After a supremely lackluster set of releases last week, this week steps it up in style, with one of my favorite movies of the year on DVD and Blu-ray (Hanna), three of my top TV shows of recent years hitting DVD in preparation for new seasons, a good many new-to-Blu classic releases, some Warner Archive titles I’ve actually heard of and am interested in seeing, and the traditional first-of-the-month influx of Instant Watch titles. There’s plenty here this week to keep us busy.

New Release Picks of the Week

Hanna
Easily one of the most successful and engaging genre mashups of recent years, with Ronan owning the role of the deadly but emotionally confused teenage assassin and Cate Blanchett chewing scenery spectacularly as the villain of the piece. A great score added to dizzyingly memorable visuals makes Hanna an unmissable treat.
2011 USA. Director: Joe Wright. Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

X-Men: First Class
A bit too much on the serious side, perhaps, but a solid entry in the X-Men series; a somewhat corny and obvious script is bolstered by no-nonsense performances from Fassbender, McAvoy, and Lawrence, and the alternate 1960s history is fun to watch.
2011 USA. Director: Matthew Vaughn. Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Everything Must Go
I’m not a big fan of Ferrell’s comedies, but in more indie-inflected dramatic fare, I’ll give him a shot, and from the trailers, this didn’t look half bad, if a bit on the predictably quirky side. Also, Rebecca Hall is always worth watching.
2011 USA. Director: Dan Rush. Starring: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

OTHER NEW RELEASES
A Horrible Way to Die (2010 USA, dir Adam Wingard, stars AJ Bowen, Amy Seimetz; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Assassination Games (2011 USA, dir Kevin Chapman, stars Jean-Claude van Damme; Netflix)
The Battle for Marjah (2011 USA, dir Anthony Wonke; Netflix)
The Colors of the Mountain (2010 Colombia, dir Carlos César Arbaláez, stars Genaro Aristizábal; Netflix)
The Entitled (2011 USA, dir Aaron Woodley, stars Kevin Zegers, Ray Liotta; Netflix)
First Dog (2010 USA, dir Brian Michael Stoller, stars Eric Roberts, Tiny Lister; Netflix)
On Strike for Christmas (2010 USA, dir Robert Iscove, stars Daphne Zuniga, David Sutcliffe; Netflix)
Rebirth (2011 USA, dir Jim Whitaker; Netflix)
Vidal Sassoon: The Movie (2010 USA, dir Craig Teper; Netflix)

Classic / Older Picks of the Week

Adventure
Clark Gable’s first film after his wife Carole Lombard’s tragic death, as the tagline boldly declares. That alone intrigues me (as the studio clearly intended it to), and with Fleming at the helm and a solid supporting cast, I’d be willing to jump into this blind.
1945 USA. Director: Victor Fleming. Starring: Clark Gable, Greer Garson, Joan Blondell, Thomas Mitchell.
Amazon DVD

In Name Only
Pairing consummate leading man Grant with sparkling comedienne Lombard would sound like a fool-proof comedic idea, except this isn’t a comedy. It still has decent reviews, and I’d watch most anything with this cast.
1939 USA. Director: John Cromwell. Starring: Carole Lombard, Cary Grant.
Amazon DVD

OTHER CLASSIC / OLDER RELEASES
Across the Wide Missouri (1951 USA, dir William A. Wellman, stars Clark Gable, Ricardo Montalban)
Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vol. 2 (includes Dr. Cyclops, The Deadly Mantis, and more)
Genevieve (1953 USA, dir Henry Cornelius, stars Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson; Blu-ray/Netflix)
House (1986 USA, dir Steve Miner, stars William Katt, George Wendt; Netflix)
House II (1987 USA, dir Ethan Wiley, stars Arye Gross, Bill Maher; Netflix)
The Hucksters (1947 USA, dir Jack Conway, stars Clark Gable, Deborah Kerr)
Lone Star (1952 USA, dir Vincent Sherman, stars Clark Gable, Ava Gardner)

Blu-ray Picks of the Week

The Caine Mutiny
One of Humphrey Bogart’s best roles, as the slightly unhinged Captain Queeg – but when his crew mutinies against his injustices, things may not turn out quite as they hoped.
1954 USA. Director: Edward Dmytryk. Starring: Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD | Netflix

Scarface
One of DePalma’s best-known films, a remake and expansion of one of Warner Bros. best gangster classics; I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard enough reviews both for and against to make me intrigued.
1983 USA. Director: Brian DePalma. Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer.
Amazon Blu-ray | Amazon DVD | Netflix

OTHER BLU-RAY RELEASES
Dressed to Kill (1980 USA, dir Brian DePalma, stars Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson; Netflix)
Hellraiser (1987 USA, dir Clive Barker, stars Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence; DVD/Netflix)
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988 USA, dir Tony Randel, stars Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence; DVD/Netflix)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Dee Wallace, James Whitworth; DVD/Netflix)
Last Night (2010 USA, dir Massy Tadjedin, stars Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Scream Box Set (USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox; Netflix)
Straw Dogs (1971 USA, dir Sam Peckinpah, stars Dustin Hoffman, Peter Vaughn; DVD/Netflix)
United 93 (2006 USA, dir, Paul Greengrass, stars David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby; DVD/Netflix)

Television Picks of the Week

Community: Season Two
Easily the best sitcom on TV for the past two years, whether the Emmys recognize it or not. The meta-humor is always spot on, but never leaves the characters in the dust. That combination of snark and heart is the core of the show, and the writers hit it dead on almost every episode.
2010 USA. Creator: Dan Harmon. Starring: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

Fringe: Season Three
I can guarantee that the first half of Season Three is fantastic. The second half I can’t vouch for as I got behind on my DVR-watching, but the one-off Twitter exclamations suggest that it went off the rails in a GOOD way, and I’m looking forward to getting back into what is probably the best sci-fi show on TV right now.
2010 USA. Creator: J.J. Abrams. Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Parks & Recreation: Season Three
Season Two of Parks & Rec wowed me after a lackluster Season One, but I haven’t gotten a chance to watch Season Three yet. That should change, and soon; its awkward humor with heart is the natural successor to The Office, but it’s also managed to stake its own claim among NBC’s lineup.
2010 USA. Creator: Greg Daniels, Michael Schur. Starring: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

OTHER TELEVISION
Criminal Minds: Season Six (2010 USA, creator Shemar Moore, stars Joe Mantegna; Netflix)
No Ordinary Family: Season One (2010 USA, creator Greg Berlanti, stars Michael Chiklis; Netflix)
The Office: Season Seven (2010 USA, creator Greg Daniels, stars Steve Carell; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Two and a Half Men: Season Eight (2010 USA, creator Lee Aronsohn, stars Charlie Sheen; Netflix)

Instant Watch Picks of the Week

Buried
I’ve been pretty curious about this buried-alive-with-just-a-cellphone genre film for a while – constraints like that often make for interesting filmmaking – but some middling reviews have made me wait for Instant Watch. Oh, hey, look at that, it’s on Instant Watch.
2010 USA. Director: Rodrigo Cortés. Starring: Ryan Reynolds.

On the Waterfront
Generally regarded as one of Brando’s finest moments, as a dock worker caught up in union unrest while also dealing with his lost potential as a boxer. It’s not a movie that ranks that high on my list, but I should definitely rewatch it now that I’m older and stuff.
1954 USA. Director: Elia Kazan. Starring: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Most of the James Bond films hit Instant Watch this week (see below for them all), but this one is easily top of the pile, of this group of releases anyway (the first three Connery films are conspicuously missing from the lineup). A solid script, a great one-off performance from Lazenby, plus Diana Rigg. Can’t go wrong.
1969 UK. Director: Peter Hunt. Starring: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg.

Apocalypto
Gibson went from the story of Christ to the story of a would-be Mayan sacrifice; an interesting move, but it’s clear the stories have parallels. I haven’t seen Apocalypto yet, but I must admit to a relatively high degree of curiosity.
2006 USA. Director: Mel Gibson. Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernández.

The Street Fighter
I looked up the Street Fighter films a few months ago (in the wake of seeing True Romance once again), and was dismayed to find them all unavailable on Netflix. Now that’s no longer the case as the first one is on Instant! Insta-queue add.
1974 Japan. Director: Shigehiro Ozawa. Starring: Sonny Chiba, Yutaka Nakajima.

Dirty Harry
A few of the Dirty Harry films are on Instant Watch now, but as usual, the first is still probably the best, an iconic bad cop story that’s almost as definitive a Clint Eastwood role as the Man with No Name.
1971 USA. Director: Don Siegel. Starring: Clint Eastwood, John Vernon.

Good Will Hunting
In the annals of “good teacher” films, this is one of the best, only occasionally tripping into maudlin territory, and with a good command of local Boston flavor that adds a lot, thanks to Damon and Affleck’s Oscar-winning screenplay.
1997 USA. Director: Gus Van Sant. Starring: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck.

Conan the Barbarian
With the new Conan the Barbarian out in theatres, what better time to revisit (or watch for the first time, as I would be) the original Schwarzenegger film?
1982 USA. Director: John Milius. Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones.

I Was a Male War Bride
Not one of my favorite Hawks-Grant outings, but it definitely has its moments, as American army officer Sheridan tries to take advantage of the war bride clause to get French (don’t ask) officer Grant into the United States. Cross-dressing zaniness ensues.
1949 USA. Director: Howard Hawks. Starring: Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan.

Scarface
I really wish Netflix would quit it with these expiring one day and returning the next shenanigans. In any case, the original Scarface is worth the double-recommendation; it’s one of Warner Bros. best classic gangster dramas, a little more human than either Little Caesar or The Public Enemy.
1932 USA. Director: Howard Hawks. Starring: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak.

OTHER INSTANT WATCHES
28 Days (2000 USA, dir Betty Thomas, stars Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen)
About Last Night… (1986 USA, dir Edward Zwick, stars James Belushi, Rob Lowe)
Absence of Malice (1981 USA, dir Sydney Pollack, stars Paul Newman, Sally Field)
Awakenings (1990 USA, dir Penny Marshall, stars Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams)
Batman Forever (1995 USA, dir Joel Schumacher, stars Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman)
Beautiful Girls (1996 USA, dir Ted Demme, stars Timothy Hutton, Uma Thurman)
Cold Sweat (1970 USA, dir Terence Young, stars Charles Bronson, Liv Tyler)
Cop and a Half (1993 USA, dir Henry Winkler, stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden III)
The Dead Pool (1988 USA, dir Buddy van Horn, stars Clint Eastwood, Patricia Clarkson)
Diamonds are Forever (1971 UK, dir Guy Hamilton, stars Sean Connery, Jill St. John)
Earthquake (1974 USA, dir Mark Robson, stars Charlton Heston, George Kennedy)
Flatliners (1990 USA, dir Joel Schumacher, stars Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland)
For Your Eyes Only (1981 UK, dir John Glen, stars Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet)
Great Balls of Fire (1989 USA, dir Jim McBride, stars Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder)
Hard Time (1998 USA, dir Burt Reynolds, stars Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning)
Hoosiers (1986 USA, dir David Anspaugh, stars Gene Hackman, Dennis Hooper)
Last Night (2010 USA, dir Massy Tadjedin, stars Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992 USA, dir Michael Mann, stars Daniel Day-Lewis)
Licence to Kill (1989 UK, dir John Glen, stars Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell)
Live and Let Die (1973 UK, dir Guy Hamilton, stars Roger Moore, Jane Seymour)
The Living Daylights (1987 UK, dir John Glen, stars Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo)
Lone Wolf McQuade (1983 USA, dir Steve Carver, stars Chuck Norris, David Carradine)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998 USA, dir Randall Wallace, stars Leonardo diCaprio, Jeremy Irons)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974 UK, dir Guy Hamilton, stars Roger Moore, Christopher Lee)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992 USA, dir John Carpenter, stars Chevy Chase, Sam Neill)
The Missing (2003 USA, dir Ron Howard, stars Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones)
Moll Flanders (1995 USA, dir Pen Densham, stars Robin Wright Penn, Morgan Freeman)
Moonraker (1979 USA, dir Lewis Gilbert, stars Roger Moore, Lois Chiles)
Mulholland Falls (1996 USA, dir Lee Tamahori, stars Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connolly)
Never Say Never Again (1983 UK, dir Irvin Kershner, stars Sean Connery, Max von Sydow)
Octopussy (1983 UK, dir John Glen, stars Roger Moore, Louis Jourdan)
The Paper Chase (1973 USA, dir James Bridges, stars Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner)
People Will Talk (1951 USA, dir Joseph L. Mankiewicz, stars Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain)
Philadelphia (1993 USA, dir Jonathan Demme, stars Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington)
Quigley Down Under (1990 USA, dir Simon Wincer, stars Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman)
Roxanne (1987 USA, dir Fred Schepisi, stars Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah)
Sid & Nancy (1986 USA, dir Alex Cox, stars Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb)
The Sisters (2005 USA, dir Arthur Allan Seidelman, stars Maria Bello, Mary Stuart Masterson)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977 UK, dir Lewis Gilbert, stars Roger Moore, Barbara Bach)
St. Elmo’s Fire (1985 USA, dir Joel Schumacher, stars Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy)
Sweet Revenge (1998 UK, dir Malcolm Mowbray, stars Sam Neill, Helena Bonham Carter)
They Call Me Mr. Tibbs (1970 USA, dir Gordon Douglas, stars Sidney Poitier, Martin Landau)
Thunderball (1965 UK, dir Terence Young, stars Sean Connery, Claudine Auger)
Untamed Heart (1993 USA, dir Tony Bill, stars Christian Slater, Marisa Tomei)
Up at the Villa (2000 USA, dir Philip Haas, stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Sean Penn)
A View to a Kill (1985 UK, dir John Glen, stars Roger Moore, Christopher Walken)
A Walk on the Moon (1999 USA, dir Tony Goldwyn, stars Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen)
White Nights (1985 USA, dir Taylor Hackford, stars Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941 USA, dir Henry King, stars Tyrone Power, Betty Grable)
You Only Live Twice (1967 UK, dir Lewis Gilbert, stars Sean Connery, Donald Pleasance)

See all new and upcoming titles.

Instant Watch Expiring Picks

Skins, Vol. 3 (2009 UK, creator Jamie Brittain, Bryan Elsley, stars Kaya Scodelario) [9/7]
Lonesome Dove (1989 USA, dir Simon Wincer, stars Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones) [9/10]
Return to Lonesome Dove (1993 USA, dir Mike Robe, stars Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey) [9/10]
Cadillac Man (1990 USA, dir Roger Donaldson, stars Robin Williams, Tim Robbins) [9/11]
Bright Lights, Big City (1988 USA, dir James Bridges, stars Michael J. Fox) [9/12]
Camille (2007 USA, dir Gregory Mackenzie, stars Sienna Miller, James Franco) [9/15]
Hoffa (1992 USA, dir Danny DeVito, stars Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito) [9/15]
My Summer of Love (2005 UK, dir Pawel Pawlikowski, stars Emily Blunt, Natalie Press) [9/15]
Swept Away (1974 USA, dir Lina Wertmuller, stars Mariangela Melato, Giancarlo Giannini) [9/15]
Order of Chaos (2009 USA, dir Vince Vieluf, stars Milo Ventimiglia, Rhys Coiro) [9/16]
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984 USA, dir W.D. Richter, stars Peter Weller) [9/19]
The Life Before Her Eyes (2007 USA, dir Vadim Perelman, stars Uma Thurman) [9/19]

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.