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The Third Man
BD - Pulp novelist Holly
Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself
investigating the mysterious death of an old friend,
black-market opportunist Harry Lime--and thus begins this
legendary tale of love, deception, and murder. Thanks to
brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson
Welles; Anton Karas's evocative zither score; Graham Greene’s
razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker’s dramatic use of light
and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol
Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass. Studio Canal
Collection Blu-ray Release Dates:
September 2010
Delicatessen
BD - In a post-apocalyptic
society where food is so rare it's invaluable and used as
currency and people eat each other a young clown applies for a
job at a local delicatessen. The butcher's intent is to have him
work for a little and then serve him to his stranger than normal
tenants who pay him in, of course, grain. This clown falls in
love with the butcher's daughter who tries to foil her father's
plans by contacting the rebels. The rebels are possibly the most
sensible of the lot, as they see food as food and not money.
Studio Canal Collection Blu-ray
Release Dates: September 2010
The Graduate
BD - A social force of
cinema that influenced the generation gap, THE GRADUATE was a
tour de force for newcomer Hoffman and made him an overnight
sensation. Hoffman plays Ben Braddock, a pensive and somewhat
shy youth of wealthy Southern California suburbia. Upon
completion of his college studies, he's pressured by family and
friends to "get going" with his life, encouraged at every turn
to find a job, marry, and become a clone of his parents.
Bancroft seduces Hoffman who cannot believe the older, married
woman--she and her husband Hamilton are his parents' best
friends--is pursuing him. Studio Canal Collection
Blu-ray Release Dates: September
2010
The Red Riding Trilogy
BD - Red Riding is a
television adaptation of English author David Peace's Red Riding
Quartet. Published between 1999 and 2002, the quartet comprises
the novels Nineteen Seventy-Four (1999), Nineteen Seventy-Seven
(2000), Nineteen Eighty (2001) and Nineteen Eighty-Three (2002).
Set against a backdrop of serial murders, including the
Yorkshire Ripper case, they deal with multi-layered corruption
and feature several recurring characters across the four books.
Though real crimes are featured the scripts are fictionalised
and dramatised versions of events rather than contemporary
factual accounts. The adaptation into three feature-length
television episodes aired on Channel 4 beginning on 5 March
2009. They are produced by Revolution Films. The three films
were released theatrically in the US in February 2010.
Blu-ray Release date: August 30th,
2010
A Zed and Two Noughts
BD - The always elliptical
Peter Greenaway once again creates a beautiful film-as-puzzle.
This tale concerns twin zoologist brothers whose wives are
killed in a freak car crash involving a rare swan. The brothers
form an unusual and strangely close relationship with Alba, the
woman who was driving the car, now an amputee. Preoccupied with
death and decomposition, the brothers organise elaborate studies
on the decomposition of animals, making time-lapse films of
dalmatians and zebras to chart the decay. Cue the scurrying
hoards of snails and Michael Nyman's thrilling frenetic score.
When Alba herself dies, the twins decide to join her in death,
and set about filming their own decaying human bodies.
Greenaway's fascination with the Dutch painter Vermeer, is
evident in A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS, particularly in the lighting.
Blu-ray Release Date: August 23rd,
2010
The Square
BD - Temptation turns a
man's life upside down in this noir-influenced thriller from
Australia. Ray Yale (David Roberts) is a construction worker who
is married to Martha (Lucy Bell) and is helping to build an
upscale resort hotel just outside Sydney. Ray isn't entirely
happy in his marriage, and his roving eye has become focused on
Carla (Claire van der Boom), a hairdresser who lives next door.
Carla is married to a low-level mobster, Greg (Anthony Hayes),
but she craves excitement and is soon having a torrid affair
with Ray. Blu-ray Release date:
August 24th, 2010
Fascination - In 1905
France, a group of aristocratic women have taken the fad of
drinking cow's blood to cure anemia to a new level. Gentleman
thief Marc (Jean-Marie Lemaire) cheats his uncouth partners for
some stolen loot and escapes with the only female in the band as
a hostage. When he wants to part ways with her, she wounds him
and he takes shelter in a chateau surrounded by a moat and finds
himself surrounded by the vengeful thieves. His hostages -
attendants to a marquise expected to arrive the next day -
Elisabeth (Franca Mai) and Isabelle (Brigitte Lahaie, JOY &
JOAN) respectively want him to go and to stay. Isabelle seduces
him and the two women together dazzle him with their bisexual
wiles. Isabelle ventures out to seduce and dispatch the thieves
not for Marc's benefit but for that of the sinister gathering
that night for which Marc is the unsuspecting guest of honor.
DVD Release Date: September 21, 1999
Adelheid - The first colour
film by Czech master director Franti ek Vlácil Adelheid is an
emotional tale of two lovers trapped in the march of history. In
the aftermath of WWII, a Czech airman returns home from his tour
of duty with the British RAF, intending to claim a German
factory located in the Sudetenland along the Czech-German
border. There he meets the beautiful Adelheid, the former
owner's daughter who once lived in the estate but is now reduced
to servitude. The Czech airman falls in love with Adelheid, but
lingering resentment and bitter political strife stand in the
way of their happiness. DVD Release Date: August 23rd, 2010
Le Cercle Rouge
BD - Master thief Corey
(Alain Delon) is fresh out of prison. But instead of toeing the
line of law-abiding freedom, he finds his steps leading back to
the shadowy world of crime, crossing those of a notorious
escapee (Gian Maria Volonté) and alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand).
As the unlikely trio plots a heist against impossible odds,
their trail is pursued by a relentless inspector (Bourvil), and
fate seals their destinies. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle
Rouge combines honorable anti-heroes, coolly atmospheric
cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces to create a
masterpiece of crime cinema. Studio Canal Collection
Blu-ray Release Dates: September
2010
The Innocents
BD - Based on Henry James's
Turn of the Screw, The Innocents is a chilling psychological
horror film about a woman, Miss Giddens (Kerr), who takes a
position as governess for two orphans in a stately Victorian
home. Alone with the children and only a few servants, Miss
Giddens soon begins to see what she believes to be ghosts and
begins to suspect that the children's increasingly bizarre
behaviour may be the result of some supernatural power. When she
learns the fate of the house's previous governess and valet,
Miss Giddens takes it upon herself to rescue the children from
the supernatural being that seems to have them in its grips, all
the while questioning her own sanity. Kerr's nuanced
performance, possibly the best of her career, and Francis's
atmospheric cinematography help make this a true horror classic.
Blu-ray Release Date: August
23rd, 2010
The Edge of the World
BD - Shot over four arduous
months in the wild, windswept Shetland Island of of Foula, a
magnificent, primal landscape of high, rocky inland plains and
sheer cliffs jutting out of the sea, Michael Powell's first
independent production establishes the daring techniques and
experimentation that would later become familiar hallmarks of
his career. In this film I saw earmarks of Dreyer and Hitchcock
- a masterwork film of inescapable beauty.
Blu-ray Release Date: August 23rd,
2010
Ajami
BD - This Academy Award nominated film is
Shakespearian in its scope and themes - revenge, loyalty, hope
and despair - AJAMI draws us into the lives of two brothers
fearing assassination; a young refugee working illegally to
cover his mother s medical expenses; a cop obsessed with finding
his missing brother. Through this dramatic collision of
different worlds, we witness cultural and religious tensions
simmering beneath the surface and the tragic consequences of
enemies living as neighbors. Recommended for those who enjoyed
Crash or Traffic. Blu-ray
Release date: August 24th, 2010
The Simpsons: Season 13
BD - The longest running
comedy, animated series and prime-time entertainment in
television history, "The Simpsons" has taken home the Emmy
for Outstanding Animated Program 10 times during its remarkable
run. The hilarious thirteenth season features 22 episodes
including two noteworthy standouts: the Simpsons' trip to Brazil
in "Blame It On Lisa" and Homer's foray into medicinal marijuana
in "Weekend at Burnsie's." Once again, a talented line-up of
guest stars lend their voices including Ben Stiller, Reese
Witherspoon, Richard Gere, Pierce Brosnan, Matthew Perry, R.E.M.
and the legendary Paul Newman. Blu-ray
Release date: August 24th, 2010
Who Killed Nancy - On
October 12th, 1978, Nancy Spungen, girlfriend to Sex Pistols
bassist Sid Vicious, was found dead at the Chelsea Hotel in New
York. Sid was quickly accused of murder. Six months later he
died of a heroin overdose and the case was closed. Per Sid’s
mother’s request, Alan G. Parker set out on a journey to
discover Who Killed Nancy?. Through conducting 182 interviews,
re-examining NYPD evidence, and gathering a thorough
understanding of the zeitgeist of those times, Parker delivers a
compelling and moving documentary. DVD Release Date: August
24th, 2010
Loving Memory
BD - An extraordinary debut
from one of Hollywood's most bankable UK ex-pats, Tony Scott's
Loving Memory (1970) follows an isolated brother and sister who
live with their memories and a grisly secret. Critically
acclaimed on its release Loving Memory was beautifully
photographed by celebrated cinematographer Chris Menges - who
captures perfectly the misty mystery of the Yorkshire moors -
and feature a stunning, sinister performance from Rosamund
Greenwood (Village of the Damned, The Witches) as a haunted
innocent. Blu-ray Release date:
August 23rd, 2010
Lost Season Six
BD - With the release of
Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season, audiences can relive
every episode in the landmark final season, as the fate of each
character and answers to long-pondered mysteries from the
previous seasons, are revealed. In addition, the Blu-ray and DVD
releases contain hours of never-before-seen bonus footage
including deleted scenes; bloopers; an often emotional
featurette where cast, crew, writers, producers and other
Hollywood notables discuss ending the acclaimed series; a
much-anticipated new chapter of the island's story from
Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse; and much
more. Blu-ray Release date:
August 24th, 2010
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