This Week in DVD and Instant Watching

I am a staunch defender of Netflix and the value it provides for 8 bucks a month, but it's in a stretch now that reminds you why people gripe about its movie selection. I follow the site instantwatcher.com to track new streaming additions, and selections that users are queuing most have little "HOT" symbols next to them. Sometimes you look at the Recent Additions list, see a bunch of HOTs next to titles you have never heard of, and wonder if people are just so desperate for new movies that they add anything that came out in 2012.

One of the few standouts to me in the past week was Paul Greengrass' riveting United 93, an excellent 9/11 film I don't think I ever want to see again. I'm also intrigued by 1974's Once Upon a Scoundrel, which offers a cast led by Zero Mostel, Katy Jurado, and A. Martinez.

"We've been looking for a project to do together for a while."
--Barney on working with Linda Ronstadt, on "The Simpsons."

In regular, old DVD this week, we get:

Argo: After going 3 for 3 as a director, I think we pretty much have to retire the Ben Affleck jokes for a while. You know, even if he made 10 "Citizen Kanes," I'm not sure it would be worth the loss of the "Gigli" jokes.

Atlas Shrugged: Part II: I could help you out by telling you about this movie, but of course you should have to do it yourself.

Black Cobra Woman/Super Bitch: Ah, how I miss these Merchant-Ivory productions.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids: Complete Series: Don't remember this animated series, but it's kind of a cool offbeat addition to the Warner Archives collection. Either that or it's just one more item to infuriate everyone who's waiting for stuff like the rest of "Huckleberry Hound."

On the Waterfront Criterion: Oh, come on, another release of another film we've all seen and discussed hundreds of times, yet no Criterion treatment for "Black Cobra Woman" and "Super Bitch"?

Wacky World of Tex Avery Volume 1: Uh, just a warning, folks: Do your homework before getting this one. It's not what you may think it is. It's wacky, I suppose, and it is Volume 1, but that's about it.