New Release Pick of the Week

Martha Marcy May Marlene
I didn’t make it out to see the Sundance darling psychological thriller about a woman struggling after leaving a cult, and I know it inspired some heated debates on the Cinecast, but I’m definitely still very interested in checking it out. Not only to see what the Olsen twins’ little sister can do (apparently a lot), but anytime John Hawkes is on screen seems like a good thing to me.
2011 USA. Director: Sean Durkin. Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes.

Other New Releases

Blank City (2011 USA, dir Celine Dahnier, stars Deborah Harry, Steve Buscemi)
Borgia: Season 1 (2011 USA, stars Art Malik, John Doman)
London Boulevard (2011 UK, dir William Monahan, stars Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley)
The Mighty Macs (2011 USA, dir Tim Chambers, stars Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz)
Nurse Jackie: Season 3 (2011 USA, stars Edie Falco, Peter Facinelli)
Retreat (2011 UK, dir Carl Tibbetts, stars Cillian Murphy, Jamie Bell)
The Son of No One (2011 USA, dir Dito Montiel, stars Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes)
War of the Arrows (2011 South Korea, director Han-min Kim, stars Hae-il Park)
The Way (2011 USA, dir Emilio Estevez, stars Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen)

Catalog Pick of the Week

Anatomy of a Murder: Criterion Collection
I often throw Criterion releases up here out of habit, because it’s usually worthwhile trusting Criterion, but in this case, I can actually wholeheartedly recommend this film – one of the best courtroom dramas ever made, with James Stewart going toe-to-toe with George C. Scott over a murder case with a self-defense plea. Oh yeah, there’s rape in there, too. Director Preminger was known for pushing the Hays Code buttons, and this is no different. Some great performances all around backed up by a fantastic Duke Ellington jazz score.
1959 USA. Director: Otto Preminger. Starring: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott.

Other Catalog Releases

Chain Lightning (1950 USA, dir Stuart Heisler, stars Humphrey Bogart)
Conflict (1945 USA, dir Curtis Bernhardt, stars Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith)
Kansas City Confidential / The Stranger Blu-ray (1952/1946, dir Phil Carlson / Orson Welles)
Matlock: Season 7 (1993 USA, stars Andy Griffith, Kene Holliday)
Underdog: The Complete Series (1964-1966, stars George S. Irving, Wally Cox)
You Can’t Get Away With Murder (1939 USA, dir Lewis Seiler, stars Humphrey Bogart)

Instant Watch Picks of the Week

Pretty slow week for new Instant Watches, so you might want to drop down and get in some of the expiring ones before they, well, expire. There’s a bunch down there that are well worth watching.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
I wasn’t too big a fan of this film (currently Brazil’s number one box office hit) when I saw it, but I think it would improve for me on rewatch. The all-out action I was expecting based on descriptions of the first Elite Squad film, which I still haven’t seen, is muted here, as the film focuses in on corruption in the police force. It still has its moments of quick-cut intensity, but the measured parts of the film probably deserve more credit than I originally gave them.
2010 Brazil. Director: José Padilha. Starring: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro

Possession
There’s no comparison between this film and the fantastic and extremely literary novel it’s based on, but that’s not how we judge movies, and after rewatching this not too long ago, I appreciated it for what it is on its own. Its dual story between academics and the Victorian poets they study doesn’t balance quite as well as it should, but Jennifer Ehle and Jeremy Northam impress enough to overcome the rather bland turns by Paltrow and Eckhart.
2002 USA. Director: Neil LaBute. Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle.

Other Instant Watch Releases

Caged Heat (1974 USA, dir Jonathan Demme, stars Juanita Brown, Roberta Collins)
Grand Theft Auto (1977 USA, dir Ron Howard, stars Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan)
In Dreams (1999 USA, dir Neil Jordan, stars Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr)
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992 USA, dir Richard Donner, stars Mel Gibson, Danny Glover)
Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991 USA, dir Alex Keshishian, stars Madonna)
The Mod Squad (1999 USA, dir Scott Silver, stars Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi)
Psycho II (1983 USA, dir Richard Franklin, stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles)
Psycho III (1986 USA, dir Anthony Perkins, stars Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979 USA, dir Alan Arkush, stars P.J. Soles)
Teen Wolf (1985 USA, dir Rod Daniel, stars Michael J. Fox, James Hampton)
That ’70s Show S 1-8 (1998-2006 USA, stars Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis)
Women in Cages (1971 USA, dir Gerardo De Leon, stars Judith M. Brown)

Expiring Picks of the Week

Looks like we’re feeling the heat of Starz! departure from Netflix this month, as a whole bunch of stuff expires on the 29th, most of it Starz! content. There are also a bunch leaving on March 1st, so keep an eye out.

The Lady Eve (expires 2/28)
One of the few films I can rewatch over and over again (and easily my favorite of Preston Sturges’ comedies); I simply never get tired of Barbara Stanwyck’s dual performance as card sharp Jean and her refined alter-ego Eve Sidwich. Add in a hapless Henry Fonda, a cunning Charles Coburn, a suspicious William Demarest, and an exasperated Eugene Pallette, and more, and you’ve got one of the finest casts in classic comedy all at the height of their powers, and with a script to match them.
1941 USA. Director: Preston Sturges. Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, William Demarest, Eugene Pallette, Eric Blore.

Bedazzled (expires 2/28)
Not to be confused with the terrible remake with Brendan Fraser, the original Bedazzled is a delightful slice out of London’s Swinging Sixties, with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook making a hilarious dry comedy team as the put-upon everyman Stanley and the Devil who gives him a Faustian bargain to get the woman of his dreams. Director Stanley Donen had a number of finest hours, and this is definitely one of them.
1967 UK. Director: Stanley Donen. Starring: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron, Raquel Welch.

In the Mood for Love (expires 2/29)
Director Wong Kar Wai has made a number of gorgeous-looking, wistfully romantic films, and none more so than this quiet tale of forbidden love between two people in adjoining apartments who gradually spend more and more time together while their respective spouses are away from home for long periods of time. It’s one of the most understated romances ever, so subtle at first it’s easy to miss what’s going on. But it’s achingly real and true. One of those films that when you watch it, you know it’s going to be with you for a long time.
2000 Hong Kong. Director: Wong Kar Wai. Starring: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ping Lam Siu, Tung Cho ‘Joe’ Cheung, Rebecca Pan.

Party Down (expires 2/29)
You might not expect Starz! to have hosted one of the best sitcoms on TV, but there it is. Underseen and canceled too soon, Party Down‘s milieu of a Hollywood catering company filled with managers dreaming of bigger things and aspiring actors waiting for the next big thing is ripe for comedy, and showrunner Rob Thomas (of Veronica Mars) has the writing and cast to pull it off. Definitely check it out before it expires.
2009-2010 USA. Creator: Rob Thomas. Starring: Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen,Martin Starr, Megan Mullally, Jane Lynch, Kristen Bell.

Black Snake Moan (expires 3/1)
A blues-singing black man chains up a nubile white girl to prevent her from satisfying her nymphomaniac urges. Sounds like prime material for an exploitation film, right? Yet while this film definitely skirts those waters, it’s much, much better than you’d expect given the premise. It’s Southern Gothic through and through, but with a depth of character, emotion, and even story that sets it apart as one of the best surprises of its year.
2006 USA. Director: Craig Brewer. Starring: Christina Ricci, Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Cothran Jr.

Other Expiring Instant Watches

All the pictured films expire on February 29th.

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991, dir Mark Lester, stars Brandon Lee) [2/25]
Anastasia (1956, dir Anatole Litvak, stars Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner) [2/28]
April Love (1957 USA, dir Henry Levin, stars Pat Boone, Shirley Jones) [2/28]
Broken Lance (1954 USA, dir Edward Dmytryk, stars Spencer Tracy) [2/28]
Let’s Make It Legal (1951 USA, dir Richard Sale, stars Marilyn Monroe) [2/28]
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010, dir Mike Newell, stars Jake Gyllenhaal) [2/28]
River of No Return (1954, dir Otto Preminger, stars Marilyn Monroe) [2/28]
The Robe (1953 USA, dir Henry Koster, stars Richard Burton, Jean Simmons) [2/28]
The Snake Pit (1948, dir Anatole Litvak, stars Olivia de Havilland) [2/28]
A Wedding (1978, dir Robert Altman, stars Carol Burnett) [2/28]
Airheads (1994 USA, dir Michael Lehrmann, stars Adam Sandler) [2/29]
Airport (1970 USA, dir George Seaton, stars Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin) [2/29]
Airport ’77 (1977 USA, dir Jerry Jameson, stars Jack Lemmon, James Stewart) [2/29]
Airport 1975 (1974 USA, dir Jack Smight, stars Charlton Heston, Karen Black) [2/29]
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009 USA, dir Werner Herzog, stars Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes) [2/29]
The Bellboy (1960 USA, dir Jerry Lewis, stars Jerry Lewis, Alex Gerry) [2/29]
Billy Madison (1995 USA, dir Tamra Davis, stars Adam Sandler) [2/29]
Breaking Away (1979 USA, dir Peter Yates, stars Dennis Christopher) [2/29]
A Christmas Carol (2009 USA, dir Robert Zemeckis, stars Jim Carrey) [2/29]
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003 USA, dir Jim Jarmusch, stars Bill Murray) [2/29]
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982 USA, dir Carl Reiner, stars Steve Martin) [2/29]
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009 UK, dir J Blakeson, stars Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan) [2/29]
Eagle vs. Shark (2007 New Zealand, dir Taika Cohen, stars Jemaine Clement) [2/29]
Eight Men Out (1988 USA, dir John Sayles, stars John Cusack, Charlie Sheen) [2/29]
Elizabeth (1998 UK, dir Shekhar Kapur, stars Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush) [2/29]
The English Patient (1996 USA, dir Anthony Minghella, stars Ralph Fiennes) [2/29]
Frenzy (1972 USA, dir Alfred Hitchcock, stars Jon Finch, Alec McCowen) [2/29]
Happy Go Lucky (2008 UK, dir Mike Leigh, stars Sally Hawkins) [2/29]
HappyThankYouMorePlease (2010 USA, dir Josh Radnor, stars Josh Radnor) [2/29]
Jack Goes Boating (2010 USA, dir Philip Seymour Hoffman, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman) [2/29]
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 USA, dir Norman Jewison, stars Ted Neeley) [2/29]
Let Me In (2010 USA, dir Matt Reeves, stars Kodi Smit-McPHee, Chloe Moretz) [2/29]
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992 USA, dir Richard Donner, stars Mel Gibson) [2/29]
Lonely are the Brave (1962 USA, dir David Miller, stars Kirk Douglas) [2/29]
Mallrats (1995 USA, dir Kevin Smith, stars Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee) [2/29]
Mansfield Park (1999 USA, dir Patricia Rozema, stars Frances O’Connor) [2/29]
Michael Collins (1996 UK, dir Neil Jordan, stars Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts) [2/29]
The Naked Spur (1953 USA, dir Anthony Mann, stars James Stewart) [2/29]
The Nutty Professor (1963 USA, dir Jerry Lewis, stars Jerry Lewis) [2/29]
Patton (1970 USA, dir Franklin J. Schaffner, stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden) [2/29]
Prelude to a Kiss (1992 USA, dir Norman Rene, stars Meg Ryan, Alec Baldwin) [2/29]
Psycho II (1983 USA, dir Richard Franklin, stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles) [2/29]
Psycho III (1986 USA, dir Anthony Perkins, stars Anthony Perkins) [2/29]
Ronin (1998 USA, dir John McTiernan, stars Robert De Niro) [2/29]
Scarface (1983 USA, dir Brian De Palma, stars Al Pacino) [2/29]
Scream (1996 USA, dir Wes Craven, stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox) [2/29]
Secretariat (2010 USA, dir Randall Wallace, stars Diane Lane, John Malkovich) [2/29]
Shaolin Soccer (2001 Hong Kong, dir Stephen Chow, stars Stephen Chow) [2/29]
Stone (2020 USA, dir John Curran, stars Robert De Niro, Edward Norton) [2/29]
Teen Wolf (1985 USA, dir Rod Daniel, stars Michael J. Fox) [2/29]
That Thing You Do! (1996 USA, dir Tom Hanks, stars Tom Everett Scott) [2/29]
Tron: Legacy (2010 USA, dir Joseph Kosinski, stars Jeff Bridges) [2/29]
Vampire’s Kiss (1989 USA, dir Robert Bierman, stars Nicolas Cage) [2/29]
All the Pretty Horses (2000 USA, dir Billy Bob Thornton, stars Matt Damon) [3/1]
Encounters at the End of the World (2007 Germany, dir Werner Herzog) [3/1]
Go (1999 USA, dir Doug Liman, stars Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes) [3/1]
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967 USA, dir Stanley Kramer, stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn) [3/1]
High Noon (1952 USA, dir Fred Zinnemann, stars Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly) [3/1]
Hud (1963 USA, dir Martin Ritt, stars Paul Newman, Patricia Neal) [3/1]
The Italian Job (1969 UK, dir Peter Collinson, stars Michael Caine, Noel Coward) [3/1]
La Femme Nikita (1990 France, dir Luc Besson, stars Anne Parillaud) [3/1]
The Last Emperor (1987 Italy, dir Bernardo Bertolucci, stars Peter O’Toole) [3/1]
The Machinist (2004 USA, dir Brad Anderson, stars Christian Bale) [3/1]
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993 USA, dir Woody Allen, stars Woody Allen) [3/1]
The Odd Couple (1968 USA, dir Gene Saks, stars Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau) [3/1]
Panic Room (2002 USA, dir David Fincher, stars Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart) [3/1]
Romeo & Juliet (1968 UK, dir Franco Zeffirelli, stars Leonard Whiting) [3/1]
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990 USA, dir Tom Stoppard, stars Gary Oldman, Tim Roth) [3/1]
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993 USA, dir Steven Zaillian, stars Joe Mantenga) [3/1]
Silent Running (1971 USA, dir Douglas Trumbull, stars Bruce Dern) [3/1]
Stripes (1981 USA, dir Ivan Reitman, stars Bill Murray, Harold Ramis) [3/1]
To Sir With Love (1966 UK, dir James Clavell, stars Sidney Poitier) [3/1]
The Virgin Suicides (1999 USA, dir Sofia Coppola, stars Kirsten Dunst) [3/1]
War and Peace (1956 USA, dir King Vidor, stars Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn) [3/1]

See all expiring titles.