The independent and genre film offerings this week are pretty solid, from post-apocalyptic vampire flick Stake Land to grown-up animation My Dog Tulip to Conan the Barbarian on Blu-ray, and even more. The only major release is Rio, and I can’t manage to get myself very excited about that one.
NEW RELEASE PICKS OF THE WEEK
Stake Land
I have yet to catch this, but all reports are that it raises the bar for genre pictures back to where it was in Carpenter’s heyday, with a post-apocalyptic story of feral vampires and frontier survivors. I’m all for that. Director Jim Mickle joined the Cinecast this week, so definitely check that out!
2010 USA. Director: Jim Mickle. Starring: Connor Paolo, Nick Camici.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
Cold Weather
This indie mystery/relationship drama initially left me (forgive me) a bit cold, but I think in retrospect I may have been a little hard on it. The second half is certainly solid, and Trieste Kelly Dunn is worth the price of admission.
2010 USA. Director: Aaron Katz. Starring: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn.
Amazon DVD | Netflix
My Dog Tulip
Unusual animation always grabs my interest, and this certainly looks to be that, along with an emotionally solid and adult-oriented story of an elderly man’s friendship with his dog.
2011 USA. Directors: Paul and Sandra Fierlinger. Starring: Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave.
Amazon DVD | Netflix
OTHER NEW RELEASES
Rio (2011 USA, dir Carlos Saldanha, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Soul Surfer (2011 USA, dir Sean McNamara, stars AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Exporting Raymond (2011 USA, dir Philip Rosenthal; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (2011 USA, dir Robert B. Parker, stars Tom Selleck; Netflix)
The Music Never Stopped (2011 USA, dir Jim Kohlberg, stars J.K. Simmons; Netflix)
The Perfect Game (2009 USA, dir William Dear, stars Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin; Blu-ray/Netflix)
A Screaming Man (2010 France, dir Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, stars Youssef Djaoro; Netflix)
Yellow Brick Road (2010 USA, dir Andy Mitton & Jesse Holland, stars Cassidy Freeman; Netflix)
BLU-RAY PICKS OF THE WEEK
The Name of the Rose
Necessarily stripped-down from Umberto Eco’s esoteric novel, this medieval mystery of murdered monks in monastaries is still pretty compelling; I think I last saw it on VHS, so a Blu-ray viewing would probably up my appreciation significantly.
1986 France. Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud. Starring: Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD | Netflix
Conan the Barbarian
With a new Conan the Barbarian movie hitting screens this year, it must be time for a Blu-ray upgrade of the originals (see also Conan the Destoyer, below). I’ve seen neither, but maybe the schlocky ’80s mood will hit me sometime.
1982 USA. Director: John Milius. Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD | Netflix
OTHER BLU-RAY RELEASES
Better Off Dead (1985 USA, dir Savage Steve Holland, stars John Cusack; DVD/Netflix)
Conan the Destroyer (1984 USA, dir Richard Fleischer, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger; DVD/Netflix)
Copycat (1995 USA, dir Jon Amiel, stars Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter; DVD/Netflix)
Sleepers (1996 USA, dir Barry Levinson, stars Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro; DVD/Netflix)
Spy Kids (2001 USA, dir Robert Rodriguez, stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002 USA, dir Robert Rodriguez, stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara; DVD/Netflix)
Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003 USA, dir Robert Rodriguez, stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara; DVD/Netflix)
CLASSIC AND OLDER RELEASES
I haven’t seen or really heard of any of these older releases this time, so I didn’t pull any out to feature. Other than Sands of the Kalahari and Streetwalkin’, these are all from the Warner Archive collection, with a bunch of early Paul Newman films in the mix.
Sands of the Kalahari (1965 UK, dir Cy Endfield, stars Stanley Baker, Susanna York; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Advance to the Rear (1964 USA, dir George Marshall, stars Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens)
Dark of the Sun (1968 USA, dir Jack Cardiff, stars Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux)
Doctor at Sea (1955 USA, dir Ralph Thomas, stars Dirk Bogarde, Brigitte Bardot)
Don’t Go Near the Water (1957 USA, dir Charles Walters, stars Glenn Ford, Gia Scala)
The Double Man (1967 USA, dir Franklin J. Schaffner, stars Yul Brynner, Elke Sommer)
Hearts of the West (1975 USA, dir Howard Zieff, stars Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith)
The Honeymoon Machine (1961 USA, dir Richard Thorpe, stars Steve McQueen, Brigid Bazlen)
The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962 USA, dir Richard Thorpe, stars Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss)
Once Before I Die (1966 USA, dir John Derek, stars Ursula Andress, John Derek)
The Prize (1963 USA, dir Mark Robson, stars Paul Newman, Elke Sommer)
Probe (1972 USA, dir Russell Mayberry, stars Hugh O’Brien, Elke Sommer)
The Rack (1956 USA, dir Arnold Laven, stars Paul Newman, Wendell Corey)
Streetwalkin’ (1986 USA, dir Joan Freeman, stars Melissa Leo, Dale Midkiff; Netflix)
Until They Sail (1957 USA, dir Robert Wise, stars Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine)
TELEVISION PICK OF THE WEEK
United States of Tara: Season 3
Toni Collette shines in this series about a woman whose multiple personalities don’t make it any easier to deal with her dysfunctional family. I’ve only seen the pilot, but I’d definitely like to see more; seems like it’s still going strong through the third season.
2011 USA. Creator: Diablo Cody. Starring: Toni Collette, John Corbett.
Amazon DVD | Netflix
OTHER TELEVISION
Casshern Sins: Complete Series (2008 Japan, dir Jason Grundy, stars Naomi Kusumi; Netflix)
Eastbound & Down: Season 2 (2010 USA, creator Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Ben Best, stars Danny McBride; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Everwood: Season 4 (2005 USA, creator Greg Berlanti, stars Treat Williams; Netflix)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Part 5 (2010 Japan, dir Yasuhiro Irie, stars Romi Park; Blu-ray/Netflix)
INSTANT WATCH PICKS OF THE WEEK
Mansfield Park
This take on Jane Austen’s novel is often critiqued by Austen purists because it plays around with the novel quite a bit – making main character Fanny more like Austen herself and bringing some elements of Austen criticism to bear. I think that makes it one of the most intriguing Austen adaptations out there.
1999 USA. Director: Patricia Rozema. Starring: Frances O’Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola.
Ronin
Highly enjoyable action thriller with McElhone putting together an elite team to retreive a suitcase from enemy agents, but not everyone has the whole team’s welfare in mind. Also notable for having one of the best car chases in modern cinema.
1998 USA. Director: John Frankenheimer. Starring: Robert De Niro, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Jean Reno.
The Usual Suspects
One of the movies for which spoiler alerts was invented, practically, with a gotcha twist ending that works surprisingly well even if you know what it is.
1995 USA. Director: Bryan Singer. Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro.
Trainspotting
If you ever thought doing heroin was a good life choice, Trainspotting will disabuse you of the idea, but despite its heavy subject matter (the underbelly of Edinburgh’s drug scene), the movie is an entertaining yet devastating watch, thanks to Danny Boyle’s strong stylistics.
1996 Ireland. Director: Danny Boyle. Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald, Peter Mullan.
Paper Man
I haven’t seen this film about a washed-up writer and his imaginary superhero, but with a cast like this, I must say I’m quite intrigued. I also quite like the poster.
2009 USA. Director: Kieran & Michele Mulroney. Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Kieran Culkin.
OTHER INSTANT WATCHES
Assassination Tango (2002 USA, dir Robert Duvall, stars Robert Duvall, Ruben Blades)
Dead End (1937 USA, dir William Wyler, stars Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart)
Gothika (2003 USA, dir Mathieu Kassovitz, stars Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr.)
Heartburn (1986 USA, dir Mike Nichols, stars Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson)
Heaven (2002 Italy/Germany, dir Tom Tykwer, stars Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi)
Married to the Mob (1988 USA, dir Jonathan Demme, stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine)
Ride With the Devil (1999 USA, dir Ang Lee, stars Tobey Maguire, Jewel)
River’s Edge (1986 USA, dir Tim Hunter, stars Crispin Glover, Dennis Hopper)
Runaway Daughters (1994 USA, dir Joe Dante, stars Julie Bowen, Jenny Lewis, Paul Rudd)
Scream 3 (2000 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette)
Staying Alive (1983 USA, dir Sylvester Stallone, stars John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes)
The Wedding Banquet (1993 Taiwan, dir Ang Lee, stars Mitchell Lichtenstein, Winston Chao)
What Dreams May Come (1998 USA, dir Vincent Ward, stars Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr)
Wild Target (2010 USA, dir Jonathan Lynn, stars Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt)
The World’s Greatest Lover (1977, dir Gene Wilder, stars Gene Wilder, Carol Kane)
XXX (2002 USA, dir Rob Cohen, stars Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson)
You Again (2010 USA, dir Andy Fickman, stars Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis)
See all new and upcoming titles.
INSTANT WATCH EXPIRING PICKS
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (2009 UK, creator Russell T. Davies, stars David Tennant) [8/2]
Faces (1968 USA, dir John Cassavetes, stars John Marley, Lynn Carlin) [8/3]
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976 USA, dir John Cassavetes, stars Ben Gazzara) [8/3]
Opening Night (1977 USA, dir John Cassavetes, stars Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara) [8/3]
Where the Red Fern Grows (1974 USA, dir Norman Tokar, stars Stewart Peterson, James Whitmore) [8/3]
Capturing the Friedmans (2003 USA, dir Andrew Jarecki) [8/5]
The Battle of Midway (1942 USA, dir John Ford, stars Henry Fonda) [8/6]
Hollywood Homicide (2003 USA, dir Ron Shelton, stars Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett) [8/7]
Italian for Beginners (2000 USA, dir Lone Scherfig, stars Anders W. Berthelsen) [8/11]
The Sugarland Express (1974 USA, dir Steven Spielberg, stars Goldie Hawn) [8/11]
Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010 USA, creator Steven S. DeKnight, stars John Hannah) [8/12]
Babe: Pig in the City (1998 USA, dir George Miller, stars James Cromwell, Elizabeth Daily) [8/15]
The Crucible (1996 USA, dir Nicholas Hytner, stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder) [8/15]
Frida (2002 USA, dir Julie Taymor, stars Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina) [8/15]
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco (2002 USA, dir Sam Jones) [8/15]
The Crazies (1973 USA, dir George A. Romero, stars Will MacMillan, Lane Carroll) [8/16]
Mondo Cane (1962 Italy, dir Gualtiero Jacopetti) [8/16]
Porky’s II (1982 USA, dir Bob Clark, stars Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight) [8/16]
The Shape of Things to Come (1979 USA, dir George McCowan, stars Jack Palance) [8/16]
Shinobi No Mono (1962 Japan, dir Katsuhiko Kobayashi, stars Raizô Ichikawa) [8/16]
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996 Italy, dir Dario Argento, stars Asia Argento) [8/16]
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.
