Categories
DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 27th September 2010

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Lionsgate UK): Werner Herzog’s brilliantly surreal remake (or is it?) of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 film is relocated to New Orleans where a corrupt, drug addled cop (Nicolas Cage) finds himself involved with a drug dealer (Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner) who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants.

On top of this he struggles to keep his life in check, which includes his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes); his hot-headed partner (Val Kilmer); a local bookie (Brad Dourif) and all manner of surreal visions. *Read the full review here * [Blu-ray / DVD]

The Killer Inside Me (Icon Home Entertainment): Adapated from Jim Thompson’s 1952 novel about a deputy sheriff (Casey Affleck) in Texas who is also a secretly depraved sociopath. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and co-starring Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, the film caused considerable controversy earlier this year due to the graphic violence in certain scenes.

Despite that kerfuffle and some sequences which drag, it manages to effectively convey the dark side of Eisenhower’s America. * Read the full review here * [Blu-ray / DVD]

ALSO OUT

A Nightmare On Elm Street (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / DVD]
American – The Bill Hicks Story (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / DVD]
City of Life and Death (High Fliers Video Distribution) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Death at a Funeral (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Fringe: Season 2 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Fringe: Seasons 1 and 2 (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / DVD]
House: Season 6 (Universal/Playback) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Infernal Affairs (Palisades Tartan) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Rush: 2112/Moving Pictures (Eagle Rock Entertainment) [Blu-ray / DVD]
She’s Out of My League (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Space Chimps 2 – Zartog Strikes Back (EV) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Stephen Hawking’s Universe (Demand DVD) [Blu-ray / DVD]
StreetDance E1 (Entertainment UK) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Tetro (Soda Pictures) [Blu-ray / DVD]
The Deep (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Wake Up Sid (UTV) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Warren Miller: Dynasty (Demand DVD) [Blu-ray / DVD]

The DVD and Blu-ray releases for September 2010
The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2009

Categories
Interviews Podcast

Interview: Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas on American The Bill Hicks Story

[ad]

American: The Bill Hicks Story is a new documentary about the late comedian whose observations on politics, culture and society still resonate years after his untimely death in 1994.

Although he met with considerable acclaim on the comedy circuit, with an especially passionate following in the UK, Hicks’ stinging observations on issues such as US foreign policy, consumerism, religion, and abortion meant that he never really achieved the mainstream breakthrough of some of his contemporaries.

However, with the release of his work on albums such as Rant in E-Minor and Arizona Bay, he achieved a lasting posthumous success and a significant legacy as a truth-teller, which reached full circle when a second President Bush started another war in Iraq.

I recently spoke with Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas about Hicks, his impact as a comedian, how they tracked down a lot of the previously unseen footage and his appeal in the UK.

You can listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Matt_Harlock_and_Paul_Thomas_on_American_The_Bill_Hicks_Story.mp3]

You can download this interview as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

American: The Bill Hicks Story is out now in the UK and will be screening at the following cinemas:

  • London – Curzon Soho 14.05.10
  • London – Greenwich Picture House 14.05.10
  • London – Odeon Covent Garden 14.05.10
  • London – Ritzy Brixton 14.05.10
  • London – Screen on the Green 14.05.10
  • Glasgow – Glasgow Film Theatre 14.05.10
  • Edinburgh – Cameo 14.05.10
  • Dublin – Irish Film Institue 14.05.10
  • Cardiff – Chapter 14.05.10
  • Manchester – Printworks/Odeon 14.05.10
  • Bradford – Pictureville 21.05.10
  • Leicester – Phoenix 21.05.10
  • Manchester – Cornerhouse 21.05.10
  • Liverpool – FACT 28.05.10
  • Belfast – Queens Film Theatre 28.05.10
  • Derby – Quad 28.05.10
  • Coventry – Arts 11.06.10

> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> IMDb entry
> Official site
> Find out which UK cinemas are showing it
> Search local cinema listings at Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 14th May 2010

[ad]

Robin Hood (Universal): The second big release of the summer season sees Ridley Scott reunite with Russell Crowe for a revised take on the Robin Hood story. Set in the 12th century, Robin Hood sees an archer named Robin Longstride (Crowe) returning to England from the Crusades with a small band of followers, after King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) has been killed in battle. After a chance encounter with a fallen knight named Sir Robin Locksley, Robin returns to Nottingham and discovers the oppression of the villagers by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen) and the danger posed to the newly crowned King John (Oscar Isaac) from a suspiciously bi-lingual nobleman (Mark Strong).

Different from previous feature films about Robin Hood (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves) this version has a wider historical scope that is more embedded in the intrigue of the time and has a lavish attention to period detail, even if historians will have a field day picking out inconsistencies and inaccuracies. As you might expect from a Scott production, the technical contributions are generally excellent: but there isn’t much redistribution of wealth going on here as the film is basically an extended origin story. Universal have spent a lot of money making this film and despite a big launch at Cannes this week, the mixed reviews and old fashioned feel of the film may result in relatively disappointing box office. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide/ 12A]

* Read my full thoughts on Robin Hood here *

ALSO OUT

American: The Bill Hicks Story (Verve Pictures): A documentary about the US comedian Bill Hicks, who broke through in the early 1990s before dying at the age of 32 in 1994. A brilliantly perceptive and angry voice against the darker side of American culture, he went on to achieve an enduring posthumous status. Directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas using a lot of unseen footage of Hicks in performance and an innovative animated approach that weaves in audio and filmed interviews with his family, friends and colleagues. [Curzon Soho, Greenwich P’House, Odeon Covent Gdn., Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

Lebanon (Metrodome Distribution): Another Israeli film to deal with the haunting legacy of the first Lebanon War is this claustrophobic drama set inside a tank. Directed by Samuel Maoz, it achieved acclaim on the festival circuit last year, winning the Golden Lion at Venice, and is effective at depicting the tension and paranoia of warfare. That said, the central concept wears off around the hour mark and it lacks the power and style of others films to deal with this material such as Beaufort and Waltz with Bashir. [Coronet, Curzon Soho, Everyman, Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

Vincere (Artificial Eye): An Italian drama based on the life of Ida Delser, the one time mistress of Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. [Chelsea Cinema, Curzons Mayfair, Wimbledon, Renoir & Key Cities / 15]

Eyes Wide Open (Peccadillo Pictures): An Israeli drama about a married, Orthodox Jewish father of four (Zohar Strauss) who falls in love with a twenty two year old male student (Ran Danker). Directed by Haim Tabakman. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities]

Pandora And The Flying Dutchman (Park Circus): A reissue for this 1951 British film starring Ava Gardner and James Mason as an unlikely couple who come together in unusual circumstances. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / PG]

Petropolis (Dogwoof): A timely release for this short (43 minutes) documentary about the oil business, directed by Peter Mettler. [ICA Cinema]

Triomf (Contemporary Films): A drama about a dysfunctional family in South Africa set on the eve of the historic 1994 elections. Directed by Michael Raeburn and starring Pam Andrews, Obed Baloi and Vanessa Cooke. [Curzon Wimbledon & Ritzy Picturehouse]

DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 10th May including Doctor Zhivago, Where the Wild Things Are and A Scanner Darkly
Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies