette.

The Outlaw
Before Howard Hughes turned into the hypochondriac recluse he’s now known as, he ventured to direct a couple of Hollywood films, including this one that ran afoul of the censors for several years thanks to its earthy depiction of the sultry Jane Russell. Looking forward to seeing what all the hullabaloo was about.
1943 USA. Director: Howard Hughes. Starring: Jane Russell, Walter Huston.

OTHER INSTANT WATCHES
After the Wedding (2006 Denmark, dir Susanne Bier, stars Mads Mikkelsen, Rolf Lassgård)
Bad News Bears (2005 USA, dir Richard Linklater, stars Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear)
Bananas (1971 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Woody Allen, Louise Lasser)
Basquiat (1996 France, dir Julian Schnabel, stars Jeffrey Wright, Benicio Del Toro)
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949 USA, dir Preston Sturges, stars Betty Grable)
Benny and Joon (1993 USA, dir Jeremiah S. Chechik, stars Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson)
The Bodyguard (1992 USA, dir Mick Jackson, stars Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston)
Les bonnes femmes (1960 France, dir Claude Chabrol, stars Stéphane Audran, Bernadette Lafont)
Bowling for Columbine (2002 USA, dir Michael Moore)
Ca&h (2010 USA, dir Stephen Milburn Anderson, stars Sean Bean, Chris Hemsworth)
Children of Heaven (1997 Iran, dir Majid Majidi, stars Baharae Seddiqi, Amir Farrokh Hashemian)
Citizen Ruth (1996 USA, dir Alexander Payne, stars Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz)
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989 Australia, dir Peter Greenaway, stars Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren)
Cop Land (1997 USA, dir James Mangold, stars Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Martin Landau, Angelica Huston)
The Crow (1994 USA, dir Alex Proyas, stars Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson)
Cry the Beloved Country (1995 USA, dir Darrell Roodt, stars James Earl Jones, Richard Harris)
The Crying Game (1992 UK, dir Neil Jordan, stars Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson)
The Darwin Awards (2005 USA, dir Finn Taylor, stars Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder)
Day Night Day Night (2006 USA, dir Julia Loktev, stars Luisa Williams)
Diary of a Lost Girl (1929 Germany, dir G.W. Pabst, stars Louise Brooks, André Roanne)
Dracula 2000 (2000 USA, dir Patrick Lussier, stars Gerard Butler, Jeri Ryan)
Dressed to Kill (1980 USA, dir Brian DePalma, stars Angie Dickinson, Michael Caine)
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994 Taiwan, dir Ang Lee, stars Yu-Wen Wang, Chien-lien Wu)
The Edge (1997 USA, dir Lee Tamahori, stars Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin)
Enchanted April (1992 UK, dir Mike Newell, stars Miranda Richardson, Josie Lawrence)
Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998 USA, dir Andy Tennant, stars Drew Barrymore)
A Farewell to Arms (1957 USA, dir Charles Vidor, stars Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones)
The Fly (1986 USA, dir David Cronenberg, stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis)
The Grifters (1990 USA, dir Stephen Frears, stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston)
Hackers (1995 USA, dir Iain Softley, stars Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Barbara Hershey, Mia Farrow)
Harry Brown (2009 UK, dir Daniel Barber, stars Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer) [6/4]
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986 USA, dir John McNaughton, stars Michael Rooker)
High Art (1998 USA, dir Lisa Cholodenko, stars Radha Mitchell, Ally Sheedy)
Highlander (1986 USA, dir Russell Mulcahy, stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery)
House of Strangers (1949 USA, dir Joseph L. Mankiewicz, stars Edward G. Robinson)
The Hustler (1961 USA, dir Robert Rossen, stars Paul Newman, George C. Scott)
Jane Eyre (1996 USA, dir Franco Zeffirelli, stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001 USA, dir Kevin Smith, stars Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes)
Killers (2010 USA, dir Robert Luketic, stars Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl) [6/5]
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 USA, dir Hector Babenco, stars William Hurt, Raul Julia)
Kolya (1996 Czech Republic, dir Jan Sverak, stars Zdenek Sverak, Andrei Chalimon)
Lebanon (2009 Israel, dir Samuel Maoz; Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran)
Like Water for Chocolate (1992 Spain, dir Alfonso Arau, stars Lumi Cavazos, Marco Leonardi)
Little Voice (1998 UK, dir Mark Herman, stars Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine)
The Long Hot Summer (1958 USA, dir Martin Ritt, stars Paul Newman, Orson Welles)
Malena (2000 Italy, dir Giuseppe Tornatore, stars Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro)
Manhattan (1970 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway)
Mimic (1997 USA, dir Guillermo Del Toro, stars Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam)
Mrs. Brown (1997 UK, dir John Madden, stars Judi Dench, Billy Connolly)
Muriel’s Wedding (1994 Australia, dir P.J. Hogan, stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths)
My Left Foot (1989 USA, dir Jim Sheridan, stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker)
Nagoyqatsi (2002 USA, dir Godfrey Reggio)
9 to 5 (1980 USA, dir Colin Higgins, stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin)
Operation Condor (1991 Hong Kong, dir Jackie Chan, stars Jackie Chan, Carol Cheng)
The Piano (1993 Australia, dir Jane Campion, stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel)
Ready to Wear (1994 USA, dir Robert Altman, stars Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins)
The Red Violin (1998 Italy, dir Francois Girard, stars Samuel L. Jackson)
Reindeer Games (2000 USA, dir John Frankenheimer, stars Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010 USA, dir Paul W.S. Anderson, stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter)
Restoration (1995 USA, dir Michael Hoffman, stars Robert Downey Jr, Polly Walker)
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975 UK, dir Blake Edwards, stars Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom)
Revenge of the Nerds (1984 USA, dir Jeff Canew, stars Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards)
Sangre de Mi Sangre (2007 Mexico, dir Christopher Zalla, stars Jorge Adrián Espíndola)
Scream 2 (1997 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox)
Secuestro Express (2004 Venezuela, dir Jonathan Jakubowicz, stars Mia Maestro)
She’s So Lovely (1997 USA, dir Nick Cassavetes, stars Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991 USA, dir Jonathan Demme, stars Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster)
Smoke Signals (1998 USA, dir Chris Eyre, stars Adam beach, Evan Adams)
Sons and Lovers (1960 UK, dir Jack Cardiff, stars Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Trevor Howard)
Strictly Ballroom (1992 Australia, dir Baz Luhrmann, stars Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice)
Swingers (1996 USA, dir Doug Liman, stars Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn)
Titan A.E. (2000 USA, dir Don Bluth/Gary Goldman, stars Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore)
Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010 USA, dir Tyler Perry, stars Michael Jai White) [6/3]
The Way of the Gun (2000 USA, dir Christopher McQuarrie, stars Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe)
The Wings of the Dove (1997 UK, dir Iain Softley, stars Helena Bonham Carter, Charlotte Rampling)

See all new and upcoming titles.

ISTANT WATCH EXPIRING PICKS

Hover over any image to see the title and expiration date.

Sanctuary: Season 1 (2008 USA, creator Damian Kindler, stars Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunn) [6/2]
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show (2006 USA, dir Ari Sandel, stars Vince Vaughn) [6/4]
The Prince and the Showgirl (1957 USA, dir Laurence Olivier, stars Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe) [6/6]
The Sheepman (1958 USA, dir George Marshall, stars Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine) [6/6]
Vengeance Valley (1951 USA, dir Richard Thorpe, stars Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker) [6/6]
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005-2009 USA, stars Anthony Bourdain) [6/8]
G-Force (2009 USA, dir Hoyt Yeatman, stars Will Arnett, Bill Nighy) [6/9]
Spider Baby (1964 USA, dir Jack Hill, stars Lon Chaney Jr, Carol Ohmart) [6/9]
Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007 USA, dir Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi, stars Acrassicauda) [6/11]
Moonlight Mile (2002 USA, dir Brad Silberling, stars Susan Sarandon, Dustin Hoffman) [6/11]
The Hawks and the Sparrows (1964 Italy, dir Pier Paolo Pasolini, stars Ninetto Davoli) [6/12]

See all expiring titles.

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.