New Release Pick of the Week

Haywire
So far, Haywire is still sitting at the top of my Best of 2012 list; granted, I’ve only seen five or six 2012 films so far, but still. Steven Soderbergh’s old-school take on the action genre doesn’t waste any time getting to the point, and lets Gina Carano loose to do her thing, and her thing is pretty awesome.
2012 USA. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas.

Other New Releases

Suits Season 1 (2011 USA, creator Aaron Korsh, stars Gabriel Macht)
W.E. (2011 UK, dir Madonna, stars Abbie Cornish, James D’Arcy)

Catalog Pick of the Week

Tim Burton Collection Blu-ray
A pretty nice-looking Amazon-exclusive set of Tim Burton Blus, mainly focusing on his early career, which is a very good thing. Although I would’ve included Edward Scissorhands over Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for sure (or a number of others). Still, if you don’t have these already, it’s a decent box.
Includes Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns, Mars Attacks!, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Other Catalog Releases

WARNER ARCHIVE
Bridge to the Sun (1961 USA, dir Etienne Périer, stars Carroll Baker)
Flareup (1969 USA, dir James Neilson, stars Raquel Welch)
Hullabaloo (1940 USA, dir Edwin L. Marin, stars Frank Morgan)
This Could Be the Night (1957 USA, dir Robert Wise, stars Jean Simmons)

About a Boy Blu-ray (2002 UK, dir Chris & Paul Weitz, stars Hugh Grant)
Jeremiah Johnson Blu-ray (1972 USA, dir Sydney Pollack, stars Robert Redford)
Meet Joe Black Blu-ray (1998 USA, dir Martin Brest, stars Brad Pitt)
Men in Black II Blu-ray (2002 USA, dir Barry Sonnenfeld, stars Will Smith)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997 USA, dir Michael Cohn, stars Sigourney Weaver)
The Virginian Season 6 (1968 USA, stars James Drury)
Wagon Train Season 5 (1961 USA, stars Frank McGrath)

Instant Watch Picks of the Week

Adaptation.
My personal favorite film of 2002, and of Spike Jonze filmography (yes, I like it more than Being John Malkovich), and one of the best explorations of Hollywood screenwriting I’ve ever seen. A double-feature of this and Barton Fink, and you’re all set.
2002 USA. Director: Spike Jonze. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton.

Dog Day Afternoon
I won’t say this was the most impressive of the New Hollywood marathon I did a couple of years ago (that would be a trio of Altman films), but definitely right up there – this film electrified me in ways I never expected from what seems to be a fairly straightforward bank robbery story. The character-building here makes it oh so much more than that, though, and it’s burning through my memory even yet.
1975 USA. Director: Sidney Lumet. Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon.

Other Instant Watch Releases

The Addams Family (1991 USA, dir Barry Sonnenfeld, stars Anjelica Huston)
Addams Family Values (1993 USA, dir Barry Sonnenfeld, stars Anjelica Huston)
American Heart (1992 USA, dir Martin Bell, stars Jeff Bridges)
Analyze This (1999 USA, dir Harold Ramis, stars Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal)
Angel Eyes (2001 USA, dir Luis Mandoki, stars Jennifer Lopez)
Angel and the Badman (1947 USA, dir James Edward Grant, stars John Wayne)
The Assassination of a High School President (2008 USA, dir Brett Simon, stars Mischa Barton)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982 USA, dir Colin Higgins, stars Dolly Parton)
Big Daddy (1999 USA, dir Dennis Dugan, stars Adam Sandler)
Big Night (1996 USA, dir Stanley Tucci, stars Tony Shalhoub)
The Border (1982 USA, dir Tony Richardson, stars Jack Nicholson)
The Borrowers (1997 USA, dir Peter Hewitt, stars John Goodman)
Bubba Ho-Tep (2000 USA, dir Don Coscarelli, stars Bruce Campbell)
Cemetery Junction (2010 UK, dir Ricky Gervais, stars Felicity Jones)
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003 USA, dir McG, stars Drew Barrymore)
Cold Comfort Farm (1995 USA, dir John Schlesinger, stars Kate Beckinsale)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989 USA, dir Gus Van Sant, stars Matt Dillon)
Elektra Luxx (2010 USA, dir Sebastian Gutierrez, stars Carla Gugino)
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995 USA, dir Christopher Monger, stars Hugh Grant)
Everything is Illuminated (2005 USA, dir Liev Schreiber, stars Elijah Wood)
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992 USA, dir Bill Kroyer, stars Robin Williams)
Hannibal (2001 USA, dir Ridley Scott, stars Anthony Hopkins)
High Anxiety (1977 USA, dir Mel Brooks, stars Mel Brooks)
The House of Usher (1960 USA, dir Roger Corman, stars Vincent Price)
Insomnia (2002 USA, dir Christopher Nolan, stars Al Pacino)
Jumanji (1995 USA, dir Joe Johnston, stars Robin Williams)
The Lawnmower Man (1992 USA, dir Brett Leonard, stars Pierce Brosnan)
Legends of the Fall (1994 USA, dir Edward Zwick, stars Brad Pitt)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2007 USA, dir Clint Eastwood, stars Ken Watanabe)
Marvin’s Room (1996 USA, dir Jerry Zaks, stars Meryl Streep)
Matilda (1996 USA, dir Danny DeVito, stars Mara Wilson)
Meet Joe Black (1998 USA, dir Martin Brest, stars Brad Pitt)
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997 USA, dir P.J. Hogan, stars Julia Roberts)
The Omega Man (1971 USA, dir Boris Sagal, stars Charlton Heston)
The People vs. George Lucas (2009 USA, dir Alexandre O. Phillippe)
The Raven (1963 USA, dir Roger Corman, stars Vincent Price)
Running Scared (1986 USA, dir Peter Hyams, stars Billy Crystal)
Scent of a Woman (1992 USA, dir Martin Brest, stars Al Pacino)
Sea of Love (1989 USA, dir Harold Becker, stars Al Pacino)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993 USA, dir Nora Ephron, stars Tom Hanks)
Sneakers (1992 USA, dir Phil Alden Robinson, stars Robert Redford)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011 China/USA, dir Wayne Wang, stars Gianna Jun)
Starship Troopers (1997 USA, dir Paul Verhoeven, stars Caspar Van Dien)
Steel Magnolias (1989 USA, dir Herbert Ross, stars Sally Field)
Stuart Little (1999 USA, dir Rob Minkoff, stars Hugh Laurie)
The Thirteenth Floor (1999 USA< dir Josef Rusnak, stars Craig Bierko) The Wiz (1978 USA, dir Sidney Lumetm, stars Diana Ross)

Expiring Picks of the Week

Sherlock [5/9]
I’ve been meaning to get to this highly acclaimed modernized version of Sherlock Holmes for quite a while now, and looks like my time is running out.
2010 UK. Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs.

The Third Man [5/12]
Combining a noirish story and style with a very European sensibility, British director Carol Reed managed to create one of the most quintessential noir films of all time, and yet one of the most unique. Cotten heads to Vienna to find out what happened to his old friend (Welles), but discovers far more than he bargained for.
1949 UK/USA. Director: Carol Reed. Starring: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli.

Other Instant Watch Expirations

I didn’t list them all out individually, but if you like Mystery Science Theatre 3000, a bunch of episodes expire on the 15th. Check out the full list of expirations for more info.

A Somewhat Gentle Man (2010 Norway, dir Hans Petter Moland, stars Stellan Skarsgård) [5/3]
Art & Copy (2009 USA, dir Doug Pray) [5/4]
Mulholland Falls (1996 USA, dir Lee Tamahori, stars Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith) [5/7]
Little Shop of Horrors (1960 USA, dir Roger Corman, stars Jack Nicholson) [5/12]
The Trial (1962 USA, dir Orson Welles, stars Anthony Perkins) [5/12]
Johnny Got His Gun (1971 USA, dir Dalton Trumbo, stars Timothy Bottoms) [5/15]
Un chien andalou (1929 France, dir Luis Buneul) [5/15]

See all expiring titles.