On Demand Weekly

The Movies On Demand (MOD) August Preview of The Indies has arrived. Highlights of the new release schedule for August, 2011 include some great documentaries such as Morgan Spurlock’s POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD premiering August 23 and EXPORTING RAYMOND premiering August 2. Along with some highly anticipated titles such as MEEK’S CUTOFF starring Michelle Williams premiering August 17, THE CALLER starring TRUE BLOOD’S Stephen Moyer premiering August 26 and SKATELAND featuring TWILIGHT’S Ashley Green premiering August 30.

Almost every indie new release listed comes to Movies On Demand either before or the same day as DVD.

Enjoy On Demanding this month!


Indie Titles:


EXPORTING RAYMOND – Premieres August 2
Philip Rosenthal
PG, Documentary

Same Day as DVD


BURKE & HARE – Premieres August 5
Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher, Tom Wilkinson
TV-MA, Comedy/Thriller

Before Theatrical Release


THE BEAVER – Premieres August 5
Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Jennifer Lawrence
PG-13, Drama

Weeks Before DVD, Weeks Before Netflix and Redbox


THE GRACE CARD – Premieres August 16
Michael Joiner, Michael Higgenbottom, Louis Gossett Jr.
PG-13, Drama

Same Day as DVD


MEET MONICA VELOUR – Premieres August 16
Kim Cattrall, Dustin Ingram, Brian Dennehy.
R, Comedy/Drama

Same Day as DVD


QUEEN TO PLAY – Premieres August 16
Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Valérie Lagrange
TV-14, Drama

Same Day as DVD, Weeks Before Netflix and Redbox


MEEK’S CUTOFF – Premieres August 17
Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Shirley Henderson
PG, Western

Weeks Before DVD, Weeks Before Netflix and Redbox


35 & TICKING – Premieres August 22
Tamala Jones, Nicole Ari Parker, Keith Robinson, Darius McCrary, Meagan Good, Kevin Hart
R, Romance/Comedy

Before DVD

On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand and from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: BRIGHTON ROCK (IFC Films).

BRIGHTON ROCK On Demand
By Chris Claro

In his adaptation of Graham Greene’s BRIGHTON ROCK, writer-director Rowan Joffe resets the noirish story of a low-level hood named Pinkie to early-60s England, against the background of the Mods vs. Rockers riots that gave rise to both the hippie and the skinhead movements. With the time shift, Joffe is able to take advantage of the styles and music of the era while reinforcing the timelessness of Greene’s violent tale of murder and deceit.

Sullen, violent, but oh-so-seductive Pinkie Brown (Sam Riley, CONTROL) finds himself in trouble after accidentally killing a member of a rival gang. To prove his innocence, Pinkie insinuates himself into the life of waitress Rose (Andrea Riseborough, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY), confiding in her about the murder and convincing her to marry him. Rose, under Pinkie’s hypnotic spell, does so, over the objections of Ida (Helen Mirren, RED), who sees Pinkie as the sociopath he is. True to the film’s noir roots, complications ensue and things end badly.

BRIGHTON ROCK is an odd duck: a middling thriller that almost seems more concerned with its production design than its modest story. True, the thin ties and period cars and Dave Clark Five tunes ground the film, but they also detract from a generally well-acted tale which calls to mind the moral dilemmas faced by characters in such contemporary stories of guilt and retribution as A SIMPLE PLAN and BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD.

As in those films, the slow build toward an inevitably dark conclusion saps BRIGHTON ROCK of some of its suspense, but Joffe compensates by coaxing strong performances from his actors. The Riley’s brooding Pinkie emanates a sinister sexiness that’s catnip to the naive Rose. Riseborough stands out as Rose, who becomes more mature and aware of herself even as she refuses to see Pinkie as anything but misunderstood.

So many movies and so many movie lists of 2011. How could you watch or read them all and yet so many are so similar. Do you need affirmation of the films you may have seen in the theaters already? How about learning about the best films of 2011 you may have missed?

On Demand Weekly's Cynthia Kane and Chris Claro offer their Top 10 Movies On Demand of 2011. Tell us what you think of the their lists or what your #1 movie of 2010 is HERE.

Part I - Cynthia's is HERE.
Part II - Chris's is below.

10. SHUT UP, LITTLE MAN! AN AUDIO ADVENTURE
Matthew Bate’s hilarious and poignant film about unwanted fame and the subculture of pre-Internet tape trading was an entertaining and effective documentary.

9. THE MAN FROM NOWHERE
The violent and kinetic thrill ride from Korean director Jeong –beom Lee was stuffed with dynamic action set-pieces and an amazing performance from child actor Sae-ron Kim

8. BLACKTHORN
The last real man, Sam Shepard, took on the legend of the last real outlaw, Butch Cassidy, in an elegiac film about the final days of cowboys and Indians.

7. THE BIG UNEASY
Humorist Harry Shearer’s fascinating and heartbreaking document of the post-Katrina cover-up by the Army Corps of Engineers. Thoroughly sourced, sincerely conveyed, and absolutely fascinating.

6. BRIGHTON ROCK
Helen Mirren and John Hurt classed up this retelling of Graham Greene’s novel about a killer and the girl he entrances. Set against the birth of the mods/rockers conflict, Rowan Joffe’s film also boasted an intense performance by Sam Riley.

5. CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP
Behind the scenes with the talk show host on his post-Tonight concert tour, director Rodman Flender’s film was painful, funny, and painfully funny.

4. TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL
Horror clichés were turned on their ear in Eli Craig’s debut film. Stars Taylor Labine and Alan Tudyk were a joy as the harmless hillbillies mistaken for psychos.

Chris's Top 3 of 2011...