Here's a look at some interesting new releases available to rent from cable and digital providers and a few titles that are hitting streaming services this week.
VIDEO ON DEMAND
"By the Sea": The third feature film from Angelina Jolie Pitt was inspired by European cinema of the 1970s. It's kind of impressive that she was able to get Universal to finance and release the film, which is for a niche audience despite the star power. Jolie Pitt stars alongside her husband Brad. The film was marketed as a romantic drama even though they play a troubled couple with extreme jealousy issues who would rather spy through the wall at their sexy hotel neighbors than touch each other. Maybe the romance was lost in translation? The whole affair is incredibly stylish, with beautiful scenery off the coast of France, but it's a hard slog to the end of the 122-minute running time. "By the Sea" is absurdly gorgeous and fatally stupid. (Cable and digital VOD)
"Green Room": A sleeper hit this spring, Jeremy Saulnier's latest thriller follows a touring punk band who end up trapped in a venue in rural Oregon. They're forced to fight for their lives against a bunch of neo-Nazis (led surprisingly against type by Captain Picard himself, Patrick Stewart). Be warned _ this intense film is peppered with graphic violence that includes brutal dog maulings. Recently deceased actor Anton Yelchin stars with Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat and Macon Blair (who was also in Saulnier's "Blue Ruin" a few years back). (Cable and digital VOD)
ALSO ON STREAMING SERVICES
"The Big Short": Adam McKay, best known for his over-the-top comedies like "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights," became an Oscar winner this year for adapting the best-selling book by Michael Lewis that explains how the housing bubble burst and led to a massive financial crisis in 2007. Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling lead an all-star cast that includes Brad Pitt and Marisa Tomei. Some of the elaborate financial concepts are explained on screen with the help of celebrity cameos that help make things surprisingly educational and entertaining. The film also earned Oscar nominations for best picture, best director and best supporting actor for Bale's performance. (Netflix)
"Mustang": Five orphaned teenage sisters living with their grandmother in rural Turkey are the focus of Deniz Gamze Erguven's debut film, which has been frequently compared to Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides." That's a fair reference point, because we don't get many authentic stories about the emerging sexuality of young women using an ensemble cast that leaves men on the periphery. Undeniably powerful, "Mustang" was nominated for best foreign language film at this year's Academy Awards. (Netflix)
