DVD Release Calendar: July 2012

July 3

All movies are 2012 releases unless otherwise noted. Availability: DVD | Blu-ray | Both Blu-ray and DVD

God Bless America 56 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is the writer and director behind this dark satire that depicts a down-on-his-luck insurance salesman (Joel Murray) who becomes so fed up with the dumbing-down of America that he embarks on a killing spree, targeting only deserving victims like reality show stars. Joining him on his murderous road trip is a high school student (Tara Lynne Barr) who shares his disgust. Many critics considered it a misstep for Goldthwait, though not an egregious one.

More new releases on July 3, 2012
63	The Hunter Jacek Koman, Morgana Davies, Sam Neill, Willem Dafoe	Add to Queue
41	Jesus Henry Christ Michael Sheen, Toni Collette	Add to Queue
	The Pirate Movie (1982) Kristy McNichol, Christopher Atkins	Add to Queue
	Six Pack (1982) Kenny Rogers, Diane Lane, Erin Gray	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Barbarella (1968) Jane Fonda
75	Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Tom Cruise
	Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (1967) Tomas Milian
	The Entity (1982) Barbara Hershey
65	The Horse Whisperer (1998) Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas
41	Phenomenon (1996) John Travolta
60	Treasure Planet (2002) 10th Anniversary Edition
52	Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) Diane Lane
TV on DVD
	Dynasty Season 6
	Inspector George Gently Series 4
	Man vs. Wild Season 6
	Mannix Season 7
	Rocko's Modern Life Season 3
	Saturday Night Live The Women of SNL
	Sheena Season 2
	The Streets of San Francisco Season 3 (Vols. 1 and 2)

July 10

American Reunion 49 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

The first outing for the original American Pie 58 gang since 2003’s American Wedding 43 finds Jim (Jason Biggs), Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), Stifler (Sean William Scott), Oz (Chris Klein), Heather (Menu Suvari), Vicky (Tara Reid), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) returning to East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion. Original writer Adam Herz returns, teaming with directors Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz (the guys behind the Harold and Kumar films), and while the result wasn't quite the worst of the four films, it was a relative failure at the box office, so don't expect another reunion.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope 64 Add to Queue

Morgan Spurlock's (Super-Size Me 73) latest documentary is a loving tribute to the die-hard comic, sci-fi, and fantasy fans who flock to San Diego's Comic-Con each summer. Filmed at the convention in 2010, the Joss Whedon- and Stan Lee-produced A Fan's Hope wisely minimizes Spurlock's screen time in favor of telling the stories of five attendees, interspersed with interviews of participants such as Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, and Seth Rogen. Two different collector's editions of the DVD come with action figures of the likes of Lee, Whedon, Spurlock, and Harry Knowles.

Margaret 61 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

This divisive drama about a high school student (Anna Paquin) who witnesses—and possibly causes—a fatal accident was hailed by some critics as one of the best films of 2011, though others found it deeply flawed. What's undeniable is the film's tortured journey to the big screen: writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me 85) toiled for six years to edit the film (even turning those duties over to Martin Scorsese at one point) without success, resulting in a lengthy delay that sparked several lawsuits and a finished product that still might not represent the director's true intent. However, the DVD/Blu-ray release (an Amazon exclusive, for now) will include a second version of the film that adds 36 minutes to the theatrical cut, boosting its running time over the three-hour mark. Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Kieran Culkin, Olivia Thirlby, and Matthew Broderick also star.

More new releases on July 10, 2012
53	Being Flynn Paul Dano, Robert De Niro; based on Nick Flynn's memoir	Add to Queue
60	Fightville Documentary	Add to Queue
46	The Flowers of War Christian Bale; dir. by Zhang Yimou	Add to Queue
	I Kissed a Vampire Musical	Add to Queue
59	On the Ice Indie thriller	Add to Queue
60	Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog Japanese family film	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Altered States (1980) William Hurt
37	The Astronaut's Wife (1999) Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp
	Brainstorm (1983) Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood
	Chariots of Fire (1981) Best picture winner
	Coma (1978) Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas
	Outland (1981) Sean Connery
TV on DVD
	Adventure Time Season 1
	The Big Bang Theory Season 1 / Season 2
	Dark Shadows Complete Series
	Earthworm Jim Complete Series
	Father Dowling Mysteries Season 2
	The Glades Season 2
	iCarly Season 4
	JEM and The Holograms Season 3
	Warehouse 13 Season 3

July 17

Casa de mi Padre 52 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

A Spanish-language comedy starring Will Ferrell? ¡Muy loco! The feature directorial debut for former SNL writer Matt Piedmont, Casa de mi Padre ("House of My Father") finds Ferrell's Armando Alvarez falling in love with his brother's (Diego Luna) fiance but teaming with him to save their family ranch from an evil drug lord (Gael García Bernal). If that sounds like the storyline to a telenovela, well, that's the point (though this, of course, is intentionally funny—or at least tries to be). Ferrell's not the only gringo to show up, by the way; Nick Offerman also has a small role.

Friends with Kids 55 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Writer/actress Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein 72, Ira & Abby 62) made her feature directing debut in the spring with this so-so romantic comedy about two best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together while maintaining a platonic relationship. Their relationship fears are reflected by those of two other couples—the Bridesmaids pairings of Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig and Chris O’Dowd and Maya Rudolph—while Megan Fox and Edward Burn act as temptation for the friendly couple post-baby. Will they remain “just friends?” We'll give you one guess.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 58 + Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

Director Lasse Hallström's career has been heading downhill over the past decade, with only one film during that time frame (2007's little-seen The Hoax 70) earning decent reviews. While his latest film was certainly no match for What's Eating Gilbert Grape or Cider House Rules 75, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen served as a modest step in the right direction. The romantic comedy about a British government scientist who is prodded by the British government to join a project to introduce salmon to the wadis of the Yemen stars Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, and Kristin Scott Thomas. It also features a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire 86), based on the acclaimed novel by Paul Torday.

More new releases on July 17, 2012
54	4:44 Last Day on Earth Willem Dafoe; directed by Abel Ferrara	Add to Queue
40	The Beat Hotel Documentary	Add to Queue
57	Extraterrestrial Spanish-language sci-fi comedy	Add to Queue
66	The Fairy Indie comedy	Add to Queue
45	Intruders Clive Owen	Add to Queue
48	Lockout Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace	Add to Queue
	Mamitas Indie drama	Add to Queue
	Never Stand Still Documentary	Add to Queue
44	Patagonia Rising Documentary	Add to Queue
56	The Three Stooges Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, Will Sasso	Add to Queue
80	The Turin Horse Final film from director Bela Tarr	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Camelot (1967) Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave
	Down By Law (1986) Criterion Collection
	Hard to Kill (1990) Steven Seagal
	High Noon (1952) 60th Anniversary Edition
	Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter
	Mean Streets (1973) Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel
	Singin' in the Rain (1952) 60th Anniversary Edition
TV on DVD
63	Alphas Season 1
	American Masters: Johnny Carson: King of Late Night PBS documentary
	Bonanza Season 3
	Dan Vs. Season 1
	Designing Women Final Season
	Diff'rent Strokes Season 3
	Eureka Season 5
72	The Inbetweeners The Complete Series
	Leverage Season 4
	Sanctuary Season 4

July 24

The Deep Blue Sea 82 Add to Netflix Queue

A few reviewers found the material a bit too dated, but this adaptation of Terence Rattigan's 1952 play of the same name by Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives) drew mostly raves from critics, especially for Rachel Weisz's powerful performance as a woman whose life is torn apart when she cheats on her older husband (Simon Russell Beale) with a young war veteran (Tom Hiddleston).

Jiro Dreams of Sushi 77 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer

This appropriately narrowly focused documentary looks at 85-year-old Jiro Ono, who runs a tiny, unassuming sushi counter in a Tokyo subway station that is considered by some critics to serve the best sushi in the world. A story of one man's lifelong dedication to perfecting his craft, the well-made Jiro also has enough "food porn" on display that you'll definitely want to run out for sushi after watching the film.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1

For its first-ever Blu-ray release, the premiere season of Star Trek: The Next Generation has been painstakingly converted into high definition, with recomposited special effects (that are vastly improved compared to the original) and new 7.1 surround sound, as well as new bonus features. Sure, the first season is easily TNG's worst—remember, when watching the reruns on TV, it's safe to change the channel if you don't see Riker's beard—but if consumers don't show any interest in this set, we may not get the same enhanced treatment for the subsequent (superior) seasons. In celebration of the Blu-ray release, two of the season's better episodes ("Where No One Has Gone Before" and "Datalore") will also be given a rare theatrical screening in about 500 cineplexes nationwide on the night of July 23rd.

More new releases on July 24, 2012
38	Brake Stephen Dorff	Add to Queue
82	Footnote Israeli drama	Add to Queue
	Meeting Evil Samuel L. Jackson, Luke Wilson	Add to Queue
30	My Way South Korean war drama	Add to Queue
49	Silent House Horror	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	The Last Days of Disco (1998) Criterion Collection
63	Life (1999) Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence
	Metropolitan (1990) Criterion Collection
65	Mystery Men (1999) Ben Stiller, Geoffrey Rush, Greg Kinnear
TV on DVD
78	Boss Season 1
	Childrens' Hospital Season 3
	Michael Wood's Story of England Miniseries
	The Real McCoys Season 1
	Touched by an Angel Season 5
59	Treasure Island Syfy movie
	The Untouchables Season 4

July 31

Hatfields & McCoys 68 Add to Netflix Queue

America's most infamous (and possibly most bloody) family rivalry, the long-running feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys was a surprise hit for the History Channel when it aired as an original three-part miniseries in May. Kevin Costner, who also produces, stars as the head of West Virginia's Hatfield clan, while Bill Paxton plays his former Civil War buddy turned Kentucky rival Randall McCoy. Tom Berenger, Powers Boothe, and Mare Winningham also star, and the series is directed by frequent Costner collaborator Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld).

Le Havre [Criterion Collection] 82 + Queue Watch Trailer

The first feature from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki (The Man Without a Past) in five years was a hit at last year's Cannes, and similarly impressed American critics upon its limited release here last fall. Described as a "political fairy tale," the black comedy revolves around the relationship between a shoeshine man and a young African refugee facing deportation in the French harbor city of Le Havre. The DVD/Blu-ray release comes via Criterion, which means there are plenty of extras, including interviews and footage from Cannes.

More new releases on July 31, 2012
34	ATM Alice Eve, Brian Geraghty, Josh Peck	Add to Queue
45	Detention Dane Cook, Josh Hutcherson, Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke	Add to Queue
71	Last Days Here Documentary about Pentagram frontman Bobby Liebling	Add to Queue
	LOL Miley Cyrus	Add to Queue
48	We The Party Mario Van Peebles, Michael Jai White	Add to Queue
Older movies debuting on Blu-ray
	Body and Soul (1947) John Garfield
	Force of Evil (1948) John Garfield
	Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell
	La Grande Illusion (1937) Jean Gabin, Erich Von Stroheim
	How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable
	River Of No Return (1954) Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum
	The Seven Year Itch (1955) Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell
	There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) Marilyn Monroe, Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor
TV on DVD
	The Magic School Bus Complete Series
	Melrose Place Season 7
	Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XXIV
81	The Weight of the Nation HBO documentary miniseries

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