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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
April 30 (click the movie title to see the trailer)

The Details
Who: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Kerry Washington, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert
What: Maguire stars in this dark comedy as a suburban husband who cheats on his wife (Banks) and gets on the bad side of another husband (Liotta), digging himself deeper and deeper into trouble.
When: April 30th - DVD and Online On Demand
Why: My primary interest among the cast is Banks, but Maguire is well-suited for the kind of dark and twisted R-rated comedy this is. For when you're in the mood for offbeat.

The Guilt Trip
Who: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Kathy Najimy, Casey Wilson, Yvonne Strahovski, Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, Nora Dunn, Ari Graynor
What: A PG-13 road trip comedy about an inventor who decides to take his mom along for a long-distance sales trip with the idea that he can help her get past being a widow.
When: April 30th - DVD and Online On Demand
Why: Screenwriter Dan Fogelman previous wrote the Disney movies Cars, Fred Claus, Bolt, and Tangled, and created the TV sitcom The Neighbors, which is a homerun pedigree for me. This looks typical of Rogen's goofy-guy charm, and fans of Streisand's performances in Ben Stiller's Fockers movies would probably enjoy her similar role in this movie.

Not Fade Away
Who: John Magaro, Jack Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett, Christoper McDonald, Isaiah Whitlock, Jr., director David Chase
What: An intimate drama set in 1960s New Jersey, about guy caught between his old-school father and his group of friends struggling to achieve success as a rock & roll band.
When: April 30th - DVD and Online On Demand
Why: Director David Chase (creator of The Sopranos) worked with Steven Van Zandt to infuse the movie with music from the 1950s and 1960s. I expect it might work out to be a quieter companion piece to Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous.

Silver Linings Playbook
Who: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, John Ortiz
What: Cooper plays a former high school teacher who's suffered a mental breakdown after his marriage collapsed, and moves in with his parents to live under their watch. He meets a young widow (Lawrence) and they make an unenthusiastic deal to help each other get past each other's pain.
When: April 30th on DVD and Online On Demand
Why: One of the Best Picture Oscar nominees, this was one of my favorite movies last year, particularly because of Lawrence's sharp and sexy performance. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her role, while Cooper, De Niro, and Weaver were also nominated.


What I'm watching this week:

This is a short week as far as releases go, with only four movies notable to me based on cast or reviews. The movie I've seen but will recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it yet of course is Silver Linings Playbook. It earned Jennifer Lawrence (one of my favorite performances of the year) her first Oscar but also demonstrated that Bradley Cooper can act in more than genre movies. Of the releases I haven't seen yet, Not Fade Away is at the top of my list because of strong reviews. The Details is one of those movies I'm interested in on a late, quiet night for its weirdness, and I'm always interested in what Elizabeth Banks will do in a role. Finally, I'm not a big Streisand fan, but based on the screenwriter's resume, I'll check out The Guilt Trip for some laughs.

Note: two movies from the beginning of April - John Dies at the End, and Bad Kids Go to Hell - are now available on Netflix Streaming in addition to DVD and Online On Demand.

Coming next week:

Barrymore, Hyde Park on the Hudson, If I Were You, Jack Reacher, Mighty Fine, Norman, The Oranges, Revenge for Jolly!, Safe Haven