This week on DVD, a town goes on an alien hunt, Jeremy Piven co-stars in a movie that looks good for once, and there’s even a cabin-set psychological horror movie for those of you who don’t want to see that other cabin-related movie coming out next week. You know, the one about [SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DERP]. Much obliged to DVDReleases.org for the information and plot synopses.

Alien Opponent

Starring: Jeremy London, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Adrienne LaValley

Directed by: Colin Theys

Distributed by: Vivendi Entertainment

Buy Alien Opponent on DVD

What It’s About: The owner of a small-town junkyard offers a cash reward to whomever can kill her uninvited, space-suited alien guest when its spacecraft crash-lands into her barn. Every wacko within 100 miles turns out, and before long, the junkyard is transformed into a war zone of man vs. man vs. machine vs. alien vs. God only knows what.

Thoughts: My critic buddy Brett Gallman has already warned me against Alien Opponent, knowing full well I’d jump right in due to the involvement of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and my obsession with watching every movie that stars a current or former professional wrestler. Obviously I will not be heeding his warning and furthermore, Alien Opponent in no way looks that bad. Cheap? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. But those are the sorts of movies that make me feel good in my “special place” (I mean my pe…soul). Plus I’m digging the movie’s weird sense of humor; hopefully it maintains it through out the movie and it’s not just me falling for another trailer. But guys…Roddy Piper as an ass kicking priest. Alien Opponent sells itself.

Buy Alien Opponent on DVD

Angels Crest

Starring: Thomas Dekker, Jeremy Piven, Lynn Collins

Directed by: Gaby Dellal

Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures

Buy Angels Crest on DVD (or Blu-ray)

What It’s About: The small working-class town of Angels Crest is a tight-knit community resting quietly in one of the vast and stunningly beautiful valleys of the Rocky Mountains. Ethan (Thomas Dekker), one of the town’s residents, is a young father but not much more than a kid himself. He has no choice but to look after his three-year-old son Nate, since mom Cindy (Lynn Collins) is an alcoholic. But one snowy day, Ethan’s good intentions are thwarted by a moment of thoughtlessness, resulting in tragedy. A local prosecutor (Jeremy Piven) haunted by his past goes after Ethan, and the ensuing confusion and casting of blame begins to tear the town apart.

Thoughts: Angels Crest saw a V.O.D. release last November and a super small (read: 1 theater) theatrical release one month later, but is now officially bowing on DVD (and Blu-ray). Magnolia (and its genre arm Magnet Releasing) is simply one of the best movie distributors in the business today, and any time they release something it’s worth checking out. Angels Crest is no exception and judging by that trailer, it’s going to break my heart into little tiny bit-sized pieces. It’s got a good cast (Dekker is fantastic and underutilized, Piven is a lot better than most people think due to Entourage and his reputation) and I can already feel like the story is going to grab me by the balls right away. But hey, who wants to have a happy weekend anyway? Shit’s overrated.

Buy Angels Crest on DVD (or Blu-ray)

Enter Nowhere

Starring: Sara Paxton, Katherine Waterston, Scott Eastwood

Directed by: Jack Heller

Distributed by: Lionsgate Home Entertainment

What It’s About: Three strangers arrive one by one to a mysterious cabin in the middle of nowhere after enduring separate life-altering predicaments. Searching for a way out of the woods, frustrated, hungry and battling to stay warm, they discover their mysterious connection and realize what they have to do in order to get out of the woods alive.

Thoughts: Being released a week in advance of another cabin-set horror movie (The Cabin in the Woods), Enter Nowhere looks to only share a setting and not much else with its theatrical counterpart (although let’s be honest: soooome people aren’t going to think that); Enter Nowhere is more of a psychological thriller/horror, with little comedy and all tension. I like the premise and the tone set forth in the trailer enough to give it a shot, but I’m surprised that this ended up going right to DVD; feels like something Lionsgate could’ve willed to a 10 million weekend at the box office. Oh well their loss, our gain. Added props to Sara Paxton and her “drug addict” pixie cut.

Buy Enter Nowhere on DVD (or Amazon Instant Video)

So those are the releases I’m most interested in this week. Are you going to give Alien Opponent, Angels Crest, or Enter Nowhere a try? Is there a direct to DVD movie coming out today that I should have covered instead? Feel free to leave a comment. I’m so lonely.

Someone just reminded Forest Whitaker he was in VANTAGE POINT.

This week on DVD: Bruce Willis continues dipping his foot into the direct to DVD waters, another indie by Michael Polish finally gets distribution, we play catch up with an aging Butch Cassidy and, in the spirit of Christmas, IFC throws us a foreign horror import about a murderous Saint Nicholas. You know, for the kids.

Catch .44

Starring: Malin Akerman, Forest Whitaker, Nikki Reed, Bruce Willis

Directed by: Aaron Harvey

Distributed by: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Plot: Three ruthless female outlaws (Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll) scheme to intercept a lucrative drug shipment for a notorious crime boss (Bruce Willis with hair!), and get drawn into a dangerous series of double crosses.

Thoughts: Watching the trailer and reading the synopsis, it’s easy to think that Catch .44 is going to be something very reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino movie. That can either be a good or bad thing, depending on your love of Tarantino and hatred of original ideas. But despite that and the fact I’m not the biggest Akerman fan on the planet (she nearly killed Watchmen all by herself), Catch .44 does look entertaining and could end up being a good mindfuck of a heist movie. And if that ends up not being the case, at least we’ll get Whitaker talking in a ridiculous sounding fake accent so there’ll be some chuckle worthy moments.

Buy Catch .44 on DVD (or Blu-ray)

Stay Cool

Starring: Mark Polish, Hilary Duff, Sean Astin, Josh Holloway, Winona Ryder

Directed by: Michael Polish

Distributed by: Arc Entertainment

Plot: Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish), the 30-something author of a popular 80s-themed novel, returns to his suburban hometown to deliver the commencement speech at his former high school. Despite his success as an author, Henry’s return home has sparked all of the youthful dreams, desires and particularly disappointments he’s never quite gotten over, specifically his unrequited affection for the girl who is now the local pharmacist: the elusive Scarlet Smith (Winona Ryder). Between run-ins with the outcast friends he left behind Big Girl (Sean Astin) and Wino (Josh Holloway), the school principal (Chevy Chase) and a seductive senior, Shasta O’Neil (Hilary Duff), Henry is sent spinning through a time warp that incites all the old emotions and challenges of the world he grew up in. Henry can only hope to ”Stay Cool” and make it, once again, to graduation day.

Thoughts: Another week, another Michael Polish movie finally sees release. Much like last week’s The Smell of Success, Stay Cool made its debut on the film festival circuit two years ago and has sat on the shelf since. I fail to understand why, really; yes it looks to be a bit on the bland side but it’s got a cast that can push DVD sales (at least curious rentals) and judging by the trailer it does look at least a little bit funny. Who doesn’t love a little Hilary Duff in their lives? Hey wait, where you going? COME BACK AND SING ALONG TO “WHY NOT?” WITH ME!

Buy Stay Cool on DVD

Blackthorn

Starring: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Directed by: Mateo Gil

Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures

Plot: It’s been said that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a standoff with the Bolivian military in 1908. In Blackthorn, Cassidy (Sam Shepard) survived and is quietly living out his years under the name James Blackthorn in a secluded Bolivian village. Tired of his long exile from the U.S. and hoping to see his family again before he dies, Cassidy sets out on the long journey home. But when an unexpected encounter with an ambitious young criminal (Eduardo Noriega) derails his plans, he is thrust into one last adventure, the likes of which he hasn’t experienced since his glory days with the Sundance Kid.

Thoughts: Blackthorn got a limited theatrical run of 21 screens, so there’s a good chance you missed it. Reviews have been mostly positive and I like the alternate history take on the legend of Butch Cassidy. If you’re looking for something that could be considered legitimately good instead of “straight to DVD good” (a stigma that unfortunately exists) this week, this’ll be your best bet.

Buy Blackthorn on DVD (or Blu-ray)

Saint Nick

Starring: Huub Stapel, Egbert Jan Weeber, Caro Lenssen

Directed by: Dick Maas

Distributed by: IFC Films

Plot:  Saint Nick re-imagines the jolly old saint as a bloodthirsty bishop fulfilling a grisly prophecy every 32 years under the Christmas full moon. Slain by the villagers he tormented, the medieval marauder swears a ghostly revenge on their descendants. Centuries later, the story has settled comfortably into innocuous folklore, until a bloody encounter with the ghoul forces local teen Frank to believe in Santa all over again. Teaming up with discharged cop and fellow believer Goert, Frank must save the city of Amsterdam in an all-out bloody battle against the wrathful “Sinterklaas” and his minions.

Thoughts: First off, whoever decided that dubbing Belgium horror import Saint Nick was a good idea needs to be fired immediately for this simple reason: it makes a cool premise look absolutely hokey as a result. I love this idea, and the fact it has nothing to do with the Santa Claus character that spun off of Saint Nicholas, and hope this as well as Rare Exports shows a trend into making more Christmas-themed horror movies. But I want to watch it with subtitles; this is a movie that deserves to be seen, not mocked.

Buy Saint Nick on DVD

So that’s what’s available this week. Looking forward to any of these? Feel free to leave a comment below.

[Special thanks, as always, to the excellent DVDReleases.org for all the information provided]

When Billy Bob offers you a handful of manure, YOU TAKE IT.

Here’s what you’ll find this week on the DVD shelves: a long on the shelf surrealist movie about manure salesman, three horror films (one that got some festival love this year, one with a dumb premise, the other with a “so ridiculous I already love it” premise), and a release attempting to ride the buzz of The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. Hope your couch is nice and comfortable.

The Smell of Success

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Ed Helms, Tea Leoni, Kyle MacLachlan

Directed by: Michael Polish

Distributed by: Arc Entertainment

Plot: A comedy about manure salesmen in 1960s heartland America. – When a tragic accident ends the life of Mr. Rose, the genius behind Rose’s Manure Company, the livelihood of its loyal fleet of salesmen threatens to go, as they say, into the toilet. Enter estranged daughter Rosemary (Leoni), a high-class- cosmetics salesgirl, who steps in to take control. She is not sure she has a nose for the family business, but she is determined to make foul into profit. Little does she know that a ruthless, slick-talking fertilizer rep is plotting a takeover. Whether she likes it or not, she must trust her top salesman, Patrick Fitzpatrick (Thornton), to devise a plan to regain Rose’s rightful position on top of the heap.

Thoughts: This premiered at Sundance back in 2009 under the title Manure (to the point) and has sat on the shelf since then despite the impressive cast. Having seen the trailer though I understand why; The Smell of Success looks absolutely trippy and a story this weird would be hard to sell to a mainstream audience no matter how much they love Ed Helms and The Office. I think this looks really cool though and would love to get my hands on it when it comes out, if only to see how they combine a simple story with the fantastical elements promised in the trailer.

Buy The Smell of Success on DVD

Little Deaths

Starring: Scott Ainslie, Mike Anfield, James Anniballi

Directed by: Andrew Parkinson, Sean Hogan, Simon Rumley

Distributed by: Image Entertainment

Plot: Well-to-do home owners Richard and Victoria pose as religious do-gooders and lure homeless girls to their luxurious home. Apartment dwellers Claire and Pete invigorate their love life with a role-playing game with increasingly hazy boundaries. Jen and Frank, once prostitute and pimp, are now trying to make a go of things as an exclusive couple. Jen’s even in therapy with a psychiatrist, who is secretly working with her husband Frank. Each couple is in for a surprise. Richard and Victoria will have the tables turned on them by one of their lady victims; Claire will finally push Pete too far in their sexual game; and Jen and Frank can’t begin to imagine what their conspiring psychiatrist is up to. Little Deaths are little games that sometimes lead to the big one.

Thoughts: Little Deaths played at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and got pretty good reviews from my colleagues (yes I have colleagues, shut up!), but I never got around to checking it out due to scheduling conflicts. I kind of wish I did though because this looks nice and unsettling; I’m a sucker for a good horror anthology and unlike most others that go the cheesy/comedic Creepshow route this looks more serious. I’ll be finding my way to Little Deaths in due time.

Buy Little Deaths on DVD

Kill Katie Malone

Starring: Dean Cain (kind-of), Masiela Lusha, Nick Hogan, Lil J

Directed by: Carlos Ramos Jr.

Distributed by: American World Pictures

Plot: Three college friends buy a ghost online and it turns out that it isn’t the joke they thought it was.

Thoughts: Kill Katie Malone has apparently been seen already by many and has played on TV but it makes its debut today on DVD so I’m counting it. However I’m not too excited to check it out based on that stupid premise alone: who in their right mind would buy a “ghost” online, even if they thought it was funny? That’s stupid, even for college douchebags. The acting also looks pretty bad, but I did laugh at the “WE GOTTA GET RID OF THAT BOX…JIM!” line so that’s somewhat of a plus. I don’t know, out of all the releases this week this would be the one I’d skip. That’s me though. Maybe you love Dean Cain more than I do (I DOUBT IT!) and nothing will deter you.

Buy Kill Katie Malone on DVD (or Blu-ray)

The Undying

Starring: Robin Weigert, Anthony Carrigan, Wes Studi

Directed by: Steven Peros

Distributed by: MTI Video

Plot: Seduced by the ghost of a Civil War soldier, whose spirit dwells in her new home, Dr. Barbara Haughton contrives to have him live again in the body of a man who died in her hospital. But, it’s this man’s violent past that may affect Barbara’s desired future… Is this ghost now the gentle soul he appears to be… or someone much darker?

Thoughts: The Undying had me at “seduced by the ghost of a Civil War soldier”; that’s so outlandish and so ridiculous that I knew immediately I wanted to see the hell out of it. The movie itself doesn’t even look half-bad if we’re being honest, maybe a bit more melodramatic than horror, but Wes Studi never picks a bad movie (you know if you don’t pay attention to his filmography)! Out of all the releases this week, The Undying is the one I’m making an immediate B-line to; a woman being seduced by a Civil War soldier ghost. COME ON!

Buy The Undying on DVD

Tanner Hall

Starring: Rooney Mara, Brie Larson, Tom Everett Scott, Chris Kattan (?!?)

Directed by: Francesca Gregorini & Tatiana von Furstenberg

Distributed by: Anchor Boy Entertainment

Plot: Tanner Hall is a vivid peek into the private world of an all-girls boarding school. In a cozy, but run down New England, the knot of adolescent complexity is unraveled through the coming of age stories of four teen-age girls.

Thoughts: On the shelf for two years, Tanner Hall is now getting rolled out because of Rooney Mara‘s starring role in the upcoming David Fincher movie The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. Smart business move on Anchor Bay’s part, if I do say so myself. This got a 5 screen theatrical release over a weekend in September which warrants inclusion on this list since that’s essentially nothing more than “now you can’t say it went straight to DVD, SUCK IT!” (a stigma I hope erases eventually). Now onto thoughts about the movie…eh it looks like your typical coming of age story and it reminds me of 2001′s Lost and Delirious which starred Piper Perabo and Mischa Barton (also took place at a boarding school; yes that counts for association). But I really like the cast top to bottom (Mara, the excellent Brie Larson, my drumming inspiration Tom Everett Scott) and I love it when Chris Kattan shows up in something since she got the raw end of the deal when it comes to post-SNL careers. He’s funny dammit! Tanner Hall isn’t on the top of my list to see but I wouldn’t be against it on a future lazy Sunday. And no not just because I assume there’ll be some lesbian goings on since it’s a coming of age story in all-girl boarding school!

Buy Tanner Hall on DVD (or Blu-ray)

So those are the notable DVD releases this week as it pertains to non-big budget Hollywood stuff. Any of these peak your interest? Any I should’ve talked about instead? Feel free to comment below. See ya next week.

(Hat tip to DVDReleases.org for all the information and being a badass DVD release site)

Hat tip to DVDReleases.org as I got all this information (plot synopsis especially) from them.

Santa Claus Versus The Zombies

Starring: Billy W. Blackwell, Alex Del Monacco, Cassidy Rae Owens

Director: George Bonilla

Distributor: Music Video Distributors

What It’s About: “Santa Claus Versus the Zombies” tells the story of a suburban family that finds themselves barricaded in their house following the outbreak of the Zombie plague. Along for the ride are a couple of elves and an actor that just might be the real Santa Claus. In the meantime, the President and his military advisers are holed up in a bunker feverishly trying to hatch a plan to rescue Santa and the desperate family.

Quick Thoughts: You know what? I’m surprised no one thought of this sooner; this seemed like the kind of horror-comedy that should have been done by now. But it wasn’t so here comes Santa Claus Versus The Zombies to break new ground. It’s definitely low-budget but in a charming way and the potential is just so damn massive that I want to check it out. It apparently already premiered last year and is just making the rounds on DVD now so if you’ve seen it, any thoughts? Worth pursuing?

Buy Santa Claus Versus The Zombies on DVD!

Alien Armageddon

Starring: Claudia Wells, Don Scribner, Katharine McEwan

Directed by: Neil Johnson

Distributor: Phase 4 Films

What It’s About: For years, UFO sightings have been documented around the world. What were once mere sightings have now become brutal attacks of epic proportions. As the human race faces total annihilation with every major city destroyed, only Los Angeles remains. Left with the task of saving humanity from extinction, a group of cowboys is the world’s last stand in this Alien Armageddon.

Quick Thoughts: I’ve got to hand it to Phase 4, they’ve taken a page out of the book of Asylum; their cover design is eerily similar to Cowboys and Aliens, also released this week, despite being two different movies. Essentially they’re banking on people being dumb enough to mix the two up and I wouldn’t be shocked if this happened. If anything though Alien Armageddon is more of a rip-off of Battle: L.A. (which already got mockbustered by Asylum), so I wouldn’t really take the inclusion of “cowboys” too seriously. The effects do look pretty okay for a lower budget sci-fi movie though so that counts for…something?

Buy Alien Armageddon on DVD (or Blu-ray)

The Afterlight

Starring: Michael Kelly, Rip Torn, Ana Asensio, Jicky Schnee

Directed by: Craig MacNeil/Alexei Kaleina

Distributor: Cinema Purgatorio

What It’s About: In a haunting and beautiful countryside, a young couple hopes to start a new life. Andrew and Claire find themselves far from their roots. They move into an old schoolhouse that sits on a farm owned by an elderly widow and her blind niece, Maria. The couple’s arrival sets off events that will alter all the lives of everyone around them. As tensions build, a late summer thunderstorm and a solar eclipse trigger dark outcomes.

Quick Thoughts: This is as good a time as any to bring this up: movies that only play in major cities and nowhere else count for inclusion here at Stay@Home. I bring this up because The Afterlight played in NY, Los Angeles, and Seattle but nowhere else; so those people saw it but few else did. Might as well say it didn’t play theatrically at all (suck it, cities!). Anyway, this is definitely intriguing to me and I really dug the trailer even though it felt like a mini-movie of its own. I loves me some Rip Torn, and I love it even more when he’s being serious so hopefully this pans out. Seems “award”-y to me. Yes that’s an adjective. Okay no it isn’t.

Buy The Afterlight on DVD

There is definitely much more coming out but being as this is a new site, let’s sort of ease into this shall we? Which one of these three pique your interest the most? Is there one I forgot to include? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment; hesitating is for the weak.

Pick your faves and happy watching!!

Make sure to pick your faves and get out to your local video store (those that are actually left) or head over to Netflix!!