This week we have the latest from Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained,” the best avenging slave western you’ll see this year. If you want to get even more depressing check out Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts playing parents who get swept away in a tsunami and their heart-wrenching journey to reconnect in “The Impossible.” And if you’re looking for a streaming marathon, check out the sweet Jim Jarmusch picks on Hulu.
NEW RELEASES
‘Django Unchained’
Quentin Tarantino’s blood soaked Western stars Jamie Foxx as a slave-turned-free-man who is on a mission to find his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) no matter the cost. With his bounty hunter mentor Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) by his side, the two find their way into the world of Calvin Candie, the twisted owner of a sprawling plantation where Broomhilda is a slave.
Why Watch It: Tarantino is in his genre-loving glory with Waltz giving a entertaining performance, which earned him an Oscar.
Available On: iTunes, VUDU, Amazon Instant [On Demand 4/16]
‘The Impossible’
Set in 2004, Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts star as parents who find themselves part of a colossal tsunami while vacationing in Thailand. What unfolds is a struggle for survival as they and their children are split up and try to search for one another.
Why Watch It: An heart-wrenching account based on a the mother’s account.
Available On: iTunes, VUDU, Amazon Instant [On Demand 4/23]
‘Venus and Serena’
Here we’re given an all access pass into the lives of the two most polarizing tennis players in the world, and they happen to be sisters. Directors Maiken Baird and Michelle Major highlight the lives of Venus and Serena Williams in 2011, while both were suffering career-ending injuries.
Why Watch It: See a side of the sister that will surprise you.
Available On: Cable On Demand [In Theaters May 10]
‘LUV’
In an impressive performance by Common, the rapper plays an ex-con who agrees to spend the day with his nephew and in the process exposes him to the realities of everyday life.
Why Watch It: A hit at Sundance, Common works well opposite newcomer Michael Rainey Jr.
Available On: Cable On Demand, iTunes, VUDU
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
‘Three Kings’
David O. Russell’s heist/war movie follows four soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze) at the end of the Gulf War who plot to steal gold from Kuwait but in the process become liberators.
Available On: iTunes, VUDU, Amazon Instant, Redbox Instant, Google Play
‘Midnight Cowboy’
John Schlesinger’s landmark X-Rated best picture winner stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight as down on their luck friends who try to survive the harsh New York City streets in the winter with dreams of moving to Florida.
Available On: iTunes, Netflix, VUDU, Amazon Instant, Redbox Instant
Jim Jarmusch on Hulu
Five Jarmusch titles that have received the Criterion treatment are now available for free on Hulu. Get trapped in the director’s world with come of his classics—Mystery Train, Night on Earth, Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law and Permanent Vacation.
