Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for June 25, 2013
By Max Braden
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Maybe it's time to expand the business into a new building.
Every week, I search through movie release schedules to find movie rentals that I would have otherwise missed for lack of TV advertising. I'll watch the big name releases along with everyone else, but I know from experience that sometimes the box office failures, critically panned, straight-to-DVD, and independently financed movies that nobody's heard of can offer some real hidden gems. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. This column is dedicated to bringing awareness to those potential treasures. Listed alphabetically, each movie includes a list of notable cast members, a basic plot summary, its DVD and/or cloud release date (based on Netflix - other services may have the movie earlier), and the basic reason why the movie caught my attention. With any luck, one or more of these will catch your attention, too. My picks of the week are listed at the end of the column.

Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the week of:

June 25th (click the movie title to see the trailer)

The Call
Who: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, Michael Imperioli, Michael Eklund
What: A thriller starring Halle Berry as a 911 emergency call operator who is caught up in a serial killer case. After losing a kidnapped girl to the killer, Berry's character gets another call from a kidnapped girl (Breslin) and works to rescue the girl before it's too late. Chestnut plays a fellow officer and Berry's boyfriend, Imperioli plays a random driver, and Eklund plays the killer.
When: June 25th - DVD and online on demand
Why: It's a serial killer thriller that features more thrill than kill (still rated R), so I'm interested. A 911 operator getting personally involved in the rescue of a kidnapped victim by leaving the call center seems unlikely, but hey, it's Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin.

The Kill Hole
Who: Chadwick Boseman, Tory Kittles, Peter Greene, Ted Rooney
What: A crime thriller about former members of a military unit involved in a scandal from the past and a series of killings back home. Chadwick Boseman plays an Iraq veteran who is home and working as a cab driver in Oregon. He's approached by a security contractor (Peter Greene and Ted Rooney) to track and kill a former member of his platoon (Tory Kittles), who is killing executives of the contractor and also knows a scandalous secret from their past. Zane plays an unrelated veteran who is trying to help Boseman's character adjust to civilian life.
When: June 25th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Boseman is best known now for playing Jackie Robinson in the movie 42, which should help generate some interest in this movie. Kittles is known for Get Rich or Die Tryin', and Greene is known for Pulp Fiction.

No
Who: Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Néstor Cantillana, Luis Gnecco
What: A political drama set in Chile during Pinochet's rule in 1988. With the opportunity of an election, a group of political activists hire an ad creator (Bernal) to come up with a TV campaign for their "No" position on the referendum to keep Pinochet in power. Bernal's character faces intimidation, censorship, and moral conflict as the election comes closer. The movie is based on an unpublished play written by Antonio Skarmeta.
When: June 25th - DVD and online on demand
Why: Though I grew up knowing about Pinochet's infamy, watching this movie would be a good refresher on life in Chile at the time. Bernal has been in a number of notable roles, particularly as Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries. No was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in the most recent Academy Awards.

Upside Down
Who: Kirsten Dunst, Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall
What: A sci-fi romance set in a solar system with twin planets - one rich, one poor - with opposing gravity that affects both populations as in a dream. Sturgess lives on the poor planet but is in love with Dunst's character on the rich planet, and he risks everything to be with her.
When: June 25th - DVD and online on demand
Why: The sci-fi effects in the trailer for this movie look really nifty, if illogical: people can just "fall" from one planet back to their own if they wear and remove anti-gravity weights. So it looks as if part of the action involves the gravitational elements, and the other part of the story is the Romeo-and-Juliet romance. That reminds me of Justin Timberlake's movie In Time. My expectations are that it won't be a great movie, but watching it will satisfy a curiosity.

What I'm watching this week: This is a short week for dvd releases. The Call is the most obvious choice for being the one major movie among the releases. Halle Berry's presence, with Breslin, is enough for me to be interested, even if the thriller looks predictable. The movie that I'm most curious about is Upside Down due to its sci-fi elements. They don't quite make sense, but the visuals look pretty cool from the trailer. And it has Kirsten Dunst so that's a draw, too. No will be my educational movie of the week, providing some background on the Pinochet era. This movie will probably appeal to the international and film festival crowd as well, since it was nominated for an Oscar. The Kill Hole isn't something that immediately grabs my attention, but because Boseman's star is rising since playing Jackie Robinson, it might be worth checking this out for more of his acting.

Coming next week:
6 Souls, The Girl, A Good Day to Die Hard, Identity Thief, Inescapable, Mental