Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for March 5th
By Max Braden
March 7, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the week of
March 5th:
Amazing Racer
Who: Julianne Michelle, Eric Roberts, Louis Gossett Jr., Claire Forlani, Charles Durning, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg, Willie Garson
What: A family-friendly drama about a teenage girl (Michelle) who looses her father, finds her mother (Forlani) and takes up caring for and racing horses under the guidance of a horse trainer (Gossett). Roberts plays the racing antagonist.
When: March 8th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Families could certainly rent this. I would watch Forlani in anything, and the rest of the cast appeals to me. (Garson plays the partner in crime on the USA tv series White Collar).
The Bay
Who: Kristen Connolly, director Barry Levinson
What: Connolly plays a reporter in this horror thriller about a government coverup of a toxic outbreak linked to the Chesapeake Bay, using the found-footage filmmaking device.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Connolly was one of the sexy castmembers in The Cabin in the Woods, so I'd watch this to see her. The found-footage style feels old these days, but I do like outbreak horror movies. Mostly, though, I was fascinated to see Levinson's name pop up, since he's known more for political dramas and comedies like Rain Man and Good Morning, Vietnam.
California Solo
Who: Robert Carlyle, Kathleen Wilhoite, Danny Masterson
What: Carlyle plays a former British rock musician who's been living in Los Angeles but faces deportation after an arrest for drunk driving. The drama has him reassessing his life.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: If you don't know them by name: Carlyle plays Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin on Once Upon a Time, Wilhoite was the head waitress in Road House, and Masterson played Hyde on That 70's Show and stars in Men At Work.
A Dark Truth
Who: Andy Garcia, Deborah Kara Unger, Eva Longoria, Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, Kevin Durand
What: In this thriller, Garcia plays a former CIA agent who hosts a political radio show but is drawn back into the action when he's hired by a corporate whistle blower (Unger) to expose a violent and environmental atrocity coverup in South Africa. Longoria and Whitaker play local activists.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: An action flick featuring a CIA agent and a coverup is right up my alley, and it helps to have some strong actors here. I'm a fan of Kim Coates, who is part of the cast of Sons of Anarchy, and Durand, who was in Lost and X-Men Origins Wolverine as Dukes.
A Late Quartet
Who: Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Katherine Keener, Wallace Shawn
What: The looming retirement of a cellist from a renowned string quartet sets off a conflict of egos and emotions.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I don't know about a quartet, but the trio of Walken-Hoffman-Keener is a big draw.
Lay the Favorite
Who: Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vince Vaughn, Joshua Jackson, Laura Prepon, Corbin Bernsen
What: Hall plays a stripper who heads to Las Vegas seeking a better life. In the process she falls for a sports gambler, played by Willis. Zeta-Jones plays the gambler's wife.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I'm a big fan of Hall, and I'm always up for watching a Bruce Willis movie. Adding Vegas to the mix makes it more enticing.
Playing for Keeps
Who: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Denis Quaid, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer
What: Butler plays a former soccer star who's now trying to get his life together by coaching his son's (Noah Lomax) soccer team and trying to reconnect with his ex-wife (Biel).
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I'm a soccer fan but I'm not usually interested in Butler unless he's blowing things up. Biel, on the other hand, is a draw. I also like Quaid in everything he's in. This movie opened in sixth place against much stronger repeat-performing box office hits in early December.
The Playroom
Who: John Hawkes
What: Set in the early '70s, four suburban kids observe their parents exploring the tricky ground of the sexual revolution with their neighbors.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I'm not interested in dramas set in the 1970s or in wife-swapping, but Hawkes has been stellar in a series of movies lately, most recently The Sessions.
Stand Off
Who: Brendan Fraser, Colm Meaney
What: This crime action/comedy stars Martin McCann as a young guy who is deep in debt with a mob boss, but in an attempt to get the money, he inadvertently robs the guy he owes. Pursued by the mob and a detective (Meaney), he takes refuge in a shop with the help of a shopowner, played by Fraser. In Europe this movie was titled Whole Lotta Sole.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: A crime caper gone wrong is my kind of movie. Director Terry George got an Oscar nomination for writing Hotel Rwanda, which he also directed.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Who: Kristen Stewart, James Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, Billy Burke, Maggie Grace, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli
What: The conclusion to the saga, the second part to the third sequel, making this the...fifth...movie in the series. Bella and Edward now struggle to protect their child from the warring clans.
When: March 2nd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: You're pretty much gung ho about seeing this or staying away. It earned huge box office but also a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture. I have not enjoyed watching the angsty drama of the series, though some of the special effects are nifty. I'll probably see this eventually to check it off my list, but the only pleasure I expect to get out of it is Michael Sheen's performance. I think he's great in everything.
Unconditional
Who: Lynn Collins, Michael Ealy, Bruce McGill
What: "Inspired by true events" this PG-13 faith-based drama stars Collins as a woman who loses her husband in a violent tradgedy and almost heads down the path of vengeance before she's led on a better path by a group of kids and an a friend, played by Michael Ealy. McGill plays a detective.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I'd watch the lovely Collins in anything - she was recently in John Carter and 10 Years. I've been a McGill fan since way back when he was helping MacGyver get out of - and in to - scrapes. He's recently costarred on the tv series Rizzoli & Isles.
Wreck-It Ralph
Who: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Adam Corolla, Horatio Sanz
What: An animated adventure from Disney similar to Monsters, Inc. where a video game "villain" decides to leave his game and explore the others in his arcade, causing panic to the system.
When: March 5th - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Most everyone has at least seen the advertising for this. It opened to almost $50 million, lost the Oscar for Best Animated Picture to Brave, and has great reviews from critics and moviegoers. Perfect for kids and adults.
What I'm watching this week:
Based on a goal of watching 200 movies per year, I try to watch - or limit myself to - four movies per week. The big movies this week of course are the Twilight conclusion and Wreck-It-Ralph. I have little interest in Twilight other than seeing it so I can say I did. So instead I'll be watching Wreck-It-Ralph, which of course everyone should see. I think I'll rent A Dark Truth and Stand Off for some more mature action and adventure. And I really want to see Lay the Favorite because of Rebecca Hall, and to check off yet another Bruce Willis movie.
Coming next week:
Freaky Deaky, Rise of the Guardians, Silent Hill: Revelation, Skyfall, Smashed, The Devil's in the Details, The First Time, The Man With the Iron Fists, The Sessions, This Must Be the Place, Venus and Vegas