What US Readers should be watching on VOD This Week

This week is a damn good week for smaller releases on demand. Last Friday saw the release of Radius TWC’s Blue Ruin, now a best of 2014 contender for me. It’s one of the finest American revenge thrillers I’ve seen in years. The film is about a homeless man named Dwight (Macon Blair) who decides to exact revenge on the criminal who killed his parents. It was partially funded on Kickstarter and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who also served as the film’s cinematographer.  Macon Blair’s performance elicits pathos like few others I’ve seen this year, but he also has a great sense of comedic timing and violent intensity that really floored me. Go here and click “Watch” to see a list of available providers, including Google Play, Sony Entertainment Network, YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon. You can watch the trailer below, but I’d recommend skipping it and going right to the movie. It’s well worth your seven bucks.

Also released on VOD last Friday was Filth, the adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name, starring James McAvoy. I’ve been foaming at the mouth for this one since I first saw the trailer, and I’m hearing the film delivers like mad. I hear McAvoy is a monster in the film; a performance that could be a career best. I also hear the flick is downright hilarious, so I’d hustle on over to iTunes to check it out. Magnet Releasing is giving us over a month’s head start on the theatrical release (May 30), so you could thank them by dropping ten bucks on an HD rental. Check out the red band trailer below if you haven’t already.

This coming Friday (May 1), Magnet Releasing is bringing us The Sacrament, the latest film from House of The Devil director Ti West. Early buzz on the film has been quite positive, despite many critics’ growing distaste for found footage. The film centers around a group of Vice journalists who visit a Jonestown-esque cult compound and get a bigger story than they bargained for. The film stars genre favorite A.J. Bowen, mumblecore staple Joe Swanberg, and Upstream Color‘s Amy Seimetz. Check out the trailer below.