Big week for Blu-ray this week, as a bunch of films from Disney to Tarantino getting hi-def upgrades. A couple of notable new releases on both indie and mainstream fronts, but nothing of consequence at all in classic releases, aside from a couple of Criterion Blu-ray upgrades. Can’t win them all. As expected, a whole lot of cool stuff hit Instant Watch on the 1st and 2nd, so check those out.

New Release Picks of the Week

Submarine
Just when it seems like quirky indie films have about run their course, Submarine comes out and wins critics over – I haven’t seen it myself yet, though I’m dying to, but according to all reports, the film transcends its apparent genre with surprising depth.
2010 UK. Director: Richard Ayoade. Starring: Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Fast Five
The fifth in the Fast and the Furious series didn’t interest me any more than any of the others, but it certainly got solid reviews and box office, with people loving the shift from straight racing to a more heist-based crime story.
2011 USA. Director: Justin Lin. Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray/DVD | Netflix

OTHER NEW RELEASES
Scream 4 (2011 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox; DVD/Netflix)
African Cats (2011 USA, dir Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill, stars Samuel L. Jackson; Netflix)
Amer (2009 Italy, dir Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani, stars Cassandra Foret; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Buck (2011 USA, dir Cindy Meehl, stars Buck Brannaman; Netflix)
Marry Me (2010 USA, dir James Hayman, stars Lucy Liu, Bobby Carnavale; Netflix)
Moby Dick (2010 USA, dir Mark Barker, stars William Hurt, Ethan Hawke; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Phase 7 (2011 Argentina, dir Nicolás Goldbart, stars Daniel Hendler, Jazmín Stuart; Netflix)
The Presence (2010 USA, dir Tom Provost, stars Mira Sorvino, Shane West; Netflix)
Snow Beast (2011 USA, dir Brian Brough, stars John Schneider, Jason London; Netflix)

Blu-Ray Picks of the Week

The Lion King
After an extremely successful theatrical rerelease, it’s time for The Lion King to get its inevitable hi-def upgrade; as one of the most enduring of Disney’s newer classics, it’s certainly one I’m looking to snag on Blu-ray.
1994 USA. Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff. Starring: Matthew Broderick, Niketa Calame, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons.
Amazon Blu-ray/DVD | Amazon Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD

Cinema Paradiso
This is one of my favorite films of all time. Not surprising, as it’s a film made by and for cinephiles, and its story of a young boy and his projectionist mentor in small-town Italy are geared for maximum pleasure.
1989 Italy. Director: Giuseppe Tornatore. Starring: Enzo Cannavale, Phillipe Noiret, Antonella Attili.
Amazon Blu-ray

Almost Famous
The first time I saw Almost Famous it didn’t totally grab me. A few years and a couple of rewatches later, and this is one of my favorite films of the decade. Some things are worth the extra time.
2000 USA. Director: Cameron Crowe. Starring: Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee.
Amazon Blu-ray

Pulp Fiction
Has Pulp Fiction really not been out in Blu-ray before? If not, this is a definite upgrade for any lovers of Tarantino.
1994 USA. Director: Quentin Tarantino. Starring: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth.
Amazon Blu-ray

Jackie Brown
Another Blu-ray upgrade for Tarantino fans; not quite as well-regarded as Pulp Fiction in the main, but this homage to blaxploitation films of the ’70s has a LOT going for it. Notably Pam Grier herself.
1997 USA. Director: Quentin Tarantino. Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro.
Amazon Blu-ray

OTHER BLU-RAY RELEASES
Being John Malkovich (1999 USA, dir Spike Jonze, stars John Cusack, John Malkovich)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005 USA, dir Tim Burton, stars Johnny Depp)
The Cider House Rules (1999 USA, dir Lasse Hallström, stars Michael Caine)
Harakiri (1962 Japan, dir Masaki Kobayashi, stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni)
Interstella 5555 (2011 Japan/France, dir Kazuhisa Takenôchi, stars Daft Punk)
Life is Beautiful (1998 Italy, dir Roberto Benigni, stars Robert Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi)
Peanuts Holiday Collection (various USA, dir Bill Melendez, stars Peter Robbins)
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985 USA, dir Tim Burton, stars Paul Reubens)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975 Italy, dir Pier Paolo Pasolini, stars Paolo Bonacelli)
Space Jam (1996 USA, dir Joe Pitka, stars Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight)

Television Picks of the Week

Friday Night Lights: Complete Series
Despite championing this series for years, I’ve actually only seen the first couple of seasons (before it moved to DirecTV). I must rectify that soon because, really, this series is fantastic. And I hate football. And it makes me care about it anyway.
2006-2010 USA. Creator: Peter Berg. Starring: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

The Walking Dead: Season 1
Not everyone loved AMC’s take on the zombie survival graphic novel, and it did have some pacing and character issues toward the end, but I still enjoyed it all the way through and am looking forward to S2. Here’s S1 if you missed it.
2010 USA. Creator: Frank Darabont. Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

OTHER TELEVISION
According to Jim: Season 5 (2001-2005 USA, creator Tracy Newman, Jonathan Stark, stars James Belushi; Netflix)
The Bionic Woman: Season 3 1976-1978 USA, creator Kenneth Johnson, stars Lindsay Wagner; Netflix)
Bored to Death: Season 2 (2010 USA, creator Jonathan Ames, stars Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Boy Meets World: Season 7 (1999 USA, creator Michael Jacobs, April Kelly, stars Ben Savage; Netflix)
The Honeymooners: Lost Episodes 1951-1957 (1951-1957 USA, creator Jackie Gleason, stars Jackie Gleason, Art Carney; Netflix)
In Treatment: Season 3 (2010 USA, creator Hagai Levi, stars Gabriel Byrne; Netflix)
The League: Season 2 (2010 USA, creator Jackie Marcus, Jeff Schaffer; stars Katie Aselton; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Lie to Me: Season 3 (2010 USA, creator Samuel Baum, stars Tim Roth; Netflix)
Perry Mason: Season 6, Vol. 1 (1962 USA, dir Allen H. Miner, Arthur Marks, stars Raymond Burr; Netflix)
Ken Burns’ Prohibition (2011 USA, dir Ken Burns & Lynn Novick; Netflix)

Instant Watch Picks of the Week

The Big Lebowski
I’m pretty sure this has been on Instant Watch before, but I’m always glad to see it back – a Coen film that it took me a few watches to fall in love with, but I’m certainly on board with it now.
1998 USA. Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen. Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi.

Once Upon a Time in the West
The Man with No Name trilogy is great, but for my money, this is Leone’s magnum opus. A wonderful, sprawling look at the old west with some of the greatest sequences ever put on film.
1969 USA. Director: Sergio Leone. Starring: Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale.

Chinatown
One of the films that invented neo-noir, looking back to the tropes and themes of film noir but with a decidedly New Hollywood vibe. Also a damn good film, one of Polanski’s best.
1974 USA. Director: Roman Polanski. Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston.

Tron: Legacy
I may be in the minority among critics, but I quite liked this Tron sequel. The soundtrack can’t be beat, that’s for sure, and the visuals are beautifully minimalistic. The story even set up some interesting things, though it didn’t follow through on them that well.
2010 USA. Director: Joseph Kosinski. Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Finally, Deep Space Nine joins the rest of the Star Trek series on Instant! I’ve actually seen some of this one and liked it quite a lot. Now I expect I’ll try to finish TNG before returning to DS9, so Netflix…don’t expire these. PLEASE.
1993-1998 USA. Creator: Rick Berman, Michael Piller. Starring: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s
One of Hepburn’s most iconic roles as Holly Golightly, the swinging ’60s party girl hiding the mean reds underneath her carefree exterior, and indeed, one of the most iconic of all ’60s movies.
1961 USA. Director: Blake Edwards. Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal.

Love and Death
Three Woody Allen films are making their way to (or back to) Instant Watch – this, Interiors, and Zelig. I chose to highlight this one because I haven’t seen it, and really want to. Good enough?
1975 USA. Director: Woody Allen. Starring: Diane Keaton, Woody Allen.

Warehouse 13: Seasons 1-2
One of my favorite geeky TV shows in recent years, though I sadly fell behind on Season 3. But if you haven’t gotten into it yet, it’s a really fun breezy show that makes all those trivial things you somehow know as a geek seem incredibly useful.
2009-2010 USA. Creator: Jane Espenson, D. Brent Mote. Starring: Joanne Kelly, Eddie McClintock.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed
This genre film hit a lot of the right buttons with a lot of people on the festival circuit a couple of years ago, but disappeared (pun intended) pretty quickly from theatrical release – quickly enough that I missed it. Very much looking forward to checking it out now.
2009 UK. Director: J Blakeson. Starring: Martin Compston, Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan.

Bibliotheque Pascal
I caught this Hungarian film at LAFF last year, and really enjoyed it – it’s a fantasy-to-escape-reality type film, with a mother weaving a wild tale that may or may not be true in order to retain custody of her daughter. Very well done in all aspects.
2010 Hungary, dir Szabolcs Hajdu, stars Orsolya Torok-Illyes, Andi Vasluianu.

OTHER INSTANT WATCHES
30 Rock: Season 5 (2010 USA, creator Tina Fey, stars Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin)
Across the Wide Missouri (1951 USA, dir William A. Wellman, stars Clark Gable)
Annie (1982 USA, dir John Huston, stars Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney)
Assassination Tango (2002 USA, dir Robert Duvall, stars Robert Duvall, Ruben Blades)
Babe: Pig in the City (1998 USA, dir George Miller, stars James Cromwell)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954 USA, dir Joseph L. Mankiewicz, stars Humphrey Bogart)
The Bernie Mac Show (2001-2005 USA, creator Larry Wilmore, stars Bernie Mac)
The Biggest Loser (2004-2011 USA, creator Dave Broome, Benjamin Silverman, Mark Koops, stars Jillian Michaels)
Biutiful (2010 Mexico, dir Alejandro González Iñárritu, stars Javier Bardem)
The Blues Brothers (1980 USA, dir John Landis, stars John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd)
Brokedown Palace (1999 USA, dir Jonathan Kaplan, stars Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale)
Brothers and Sisters: Season 5 (2010 USA, creator Jon Robin Baitz, stars Sally Field)
The Cape (2011 USA, creator Thomas Wheeler, stars David Lyons, Keith David)
Caprica (2009 USA, creator Ronald D. Moore, stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales)
Child’s Play (1988 USA, dir Tom Holland, stars Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif)
The Cleveland Show (2008-2010 USA, creator Seth MacFarlane, stars Mike Henry)
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983 UK, dir Blake Edwards, stars David Niven, Herbert Lom)
Death Wish (1974 USA, dir Michael Winner, stars Charles Bronson, Hope Lange)
The Event (2010 USA, creator Nick Wauters, stars Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer)
Father Knows Best (1954-1956 USA, creator Ed James, stars Robert Young, Jane Wyatt)
Frasier (1993-2003 USA, creator David Lee, David Angell, Peter Casey, stars Kelsey Grammer)
The Great Train Robbery (1978 USA, dir Michael Crichton, stars Sean Connery)
I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK (2006 South Korea, dir Chan-wook Park, stars Jung Ji-hoon)
In Like Flint (1967 USA, dir Gordon Douglas, stars James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb)
Interiors (1978 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Diane Keaton, Kristin Griffith)
Jackie Brown (1997 USA, dir Quentin Tarantino, stars Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson)
King Kong (1976 USA, dir John Guillermin, stars Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges)
Law & Order: Seasons 1-8 (1990-1997 USA, creator Dick Wolf, stars Michael Moriarty)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Seasons 6-9 (2006-2010 USA, creator Dick Wolf, stars Vincent D’Onofrio)
Lonely are the Brave (1962 USA, dir David Miller, stars Kirk Douglas)
M. Butterfly (1993 Canada, dir David Cronenberg, stars Jeremy Irons, John Lone)
Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2005 USA, creator Linwood Boomer, stars Frankie Muniz)
Meet Joe Black (1998 USA, dir Martin Brest, stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins)
Midnight Cowboy (1969 USA, dir John Schlesinger, stars Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight)
The Office: Season 7 (2010 USA, creator Greg Daniels, stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson)
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982 USA, dir Taylor Hackford, stars Richard Gere)
Parenthood: Seasons 1-2 (2010 USA, creator Jason Katims, stars Peter Krause)
Parks and Recreation: Season 3 (2010 USA, creator Greg Daniels, Michael Schur, stars Amy Poehler)
Psych: Season 5 (2010 USA, creator Steve Franks, stars James Roday, Corbin Bernsen)
The Russia House (1990 USA, dir Fred Schepisi, stars Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer)
The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966 USA, dir Norman Jewison, stars Alan Arkin)
Scream (1996 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox)
Session 9 (2001 USA, dir Brad Anderson, stars David Caruso, Peter Mullan)
Skins: Vol 3 (2009 UK, creator Jamie Brittain, Bryan Elsley, stars Kaya Scodelario)
Stardust Memories (1980 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling)
Supercop (1992 Hong Kong, dir Stanley Tong, stars Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh)
Super Troopers (2002 USA, dir Jay Chandrasekhar, stars Erik Stolhansek, Steve Lemme)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985 USA, dir William Friedkin, stars William Petersen)
Vampire’s Kiss (1989 USA, dir Robert Bierman, stars Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Beals)
War Arrow (1953 USA, dir George Sherman, stars Maureen O’Hara, Jeff Chandler)
Warlock (1959 USA, dir Edward Dmytryk, stars Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda)
The Wonder Years (1988-1992 USA, creator Carol Black, Neal Marlens, stars Fred Savage)
Zelig (1983 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Woody Allen, Mia Farrow)

See all new and upcoming titles.

Instant Watch Expiring Picks

Bella (2006 USA, dir Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, stars Tammy Blanchard) [10/5]
Gigli (2003 USA, dir Martin Brest, stars Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez) [10/5]
The Animal Kingdom (1932 USA, dir Edward H. Griffith, stars Myrna Loy) [10/6]
Ararat (2002 Canada, dir Atom Egoyan, stars Charles Aznavour) [10/6]
Fierce Creatures (1997 UK, dir Fred Schepisi, Robert Young, stars Kevin Kline) [10/6]
Spartacus (2010 USA, creator Steven S. DeKnight, stars John Hannah) [10/7]
The Designated Mourner (1997 USA, dir Mke Nichols, stars Miranda Richardson) [10/10]
My Date with Drew (2003 USA, dir Jon Gunn, Brian Herzlinger, stars Drew Barrymore) [10/10]
Now That’s Funny (2005 USA, stars Sarah Silverman, Tom Green) [10/10]
Less Than Zero (1987 USA, dir Andrew McCarthy, stars Robert Downey Jr) [10/11]
The Beguiled (1971 USA, dir Don Siegel, stars Clint Eastwood, Gerladine Page) [10/13]
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009 USA, dir Peter Cornwell, stars Virginia Madsen) [10/14]
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997 USA, dir Clint Eastwood, stars John Cusack) [10/17]

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.