Not a bad week this week, though many of the films fall under curiosity rather than enthusiasm for me, but still. Can’t complain too much about that. With Halloween gone, it’s apparently time to start dumping Christmas direct-to-DVD movies, but we’re also seeing some blu-ray upgrades for GOOD Christmas films, so that’s nice to see. Also note three of TCM’s 4-movie collections, this week focusing on three of classic film’s most memorable couples. There are a good many decent new films on Instant as well, and not too many expirations to look out for, so I call that a good week on the streaming front.

New Release Picks of the Week

Tabloid
I’m not that big a documentary person, but everything I’ve heard about this film just makes it sound incredibly fun, and I’ll definitely get on board entertaining documentaries.
2010 USA. Director: Errol Morris. Starring: Joyce McKinney, Kent Gavin.
Amazon DVD | Netflix

Cars 2
It’s Pixar…it can’t be THAT bad, right? Right? I actually did like the first Cars film quite a bit, but based on reviews, some from people who also liked the first film, this may be Pixar’s first misstep. Still tempted to give it a look, though.
2011 USA. Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis. Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

Crazy, Stupid, Love
This is an incredibly winning cast, and even though I’m usually not into glossy romantic drama/comedy, I’m curious to check this out based on unexpectedly positive reviews.
2011 USA. Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Starring: Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

OTHER NEW RELEASES

Bunraku (2011 USA, dir Guy Moshe, stars Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Hot Coffee (2011 USA, dir Susan Saladoff, stars Joan Claybrook, Oliver Diaz; Netflix)
The Last Mountain (2010 USA, dir Bill Haney, stars Robert Kennedy Jr.; Netflix)
Machete Maidens Unleashed (2010 USA, dir Mark Hartley, stars Carmen Argenziano, John Landis; Netflix)
Magic Trip (2011 USA, dir Alex Gibney, Alison Ellwood, stars Ken Kesey; Netflix)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011 USA/China, dir Wayne Wang, stars Russell Wong, Bingbing Li; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Trespass (2011 USA, dir Joel Schumacher, stars Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Water for Elephants (2011 USA, dir Francis Lawrence, stars Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Without a Home (2009 USA, dir Rachel Fleischer; Netflix)
The Christmas Bunny (2010 USA, dir Tom Seidman, stars Florence Henderson; Netflix)
Christmas with a Capital C (2011 USA, dir Helmut Schleppi, stars Ted McGinley, Daniel Baldwin; Blu-ray)
The Craigslist Killer (2011 USA, dir Stephen Kay, stars Jake McDorman, Agnes Bruckner; Netflix)
Dear Santa (2011 USA, dir Jason Priestly, stars Amy Acker, Gina Holden; Netflix)
Holiday Baggage (2008 USA, dir Stephen Polk, stars Barry Bostwick, Cheryl Ladd)
An Invisible Sign (2010 USA, dir Marilyn Agrelo, stars Jessica Alba, J.K. Simmons; Blu-ray/Netflix)
The Nutcracker: The Untold Story (2010 USA, dir Andrey Konchalovskiy, stars Elle Fanning, Nathan Lane; Netflix)
The Santa Incident (2010 USA, dir Yelena Lanskaya, stars Greg Germann, Ione Skye)

Classic Picks of the Week

A Christmas Carol: 60th Anniversary Edition
This is widely considered to be the best adaptation of Dickens’ classic Christmas chiller (though I’m partial to the George C Scott version myself), and this is its debut in blu-ray, as well as a brand new edition on DVD.
1951 UK. Director: Brian Desmond Hurst. Starring: Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison.
Amazon DVD | Amazon Blu-ray | Netflix

TCM Greatest Classic Films: The Thin Man Vol. 1
These TCM sets are really fantastic bang for your buck, with four movies, most of the time good ones, for around $20. This one collects the first four (out of six) Thin Man movies, which is really about all the ones that are decent. The first two are fantastic and worth the cost of the set by themselves.
1934-1941 USA. Director W.S. Van Dyke, et al. Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy.
Amazon DVD

TCM Greatest Classic Films: Astaire & Rogers Vol. 2
This second release of Astaire & Rogers films isn’t quite as strong as the first, which includes their best two or three films, but these are still must-haves if you’re a fan, especially Follow the Fleet and Roberta.
1933-1939 USA. Director: Mark Sandrich, et al. Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers.
Amazon DVD

TCM Legends: Rooney & Garland
The run of films that Mickey and Judy made together are slight and fun, and if you’re a fan, these are the four you probably want to have – Girl Crazy in particular is solid, with a great Gershwin score.
1938-1943 USA, dir Busby Berkeley, et al, stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland.
Amazon DVD

Blu-Ray Picks of the Week

The Phantom of the Opera
Just NOT in time for Halloween comes a blu-ray release for one of the most famous silent horror films of all time, and likely the best film version of this story. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve seen two other versions and they’re…not that great.
1925 USA. Director: Rupert Julian. Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin.
Amazon Blu-ray

Scrooged
We had the classic straight take on A Christmas Carol above, and now we have the blu-ray bow of one of the best modernized/goofy takes on the story, which is great from start to finish.
1988 USA. Director: Richard Donner. Starring: Bill Murray, Karen Allen.
Amazon Blu-ray

Scarface
At some point I need to see this movie so I can stop having to say I’ve only seen the Howard Hawks version whenever the topic arises. Now it’s in blu-ray, so I can see it in super high-quality.
1983 USA. Director: Brian De Palma. Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer.
Amazon Blu-ray

OTHER BLU-RAY RELEASES

The Big Country (1958 USA, dir William Wyler, stars Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002 USA, dir George Clooney, stars Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore)
Cop Land (1997 USA, dir James Mangold, stars Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel)
Going Places (1974 France, dir Bertrand Blier, stars Gerard Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau)
The Grateful Dead Movie (1977 USA, dir Jerry Garcia, stars The Grateful Dead)
Hook (1991 USA, dir Steven Spielberg, stars Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hoskins)
Quigley Down Under (1990 USA, dir Simon Wincer, stars Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman)
Toy Story 3D Trilogy (1995-2010 USA, dir John Lasseter, stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen)

Television Releases

Californication: Season 4 (2011 USA, creator Tom Kapinos, stars David Duchovny, Evan Handler; Netflix)
Transformers: Beast Wars: Complete Series (1996-1998 USA, director Steve Sacks, stars Scott Brady, Garry Chalk; Netflix)
Deadliest Catch: Season 7 (2011 USA, creator Thom Beers, stars Mike Rowe, Phil Harris; Netflix)
Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary (1981 UK, stars Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews; Blu-ray/Netflix)
Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978 UK, dir Waris Hussein, stars Edward Fox, Cynthia Harris; Netflix)
The Ed Sullivan Show: The Rolling Stones (1960s USA, starring The Rolling Stones)
Rawhide: Season Four, Vol. 2 (??? USA, stars James Murdock, Eric Fleming; Netflix)

Instant Watch Picks of the Week

Downfall
The final days of Hitler through the eyes of his young secretary – it’s a look inside Hitler’s bunker that’s been parodied by countless YouTube videos, and yet the original is absolutely amazing still. One of the best movies of the aughts.
2004 Germany. Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel. Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara.

In the Loop
An uproarious satire on politics – especially British/American politics during the Bush/Blair era – with one of the best (and most foul-mouthed) scripts in recent memory. I recall not loving it as much as most bloggers, but I blame my political ignorance for that.
2009 UK. Director: Armando Iannucci. Starring: James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, Steve Coogan.

Pontypool
Awesome. I’ve actually been wanting to see this for a LONG time, probably since I started writing for this site and all the Canadians were raving about it, but never got a good chance. Now I have no excuse. Just wish it had made it out in time for Halloween, that would’ve been perfect.
2008 Canada. Director: Bruce McDonald. Starring: Stephan McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georginia Reilly.

Jesus Christ Superstar
Yes, I’ll admit it, this is my go-to movie every Good Friday (can’t actually say Easter, since the movie doesn’t have the Resurrection in it). I love it, what can I say.
1973 USA. Director: Norman Jewison. Starring: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson.

Girl, Interrupted
Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for her supporting role in this film, really the part that vaulted her into echelons of Hollywood stardom. It’s a solid movie, too, with a bunch of good actors playing crazy convincingly.
1999 USA. Director James Mangold. Starring: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg.

Panic Room
Not always regarded among Fincher’s best films, but it’s definitely a solid closed-space thriller, plus there’s the added bonus of Kristen Stewart before she started getting crappy career advice.
2002 USA. Director: David Fincher. Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart.

Hulk
I still haven’t seen either version of the Hulk, but this is the one I’m more drawn to check out, especially since it’s the one that seemed to piss the fanboys off more.
2003 USA. Director: Ang Lee. Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly.

My Voyage to Italy
Martin Scorsese’s love of American cinema is well-known, legendary even, but with his Italian-American background, it shouldn’t be too surprising that he has a great love for Italian cinema as well, and this documentary is his journey through the history of Italian cinema. I’m dying to find time to sit down with this.
1999 USA. Director: Martin Scorsese.

Welcome to the Rileys
Kristen Stewart gets a bad rap due to the Twilight films, but she’s actually pretty solid when she does less mainstream fare. I haven’t seen this yet, but I’m quite curious; the rest of the cast is really good as well.
2010 USA. Director: Jake Scott. Starring: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart.

The Escapist
Not a superhero film based on the comic in Michael Chabon’s Kavalier & Clay, but sounds to be a very solid British prison escape/crime film with some interesting stylistics going on. Good enough for me.
2008 UK. Director: Rupert Wyatt. Starring: Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper.

OTHER INSTANT WATCHES

The Accidental Husband (2008 USA, dir Griffin Dunne, stars Uma Thurman, Colin Firth)
At First Sight (1999 USA, dir Irwin Winkler, stars Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino)
Brassed Off (1996 UK, dir Mark Herman, stars Pete Postlethwaite, Ewan McGregor)
The Brown Bunny (2004 USA, dir Vincent Gallo, stars Vincent Gallo, Chloe Sevigny)
The Crossing Guard (1995 USA, dir Sean Penn, stars Jack Nicholson, Anjelica Huston)
Death Becomes Her (1992 USA, dir Robert Zemeckis, stars Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep)
Dirty Deeds (2005 USA, dir David Kendall, stars Milo Ventimiglia, Lacey Chabert)
Drive Me Crazy (1999 USA, dir John Schultz, stars Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier)
Father Ted (1995-1997 UK, creator Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews, stars Dermot Morgan)
Georgia (1995 USA, dir Ulu Grosbard, stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mare Winningham)
Ghosts of Mars (2001 USA, dir John Carpenter, stars Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge)
The Glass House (2001 USA, dir Daniel Sackheim, stars Leelee Sobieski, Diane Lane)
Gnomeo and Juliet (2011 USA, dir Kelly Asbury, stars Emily Blunt, James McAvoy)
Good Neighbors (2010 USA, dir Jacob Tierney, stars Jay Baruchel, Scott Speedman)
Hanging Up (2000 USA, dir Diane Keaton, stars Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow)
Hard Core Logo (1996 Canada, dir Bruce McDonald. stars Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie)
I Spy (2002 USA, dir Betty Thomas, stars Owen Wilson, Eddie Murphy)
In the Name of the Father (1993 UK, dir Jim Sheridan, stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson)
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001 USA, dir Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, stars Jennifer Westfeldt)
A Knight’s Tale (2001 USA, dir Brian Helgeland, stars Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany)
The Lovers on the Bridge (1991 France, dir Leos Carax, stars Denis Lavant, Juliette Binoche)
Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010 USA, dir Mark Hartley, stars Carmen Argenziano, John Ashley)
Medicine for Melancholy (2008 USA, dir Barry Jenkins, stars Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins)
The Mothman Prophecies (2002 USA, dir Mark Pellington, stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney)
A Murder of Crows (1999 USA, dir Rowdy Herrington, stars Cuba Gooding Jr, Eric Stoltz)
No Ordinary Family (2010 USA, creator Greg Berlanti, stars Julie Benz, Michael Chiklis)
Paris is Burning (1990 USA, dir Jennie Livingston)
The Peacemaker (1997 USA, dir Mimi Leder, stars George Clooney, Nicole Kidman)
Peep Show (2003-2010 UK, stars David Mitchell, Olivia Colman)
Random Hearts (1999 USA, dir Sydney Pollack, stars Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas)
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001 USA, dir Penny Marshall, stars Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn)
Scary Movie (2000 USA, dir Keenen Ivory Wayans, stars Shannon Elizabeth, Marlon Wayans)
Season of the Witch (2011 USA, dir Dominic Sena, stars Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman)
The Sky Crawlers (2008 Japan, dir Mamoru Oshii, stars Rinko Kikuchi, Chiaki Kuriyama)
The Son’s Room (2001 Italy, dir Nanni Moretti, stars Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante)
Sympathy for Delicious (2011 USA, dir Mark Ruffalo, stars Mark Ruffalo, Orlando Bloom)
The Tailor of Panama (2001 UK, dir John Boorman, stars Geoffrey Rush, Pierce Brosnan)
The Trouble with Angels (1966 USA, dir Ida Lupino, stars Hayley Mills, Rosalind Russell)
The Warrior’s Way (2009 New Zealand, dir Sngmoo Lee, stars Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth)
Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968 USA, dir James Neilson, stars Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998 USA, dir Gregory Nava, stars Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox)

See all new and upcoming titles.

Instant Watch Expiring Picks

The Money Pit (1986 USA, dir Richard Benjamin, stars Tom Hanks, Shelley Long) [11/3]
Badman’s Country (1958 USA, dir Fred F. Sears, stars George Montgomery, Neville Brand) [11/6]
The Red Badge of Courage (1951 USA, dir John Huston, stars Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin) [11/6]
Thunder Over the Plains (1953 USA, dir André De Toth, stars Randolph Scott, Lex Barker) [11/6]
Strange Days (1995 USA, dir Kathryn Bigelow, stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett) [11/7]
Jason X (2002 USA, dir James Isaac, stars Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig) [11/8]
That’s So Raven (2003-2006 USA, creator Michael Poryes, Susan Sherman, stars Raven-Symoné) [11/8]
Planet B-Boy (2007 USA, dir Benson Lee) [11/11]
Vision Quest (1985 USA, dir Harold Becker, stars Linda Fiorentino, Matthew Modine) [11/11]
MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches [11/12]
MST3K: Cave Dwellers [11/12]
MST3K: Crash of Moons [11/12]
MST3K: Hercules Against the Moon Men [11/12]
MST3K: Hercules Unchained [11/12]
MST3K: Lost Continent [11/12]
MST3K: Pod People [11/12]
MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space [11/12]
MST3K: The Beast of Yucca Flats [11/12]
She-Ra: Season 1 Vol 1 (1985 USA, creator ???, stars ???) [11/12]
Addicted to Love (1997 USA, dir Griffin Dunne, stars Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick) [11/13]
Navy Seals (1990 USA, dir Lewis Teague, stars Charlie Sheen, Michael Biehn) [11/13]
Benny’s Video (1992 Austria, dir Michael Haneke, stars Arno Frisch, Angela Winkler) [11/15]
The Castle (1997 Germany/Austria, dir Michael Haneke, stars Ulrich Mühe, Susanne Lothar) [11/15]
The Seventh Continent (1989 Austria, dir Michael Haneke, stars Leni Tanzer, Dieter Berner) [11/15]
The Tempest (1979 UK, dir Derek Jarman, stars Toyha Wilcox, Heathcote Williams) [11/15]

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.