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DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 19th September 2011

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

United 93 (Universal Pictures): Depicting the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93, this drama is a searing depiction of the 9/11 attacks. Directed by Paul Greengrass, it utilises the drama-documentary techniques he used in Bloody Sunday (2002) to create a hyper-realistic style, culminating in an extended sequence that depicts the flight in real time. Made in cooperation with many of the passengers’ families, the disc also contains a documentary about their involvement and another detailing the air traffic controllers who recount their experiences of 9/11. The audio commentary by Greengrass is illuminating and goes into considerable detail about how the events were realised on screen. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]

Attack the Block (Optimum Home Entertainment): One of the most entertaining films of the year so far was about a group of teenagers on a South London estate having to deal with an alien invasion. Directed by Joe Cornish, it puts a lot of other homegrown British movies to shame, by being genuinely exciting and funny. Look out for some killer night-time cinematography from Tom Townend and clever visual effects courtesy of Double Negative and Fido. Plus, the film seems to have taken on a weird new new layer of meaning in light of the recent London riots. [Buy it on Blu-ray with DVD] [Read our longer review]

Being John Malkovich (Universal Pictures): One of the most bizarrely inventive films of the 1990s sees a struggling puppeteer (John Cusack) accidentally discovers a portal into the brain of John Malkoich (played by John Malkovich). The resulting havoc it plays on his work colleague (Catherine Keener) and wife (Cameron Diaz) is brilliantly realised by screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze. One of the best films of 1999, which given the quality of that year, is high praise indeed. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]

Quatermass and the Pit (Optimum Home Entertainment): Vintage 1967 British sci-fi horror sequel to the earlier Hammer films The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2. Like those, it was based on a BBC series and stars Andrew Keir as the eponymous professor, instead of Brian Donlevy who previously filled the the role. Directed by Roy Ward Baker, it co-stars James Donald, Barbara Shelley and Julian Glover. Look out for the exclusive cover art by Olly Moss, new interviews with casts and crew and an audio commentary Nigel Kneale and Roy Ward Baker. [Buy it on Blu-ray with DVD]

1991: The Year Punk Broke (UMC): Music documentary directed by Dave Markey that follows Sonic Youth on tour in Europe in 1991. Featuring candid footage of the band, it is also a valuable document of bands they toured at the time such as Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney and Hole. [Buy it on DVD]

ALSO OUT

Arthur (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray + DVD and Digital Copy – Triple Play]
Big Jake (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Billy Elliot (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Cedar Rapids (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Collector’s Edition (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Daft Punk: Interstella 5555 (Virgin Records) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Dark Star (Fabulous Films) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 – Rodrick Rules (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Glee: Season 2 (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
How to Make It in America: Season 1 (Warner Home Video/HBO) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Johnny English (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Nikita: Season 1 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Rambo: The Complete Collection (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Rio Lobo (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Seasons 1-5 (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Superbad (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Constant Gardener (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Da Vinci Code (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Girl… Trilogy – Extended Versions (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Green Hornet (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition]
The Karate Kid (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Persuaders: Complete Series (Network) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Tomorrow, When the War Began (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Twilight Zone – The Original Series: Season 4 (Fremantle Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Unknown (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Weekender (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]

> UK Cinema Releases for Friday 16th September 2011
> The Best DVD & Blu-ray releases of 2010