DVD Release Calendar: January 2012

January 3

All movies are 2011 releases unless otherwise noted. Availability: DVD | Blu-ray | Both Blu-ray and DVD

Contagion 70 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Steven Soderbergh's first dramatic film in two years (which kicks off an especially prolific period for the director, who has two more movies arriving in the next six months) was this fall's well-reviewed thriller about a deadly global pandemic. The ensemble cast is packed with stars even in many of the minor roles: think Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bryan Cranston, and Jude Law.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 56 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Produced and co-written by Guillermo del Toro, this haunted house chiller is a remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie of the same name about a young girl who discovers that she, her dad, and his girlfriend are not the only things residing in their home. Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes star, while comic book artist Troy Nixey makes his feature directorial debut. Many critics found it derivative, though passable.

The Guard 78 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

This Irish fish-out-of-water action-comedy finds an American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) pairing up with an unorthodox Irish cop (Brendan Gleeson) on the Emerald Isle to stop an international drug smuggling ring. The film was a huge hit in Ireland, and had no problem entertaining American critics as well thanks to its snappy (and profane) comedic dialogue.

I Don't Know How She Does It 38 + Netflix Queue Trailer

Sarah Jessica Parker stars as a working mother trying to keep her husband, kids, and bosses happy in this comedy based on the novel by Allison Pearson. Douglas McGrath (Infamous 68) directs a cast that also includes Greg Kinnear as Parker’s husband, Pierce Brosnan as an intriguing new client, and Seth Meyers, Kelsey Grammer, Olivia Munn, Jessica Szohr, Sarah Shahi, and Jane Curtin in supporting roles. Critics mainly found it unfunny and out of touch with reality.

Justified: Season 2 91

In its second season on the air, FX's crime drama about a U.S. Marshal with a checkered past (Timothy Olyphant) went from good to flat-out great, and was heralded by many critics as one of the best shows of 2011. The season-long story arc finds Olyphant's Raylan Givens confronting a local drug-dealing family led by Margo Martindale (who won an Emmy for her performance) and trying to manage his longtime nemesis Boyd Crowder (played by the Emmy-nominated Walton Goggins).

More new releases on January 3, 2012
	Chris Isaak: Live in Concert + Greatest Hits: Live Two concerts
50	Dog Sweat Iranian drama	Add to Queue
33	The Greening of Whitney Brown Family drama	Add to Queue
38	I Am Tom Shadyac documentary	Add to Queue
69	The Last Lions Documentary	Add to Queue
59	Pearl Jam Twenty Already released on DVD
54	Puncture Chris Evans	Add to Queue
	Ringo Starr and the Roundheads: Live
22	Shark Night Horror	Add to Queue
	Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: Live
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
64	Proof (2005) Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal
52	Serendipity (2001) John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Eugene Levy, Jeremy Piven
	She's All That (1999) Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook
58	Unleashed (2005) Bob Hoskins, Jet Li, Morgan Freeman
TV on DVD
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 5
69	Mildred Pierce HBO miniseries
	Royal Pains Season 3 Vol. 1

January 10

Higher Ground 74 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) makes her directorial debut and stars in this character study about a teen girl who, married and pregnant, immerses herself deeply in religion, only to start questioning her faith later as an adult when her marriage begins to unravel. The generally well-reviewed drama is based on the Carolyn Briggs memoir This Dark World.

Killer Elite 44 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, and Clive Owen star in this action film based on Ranulph Fiennes’ book The Feather Men, which itself claims to be based on actual events involving a hit squad named “The Clinic” that targeted members of the British Special Air Service. (It's not related to Sam Peckinpah's similarly titled 1975 film The Killer Elite.) Director Gary McKendry's feature film debut generally left critics unimpressed despite the strong cast, though action fans could find enough to like here to merit a rental.

Moneyball 87 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

You don't have to be a sabermetrician to enjoy this crowd-pleasing adaptation of Michael Lewis' 2003 nonfiction book about Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and his statistics-oriented approach to assembling a baseball team. One of the best-reviewed films of 2011—and a likely multiple Oscar nominee—Moneyball stars Brad Pitt (who plays Beane), Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bennett Miller (Capote 88) directs from a sparkling script by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian.

What's Your Number? 35 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Thirty-five, as it turns out. Actually, this rom-com's titular question doesn't concern the film's low Metascore, but rather the number of past mates for a woman (Anna Faris) who decides to revisit her sexual past in an attempt to find Mr. Right. It's based on the book by Karyn Bosnak; think of it as High Fidelity without the good music (or, apparently, good anything).

More new releases on January 10, 2012
37	1911 Jackie Chan	Add to Queue
63	Aurora Romanian drama	Add to Queue
62	Film Socialisme Directed by Jean-Luc Godard	Add to Queue
73	Night and Day (2009) Korean dramedy set in Paris	Add to Queue
56	Saving Private Perez Mexican action comedy	Add to Queue
33	There Be Dragons Directed by Roland Joffé	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
56	Fever Pitch (2005) Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore
41	John Tucker Must Die (2006) Jesse Metcalfe, Ashanti
28	Just Married (2003) Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy
29	Just My Luck (2006) Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine
60	Never Been Kissed (1999) Drew Barrymore, David Arquette
48	Shallow Hal (2001) Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black
TV on DVD
	An Idiot Abroad Season 1
88	Boardwalk Empire Season 1
	Columbo Mystery Movie Collection
	Hawaii Five-0 [Original series] Season 12
	thirtysomething Season 1 Vol. 2

January 17

Abduction 25 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Taylor Lautner's attempt to break out of the Twilight box was a flop with critics and moviegoers. This thriller centers on a young man (Lautner) who must unravel the mystery of his life after noticing his photo on a missing persons website. John Singleton returns to directing for the first time since 2005’s Four Brothers 49, and the strong supporting cast includes Lilly Collins as Lautner’s love interest, Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello as his parents (or are they?), as well as Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, and Michael Nyqvist.

The Ides of March 67 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

George Clooney's latest directorial effort was certainly better than his previous one (Leatherheads 56), though it was overshadowed by its stars' (Clooney and Ryan Gosling) other fall films. Based on the Beau Willimon play Farragut North, the political thriller follows the back-room dealings of a modern day presidential campaign; Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood round out the cast.

Mysteries of Lisbon 82 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

A European television miniseries that gets released theatrically in the United States to tremendous critical acclaim? In 2010, that film was Carlos; in 2011, it is Portugal's Mysteries of Lisbon. The four-and-a-half-hour drama tells a complex and twisty story that spans three decades; think of it as a highbrow soap opera.

More new releases on January 17, 2012
	Belle de Jour (1967) Criterion Collection
9	Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star Nick Swardson	Add to Queue
42	Courageous Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes	Add to Queue
37	Dirty Girl Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy	Add to Queue
46	Killing Bono Irish period dramedy	Add to Queue
49	Special Treatment Isabelle Huppert	Add to Queue
67	United Red Army Japanese period thriller based on a true story	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Bad Girls (1994) Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Drew Barrymore, Andie MacDowell
79	Dead Poets Society (1989) Robin Williams
42	Drive Me Crazy (1999) Adrian Grenier, Melissa Joan Hart
	Dutch (1991) Ed O'Neill
	Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) Robin Williams
	Project X (1987) Matthew Broderick
86	Traffic (2000) Criterion Collection
TV on DVD
	Adam-12 Season 6
	America in Primetime PBS miniseries
	Delocated Seasons 1 & 2
	Merlin Season 3
	Sliders Season 5
78	Thurgood HBO movie
	Webster Season 4

January 24

50/50 72 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Based on screenwriter Will Reiser's own cancer survival story, this mostly praised dramedy (yes, it goes for laughs throughout) finds Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing a character based on Reiser, while Reiser's real-world friend Seth Rogen takes that same role in the film. The supporting cast includes Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston, Matt Frewer, and Philip Baker Hall.

Paranormal Activity 3 59 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

A slight improvement over the second film in the rapidly growing horror series, Paranormal Activity 3 moves the action back in time to the 1980s and brings in yet another new director—or, rather, directors—in Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who helmed the controversial "documentary" Catfish 65.

Real Steel 56 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 48) departs from his usual comedy template to direct this drama about boxing robots and family bonds starring Hugh Jackman as a washed-up fighter trying to survive by building low-end robots for underground boxing events. After bottoming out, he teams up with his estranged son (played by Dakota Goya) and a robot named Atom to try for one last comeback. The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Hope Davis, and Lost’s Evangeline Lilly and Kevin Durand. Despite only so-so reviews, the film performed well enough that a sequel is in the works.

More new releases on January 24, 2012
45	Another Happy Day Ellen Barkin, Kate Bosworth, Ellen Burstyn, Demi Moore	Add to Queue
	Godzilla (1954) Criterion Collection
	Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl Bollywood rom-com	Add to Queue
59	The Lie Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler, Mark Webber	Add to Queue
57	Limelight Documentary	Add to Queue
	The Moment of Truth (1965) Criterion Collection
47	Restless Directed by Gus Van Sant	Add to Queue
63	Revenge of the Electric Car Documentary	Add to Queue
	U2: From the Sky Down
59	The Whistleblower Rachel Weisz, Benedict Cumberbatch	Add to Queue
58	The Woman Horror	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen
	Manhattan (1979) Woody Allen
	Notorious (1946) Cary Grant
	Rebecca (1940) Laurence Olivier
	See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder
	Spellbound (1945) Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman
	Stir Crazy (1980) Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder
	Stripes (1981) Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy
	The Toy (1982) Richard Pryor, Jackie Gleason
	Wings (1927) Clara Bow
TV on DVD
	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 6 Part 2
	Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Season 1
	Kojak The Complete Movie Collection
	Mannix Season 6
	Meet the Browns Season 4 Episodes 61-80

January 31

Drive 79 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Filled with moments of surprising violence and enough style for three films, the minimalist action-drama Drive isn't for everyone, but count us among those who feel it was one of the best films of the past year. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson 71, Valhalla Rising 61) was named best director at Cannes for this adaptation of James Sallis’s novel about a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Ryan Gosling won raves for his lead performance—as did Albert Brooks in an against-type supporting role—while Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, and Christina Hendricks also star.

In Time 53 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca 64) offers another bleak vision of the future in his latest (and less successful) film, which takes place in a world where people stop aging at 25, the currency is time, and the rich can live forever while the poor must work to extend their lives. Justin Timberlake plays Will Salas, a regular guy who wakes up mysteriously owning more than a century of time, which makes him a wanted man. The cast includes Olivia Wilde as Timberlake’s mom, Amanda Seyfried as his love interest, Cillian Murphy as a member of the police force known as “timekeepers,” with support from Vincent Kartheiser, Matt Bomer, and Alex Pettyfer.

The Thing 49 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Despite that title, 2011's The Thing is not a remake of John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi monster movie classic of the same name (itself a remake of a 1951 film), but instead a prequel to that film. Relatively unknown filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. used Carpenter's film as a template, striving to get every last detail right so that the two films would match up, but the result was a middling box office flop. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) heads an otherwise mostly Norwegian cast.

More new releases on January 31, 2012
53	The Big Year Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson	Add to Queue
42	Chalet Girl Felicity Jones	Add to Queue
37	The Double Richard Gere, Topher Grace	Add to Queue
35	Dream House Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz	Add to Queue
52	Janie Jones Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Shue	Add to Queue
80	The Mill & The Cross Rutger Hauer, Charlotte Rampling, Michael York	Add to Queue
67	Outrage Takeshi Kitano	Add to Queue
54	Spork Indie comedy	Add to Queue
49	Texas Killing Fields Crime thriller directed by Ami Canaan Mann	Add to Queue
81	Thunder Soul Music documentary	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
83	Adaptation. (2002) Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep
73	Cold Mountain (2003) Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger
87	The English Patient (1996) Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Willem Dafoe
61	Frida (2002) Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina
64	Grand Canyon (1991) Steve Martin, Danny Glover, Kevin Kline
89	The Piano (1993) Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, Sam Neill
87	Shakespeare In Love (1998) Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes
	To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 50th Anniversary Edition
TV on DVD
	Poirot Series 1 & 2
	Star Trek: The Next Generation The Next Level collection (3 episode sampler with updated effects)