Here are my picks of the DVD and Blu-rays released in the UK during 2011.
Particular highlights were The Social Network, Don’t Look Now, Somewhere, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Thin Red Line, Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Miller’s Crossing, Ben Hur, My Voyage to Italy, United 93, Manhunter, Airplane!, The Conversation, The Tree of Life, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Three Colours Trilogy and Touch of Evil.
The most notable box sets were The Stanley Kubrick Collection (region free!), The Complete Larry Sanders, The Andrei Tarkovsky Collection and The Paolo Sorrentino Collection.
If you are reading this outside the UK just search your local Amazon site or equivalent online store and search for the title.
JANUARY
- Catfish (Momentum) [Buy it on DVD] [Full review and my strange Catfish experience]
- Certified Copy (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Spartacus (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Winter’s Bone (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
FEBRUARY
- Once Upon A Time America (Warner Home Video) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Illusionist (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) [Buy it on DVD]
- The Social Network (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read the full review here]
- All About Eve (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Raging Bull (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Waste Land (Entertainment One) [Buy it on DVD]
- Another Year (Momentum) [Buy it on DVD] [Full review of the film]
MARCH
- Traffik (Acorn Media) [Buy it on DVD]
- Gasland (Dogwoof Entertainment) [Buy on DVD]
- Let Me In (Icon Home Entertainment) [Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray] [Read our full review]
- The Kids Are All Right (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series (Mediumrare) [Buy the DVD box set]
- Mad Men: Season 4 (Lionsgate UK) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review here]
APRIL
- Somewhere (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The American (Universal Picutres) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Interview with Violante Placido] [Read our full review here]
- The Man Who Fell to Earth (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [Read our full review] [Interview with DP Anthony Richmond]
- Two in the Wave (New Wave Films) [Buy it on DVD]
- Of Gods and Men (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on Blu-ray / DVD]
- The Princess Bride (Lionsgate UK) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Bicycle Thieves (Eureka) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- Enter the Void (Entertainment One) [Buy it on DVD] [Read our full review here]
- Ballast (Axiom Films) [Buy it on DVD]
- Les Diaboliques (Arrow Video) [Buy the Blu-ray/DVD combo]
MAY
- The Thin Red Line (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- The Stanley Kubrick Collection (Warner Bros) [Buy it on Amazon on Blu-ray] [See here for more details]
- Midnight Cowboy (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Bruce Springsteen: The Promise (Sony Music Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Twilight Zone – The Original Series: Season 1 (Fremantle Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Blue Valentine (Optimum Home Releasing) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- I Saw The Devil (Optimum Home Releasing) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- Black Swan (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- Biutiful (Optimum) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review] [Interview with Alejandro González Iñárritu]
- Cold Weather (Axiom Films) [Buy it on DVD]
- Treme: Season 1 (Warner Home Video) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
JUNE
- Apocalypse Now (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy the Blu-ray from Amazon UK] [Read our full review here]
- Taxi Driver (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [Read our full review and thoughts on revisiting the film]
- Cross of Iron (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- The Bridge On the River Kwai (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Witchfinder General (Odeon Entertainment) [Buy the Blu-ray]
- Inside Job (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) [Buy the DVD] [Read our longer review] [Listen to our interview with Charles Ferguson]
- True Grit (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Buy the Blu-ray and DVD from Amazon UK] [Full review]
- The Fighter (Momentum Pictures) [Buy on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- Never Let Me Go (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Longer review and longer thoughts on the film]
- Akira (Manga Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Andrei Tarkovsky Collection (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on DVD]
- The Paolo Sorrentino Collection (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on DVD]
JULY
- Don’t Look Now (Optimum Releasing) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review] [Interview with DP Anthony Richmond]
- Born on the Fourth of July (Universal) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- The Kingdom (Second Sight Films) [Buy on DVD]
- Obsession (Arrow Video) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Animal Kingdom (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our longer review]
- Deep End (BFI) [Buy the Blu-ray + DVD]
- Dazed and Confused (Universal Pictures) [Buy the Blu-ray at Amazon UK]
- American Graffiti (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
AUGUST
- Submarine (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK] [Read our full review here]
- The Lavender Hill Mob (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy from Amazon UK on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Miller’s Crossing (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Stand By Me (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Whisky Galore (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Big Lebowski (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
- The Blues Brothers (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
SEPTEMBER
- Once Upon A Time in the West (Paramount) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Renoir Collection (StudioCanal) [Buy the DVD]
- Ben Hur (Warner Home Video) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [Read our full review]
- The Panic in Needle Park (Second Sight Films) [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK] [Read our full review]
- Cathy Come Home (2entertain) [Buy it on DVD]
- Boyz N the Hood (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- Das Boot (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- Scarface (Universal) [Buy it on Blu-ray and DVD]
- 13 Assassins (Artificial Eye) [Buy it onBlu-ray and DVD]
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Bobby Fischer Against the World (Dogwoof) [Buy the DVD] [Interview with director Liz Garbus]
- Sunrise (Eureka Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Star Wars Trilogy: Episodes I, II and III (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [More details here]
- Being John Malkovich (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Attack the Block (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray/DVD]
- United 93 (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- My Voyage to Italy (Mr Bongo Films) [Buy it on DVD] [Read our full review]
- Manhunter (StudioCanal) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [Read our full review]
- Airplane! (Paramount Home Video) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
OCTOBER
- The Conversation (StudioCanal) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- The Tree of Life (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Original theatrical review]
- Senna (Universal) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- Cape Fear (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Le Quattro Volte (New Wave) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Lionsgate UK) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- Pulp Fiction (Miramax) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Revolver Entertainment) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD] [Read our full review]
- Red Desert (BFI Video) [Buy the Blu-ray & DVD]
- Ashes & Diamonds (Arrow Academy) [Buy the Blu-ray & DVD]
- Straw Dogs (Fremantle Home Entertainment) [Buy the Blu-ray]
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Buy the Blu-ray & DVD] [Read our full review]
NOVEMBER
- Three Colours Trilogy (Artificial Eye) [Buy the Blu-ray boxset or the DVD set]
- A Separation (Artificial Eye) [Buy the Blu-ray or DVD]
- Mildred Pierce (Warner Home Video/HBO) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Three Colours Trilogy (Artificial Eye) [Buy the Blu-ray boxset or the DVD set]
- A Separation (Artificial Eye) [Buy the Blu-ray or DVD]
- Mildred Pierce (Warner Home Video/HBO) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Last Temptation of Christ (Universal) [Buy it on DVD]
- Band of Brothers & The Pacific (Warner Bros/HBO) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- The Films of Michael Haneke (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on DVD]
- Four Days Inside Guantanamo (Dogwoof) [Buy it on DVD]
- Touch of Evil (Eureka) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Silent Running (Eureka) [Buy it on Blu-ray] [Read our full review]
- Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times (Dogwoof) [Buy it on DVD] [Interview with director Andrew Rossi]
DECEMBER
- The Interrupters (Dogwoof) [Buy it on DVD] [Read our theatrical review]
- Come and See (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on DVD]
- Brazil (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Salt of Life (Artificial Eye) [Buy it on DVD]
- The Phantom of the Opera (Park Circus) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- 7-49 Up aka The Up Series (Network) [Buy it on DVD]
- The Skin I Live In (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
- Videodrome (Universal Pictures) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
NOTABLE IMPORTS
If you are based in the US or have a multi-region Blu-ray player then the following titles are my Criterion picks:
- Twelve Angry Men (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- The Killing (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- The Sweet Smell of Success (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Blow Out (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Senso (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- Solaris (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
- The Naked Kiss (Criterion) [Buy it on Blu-ray]
> Browse more DVD Releases at Amazon UK and Play
> Browse all the cinema releases of 2011
> The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2010