Categories
DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 31st May 2010

Including The Book of Eli and The Damned United

[ad]

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

The Book of Eli (EV): Set in a post-apocalyptic America, this action-drama is about an enigmatic traveller named Eli (Denzel Washington) on a mysterious journey towards the west coast involving a valuable book. Along the way he comes across marauding bandits, a town ruled by the villainous Carnegie (Gary Oldman), and a young woman who he befriends (Mila Kunis).

Although The Hughes Brothers haven’t made a film since From Hell (2001), they manage to craft an entertaining and well-paced film with a satisfying twist. Although it owes a lot to other films in this genre (notably Mad Max 2) there are some nice ideas sprinkled in amongst the well-staged action sequences. Shot on the high-definition Red One camera, the visual look of the film is striking due to the heavy use of filters and the Blu-ray transfer is satisfyingly smooth. [Blu-ray / DVD]

The extras include the following featurettes:

  • A Lost Tale: Billy
  • Behind The Story
  • Deleted / Alternate Scenes
  • The Book of Eli Soundtrack
  • BD Exclusive: Picture-in-Picture Feature : Behind the Scenes and Interviews

The Damned United (Sony Pictures Home Ent.): This biopic of legendary English football manager Brian Clough was adapted from David Peaceโ€™s bestselling novel about his turbulent spell in charge of Leeds United during the 1970s. Starring Michael Sheen as Clough, Timothy Spall as Peter Taylor, Colm Meaney as Don Revie and Jim Broadbent as Sam Longson, it was adapted by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and directed Tom Hooper (Longford, John Adams).

Although the light-hearted tone tends to gloss over the riveting, dark tone of Peace’s book, the film is powered by several fine performances, with Sheen and Spall on top form. The production design impressively evokes the atmosphere of the 1970s, and the Blu-ray transfer is excellent with an impressively detailed image. [Blu-ray / DVD]

The extras for the Blu-ray include:

  • 1080P 1.85:1 Widescreen
  • English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
  • English Audio Description Track
  • English, English HOH and Hindi subtitles
  • Commentary with Director Tom Hooper, Michael Sheen and Producer Andy Harries
  • Deleted Scenes with Optional Director’s Commentary
  • Cloughisms with Optional Director’s Commentary
  • Perfect Pitch: The Making Of The Damned United
  • Remembering Brian
  • The Changing Game: Football in the Seventies
  • Creating Clough: Michael Sheen Takes on ‘Old Big ‘Ead’

* Listen to our interview with director Tom Hooper *

ALSO OUT

Alice in Wonderland (Disney) [Blu-ray + DVD]
Armored (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Astro Boy (E1 Entertainment UK) [Blu-ray + DVD]
Bodyguards and Assassins (E1 Entertainment UK) [Blu-ray + DVD]
Daybreakers (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / DVD]
La Boheme: Royal Opera House (Opus Arte) [DVD]
One Night in Turin (Kaleidoscope Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Romantic City: Venice [Blu-ray]
Salome: Royal Opera House [Blu-ray]
The Sky Crawlers (Manga Entertainment) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Winter in Wartime (Kaleidoscope Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / DVD]

> The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2009
> UK cinema releases for Friday 28th May including Sex and the City 2 and The Losers