NEW RELEASE PICKS OF THE WEEK
Trollhunter
This is one I’ve been excited to see since I started hearing about it on the festival circuit (Andrew’s review); a genre film about, yes, Norwegian troll hunters, but with an original and contemplative take on the mythology.
2011 Norway. Director: André Øvredal. Starring: Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Naerum.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
Win Win
Almost everyone in this cast is worth watching in anything, let’s get that out there right away; the film itself looks like it might hew a bit too much toward Indiewood cliches in its story of sad sacks overcoming dysfunctional family odds, but still. That cast. (Marina’s capsule review)
2011 USA. Director: Thomas McCarthy. Starring: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Melanie Lynsky, Jeffrey Tambor.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
Poetry
The Koreans have never failed me yet on the cinematic front, and it sounds like this drama of a woman turning to poetry to give her life meaning when faced with a crime in the family and the onslaught of Alzheimer’s seems like it’ll keep the record going (David’s capsule review). Also on Instant Watch.
2011 South Korea. Director: Lee Chang Dong. Starring: Yoon Jeong-hee, Lee David.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
Road to Nowhere
I was pretty excited to hear that Monte Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop) was making a new film; it got pretty mixed reviews from the festivals, but everything I’ve heard puts it in Inland Empire fever dream territory, and I’m definitely down to check that out.
2011 USA. Director: Monte Hellman. Starring: John Diehl, Waylon Payne.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
OTHER NEW RELEASES
The Beaver (2011 USA, dir Jodie Foster, stars Mel Gibson; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Cold Fish (2010 Japan, dir Shion Sono, stars Asuka Kurosawa, Denden; Netflix)
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011 USA, dir Morgan Spurlock; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Henry’s Crime (2010 USA, dir Malcolm Venville, stars Keanu Reeves; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Sympathy for Delicious (2011 USA, dir Mark Ruffalo, stars Orlando Bloom; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Blitz (2011 USA, dir Elliott Lester, stars Jason Statham, Paddy Considine; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Little Big Soldier (2010 Hong Kong, dir Sheng Ding, stars Jackie Chan; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Tracker (2010 New Zealand, dir Ian Sharp, stars Ray Winstone, Temuera Morrison; Netflix)
CLASSIC / OLDER PICKS OF THE WEEK
Secret Sunshine
I don’t know anything about this film, but it’s from Korea (perfect track record, remember), and Criterion believes in it, so that’s enough for me.
2007 South Korea. Director: Lee Chang-Dong. Starring: Do-yeon Jeon, Kang-ho Song.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
The Guillermo Del Toro-produced remake of this ’70s horror film is due in theatres this week; interestingly, this is coming out as a Warner Archive DVR-on-Demand release. I would’ve expected a bigger release in anticipation of the remake, but looks like this is all we get.
1973 USA. Director: John Newland. Starring: Kim Darby, Jim Hutton.
Amazon DVD
OTHER CLASSIC / OLDER RELEASES
Eclipse Series 28: The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara (Japan, dir Koreyoshi Kurahara)
Follow Me Quietly (1949 USA, dir Richard Fleischer, stars William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick)
One Minute to Zero (1952 USA, dir Tay Garnett, stars Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth)
Rise & Fall of Legs Diamond (1960 USA, dir Budd Boetticher, stars Ray Danton, Karen Steele)
The Threat (1949 USA, dir Felix E. Feist, stars Michael O’Shea, Virginia Grey)
Where the Boys Are (1984 USA, dir Hy Averback, stars Lisa Hartman, Lynn Holly Johnson; Netflix)
BLU-RAY RELEASES
Most of the Ernest movies, a bunch of random ’90s movies, a Roger Corman-produced exploitation set and a direct-to-DVD Disney sequel are all we get on Blu-ray only this week. I didn’t feel any of them needed particular attention drawn to them, so here they all are in a list.
Bambi II (2006 USA, dir Brian Pimental, stars Patrick Stewart, Alexander Gould; DVD)
Ernest Goes to Camp (1987 USA, dir John R. Cherry III, stars Jim Varney, Victoria Racimo)
Ernest Goes to Jail (1990 USA, dir John R. Cherry III, stars Jim Varney, Gailard Sartain)
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991 USA, dir John R. Cherry III, stars Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt; DVD)
Hostage (2005 USA, dir Florent Emilio Siri, stars Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollack; DVD)
Last Dance (1996 USA, dir Bruce Beresford, stars Sharon Stone, Randy Quaid; DVD)
Miami Rhapsody (1995 USA, dir David Frankel, stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Antonio Banderas)
Play It to the Bone (1999 USA, dir Ron Shelton,s tars Woody Harrelson, Antonio Banderas; DVD)
Rounders (1998 USA, dir John Dahl, stars Matt Damon, Edward Norton; DVD)
Scenes from a Mall (1991 USA, dir Paul Mazursky, stars Bette Midler, Woody Allen)
Swingers (1996 USA, dir Doug Liman, stars Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau; DVD)
The Tie That Binds (1995 USA, dir Wesley Strick, stars Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine)
The War at Home (1996 USA, dir Emilio Estevez, stars Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates; DVD)
The Women in Cages Collection (USA, producer Roger Corman)
TELEVISION PICK OF THE WEEK
NCIS: Season 8
I lost track of NCIS a couple of seasons back, but it remains one of the few procedurals that I actually miss watching. The mix of comedy and crime always hit just right, and in the mythical someday when I have time, I’ll catch up with it again.
2011 USA. Creator: Donald P. Bellisario. Starring: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly.
Amazon DVD | Netflix
OTHER TELEVISION
Brothers & Sisters: Season 5 (2010 USA, creator Jon Robin Baitz, stars Calista Flockhart; Netflix)
The Event: Complete Series (2010 USA, creator Nick Wauters, stars Jason Ritter; Netflix)
Gossip Girl: Season 4 (2011 USA, creator Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz, stars Blake Lively; Netflix)
NCIS: Los Angeles (2010 USA, creator Shane Brennan, stars Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J; Netflix)
Off the Map: Complete Series (2010 USA, creator Jenna Bans, stars Jonathan Castellanos; Netflix)
INSTANT WATCH PICKS OF THE WEEK
The Expendables (8/28)
A veritable treasure trove of testosterone from the ’80s to today, if such a thing is a treasure trove. Seemed to hit the right notes for audiences last year, and I like my big dumb action films enough to check it out on Instant.
2010 USA. Director: Sylvester Stallone. Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren.
The Left Handed Gun
I mostly know Arthur Penn from Bonnie & Clyde, but pair him with Paul Newman in a revenge-driven western and I’m definitely intrigued.
1958 USA. Director: Arthur Penn. Starring: Paul Newman, John Dehner.
Blue Collar
A rare dramatic role for stand-up comedian Richard Pryor has him and a couple of friends rob the local union, only to find blackmail material instead of money. Add in New Hollywood staple writer/director Paul Schrader at the helm, and this could be an interesting watch.
1978 USA. Director: Paul Schrader. Starring: Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel.
OTHER INSTANT WATCHES
Alpha and Omega (2010 USA, dir Anthony Bell, Ben Gluck, stars Hayden Panettiere, Justin Long)
The Forgotten (2004 USA, dir Joseph Ruben, stars Julianne Moore, Alfre Woodard)
Parenthood (1989 USA, dir Ron Howard, stars Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen)
See all new and upcoming titles.
INSTANT WATCH EXPIRING PICKS
Defiance (2008 USA, dir Edward Zwick, stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber) [8/27]
The Hot Rock (1972 USA, dir Peter Yates, stars Robert Redford, George Segal) [8/30]
Casino Royale (1967 USA, dir John Huston, etc., stars David Niven, Woody Allen) [8/31]
The Interpreter (2005 USA, dir Sydney Pollack, stars Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn) [8/31]
Just Around the Corner (1938 USA, dir Irving Cummings, stars Shirley Temple) [8/31]
Missing (1982 USA, dir Costa-Gavras, stars Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon) [8/31]
The Paper Chase (1973 USA, dir James Bridges, stars Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner) [8/31]
Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997 USA, dir Bille August, stars Julia Ormond, Gabriel Byrne) [8/31]
Stowaway (1936 USA, dir William A. Seiter, stars Shirley Temple, Alice Faye) [8/31]
Susannah of the Mounties (1939 USA, dir William A. Seiter, stars Shirley Temple) [8/31]
Waking the Dead (1999 USA, dir Keith Gordon, stars Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly) [8/31]
Winning (1969 USA, dir James Goldstone, stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward) [8/31]
Zardoz (1974 UK, dir John Boorman, stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling) [8/31]
Anywhere But Here (1999 USA, dir Wayne Wang, stars Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman) [9/1]
Art School Confidential (2006 USA, dir Terry Zwigoff, stars Sophia Myles, Max Minghella) [9/1]
Assassination Tango (2002 USA, dir Robert Duvall, stars Robert Duvall, Ruben Blades) [9/1]
Benny and Joon (1993 USA, dir Jeremiah S. Chechik, stars Johnny Depp) [9/1]
Blind Date (1987 USA, dir Blake Edwards, stars Bruce Willis, Kim Basinger) [9/1]
Blue Crush (2002 USA, dir John Stockwell, stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez) [9/1]
Boarding Gate (2007 USA, dir Olivier Assayas, stars Asia Argento, Michael Madsen) [9/1]
Bowling for Columbine (2002 USA, dir Michael Moore) [9/1]
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985 USA, dir Susan Seidelman, stars Rosanna Arquette) [9/1]
Dressed to Kill (1980 USA, dir Brian DePalma, stars Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson) [9/1]
The English Patient (1996 USA, dir Anthony Minghella, stars Ralph Fiennes) [9/1]
Flesh for Frankenstein (1973 USA, dir Paul Morrissey, stars Udo Kier) [9/1]
The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981 USA, dir Karel Reisz, stars Meryl Streep) [9/1]
Get Carter (2000 USA, dir Stephen T. Kay, stars Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine) [9/1]
In & Out (1997 USA, dir Frank Oz, stars Matt Dillon, Kevin Kline) [9/1]
Jerry Maguire (1996 USA, dir Cameron Crowe, stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr) [9/1]
The Long Hot Summer (1958 USA, dir Martin Ritt, stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward) [9/1]
Lost in America (1985 USA, dir Albert Brooks, stars Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty) [9/1]
Man Push Cart (2005 Iran, dir Ramin Bahrani, stars Ahmad Razvi, Leticia Dolera) [9/1]
Mars Attacks! (1996 USA, dir Tim Burton, stars Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening) [9/1]
Mercury Rising (1998 USA, dir Harold Becker, stars Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin) [9/1]
The Morning After (1986 USA, dir Sidney Lumet, stars Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges) [9/1]
Nine Months (1995 USA, dir Chris Columbus, stars Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore) [9/1]
The Pink Panther 2 (2009 USA, dir Harald Zwart, stars Steve Martin, Jean Reno) [9/1]
Predator 2 (1990 USA, dir Stephen Hopkins, stars Danny Glover, Kevin Peter Hall) [9/1]
Roman de Gare (2007 France, dir Claude Lelouche, stars Fanny Ardant, Dominique Pinon) [9/1]
Sgt Bilko (1996 USA, dir Jonathan Lynn, stars Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd) [9/1]
Something Wild (1987 USA, dir Jonathan Demme, stars Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith) [9/1]
Valmont (1989 USA, dir Milos Forman, stars Annette Bening, Colin Firth) [9/1]
Old Dogs (2009 USA, dir Walt Becker, stars Robin Williams, John Travolta) [9/2]
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996 USA, dir Renny Harlin, stars Samuel L. Jackson) [9/3]
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.
For the love of all things holy, find and watch “Cold Fish”. It’s remarkable. Soft and fluffy it ain’t though.
Those top 4 new releases (not to mention the top classic picks) are all on my list and I’m eager to see ‘em all. “Secret Sunshine” has been there for years (“Poetry” – if you don’t want to indur David’s wrath, you better watch that as well – is the director’s follow-up film).
I just got the Koreyoshi Kurahara Eclipse set and watched the first film (only 65 minutes long). Yeah, this is gonna be a great set.
There certainly were a lot of notable releases this week! I had Cold Fish and The Beaver and others up there featured in one draft, but there’s a limit to how many I can manage up there (especially when I haven’t seen them – all the blurbs start sounding like “I haven’t seen this, but it might be cool!”). And wouldn’t you know it, Cold Fish seems to be the ONE release this week that Netflix still has in “saved” status – which these days basically means they’re never getting it.
Even on the Warner Archive front there are two or three I’ve heard of and would like to check out – usually I haven’t heard of those films, but include them on the basis of the actors.
Most interested in seeing The Beaver. I read the script last year and was looking forward t to it but it kind of came and went when it was in theater. Also intrigued by Win Win.
Jandy, you absolutely MUST catch up with Poetry! Not only is it the most subdued, tragic work I’ve seen exported from South Korea (agree with you on their perfect track record, by the way), but the lead performance by Yoon Jeong-hee might be the best of the year (though I also adored Juliette Binoche in Certified Copy).
You won’t be disappointed. It’s not possible.
I’m definitely looking forward to it, Justin! It came on Netflix Instant yesterday, too, so hopefully it won’t take me too long to get to it. Heh, Certified Copy is pretty high on my year’s list, as well.
Castor, I was kind of dubious about The Beaver based on the trailer, but it also had some parts that me curious (the trailer, that is). I’d like to check it out, but there are others that are higher on my list.
Yep, Bob said it – get Poetry watched or incur my wrath!!
Has anyone seen Blitz out of interest? The teaming of Jason Statham and Paddy Considine intrigues me although I imagine it’s pretty naff as it crept under the radar even by Statham standards.
I hadn’t even heard of Blitz until I put this together – is it a direct-to-DVD thing? In any case, I tend to always like Statham and Considine, so I was intrigued.