Categories
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

Categories
Interviews Podcast

Interviews: September 11th Movies

Since the events of September 11th 2001, several films have come out about the events of that day.

I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to interview people directly connected with what happened and some key films related to it.

The first major release to deal specifically with 9/11 was United 93 (2006), which dramatised the events surrounding United Airlines Flight 93, after it was hijacked during the attacks.

That year I spoke with Ben Sliney, the FAA national operations manager – the man responsible for grounding all air traffic that day – who director Paul Greengrass hired in an advisory capacity before letting him play himself in the movie.

Later that summer I also spoke with Will Jimeno, the Port Authority Police officer who survived the World Trade Center attack and was buried under the rubble for a total of 13 hours, along with fellow officer John McLoughlin.

Their story was the basis for Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center (2006), which starred Nicolas Cage as McLoughlin and Michael Pena as Jimeno, and we spoke about the day, his long rehabilitation process and the movie.

Two years later James Marsh directed the documentary Man on Wire (2008) about Frenchman Philippe Petit, who conducted an illegal wire walk between the Twin Towers in August 1974.

I spoke with Philippe about his extraordinary act and the subsequent film, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary.

You can listen to the interviews here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/September_11th_Interviews_Ben_Sliney_Will_Jimeno_and_Philippe_Petit.mp3]

You can also download our interview podcast via iTunes by clicking here.

Music Credits: ‘Dedication’ by John Powell from United 93; ‘Jimeno Sees Jesus’ and ‘Alison at the Spotlight’ from World Trade Center by Craig Armstrong; ‘Fish Beach’ by Michael Nyman from Drowning by Numbers; ‘Gymnopedie No. 1’ by Anne Queffélec and composed by Erik Satie

> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> Find out more about the September 11th attacks at Wikipedia