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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:

July 23rd (click the movie title to see the trailer)

Arcadia
Who: John Hawkes, Ryan Simpkins, Ty Simpkins, Kendall Toole
What: A coming-of-age and road trip family drama about a father (Hawkes) driving his three kids across country to a promised great life in a new home in California. Told largely from the viewpoint of the 12-year-old middle child, Greta (Ryan Simpkins), the kids first believe that their mother will be joining them at the end of the journey, but it becomes more clear that the ultimate reality of their trip is far different than the dream.
When: July 23rd - DVD
Why: Hawkes has received two Screen Actors Guild nominations in the past three years, for Winter's Bone (his first Oscar nomination) and The Sessions. With the main characters stuck together for the length of the movie, this looks like another good opportunity for him to deliver a strong performance in a understated manner.

Crazy Kind of Love
Who: Virginia Madsen, Graham Rogers, Amanda Crew, Sam Trammell, Zack Gilford, Anthony LaPaglia, Aly Michalka, Eva Longoria, Christopher Atkins
What: A get-back-on-your-feet drama/romance based on the 1995 novel Angel Angel by April Stevens. Madsen plays a wife and mother whose husband (LaPaglia) has left her for another woman (Longoria). As she wallows in her depression, the extroverted girlfriend of her son (Amanda Crew and Graham Rogers) has moved into their house, and a family acquaintance (Trammell) expresses a romantic interest. Gilford plays the other son in the family.
When: July 23rd - DVD and online on demand
Why: Although this is billed as Madsen's movie, the trailer makes it look like the energy of the movie is in the hands of Amanda Crew. I could imagine this movie being decent, but despite the good cast, is similar to the type of Lifetime Channel movie I would skip. True Blood fans will be familiar with Trammell, and Gilford of course played Matt Saracen in Friday Night Lights.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Who: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin
What: A comedy about Las Vegas magicians. Carell and Buscemi play life-long best friends and partners whose stage routine has gotten stale. Their friendship and stage success is threatened due to pressure from a casino owner played by Gandolfini and a wild, new era magician played by Carrey. Wilde plays an assistant who tries to keep the pair's relationship together, and Arkin plays an retired old school magician.
When: July 23rd - DVD and online on demand
Why: This is the significant wide release movie of the week, but not necessarily the best. I've seen it, and Carrell and Carrey are both doing their typical things. That's familiar territory, but in line with the movie's plot, a little stale. I did have some interest in the magic tricks they were going to show, as I was with Now You See Me. The key appeal for me was Olivia Wilde, who has a funny opening scene but unfortunately has mostly reaction shots later on. Arkin too seems like he could have been better used. For Gandolfini fans, this is one of his last performances on screen before he died too soon this year.

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