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UK DVD & BLU-RAY RELEASES
The Last Emperor (Optimum Home Entertainment): Bernardo Bertolucci‘s 1987 epic explores the extraordinary life of Puyi, who became the Emperor of China at the age of 3 and ended up as a lowly gardener after his country was engulfed by twentieth century events. Told in flashback, the epic scope of the narrative is matched by the lavish visuals which include remarkable use of real life locations in China. It was the first Western production allowed to shoot inside Beijing’s Forbidden City and the recreation of various historical periods remains a remarkable technical achievement. Vittorio Storaro‘s sumptuous cinematography matches his finest work and the film deservedly won nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. [Buy the Blu-ray / Buy the DVD]
Inland Empire (Optimum Home Entertainment): Director David Lynch followed up the critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive with an even weirder mystery. Shot on digital video, it tells the story of an actress (Laura Dern) who becomes ever more disturbed after her strange experiences with a director (Jeremy Irons); her co-star (Justin Theroux; husband (Peter J. Lucas). Add to this a strange Polish couple and a trio of giant stage-bound rabbits (voiced by Naomi Watts, Scott Coffey and Laura Harring) and you have arguably Lynch’s most surreal film. Shot over two and a half years, without a formal script, the bizarre symbolism and obtuse narrative are strangely compelling. Not for everyone but for Lynch fans it is an essential purchase. [Buy the Blu-ray / Buy the DVD]
ALSO OUT
Earth: The Complete Series (2 Entertain) [DVD]
Hamlet (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Nine (EV) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Poseidon (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Stag Night (Kaleidoscope Home Ent.) [DVD]
The Box [Icon Home Entertainment] [Blu-ray]
The Men Who Stare at Goats (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Bitch Slap (Momentum Pictures) [DVD]
Boogie Woogie (E1 Entertainment UK) [DVD]
The Stepfather (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [DVD]
The Thick of It: Collection (2 Entertain) [DVD]
The Thick of It: Series 3 (2 Entertain) [DVD]
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>ย The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2009
>ย UK cinema releases for Friday 16th April including The Ghost and Cemetery Junction