Watchlist
Notable DVD releases for July 2, 2013
By Max Braden
July 4, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Here's my watchlist of DVD and cloud releases for the week of:
July 2nd (click the movie title to see the trailer)
6 Souls (aka Shelter)
Who: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Conroy, Nathan Corddry
What: A psychological thriller starring Julianne Moore as a psychiatrist who has made a career out of debunking claims of multiple personality disorder. She's challenged by a new patient, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who seems to be possessed by the personalities of murder victims. DeMunn plays another psychiatrist, Corddry plays Moore's brother, Frances Conroy plays the patient's mother.
When: July 2nd - DVD,online on demand, and Netflix Streaming
Why: Moore's pedigree means I always put her on my watchlist, but I also like Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Though the basis for this movie seems to be supernatural possession, I like that at least there's an analytical aspect to it, which leads to the psychological thriller category instead of just horror.
AE: Apocalypse Earth
Who: Adrian Paul, Richard Grieco, Bali Rodriguez, Gray Hawks
What: A sci-fi action flick that looks like a knockoff of Will Smith's After Earth: a group people who escape an alien attack on Earth lands on another jungle-covered planet where they have to fight off the native species to survive.
When: July 2nd - DVD
Why: I'm always intrigued by these knockoffs, mostly by how it's legal to make such blatant copy of a blockbuster. The movie's production company, The Asylum, is known for making these knockoffs. This one caught my attention more for the presence of Adrian Paul and Richard Grieco. Grieco in particular is someone I expected to be a long term star after the late '80s tv shows 21 Jump Street and Booker. So while the movie looks like a cheap action flick suitable for the SyFy channel, I could imagine watching this if I had nothing else to do.
The Girl
Who: Abbie Cornish, Will Patton, Maritza Santiago Hernandez
What: An emotional drama starring Abbie Cornish as a single mother whose daughter was taken from her in a custody battle due in part to her lack of money. Visiting Mexico with a friend (Patton) she sees an opportunity to make some money smuggling immigrants across the border, but ultimately decides to help a young Mexican girl who is all alone.
When: July 2nd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Sucker Punch was a letdown, but Cornish made an impression. She's taking on a role here that would be something I'd imagine Maggie Gyllenhaal doing, too.
A Good Day to Die Hard
Who: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cole Hauser, Yuliya Snigir
What: The fifth movie in the action franchise about tough NY detective John McClane. This time, McClane's son, played by Jai Courtney, finds himself caught up in a crime in Russia. McClane goes to help and they soon find themselves caught up in an explosive government scandal.
When: July 2nd - DVD and online on demand
Why: I'm a big fan of the Die Hard series but I have to admit that I wasn't really a fan of Live Free or Die Hard. A good Die Hard movie should have McClane trapped in one location, where he's the only thing standing between terrorists and the good guys. So ramping up the stakes by putting him overseas seems more suitable to a James Bond movie. Still, Die Hard movies promise action and there appears to be plenty of that in the trailer, so I'm fairly enthusiastic about seeing this fifth entry.
Identity Thief
Who: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Banks, Genesis Rodriguez
What: A road trip comedy starring Bateman as a married man named Sandy Patterson who unwittingly gives up his personal information to an identity thief (McCarthy), and then decides to chase her down and confront her.
When: July 2nd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Both Bateman and McCarthy are great comedians in their own way, and I think pairing them up for a comedy like this is brilliant. Unfortunately the Rotten Tomatoes score for this movie is down at 20%, but I expect that even if the movie's dumb, I won't regret having spent time watching it.
Inescapable
Who: Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Oded Fehr
What: A thriller starring Siddig as a former Syrian intelligence official who has settled in Toronto. He receives word that his daughter has gone missing in Damascus and sets out to find her while dodging elements of his past.
When: July 2nd - DVD
Why: I first became familiar with Siddig as Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He's continued to work since then, in the tv series 24, and Primeval, as well as in movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Syriana, and Clash of the Titans. Putting him in a spy thriller with Tomei and Oded Fehr sounds like a good mix to me.
This week celebrates Independence Day, and what better way to celebrate patriotism than watch Bruce Willis tear up Russia in A Good Day to Die Hard? I'm hoping Identity Thief will bring the same level of enthusiasm in comedic form, though the reviews don't seem promising. Those big name movies are the obvious choices this week, but among the others I'm most interested in seeing Inescapable. The Middle Eastern spy thriller and the presence of Siddig, Tomei, and Fehr make it seem interesting. After that, I'd probably lean toward The Girl because of Abbie Cornish, though it's a drama that doesn't necessarily appeal to me. Similarly, 6 Souls could turn out to be a decent thriller but I'm more interested in the performances of Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers than I am the plot potential. AE: Apocalypse Earth can't be much worse than its inspiration, After Earth, based on that movie's Rotten Tomatoes score, but still, this is a movie that I would catch on tv if I were being lazy on the couch, but probably not one I'd make an effort to rent.
Coming next week:
Dead Man Down, The Gatekeepers, The Power of Few, Spring Breakers, Tyler Perry's Temptation