alt-flix - Contemporary movie news, views and reviews

2011 - Our recent blogs are not showing

2011-03-05T16:08:00.001Z

Our recent blogs are not showing - we are currently trying to recover them.

Hope to have them back and the blog up and running very soon.

Our legendary Christmas films guide interactive advent calendar

2009-12-01T20:31:00.001Z

Today, being the first day of advent, we unleash the updated version of our near legendary Christmas films guide in the guise of an interactive advent calendar.

We guarantee this guide will put you in the Christmas spirit, even if the weather is just plain wet and cold out there at the moment.

So check out our choices and see if you agree - 'tis the season after all.

Sally Potter season at the BFI

2009-11-30T20:10:00.001Z

The season kicks off with a showing of the remastered (and very wonderful) Orlando, and continues with a season packed full of her films and documentaries plus some further very special events. These will include a conversation with Sally Potter and Tilda Swinton (which will also be webcast live at http://www.sallypotter.co.uk/ on 2nd December from 8.30pm UK time, giving anyone the opportunity to ask Sally and Tilda questions live over the wonders of the interweb).

We would also draw your attention to Sally Potter's latest film Rage, which is showing from 22nd December. We have been lucky enough to see Rage (full review will follow shortly at http://www.alt-flix.co.uk/) and we have to say it is an marvellously innovative and very impressive piece of work.

To find out more, and to book tickets, check out the BFI website.

Shane Meadows confirms first TV drama - We Were Faces

2009-08-26T19:20:00.004+01:00

After months of rumour, tantalising tit-bits and many respective fingers crossed, it has been confirmed today that cult British film director Shane Meadows, will be making his first foray TV drama, with a drama series continuing of the story begun in his award winning and critically acclaimed film 'This Is England'.

The drama, to be called We Were Faces , which will pick up the story in 1987, some four years after the end of the story in the film, will be screened on Channel 4 in 2010 as part of a shake up of their schedules in the wake of the cancellation of the ratings free faller Big Brother.

We for one already can't wait to see it, and we commend Channel 4 for having the nouse to commission this work in what promises to be one of the TV highlights of 2010.

Whats happening at Alt-flix.co.uk

2009-08-11T00:31:00.006+01:00

Those regular visitors to Alt-flix, will have been aware of the site re-design that has been taking place recently. Our blogs have been less frequent than previously and we suspended the new DVD release schedules earlier in the year. This was in order to facilitate a couple of major expansions for the site.

Firstly, coming very shortly, a new structure for the site that will see a further increase in up to date film news being made available on the site, along with a much improved functionality for the new DVD releases section (thanks for all your feedback and improvement suggestions over the past few months), increased blog postings and, and our twitter site which launched a few days ago (which is rather bare at the moment, but will be bulging very soon).

Secondly, we are just launching a sister site to Alt-flix, which is The Cult Of TV which will feature the very best in cult and contemporary television. It's only a few days old and is still taking shape, but you will already find a few features on cult classic TV shows such as Sky, The Jensen Code, A Kind Of Loving along with new TV DVD release schedules, and a twitter site etc.

Keep an eye on what's going on at The Cult Of TV, because there is lots of features and content on classic cult TV to be added very shortly.

One last thing. Sorry to blog all at once, but we have had a few things to catch up on during our tradition Summer 'closedown' fortnight. We are still a bit behind with your emails due to the closedown, but we'll be back to normal before the end of the week. Thanks for your patience. It's good to be back.

Brand new The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus HD trailer

2009-08-10T23:42:00.008+01:00

For those of us not really ones to keep up with the latest mega-money Hollywood blockbusters, it's easy to lose trace of how good CGI is becoming these days. Sure, all too often it's allied to pitiful scripts and big bucks merchandising / sponsorship tie-in's, but over the last couple of weeks we have seen two stunning (actually breath-taking) trailers that have showed us what CGI can be in the hands of true genius directors.

A couple of weeks ago we watched in awe at the HD trailer of Tim Burton's forthcoming adaptation of 'Alice In Wonderland', which is has to be said visually looks as impressive as anything we've ever seen in any film before. So much so that upon it's release we'll definitely be hunting down a cinema that will be showing it in 3D. It's being released on 5th March 2010, and yes, it does feel like we are wishing our lives away waiting to watch it on the big screen.

A film that we have been waiting to see for quite some time, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, (Terry Gilliam's latest film) has also just released its official trailer. This is another trailer that we were amazed by, we of course expected nothing less the legendary lavishly immaculate Gilliam visuals, but this time the CGI seems to actually to have matched (and captured) his imagination. Check out the trailer below.

It looks to our eyes a wonderful mix of Brazil and Munchausen with some Time Bandits thrown in for good measure, which to us seems like an ideal blend.

Given the circumstances that the film was made under (that of the very sad passing of that fine actor Heath Ledger), it seems the film may receive wider audience than it might otherwise have expected. So rather than with previous Gilliam films, this may actually hit the mainstream box office rather than skirting around the arthouse circuit. This hopefully will give the money men more faith in Gilliam as the genius director that he undoubtedly is, and just perhaps, he won't have to struggle so hard and for so long to get his next features made.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus opens in UK cinemas on 16th October. We'll be there.

Winstanley DVD, Blu-ray and book, you lucky people.

2009-08-10T22:41:00.006+01:00

Winstanley, the original "no budget" historical epic was released by the lovely people at the BFI on 3rd August.

No sooner had we seen the release of Comrades - a film charting the trials and tribulations of the Tolpuddle martyrs, then we get the wonderful release of Winstanley, charting the experience of a group known as the Diggers - a peaceful group who existed briefly during the English Civil war and whose beliefs have been likened to early communists.

We have been long term fans of this quaint but remarkable film, it making number 24 on our list of "must see" British films. The film itself was finally finished in 1975, but that it was ever made at all is something of a miracle. Directed by Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo, the film was made with an incredibly small budget, with a crew who were made up of volunteers, and a cast of similar volunteers (only one of whom had any previous acting experience). From watching the film you would have absolutely no idea that this was the case, the film looks amazing (even shooting in black and white for cost saving purposes adds a marvellous aesthetic to the film). The attention to detail in film is absolutely top rate, from the detailing of clothes along to using the correct breed of livestock that would have been used in small holding during the mid 1600's.

A region 1 DVD and overseas VHS had been available for the last few years, but it was an absolute delight when the BFI announced that Winstanley would finally make its UK DVD and Blu-ray release debut on August 3rd 2009. It also announced some extra features on the discs:-

New restoration by the BFI National Archive.
New filmed interview with Kevin Brownlow and Mollo (38 mins).
It Happened Here Again (Eric Mival, 1976, 48 mins) – the making of Winstanley
9 Dalmuir West (Kevin Brownlow, 1962, 12 mins) – a record of the last weekend of Glasgow trams.
Illustrated 32-page booklet with contributions by Marina Lewycka (author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian), Eric Mival, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Tom Milne, and David Robinson; plus biographies and credits.

Thus far we have watched the film (and it looks incredible in its remastered glory) and all the new extra features twice over. It has inspired us to hunt down It Happened Here Brownlow and Mollo's previous film from 1964, (also a "no budget" volunteer-led film) set in a fictionalised Britain under Nazi occupation. We have also ordered Kevin Brownlow's recently published book entitled 'Winstanley: Warts and All' , an account of the making of Winstanley, which sounds like a incredibly interesting read.

Sure, we've had a rotten Summer weather-wise, but at least we have been royally entertained with some amazing (if unexpected) DVD releases.

Bill Douglas' Comrades is released on DVD and Blu-ray, comrades.

2009-08-10T22:11:00.006+01:00

Well Comrades, something happened on the 27th July that we thought we'd never ever see happen, Bill Douglas' great lost (and last) film Comrades was released on DVD in the UK.

The films own history was something on an epic, and since its very brief cinematic release in 1987, one showing on TV and an incredibly brief sporadic international VHS release, nothiog had been heard of the film since. That was until February 2009, when Film4 announced it would be showing the movie on its free movie channel. This is what we wrote at the time: -

"Comrades is a cinematic account of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of Dorset labourers who in the early 19th century took a collective stand against the unfair treatment meated out by their land owner. The land owner and the judiciary sought to crush any dissent amongst the peasant classes and the labourers were transported to Australia for their 'crimes'. The film had a terrific cast that includes James Fox, Michael Horden, Freddie Jones, Robert Stephens, Immelda Staunton, Keith Allen and Philip Davis, and was finally finished in 1987 (after endless production problems), and nearly 10 years after Bill Douglas had completed his life trilogy (My Ain Folk etc). Comrades received a limited cinematic release (no doubt in part due to its unfashionable theme and its 3 hr plus running time), and subsequently received only a couple of plays on television on Channel 4 (who co-funded the project) . It also received a very low key and brief VHS issue, but it has been long out of print and impossible to find.In the wake of Bill Douglas' death the BFI released the Trilogy on DVD, here is hoping that the premiere of Comrades on FILM4 is the first step to seeing this lost classic released on DVD very soon. "

Comrades, was dutifully played in its uncut glory and it didn't dissapoint. With such a fantastic film I can only assume the delay in getting it back on TV was due the myriad of owners the film is rumoured to have had.

Then came news of not only a full DVD release, but also a blu-ray edition (for those that do). Both editions came with a treasure trove of additional features:

Lanterna Magicka – Bill Douglas & the Secret History of Cinema (2009, 60 mins), an insightful new documentary on Douglas’s life and work
Visions of: Comrades (2009, 15 mins), cast-members recall making the film
Bill Douglas interviews (1978, 33 mins), exclusive presentation of a remarkable interview in which Douglas discusses his method and creating approach to writing and directing
Home and Away (Michael Alexander, 1974, 30 mins), charming short film co-scripted by Douglas
Original Comrades trailer
On-set report from the set of Comrades
Illustrated booklet with essays, production material and credits.

Due to summer holidays, I only managed to watch the DVD right the way through on Saturday. The extras on the DVD are absolutely superb. I would say that this along with the release of Winstanley is our DVD highlight of the year so far.

John Hughes RIP

2009-08-06T23:59:00.007+01:00

Director John Hughes has left the building, and gone to that great screening room in the sky.
In a career that spanned a few highs and many more high money making artistic lows, he has left behind a legacy of a significant contribution to popular cinema.
Whilst have happily avoided his entire post 1990s output, we have to admit the guilty pleasure of having enjoyed much of his earlier work.
The Breakfast Club really is where the story should start, with Hughes practically inventing the 1980s teen flick genre. The film had a great energy, a great cast, a superb soundtrack and a story that took a whole weekend to write. Hughes followed up the hit with some further polished teenage angst films, the pick of them being Some Kind Of Wonderful and Pretty In Pink.
With further films he strayed much further into the comedy genre with films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Uncle Buck.
His last great film (in our opinion was) was the Christmas holiday favourite National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, which is great dumb fun.
Where we must leave the story (for all reasons of artistic taste), is where Hughes' most successful (financially) films begins with The Home Alone series, The Beethoven series, Curly Sue and Flubber etc.
We'd prefer to remember his 1980's heyday, (when we were teenagers ourselves) renting his films on VHS with our dodgy hairstyles, and his films' 'kicking' soundtracks, and thinking that middle America must be a better place to grow up in, than the dreary streets of little Britain.

Ticket giveaway to the Terry Gilliam season at BFI Southbank in London

2009-07-27T10:47:00.010+01:00

Our cyber friends, the wonderful people at The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Fan Site (which has received much praise and assistance from Terry Gilliam himself), are running a superb competition at the moment.

In conjunction with The BFI Southbank, London, there are 5 pairs of tickets for films showing throughout August at the Terry Gilliam season at The BFI Southbank, London up for grabs in their Terry Gilliam trivia competition. So if you would like tickets for films showing during the season, enter the competition and you might just be lucky enough to scoop the prizes. Check it out soon at The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Fan Site as the competition closes on Saturday 1st August.

I would heartily recommend any fans of Terry Gilliam and Heath Ledger to check out The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Fan Site. It has a wealth of information about the forthcoming The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus film, including HD trailers and other exclusive content, it also has the seal of approval and support of Terry Gilliam himself, along with a series of competitions with some very special prizes indeed. So keep tuning in to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Fan Site to keep up to date with all the very special things happening in support of the film's release.

Terry Gilliam Live Chat - 24th July 2009 and BFI Season - August 2009

2009-07-23T16:18:00.000+01:00

It has been confirmed that The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will be released in the UK in October 2009. The official site at The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has just one picture on the site and nothing else, but it looks so gorgeous it's whet the appetite already. There is more on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Unofficial Fan Site which even features a live chat with Terry Gilliam on 24th July 2009. We can't wait for October, as it looks like Parnassus is going to be another slice of Gilliam perfection - it certainly wen't down well at Cannes where it received a 13 minutue ovation.

The BFI Southbank will be running in August a month-long retrospective of Terry Gilliam's cinematic work. It will include screenings of 10 of films including Brazil, Jabberwocky, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and The Time Bandits. For full details go to the Terry Gilliam season at The BFI Southbank on the BFI website.

In other news Terry Gilliam is still confident of resurrecting his long standing project a film version of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and that filming of the project will commence in Spring 2010. The saga of the previous attempt to make it was documented in Lost In La Mancha. Little else has been confirmed, but Johnny Deep still seems likely to take the starring role.

Cannes News

2009-04-24T11:48:00.004+01:00

The official selection for entries in this year's Cannes Film Festival have just been announced.

These include: Jane Campion's BRIGHT STAR, Michael Haneke's DAS WEISSE BAND (aka The White Ribbon), Ken Loach's LOOKING FOR ERIC and Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

Some exciting films will also be shown out of competition includes Terry Gilliam 's THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS and Michel Gondry's L'EPINE DANS LE COEUR.

The feature film jury president this year is the ever wonderful Isabelle Huppert (our favourite actress bar none).

We have to say that it seems like a particularly strong competition this year, the festival is the highlight of the film festival calendar, and it will run this year frm the 13th to the 24th May.

Mike Leigh Oscar nomination, what about Sally Hawkins

2009-02-17T13:06:00.000Z

Mike Leigh's oscar nomination for the screenplay for his 2008 movie Happy-Go-Lucky must have taken all but his most ardent fans by surprise.

The film didn't do big business at the box office (unlike his previous release Vera Drake), and was released on DVD very shortly after its initial cinematic run. It also could have been said to have covering some safe and well tested ground for Leigh (the character of Scott could be a less angry and articulate version of Johnny from Naked, and Poppy's deliberate positive attitude is reminiscent of previous Leigh characters. More remarkable still it failed to receive a BAFTA nomination at the normally jingoistic awards ceremony.

However, perhaps the most surprising aspect of this is that Sally Hawkins did not receive an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Poppy in the lead role in the film. Hawkins scooped the best actress (in a comedy or musical) award at The Golden Globes, and it has to be said her extremely well judges performance was a highlight of the year.
It seems that leading lady Oscar nominations only go to heart rending and worthy
performances, but less dramatic but more skillful performances have always seemed to be overlooked in recent years in this particular category.
So for our money Sally Hawkins deserved to be included in the nominations.

If there is any justice on the night of 22nd February then at least we hope that Meryl Streep will win the Oscar for her masterful performance in Doubt.

Comrades - Bill Douglas showing on TV.

2009-02-16T16:07:00.005Z

Comrades the lost legendary final movie from director Bill Douglas (My Childhood, My Ain Folk, My Way Home). Is due to be shown on FILM 4 in the UK on Wednesday 19th Feb 2009 starting at 23.00.

Comrades is a cinematic account of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of Dorset labourers who in the early 19th century took a collective stand against the unfair treatment meated out by their land owner. The land owner and the judiciary sought to crush any dissent amongst the peasant classes and the labourers were transported to Australia for their 'crimes'.

The film had a terrific cast that includes James Fox, Michael Horden, Freddie Jones, Robert Stephens, Immelda Staunton, Keith Allen and Philip Davis, and was finally finished in 1987 (after endless production problems), and nearly 10 years after Bill Douglas had completed his life trilogy (My Ain Folk etc).

Comrades received a limited cinematic release (no doubt in part due to its unfashionable theme and its 3 hr plus running time), and subsequently received only a couple of plays on television on Channel 4 (who co-funded the project) . It also received a very low key and brief VHS issue, but it has been long out of print and impossible to find.

In the wake of Bill Douglas' death the BFI released the Trilogy on DVD, here is hoping that the premiere of Comrades on FILM4 is the first step to seeing this lost classic released on DVD very soon.

New UK DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 15th, 22nd and 26th December 2008

2008-12-15T23:34:00.009Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary UK DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 15th, 22nd and 26th December 2008: The schedules for these weeks have been amalgamated due to the small amount of releases and teh chage to release days through the Christmas period.

Pier Paolo Pasolini Vol.2. Released on the excellent Artificial Eye label (where else) comes a superb collection of four films by the acclaimed Dardenne Brothers. Includes the films: The Child, The Son, Rosetta and The Promise.

Man on Wire. A documentary charting the day of August 7th 1974, when young Frenchman named Philippe Petit illegally rigged a wire between the New York's twin towers and started to cross the wire in a tight rope walk / dance that would last over an hour. An absolutely fascinating and gripping documentary.

The Love Guru. Everyone is waiting for Mike Myers to make a bad film - keep waiting. This is another truly funny Myers movies stuffed with some great gags, and again proves he is one of the very few universal talents making comedy these days.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: The Counterfeiters, Just Another Love Story, Counterfeit Butterfly, Hell Night, The Strangers, Kentucky Fried Movie, Away from Her, Ghost Writer and Battle of Wits. For full details of these releases go to our December 2008 new DVD releases store.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the UK are:

Man On Wire. A documentary charting the day of August 7th 1974, when young Frenchman named Philippe Petit illegally rigged a wire between the New York's twin towers and started to cross the wire in a tight rope walk / dance that would last over an hour. An absolutely fascinating and gripping documentary.

The Love Guru. Everyone is waiting for Mike Myers to make a bad film - keep waiting. This is another truly funny Myers movies stuffed with some great gags, and again proves he is one of the very few universal talents making comedy these days.

King Lear. A superb adaptation by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Sir Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Sylvester McCoy and William Gaunt.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Battle of Wits, Dumb And Dumber, Exiled, The Mask, The Strangers, Into the Wild and The Duchess. For full details of these and other Blu-ray releases this month go to our December 2008 new Blu-ray releases store.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK are:

Doctor Who: Battlefield. One of the few McCoy stories worth hunting down. This story revisits Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and the faithful yellow car Bessie. Doctor and Ace get themselves caught up in an Arthurian adventure.

Not Going Out collection. Take two of the countries finest gag merchants Tim Vine and Lee Mack, give them zero budget and get them to attempt to make a sitcom that could be sold to America. This is what you get. Luckily it's rather brillian.

The Ascent of Money. Great timing. A six part series on the history of finance, economy and money. It leaves one huge question unanswered - why can't I earn any money?

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: Hubble - 15 Years Of Discovery, Trial and Retribution: The Fourth Collection, Soldier of God, Taggart - The 2008 Collection, Wallander and Lipstick Jungle Series 1. For full details of these TV releases go to our December 2008 new TV releases store.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for December 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix December 2008 UK releases site, even further details can be found at our alt-flix Decmber 2008 releases store.

New USA DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 9th December 2008

2008-12-06T13:04:00.011Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary USA DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the USA, our pick of the DVD releases on 9th December 2008:

Man On Wire. A documentary charting the day of August 7th 1974, when young Frenchman named Philippe Petit illegally rigged a wire between the New York's twin towers and started to cross the wire in a tight rope walk / dance that would last over an hour. An absolutely fascinating and gripping documentary.

The Quare Fellow. Patrick McGoohan stars in this uncompromising 1962 film based on the story by legendary Irish writer Brendan Behan, about a prison where a man is shortly due to be hanged. Also included is a superb extra of 'Bendan Beehan's Dublin' a superb document of the great city through the eyes of Beehan and it's other famous residents.

Europa. AKA Zentropa. A little piece of genius from Lars Von Trier. A Criterion release for his 1991 tale of a runaway train journey of confusion. Packed with extras like commentaries documentaries and interviews (just like you'd expect from Criterion).

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: Flow; Horton Hears a Who!; The Dark Knight; A Hole In A Fence; Open Window; Change My Life; Just My Luck; Ahlaam; Takva: A Man's Fear of God and Bad Boys. For full details of these releases go to our December 2008 new DVD releases store.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the USA are:

From Dusk Til Dawn. Robert Rodriguez's collaboration with Tarantino was always going to be wild. One of the finest alt-vampire films ever. Looks fantastic, sounds powerful and plenty of gory horror laughs.

Jet Li's Fearless. Inspired by the story of a real-life hero in a story of a martial arts champion. One of the most stunning looking martial arts movies ever made.

The Dark Knight. Was any film ever going to be worth the absolutely ridiculous amount of hype that heralded this release - no. This is a pretty damn good film. Excellent special effects and a great cast, but falling short on the story, maybe we are tiring of Batman?

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: Horton Hears a Who!; Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and I Am Legend Ultimate Collector's Edition. For full details of these and other Blu-ray releases this month go to our December 2008 new Blu-ray releases store.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA are:

Lost: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray]. We've been waiting for this for so long - Lost season 4 on Blu-ray. This is our favourite season by some way. It's also available on DVD too.

Deadwood: The Complete Series. One of our favourites of all time. The complete 3 season series containing 19 discs with over 36 hours of Deadwood.

The Wire: The Complete Series. All 60 hour long episodes from one of the most (rightly) acclaimed US TV series of recent years. Available in a box set of on 23 discs.

Rawhide - Seasons 1 - 3. Every episode in seasons 1 - 3 collected. Perhaps the 2nd best western themed series of all time . Clint Eastwood was so charismatic even then, and he patently learned so much during this series that he applied beautifully to his amazing cinematic roles.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include:Swingtown - The First Season; Happy Days - Seasons 1-4; Rawhide - Season Three, Vol. 2 and Happy Days - Season 4. For full details of these releases go to our December 2008 new TV releases store.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for December 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix December 2008 USA releases site, further details can be also be found at our December 2008 releases store.

New UK DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 8th December 2008

2008-12-06T12:39:00.006Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary UK DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 8th December 2008:

The Dardenne Brothers Collection. Released on the excellent Artificial Eye label (where else) comes a superb collection of four films by the acclaimed Dardenne Brothers. Includes the films: The Child, The Son, Rosetta and The Promise.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Thankfully Star Wars gets back on track with this excellent story that nestles in between episodes 2 and 3. The only criticism is Lucas' choice of animation style that makes it look like a computer game rather than a piece of art. Great shame.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. One of the most eagerly awaited sequels for years, as ever the genius of Guillermo del Toro doesn't disappoint for one single minute. As with all of his films, this looks absolutely stunning (also available on Blu-ray)..

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Angus, Thongs And Full-frontal Snogging; The Fox And The Child; The Dark Knight; Times and Winds; Ashik Kerib; The Girl Who Leapt Through Time; The Banishment and Wild Child. For full details of these releases go to our December 2008 new DVD releases store.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the UK are:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Star Wars gets back on track with this excellent story that nestles in between episodes 2 and 3. The only criticism is Lucas' choice of animation style that makes it look like a computer game rather than a piece of art. Great shame.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. One of the most eagerly awaited sequels for years, as ever the genius of Guillermo del Toro doesn't disappoint for one single minute.As with all of his films, this looks absolutely stunning (especially in the Blu-ray format - and laden with its excellent bonus features)..

Equilibrium. Kurt Wimmer's excellent dark sci-fi tale, that includes a superb cast (Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Angus McFayden). Where this one wins over its rivals is the strength of the plot running through the film.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: The Dark Knight; Dodgeball and American Gangster. For full details of these and other Blu-ray releases this month go to our December 2008 new Blu-ray releases store.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK are:

National Geographic Stonehenge Decoded. Fascinating documentary on the famous monument. This 2 hour programme documents the recent excavations within the circle and also in surrounding areas, that have brought archeologists a long way in working out what the henge was originally used for.

The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1-5. All 60 hour long episodes from one of the most (rightly) acclaimed US TV series of recent years. Available in a box set of on 24 discs.

Wallander. A different type of detective story for Sunday nights. Based on the internationally best-selling books by Henning Mankell and starring the normally unwatchable Kenneth Brannagh.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: Happy Days: Four Season Pack; Stargate - Continuum The Ark Of Truth; Gunsmoke: The Third Season Vol 1 and Rawhide: Season Three Vol 2. For full details of these TV releases go to our December 2008 new TV releases store.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for December 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix December 2008 UK releases site, even further details can be found at our alt-flix Decmber 2008 releases store.

Christmas movies guaranteed to make you feel Christmassy

2008-12-01T14:31:00.011Z

In the run up to Christmas, how many times do you hear the phrase "It doesn't feel like Christmas yet", probably quite a few times. We hear at alt-flix.co.uk have the solution - a run down of 24 movies (one for each day of Advent) guaranteed to make you feel Christmassy.

When we first ran the feature on our website in December 2006, it featured on the front page of IMDB.com and also was chosen as the site of the day by Yahoo. Thanks to that we had an absolutely massive response from people offering their recommendations as to their favourite movies that make them feel Christmassy.

So, in the run up to Christmas 2007 we ran a poll to find out which movies visitors to our website would chose for the list. Again we had a massive response to this, and with all the votes cast we were able to put together a full countdown of the top 24 Christmassy movies.

So what we have done is put together an new and improved guide to the top 24 movies guaranteed to make you feel Christmassy, and we have done it in the form of an advent calendar (actually we've put together two one for USA and another for the UK, as the votes cast showed such a wide disparency between the films each country thought were Christmassy).
So if you want to have a look at the run down which has reviews (some humurous) of each of the movies, and see if you agree or disagree, or perhaps tell us which movies you think should be on the list, then please go to:
Alt-flix 24 movies guaranteed to make you feel Christmassy USA Edition or UK Edition.

We have also put together an online store in association with Amazon.com sells all the Christmassy movies listed and many more besides, if you want to take a look visit either Alt-flix Christmassy movie store (USA) or Alt-flix Christmassy movie store (UK).

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and happy viewing.

New UK DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 1st December 2008

2008-12-01T14:07:00.008Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary UK DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 1st December 2008:

The Memory Keeper's Daughter. A great cast (especially Emily Watson) does a sterling job in this deeply involved tale of human dilemmas and misdemeanors. The film is a superb adaptation from the hugely successful novel of the same name by Kim Edwards.

Lotte Reiniger: Fairy Tale Films. Thankfully released by The BFI, are legendary director Lotte Reiniger's wonderful fairy tales in her signature style black and white silhouette animation. This collection contains films from 1922 (Cinderella) up to 1961 The Frog Prince. Truly charming.

Hancock. A big budget Will Smith superhero flick is not everyone's idea of a film to seek out (certainly not ours usually). But this one is a truly entertaining film with great CGI, a decent cast (including Charlize Theron) and plenty of laughs.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Elegy, Camp Rock and Space Chimps . Very few DVD releases this week as the industry push Blu-ray for all its worth in the run up to Christmas. Speaking of which.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the UK are:

Austin Powers Collection. Sam This is groovy (baby). Whilst being light on extras, we are very partial to the work of Mike Myers, and these 3 films contained within are truly very funny and also stand up to repeated viewing. Yeah baby.

French Connection 1 & 2. Gene Hackman stars in these legendary films as Popeye Doyle, surely one of cinema's strongest characters. The original won an Oscar, the second was somewhat overlooked but is probably even better.

Joan of Arc - The Messenger. Milla Jovovich stars in the title role in Luc Beeson's superb take on the legend. A film that is as entertaining as it is brutal, and it certainly ranks comfortably alongside Beeson's very best work.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Hancock, Planet Of The Apes Collection, Bad Santa, The Thing, Knocked Up, The Mummy 1 2 & 3 Box Set, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Wanted, Dirty Dancing (Ultimate Girl's Night In Collector's Edition), The Scorpion King and Space Chimps.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK are:

Auf Wiedersehen Pet - 25 Years Ultimate Box Set. All 4 series of the superb Clement and Frenais' classic comedy drama. Following the intrepid hero's from Britain to Germany, back to Britain, to Spain (via The Falklands) to Middlesborough, Nevada, Cuba and Africa and Laos.

The Lost Prince (Blu-ray). Stephen Poliakoff's highly regarded drama about the little boy shamefully abandoned by his parents Queen Mary and George V. They knew no better.

24 - Redemption. Feature length special to herald in the new season. The specially extended release includes scenes that were not Included included in the television broadcast plus a whole host of superb extra features.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: Steve Coogan - The Complete Collection, Einstein and Eddington, Night Mail & Lines For All Seasons, The Armstrong and Miller Show - Series 1, Jake And The Fatman: Season One Vol 2 and The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for December 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix December 2008 UK releases site, even further details can be found at our alt-flix Decmber 2008 releases store.

New USA DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 2nd December 2008

2008-12-01T13:33:00.012Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary USA DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the USA, our pick of the DVD releases on 2nd December 2008:

The Trap. Director Srdan Golubovic's 2000 film set in post conflict Belgrade. A film that surrounds a young family whose son is i'll and needs life saving treatment abroad. The father is offered the money to get his son treated, but the money comes at a high price.

My Father My Lord. Writer and Director David Volach's powerful exploration of everyday life in the ultra-orthodox Israeli community that he himself was brought up in.

Rape of Europa - Collector's Edition. Joan Allen's superb documentary about the Nazi's pillaging of European art during World War 2, and how these pieces are now starting to be returned to the families of the rightful owners.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Wanted, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Step Brothers, The Longshots, Wisegal and Days of Being Wild.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the USA are:

The Shawshank Redemption. This is the ultimate edition of this superb movie. The picture and sound detail are stunning on Blu-ray format. There are also a huge amount of fantastic extras in the release that is truly worthy of this fantastic movie. All this plus an excellent 38 page booklet.

Austin Powers Collection: Shagadelic Edition Loaded With Extra Mojo. This is groovy (baby). Whilst being light on original extras, we are very partial to the work of Mike Myers, and these 3 films contained within are truly very funny and also stand up to repeated viewing. Yeah baby.

Iraq in Fragments. Director James Longley's much acclaimed documentary (nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar at the 2007 Academy Awards), about the real Iraq and its people in the wake of the American occupation.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: The Casablanca (Ultimate Collector's Edition), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The X-Files Movie 2-Pack (I Want to Believe / Fight the Future), The Day the Earth Stood Still (Special Edition), Sin City, Children of Men, Days Of Being Wild, The Contract, Step Brothers, Home Alone, Day of the Dead and Immortal.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA are:

I Claudius & Epic That Never Was. Landmark 1970's BBC TV series starring Derek Jacobi, Sian Phillips and John Hurt, following the murderous intrigue witnessed by the future emperor Claudius. Also includes an excellent documentary detailing the abandoned 1937 film version. From the remaining footage it looks an absolute masterpiece.
Saturday Night Live - The Complete Fourth Season. (From 1978/1979). Probably the best season of SNL, that would be the last starring Ackroyd and Belushi. This season includes the superb episode hosted by Carrie Fisher and the fantastic pythonesque episode hosted by Eric Idle.

Frost / Nixon - The Original Watergate Interviews. Released to coincide with the recent stage play / TV film adaptation comes the original interviews. What really comes through is that you cant trust politicians even for a second - not ever.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include:Perry Mason - The Third Season - Vol. 2, Law & Order: Sixth Year, Cannon - Season One - Vol. 2 and Metalocalypse - Season 2.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix December 2008 USA releases site, further details can be also be found at our December 2008 releases store.

New USA DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 25th November 2008

2008-11-22T23:47:00.006Z

Bottle Rocket. Wes Anderson's debut feature is far less well know than his future features. But this tremendous film signposted the full array of his armory even this early on. This superb Criterion edition includes the original short he made of Bottle Rocket, plus a myriad of superb extra features.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave, A Perfect Day, Just Sex and Nothing Else, Life the Way It Is, Jolts of the Heart, Silence of The Sea and Half Broken Things.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the USA are:

Becket. The hard drinking duo of Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton give some of their finest cinematic performances in this 1964 historical epic. Superbly shot, the remastering onto Blu-ray gives this film another lease of life.

Chungking Express. Wong Kar-Wai's highly influential 1994 kicked off a resurgence of interest in both Hong Kong and Asian cinema, that saw the region produce some of the most freshest movies being produced anywhere. This landmark piece is given a features packed Criterion release worthy of its reputation.

Walk the Line. Bio-pic of the excellent Johnny Cash story, that skillfully avoided all the cliched pitfalls of bio-pics of musical stars. Excellent Blu-ray release. This version is an extended cut of the movie and is bulging with a plethora of extra features.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: The Kingdom, Superman - Doomsday, Hancock, Jarhead, Black Narcissus, and La Haine.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA are:

Kath and Kim - Hornbag Collection. Australia are producing some fantastic comedy series, with this and Summer Heights High being two of the foremost examples. This series is just shouting "Look at me".

24: Redemption. Feature length special to herald in the new season. The specially extended release includes scenes that were not Included included in the television broadcast plus a whole host of superb extra features.

Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. - Complete Series, Seasons 1-5. The complete series on 25 discs of the classic show that was itself a spin-off from The Andy Griffith Show.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include: The Mod Squad - The Second Season Vol. 1, Mark of Cain and Beverly Hills 90210 - Seasons 1-6.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 USA releases site.

New UK DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 24th November 2008

2008-11-22T23:26:00.008Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary UK DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 24th November 2008:

The Discovery of Heaven. Director Jeroen Krabbe's amazing 2001 adaptation of Harry Mulisch's epic theological / philosophical novel. A truly superb story. Stars Stephen Fry and Greg Wise.

Strange Culture. Drama/ drama documentary, from director Lynn Hershman Leeson which explores the nightmare that artist Steve Kurtz had to endure after an invasive FBI investigation that names him as a bioterrorist.

Tigrero. Filmmaker Sam Fuller (accompanied by Jim Jarmusch and director Mika Kaurismaki) revisits the Amazon where, in 1954, he shot footage in the rain forest for a John Wayne film that was never made.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth, L'Argent, Summer Hours, Purple Sunset, Oasis Of Fear, Mamma Mia!, Wall-E and Partition.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the UK are:

Straw Dogs. Sam Peckinpah's controversial masterpiece western transplanted from the Wild West to the Wild West Country of Cornwall. This film, for so long banned in the UK, makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing. Check out our full Straw Dogs review.

Becket. The hard drinking duo of Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton give some of their finest cinematic performances in this 1964 historical epic. Superbly shot, the remastering onto Blu-ray gives this film another lease of life.

Cabaret. A cult camp classic from the 1970s. A superb musical film set in the decadence of pre-war Berlin, and telling the tale of an American actress Sally Bowes (Liza Minelli) who falls in love with her bi-sexual friend (Michael York).

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include:Chungking Express, Impossible Mission Trilogy, Casino, American Gangster, Mamma Mia!, Jarhead and Wall-E.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK are:

Survivors - Series 1-3. Reissued as the remake of series 1 starts on BBC, we get the series 1 - 3 of the original mid 1970s series released in a 12 disc boxset. This series, a tale of the few survivors of an apocalyptic virus, is one of the best sci-fi series of all time. If you like the remake, then I'd advise you to check out the original, low on special affects, but a fantastically well made drama.

Little Britain U.S.A. Probably even better than their UK version, the new characters on display and the more aggressive attitude of the writing, is only slightly hampered by many of the original characters being past their sell by date.

The X Files: I Want To Believe. A welcome return for the well loved series. The feature film contains one of the best X Files stories so far. Unfortunately contains an out of place Billy Connolly but don't let it put you off. The truth is out there so is a multitude of formats.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: Get Smart - Complete HBO Series, Sharpe's Challenge / Sharpe's Peril, Lead Balloon: Series 2, Trailer Park Boys - Series 1-6, Compulsion and Merlin Vol.1.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 UK releases site.

New USA DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 18th November 2008

2008-11-17T23:51:00.002Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary USA DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the USA, our pick of the DVD releases on 18th November 2008:

David Lynch - The Lime Green Set. Extraordinary box set includes: Eraserhead (remastered) + soundtrack; The Short Films Of David Lynch; The Elephant Man (+ exclusive extras disc); Wild At Heart (plus a disc deleted / extended scenes); Industrial Symphony no. 1 (exclusive); Blue Velvet (with new Lynch approved 5.1 sound mix) Dumbland (an exclusive mystery disc from Lynch archives) plus a 40 page collectors picture book. Wow.

The Happiness of the Katakuris. Hmmm. How to describe this 2001 film from cult director Takashi Miike. How about Surreal / Black comedy / zombie horror? or a re imagining through unknown dimensions of The Sound Of Music under the influence of a particularly scary acid trip? Whatever, this is s a seriously enjoyable film.

Derek Jarman Collection (Sebastiane / The Tempest / War Requiem / Derek). The 3 films collected here (and the documentary Derek - utilising Jarman's home movies & material), are a fitting tribute to the wonderful British film director Derek Jarman; undoubtedly one of the most imaginative, adventurous and uncompromising directors in cinema history.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Mister Lonely; Up the Yangtze; Goya; A Wonderful Night in Split; Of Love and Eggs; Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson; Fanfan La Tulipe; Wendy and Lucy; and The Wedding Director.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the USA are:

Third Man. One can perhaps make an argument about that necessity of releasing Black and White films on the HD formats, but taking the cinematography on this film justifies its position alone. Also the improved soundtrack, containing the wonderful and instantly recognisable Harry Lime Theme is an absolute joy.

Paris, je t'aime. 20 shorts from an array of directors such as The Coen brothers, Gus Van Sant and Wes Craven. Some of the shorts work much better than others, but as a complete work they actually hang together incredibly well.

The Last Emperor. Bernardo Bertolucci's epic from 1987 is one of modern cinemas most visually stunning pieces. Tailor made for the digitally restored Blu-ray generation.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: The Man Who Fell to Earth; Heathers; Bottle Rocket; Revolver; Marvel Blu-ray 3-Pack - Fantastic Four; Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer and the directors cut of Daredevil; Priceless; 8 Mile, Wall-E (Two-Disc) and The Stendhal Syndrome.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA are:

The Complete Monty Pythons Flying Circus - Collectors Edition Megaset. Every episode and loads of very good extras are included in this 21 disc collection. Includes all the classics: Dead Parrot; Ministry Of Silly Walks; Lumberjack Song and The Spanish Inquisition sketch. "Dinsdale, Dinsdale."

Doctor Who : Complete BBC Series 4. Tom Baker may have been the best Doctor ever, but David Tennant is a close second. Sure the new shows can sometimes be low thought and high on chase sequences, but there is a real craft that has gone into the sub-plots that run through the series.

The Odd Couple - The Complete Series, Seasons 1-5. All 5 season of probably one of the best made and most consistently funny comedies ever made for television. They don't just not make 'em like this anymore - and they don't even try now.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include:Bones - Series 1-3; The Chomsky Sessions: Noam Chomsky On The World; The Universe: The Complete Season 1 (Blu-ray); The Tudors - Season 2; Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest; Star Trek: The Original 3 Series (Remastered); Charmed Complete Collection and The A&E Adventure Collection DVD Set.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 USA releases site.

New UK DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 17th November 2008

2008-11-17T23:28:00.009Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary UK DVD and Blu-ray releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 17th November 2008:

Freezone. Simply wonderful film from 2005 that was nominated for the Palm d 'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Featuring a superb performance from Natalie Portman in a tale set in the 'free zone' of the Iraq-Saudi-Jordan borders..

Cinema 16: World Short Films. A superb collection of shorts by some of cinemas current great crop of innovative directors including: Guillermo del Toro, Jane Campion and Park Chan-Wook.

The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (30th Anniversary Edition). Yet another release for Eric Idle's hilarious post Monty Python pre-fab classic Beatles spoof. The songs of Neil Innes and Eric Idle contained in the film are both superb parodies, and superb in their own right (Ouch! and Double Back Alley are particularly splendid).

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot; Mondo Cane; Tigrero; Sordid Lives, The Fan and Take.

The pick of the Blu-ray releases this week in the UK are:

Third Man. One can perhaps make an argument about that necessity of releasing Black and White films on the HD formats, but taking the cinematography on this film justifies its position alone. Also the improved soundtrack, containing the wonderful and instantly recognisable Harry Lime Theme is an absolute joy.

The Matrix / Matrix Reloaded / Matrix Revolutions. All the usual nonsense of all the very cutting edge and innovative Matrix films collected in one bundle - and looking nothing short of amazing with the clarity of the Blu-ray format.

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco. Alt-country band Wilco, feature in this story of how they attempt break out of their pigeon hole into experimental artistes. It also shows them as a band in meltdown with their bitterness pushing them ever closer into Spinal Tap territory. Hugely entertaining.

The recommended best of the rest Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Kung Fu Panda; Chronicles Of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe / Prince Caspian; Hulk; The Man Who Fell to Earth; The Last Emperor and Revolver.

The pick of the TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK are:
The Sopranos - Complete HBO Series - Deluxe Edition. All 6 series of this landmark drama series contained on 30 discs. Also contains 3 and a half hours on all new extras features including commentaries, deleted and lost scenes.

Doctor Who : Complete BBC Series 4. Tom Baker may have been the best Doctor ever, but David Tennant is a close second. Sure the new shows can sometimes be low thought and high on chase sequences, but there is a real craft that has gone into the sub-plots that run through the series.

Stephen Fry: In America. The wonderful (and fragrantly fluffy) Mr Fry, drives his cab through every state in the US in this fascinating series. Here he digs up all you ever wanted to know (and more) about the worlds most powerful country.

The recommended best of the rest TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include:Bones - Series 1-3; Benidorm - Series 1-2; The Mighty Boosh - Series 1-3; Mr Bean Vol.1-5; Outnumbered Series 1 and Star Stories Series 1 & 2.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 UK releases site

Coen brothers season (plus) showing at the BFI Southbank

2008-11-10T00:19:00.000Z

Already commenced and running through until the end of December, the BFI Southbank will be showing a season of classic Coen brothers movies, but with an interesting twist, they will be showing beside the Coen movie a Hollywood classics that share some parallels or allegiance within the Coens work.

Blood Simple is paired with The Postman Always Rings Twice, movies which resonate strongly with each other in many respects, whilst the brothers recent oscars rich movie No Country for Old Men is paired with Charley Varrick. You can also compare the Coen's version of The Ladykillers with the original Ealing Studios version starring Alec Guiness, no doubt offering the viewer the chance to see where the Coens got it so wrong (for a change).

Other Coens film showing during the season include their latest superb offering Burn After Reading (2008); their oscar laden return to form No Country For Old Men (2007); our own favourites The Big Lebowski (1998), Fargo (1996) and Miller's Crossing (1990) along with every other film they have made to this point.

Visit the BFI's Oh brothers - The Coens in Context season website for more information / screening times for this fabulous season of classic Coen brothers films.

New DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 10th / 11th November 2008

2008-11-09T22:45:00.009Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

UK releases
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 10th November 2008 :

Baraka. A beautiful almost balletic social travelogue, which casts its lens far and wide all across the world. Beautifully shot, and a film that everyone deserves to see. This edition has been beautifully remastered and expanded into a 2 Disc edition. If you have a Blu-ray player I would highly recommend the release in that format as due to its pioneering use of new technology its one of the visually most stunning uses of the Blu-ray format.

War Requiem. Based on the life of WW1 poet Wilfred Owen's life, this is a wonderful mixture of Benjamin Britten's music, Owen's poetry and Derek Jarman's amazing unworldly visuals. Gorgeously remastered from new a High Definition transfer and packed with some very special extras.

Murk
(AKA Morke). Jannik Johansen directs this superbly dark and unusual thriller that delves deep in to the psyche and human behaviour.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include:It's a Wonderful Life; Scrooge (Collectors Edition); Fighters / Real Money; Border Post and Donkey Punch.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: The Ipcress File; Harry Potter Year 1-5 Box Set; The Mist; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Black Christmas; Donkey Punch and Band Of Brothers.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include:Band Of Brothers (Blu-ray); Family Guy - Series 7; Red Dwarf: Anniversary collection; Gavin And Stacey - Series 1 & 2; Torchwood - Series 1 & 2; Take a Girl Like You; Supernatural - Complete Third Season [Blu-ray]; Family Guy - Series 1-7 - Complete; Marco Polo, QB VII and Russell Brand - Ponderland.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 UK releases site .

USA releases
In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 11th November 2008 are:

Mister Foe. AKA Hallam Foe. Jamie Bell (the Billy Elliot boy) takes the title role in this dark and twisted tale of obsession and voyeurism. This is an truly imaginative and innovative (and somewhat disturbing) but hugely enjoyable tale and marks out Jamie Bell as a real future star more than capable of making it into the big league.

Madame Bovary. A re-release of this epic 1991 adaptation of this notorious literary classic, sees director Claude Chabrol team up again with his favourite leading lady Isabelle Huppert, and yet again to such magnificent effect. Huppert's superb performance may in time come to be seen as her crowning acting achievement.

The General (The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition). That this film made in 1926 still regularly appears in the top end in lists of the greatest films of all time, is testament to the creative genius of Buster Keaton. Ironically his star began to rapidly wane as soon as the film was released. This superb 2 disc edition is absolutely chock full of extras and is an absolute delight.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: Kidulthood; Love Songs; Roberto Rossellini: Director's Series; Opium: Diary of a Madwoman; Change My Life; Blood and Bones; and Pasion.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Harry Potter Years 1-5; Hellboy II: The Golden Army; JFK, Black Christmas; and The Story Of O.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include: Band of Brothers [Blu-ray]; The Sopranos - The Complete Series; M*a*s*h (all seasons now available); Off the Baa / Three Amazing Adventures; I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series; Supernatural - The Complete Third Season [Blu-ray]; Studio One Anthology; The Streets of San Francisco: Season Two, Vol. 2; Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary - Seasons 1 and 2; M Squad - The Complete Series; Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Television Series; Scrubs: The Complete Seventh Season; Firefly: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]; George Gently Series 1; and The Commander Set 1.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk November 2008 USA DVD releases.

New DVD and Blu-ray releases round up 3rd / 4th November 2008

2008-11-03T01:09:00.009Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

UK releases
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 3rd November 2008 :

This Sporting Life. Lindsay Anderson's gritty debut. Network DVD's roster of great movies releases grows with a digitally restored version of This Sporting Life on DVD. We here at alt-flix are huge fans of Lindsay Anderson's work, and Network have kindly let us see an advanced copy of the DVD, and we can confirm that the restored print looks absolutely stunning. This version of the film comes from the HD print of the film which gives the restored film its flawless quality, and also, for the first time on DVD, the film is presented in its original cinematic ratio. Read the full This Sporting Life review here.

Postmen In The Mountains. From 1999, this poignant and stunningly beautiful drama from China, directed by Huo Jianqi, tells the tale of an aging postman who unable to continue his job due to frailty. He hands the job over to his son, who had and resented his father for pushing his family aside in favour of his job, but comes to realise things are never as clear cut as they seem. .

The Battle Of The Somme. Released to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the end of World War 1. This digitally restored version of the landmark documentary film record from 1916 of The Battle Of The Somme, is released on a superb extras laden DVD package. which includes the soundtracks (a commentary, together with a contemporary orchestral score and also a recreation of the songs that were used to accompany the film in the cinemas in its 1916 release. Also includes unused footage, Interviews with those involved in the DVD project and a commemorative booklet. Read the full The Battle Of The Somme review here.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Silent Running; Walkabout; The Happening; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 3 Disc Seriously Ultimate; What?; Mad Detective; Bruce Weber 5 Disc Boxset; Before The Rain; A Prairie Home Companion; and Pollock.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Zulu; Kill Bill Vol.1; Kill Bill Vol.2; Mad Detective; The Perfect Storm; Predator; Predator 2; Fantastic Four; Fantastic Four - The Rise Of The Silver Surfer; Chocolate; The Wild Bunch; Babel; Monster's Ball; Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Mad Detective.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: David Attenborough's Life On Land - A DVD Encyclopedia; Robin Hood - Series 2; Extras - The Collection; Dead Set; ER: The Complete Thirteenth Season; In Sickness And In Health - The Christmas Specials; Desperate Housewives: Seasons 1-4; Monty Python's Flying Circus - Series 1-4; Beautiful People; Derren Brown - The Specials; Armchair Thriller Vol.1-10 - Complete; The American Future: A History; Futurama - Series 1-4 - Complete and The Howdy Doody Show.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for November 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix November 2008 UK releases site .

USA releases
In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 4th November 2008 are:

When Did You Last See Your Father?. Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth star in this magnificent drama as father and son who have allowed their relationship to drift, but with the fathers impending death lots of things get brought into sharp focus.

Flashbacks of a Fool.This film should have been massive. Starring Daniel Craig as a faded film star spiraling out of control who returns to England to confront his past. Great cast includes Keeley Hawes, Emilia Fox and Olivia Williams.

Budd Boetticher Box Set. Often disregarded as a most disposable (but arguably most popular) genre, the westerns as directed by Budd Boetticher tell some great stories. Collected here are some of his best including: Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome and, Comanche Station.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: Milarepa; Fraulein; Little Fugitive; What We Do Is Secret; Star Wars Prequel Trilogy / Star Wars Trilogy; The Gregory Peck Film Collection and Valentin.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: Caligula; Futurama: Benders Game; A Christmas Story (Ultimate Collector's Edition); Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Collection; Planet of the Apes (40th Anniversary Edition); Kung Fu Panda; Monster's Ball; Get Smart and Trans-Siberian.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include: Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2;
JAG (Judge Advocate General) - Seasons 1-7; Get Smart - The Complete Series; Foyle's War: Sets 1-5; Spin City: The Complete Season 1; Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection; Outer Limits Original Series Complete Box Set and The Howdy Doody Show- 40 Episode Collection.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk November 2008 USA DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 27th / 28th October

2008-10-27T11:55:00.006Z

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

UK releases
In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 27th October 2008 :

Never Apologize. Malcolm McDowell's warm tribute to alt-flix faveLindsay Anderson. The film is a recording of Malcolm McDowell's one man theatre show about legendary British film director Lindsay Anderson. The show is cut with clips of Lindsay Anderson's films If... and O'Lucky Man! (both starring McDowell), and excerpts from Anderson's 'recently posthumously published memoirs.
We heartily recommend the film for fellow fans of Anderson and McDowell, film buffs and anyone who wants to have a damn good laugh at McDowell's hugely funny stories.

One Who Set Forth - Wim Wenders' Early Years. This superb and revealing documentary profiles the work and early career of renowned German director Wim Wenders, one of the few truly unique talents working in cinema today. The documentary is as fascinating as Wender's own films.

Wim Wenders Documentary Collection. A collection of documentary films from acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders includes: Nick's Film, Lightning Over Water, Room 666, Tokyo-Ga, Notebook on Cities And Clothes and A Trick Of The Light.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: My Winnipeg; Puffball; Land of plenty; The Edge of love; Little Dorrit; Couscous; Flood; Junior Bonner; George A. Romero's Dead Trilogy - Night Of The Living Dead/Dawn Of The Dead/Day Of The Dead.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include:Hidden; Life on Mars 1 & 2; The Godafther trilogy; The lost prince; Oasis Lord Don't Slow Me Down; Iron Man; Deception; Pathology; Essential Holiday Collection; Hell Ride [US Import].

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: A Touch Of Frost series 14; House season 4; Oz complete; 4400 complete; Wood And Walters Series 1; Tess Of The D'Urbervilles; The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency; Frasier Complete Collection; Charmed Complete Collection; Mutual Friends; - Prisoner Cell Block H Vol.1; At Home With The Braithwaites Series 1-4; Sunshine.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for October 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix October 2008 UK releases site .

USA releases
In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 28th October 2008 are:

10 Years of Rialto Pictures. 10 discs celebrating 10 years of Rialto's fine work in restoring and releasing some lost classics. Includes Billy Liar, Army Of Shadows, The Third Man, Rififi and many other masterpieces.

Baraka. A beautiful almost balletic social travelogue, which casts its lens far and wide all across the world. Beautifully shot, a film that everyone deserves to see.

I Love Beijing. Ning Ying's 2001 end game of his Beijing trilogy. In I Love Beijing the city and its lead character become almost interchangeable in this skilful and highly enjoyable piece.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection; The Beyond; Andrzej Zulawski's La Femme Publique; Seven Virgins; Woman on The Beach; Yesterday Girl; Divine; Sway; I Love Beijing; Eight Miles High.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include: Hell Ride; Baraka; Journey to the Center of Earth (Limited-Edition 2-D & 3-D with Glasses); The Polar Express Presented in 3-D; Elf; Beat the Devil; Essential Holiday Collection; Cannibal Taboo; The Final Countdown; Them And Me, With The Sky In A Garden.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include: The L-Word: The Complete Fifth Season; The L-Word: Five Season Pack; The Flintstones: The Complete Series; The 4400: The Complete Series; Dark Shadows: The Beginning, Vol. 6; The Complete Inspector Lynley Mysteries; Fanny Hill; Millennium: Seasons 1-3; Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover's Collection.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk October 2008 USA DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 20th / 21st October.

2008-10-19T21:24:00.008+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 20th October 2008 :

Smalltime. Shane Meadows' debut feature (56 mins). This DVD has been promised for a long time but previously unavailable due to wrangling over the rights to its release, and was only briefly released on VHS. The film itself shows plenty of Meadows' loose directing style and even looser acting alongside some a similarly relaxed cast. This is a genuinely odd little film which has odd elements akin to a student project, alongside some shocks with Meadows customary bite.

Update: Smalltime has been withdrawn form the release schedules agin. More news as we get it.

Killer Of Sheep. Charles Burnett's film that chronicles the life of a slaughterhouse worker. BFI have thankfully given this landmark film a release for a new generation to witness. Also released this week is his later film My Brother's Wedding, another film we'd highly recommend.

The Short Films Of David Lynch. Without doubt one of the greatest talents in modern cinema. These short films ranging from 1967 to 1995 really underline both the diversity and downright strangeness taking place in his art.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Band Of Thieves; Orphee; Season Of The Witch; Eraserhead; Leaving Las Vegas; Complete History Of My Sexual Failures; What?; The Joseph Losey Collection; The Horses Mouth; My Brother Wedding and Sisters.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Lost Series 4; Pride and Predjudice; Casino Royale (Deluxe Edition); James Bond Blu-Ray Collection Vol.1; Reservoir Dogs; The Red Desert; 28 Days Later; 28 Weeks Later; The Omen Trilogy; Alien Vs Predator; Aliens Vs Predator - The Requiem; The Hills Have Eyes; and The Hills Have Eyes 2.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: The Dangerous Brothers; The Unit Series 3; My Name Is Earl Series 3; Dirty Sexy Money Season 1; Dear Ladies (Hinge & Bracket) Complete Series 2; London's Burning Series 9; That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 2; Follyfoot Series 3; The Passion; Rumpole Of The Bailey Series 1-7 Complete and V The Complete Series.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for October 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix October 2008 releases site .

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 21st October 2008 are:

Flight of the Red Balloon Inspired by Albert Lamorisse's classic beautiful 1956 Oscar Winning extended short The Red Balloon about a boy and his balloon. Director Hou Hsiao Hsien expands the main elements of the original to include the child's mother, Suzanne (Juliette Binoche) and Song (a Tawainese student) who is hired to help care for the boy.

Six in Paris. In 1965 six new wave directors were asked to submit short films about Paris for a new project, this magnificent collection was the result. Includes films by Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Goddard, Claude Chabrol, Jean Douchet, Jean Rouch and Jean-Daniel Pollet.

Eclipse Series 13-Kenji Mizoguchi's Fallen Women . Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi's (Sansho the Bailiff) four film collection themed around the plight of women in the male dominated Japanese society. Includes Osaka Elegy, Sisters of the Gion, Women of the Night and Street of Shame. Each of them are amazing films and way ahead of the times.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition); Mondays in the Sun; Casino Royale (40th Anniversary Edition); The Strangers; Missing; The Lazarus Project; The Last Man on Earth - In COLOR; Up in the World and Casino Royale (Three-Disc Collector's Edition).

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include:Incredible Hulk; Sweeney Todd; Halloween; Casino Royale (Collector's Edition, 2 discs); Kiss of the Spider Woman; Red Desert; The Breed; James Bond Blu-ray Collection Six-Pack and The Strangers.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include:Family Guy, Vol. 6; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series; Family Guy - The Complete Collection; Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith; Route 66 - The Complete Second Season; Knight Rider: The Complete Series; The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC TV Version) and
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 13th / 14th October.

2008-10-11T12:54:00.008+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 13th October 2008 are (all kitchen sinky):

A Taste Of Honey A welcome re-release (the out of print dvd having been rocketing in value in recent years). A Taste of Honey is set in the damp dreary surroundings of a tough northern England town. Jo is working class teenager who lives with her mother who is a keen drinker and man eater. When Jo's mum gets married Jo is forced to leave home. Jo agrees to find a room together with Geoffrey, a gay colleague from work. Subsequently Jo falls pregnant after a one-night stand with a Black sailor. Geoffrey takes over the preparations for the baby's birth, and things seem to be going well - too well as Jo's mother turns up to make trouble.
Written by the fantastic Shelagh Delaney, this is way ahead of its time. It certainly broached on many a subject that was not familiar to cinema audiences at the time, and it stands the test of time remarkably well even today. Its unremitting dreariness and hard times feeling is particularly engaging, as is the superb performance of the adorable Dora Bryan. This is perhaps the finest of the kitchen sink dramas.

Poor Cow. A re-release of Ken Loach's cinematic debut. Poor Cow is set in London and centres around Joy, a young working class mother who is married to a brutal criminal - Tom. When Tom is put in prison for a violent robbery Joy is left to cope with bringing up her child alone and in squalid circumstances.
You can draw many parallels with Poor Cow, and Loach's TV play of a year earlier "Cathy Come Home", both surround the difficulties of those eking out an existence at the lower end of the social structure, and he pulls no punches in that both do not just offer no easy answers, they actually offer no answers at all (which bravely mirrors the depressing reality of the situation). A superb film.

A Kind Of Loving. Our trio of kitchen sink drams conclude with this offering adapted by Billy Liar writers Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. A Kind Of Loving details the lives of a young couple who due to pregnancy are forced to marry. All too soon they find life is hard when no one seems to be on your side. A superb story and brilliant performances from Alan Bates and a frightening Thora Hird makes this a must see for any fans of gritty 60s drama.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 14th October 2008 are:

Short Cuts. A feature packed Criterion release of director Robert Altman's 1993 mutli strand story of LA living. The film is packed with stars ala Altman's The Player, but in this film the stars are completely incidental as the story winds through its twisting tales.

Still Life Jia Zhang Ke's fabulously affecting tale of the change in a town's life (Fengjie) when due to the construction of the 3 Gorges hydro project on the Yangtze River, the town is earmarked for flooding. A stunning film in every sense that so skilfully weaves fact and fiction together to such effect.

XXy. A bold, but sensitively played out tale of a hermaphrodite teenager and a new found friend trying to make sense of their relationship, sexualities and their local community. This Argentinean drama has deservedly chalked up numerous awards and nominations, and found itself a wider audience who have praised its unflinching and honest approach to the story.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 6th / 7th October.

2008-10-07T00:16:00.010+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 6th October 2008 are:

A Secret This latest film from French director Claude Miller is also something of a secret, but it is well worth tracking down. It tells the personal story of a teenage boy who learns shocking secrets about his parents' lives during World War II. Being Jews in occupied France, their lives were under constant threat by the Nazi regime and they are forced to make decisions that they have to live with. A great film in it's own right that has certain thematic shades of Cache by Haneke running through it.

The Sandwich Man. Former Goon Michael Bentine took the title role in this great little film from 1966. Bentine stars as a sandwich board advertiser and walks around London observing and being observed (beautifully observed as it goes). The supporting cast of this film reads like a Who's Who of 60s comedy talent featuring the likes of Harry H. Corbett, Bernard Cribbins, Alfie Bass, Peter Jones, John le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Jeremy Lloyd, Burt Kwouk Norman Wisdom, Suzy Kendall, Terry Thomas and Dora Bryan.

War Dance. Documentary features have recently come right back to the forefront in Cinema. This film is one of the most genuinely powerful documentaries in recent years. It follows a group of Ugandan schoolchildren in their quest to participate in the annual Kampala Music Festival. Against the back drop of the country's dreadful and horrific recant history, these school children show the hope and determination to write their own history and live out a better life.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 7th October 2008 are:

Le Deuxieme Souffle. A feature packed Criterion release of director Jean-Pierre Melville 's 1966 pulp classic. The stories follow an underworld criminal who has escaped from prison and gets involved in "one last robbery". Meanwhile Inspector Blot is pursuing his quarry. One of the finest portrayals of a heist anywhere in cinema.

Boy A That these films slip out virtually unnoticed is both a joy and a tragedy. Boy A is a superb film with a truly original story and an amazing cast of less than a list actors (Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Siobhan Finneran, Alfie Owen et al) who do absolute justice to the terrific story. Hunt this one down, it's an absolute treat.

Le Doulos. Another Jean-Pierre Melville crime related classic. This time starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani and Jean Desailly, the story revolves around a criminal who exists in the complicated hinterland between passing information over to the police and keeping in with the underworld. Again given the features packed Criterion treatment.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 29th / 30th September.

2008-09-27T00:08:00.013+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 29th September 2008 are:

Leolo tells the story of a young boy (Leolo), who is being brought up in squalid conditions in a shabby tenement in Montreal that he shares with his family - most of whom seem plagued by madness. To escape these conditions, he increasingly retreats into a world of his own imagination where he looks to find some path to happiness, whether it be falling in love with his beautiful neighbour, or by killing his Grandfather whom Leolo blames for the genetic failure of the entire family. When Leolo's two worlds start to merge, the escape he longs for him pushes him into increasingly desperate actions.

Leolo A quite remarkable piece of work that we have made DVD release of the month for September 2008, see elsewhere in the blog for details and the trailer. The Network label is renowned for its classic TV releases (everything from Emmerdale Farm 1st series to Budgie to The Owl Service to Michael Bentines Potty Time through to 3 volumes of Pipkins - all firm favourites with us), and is also building up an impressive roster of films in its catalogue. Only last week it released the classic The Red Balloon, and Leolo is the latest in a long line of films released by Network that, but for them, otherwise might not have been released on DVD. These include many films we have recommended in the past to you such as Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire, The Chain, Bloody Kids, The Fruit Machine and The Buster Keaton Chronicles.

Caligula (Imperial edition). Not a film for the faint hearted. The notorious Caligula holds a unique position in cinematic history. Commissioned by Penthouse publishing magnate Bob Guccione with a very impressive budget and some considerable talent both in front (Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, John Gielgud and Peter O'Toole) and behind the camera (director Tinto Brass writer Gore Vidal), the film was envisaged as being a legitimate attempt at making an epic film of the life of the insane Roman emperor. As filming progressed over a protracted period however, Guccione increasingly the wished to interfere in its making and insited on inserting some pretty much hardcore sequences into Brass' original cut. When Brass left the project Guccione took over the editing of the film with the expected results. The film itself was never truly going to be a masterpiece (check out I Claudius for that), however it is still a pretty good film despite some of the botching done to it. This 4 disc release includes 3 different cuts of the film but equally as important some truly superb extras including great commentaries, and some fascinating documentaries too.

Irina Palm. This one slipped out almost unseen last year. Starring the ever wonderful Marianne Faithfull and ever gorgeous Jenny Agutter. The film follows the exploits a middle-aged widow who, in order to raise money to pay for her grandson`s medical bills, takes a hostess job in a sex club. She soon finds she can turn her hand to almost anything. Sorry for the cheesy write up - the film is much better than our blurb. Marianne Faithfull is superbly convincing in this unnacustomed and slightly unexpected role as a shy widow, and the film hangs together very well as one of the best brit coms of recent times.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 30th September 2008 are:

Taxi To The Dark Side. The film that quite correctly won the 2007 Oscar for best documentary feature. This film makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing. The film centers around the death of a completely innocent young taxi driver in Afghanistan, who is subjected to horrifying torture / interrogation in prison at the hands of the American forces. His death, from the injuries sustained in his interrogation is not unique, either in Afghanistan Guantanomo etc, and the film goes onto explore how the US administration appeared to ("unofficially") condone the tactics of torture in the name of democracy.

An Autumn Afternoon aka Sanma no aji . This final film by Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu was originally released in 1962, and it tells the story of a widower who has to encourage his daughter to lead her on life rather than look after him in his old age. The film is something of a masterpiece, deceptively paced, acutely observed and meaningfully powerful, Ozu's trademarks are all also apparent here. Yet another classic Criterion release.

The Hairdresser's Husband aka Le Mari de la coiffeuse. The story of Antoine, a little boy who falls in love with the local hairdresser, and in his obsession he gets his hair cut as often as he can. When he grows up, his obsession with hair cutting is undiminished, and one day meets a hairdresser, Mathilde, and for both of them it is love at first sight, but not necessarily all happy endings. Another superb offering from Patrice Leconte and ranks alongside L'Homme du train and Monsieur Hire as some of his finest work to date.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Leolo - September 2008 DVD release of the month

2008-09-25T01:29:00.002+01:00

The DVD release of the month for September 2008 is Leolo. This Golden Palm nominated Canadian film from 1992, directed by Jean-Claude Lauzon is released by the lovely Network DVD label in the UK on 29th September 2008.

Leolo tells the story of a young boy (Leolo), who is being brought up in squalid conditions in a shabby tenement in Montreal that he shares with his family - most of whom seem plagued by madness. To escape these conditions, he increasingly retreats into a world of his own imagination where he looks to find some path to happiness, whether it be falling in love with his beautiful neighbour, or by killing his Grandfather whom Leolo blames for the genetic failure of the entire family. When Leolo's two worlds start to merge, the escape he longs for him pushes him into increasingly desperate actions.

Leolo is a strange and relatively unknown film. The most remarkable story contained in the film is in turn funny, tragic, sentimental, brutal and other times just plain weird, all of which neatly mirror the madness that Leolo's family suffers. In fact it is plain weird quite a lot of the time. There is also a certain schizophrenia in the cinematography which switches seamlessly from the "late 1980s post-MTV ultra slick music video epic" ultra slow zoom in zoom out, to the European cinema approved long tracking establishing shots, both of which work beautifully in conjunction with the terrifically atmospheric score. Allied to these ingredients, the film contains a truly superb main cast, though special mention has to go to the then 13 year old Maxime Collin who so perfectly judges the role of Leolo.

It's always an absolute thrill stumbling across such hidden gems as this film. So here is hoping that lots more people get to discover this fantastic piece of work thanks to this DVD release.

View the Leolo trailer below (which unfortunately gives only the briefest flavour of the film itself).

New DVD releases round up 22nd / 23rd September.

2008-09-22T13:27:00.011+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 22nd September 2008 are:

Jean-Luc Godard's place in cinematic history is already assured with a long list of stunning and challenging movies such as Weekend, Made In USA and Breathless to name but three, but his eight episode series of histories of the cinema may well be his crowning glory. Made over a period of 10 years, this series is a truly mammoth critical meditation on 20th century cinema its glory and failings and taken in so much more. All done is a godard stylee it is a truly remarkable piece of work.

Bullet Boy. This film about the mean streets of London from 2005 is even more relevant given the escalation in the media profile of knife crime in the capital in the last year, and so this fine film is given a timely re-release. The story expands on themes of loyalty, kinship, courage, and escapism against the tough realities of surviving in a pressure cooker urban environment where doing the right thing is rarely a straight forward judgement call.

The Red Balloon / Flight of the Red Balloon. AKA Le Voyage Du Ballon Rouge/Le Ballon Rouge. Cult DVD label Network continues to build on its excellent repertoire of TV releases with its growing roster of film DVDs. They have now released The Red Ballon (1954) a 34 film minute with minimal dialogue, and an almost balletic story of a boy and his balloon meandering through the streets and rooftops of a changing Paris. Absolutely beautifully photographed it was also the winner of that years Oscar for best screenplay (even though it was only classed as a short film).

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 23rd September 2008 are:

Bill Douglas was something of a lost name in British cinema, but his trilogy of films My Childhood, My Ain Folk and My Way Home are some of the most strongly autobiographical stories ever brought to life in Cinema. With those personal stories the joy and crushing lows of being brought up in a poverty stricken mining town in Scotland, and the 'escape' from home cut into the viewer like a knife. We here at alt-flix are dying to see Douglas' truly lost classic Comrades an extremely rarely shown epic about the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

The Singing Detective . A re-telling of Dennis Potter's classic 1980s TV serial. Surprisingly for a Hollywood produced movie, the retelling only loses a small amount of the charm and the darkly bitten spite of the original series. Robert Downey Jr gives his finest performance so far in the film, and the rest of the cast are pretty good too. Having said all that I would strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys watching this film should track down the DVD of the original series as it is an absolute masterpiece.

Aki Kaurismaki's Proletariat Trilogy (Shadows in Paradise / Ariel / The Match Factory Girl). Switching disarmingly and constantly rotating somewhere between tragedy and comedy, these social-realist comedies beautifully trevail the trials of the working-class of Kaurismaki's native Finland. A uniquely talented film maker whose work deserves a much wider audience.

Cinematographer Style. A truly fascinating and beautiful documentary focusing on the art and artists involved in cinematography. Includes inllumintaion from such cinematographers as Roger Deakins (the Coen brother's cinematographer) and Vittorio Storaro (whose stunning cinematography graced Apocalypse Now).

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 15th / 16th September.

2008-09-15T00:29:00.010+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations to help you forget about the rain and the wind.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 15th September 2008 are:

Rashomon. Truly a landmark film Akira Kurosawa's 1950 tale of human frailty and (dis)honesty was the first of a crop of Japenese classics to truly find an international audience after its triumph at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. Justifiably a classic, we cannot recommend this special edition release highly enough.

XXY. A bold, but sensitively played out tale of a hermaphrodite teenager and a new found friend trying to make sense of their relationship, sexualities and their local community. This Argentinian drama has deservedly chalked up numerous awards and nominations, and found itself a wider audience who have praised its unflinching and honest approach to the story.

Three And Out. Starring Mckenzie Crook as a tube train driver who has recently had 2 suicides jump in front of his tube train. When he is told that if this happens 3 times in a month he gets paid off service with a huge lump sum, he goes out in search of a willing volunteer. Low budget Brit coms never seem to be flavour of the month, but this controversial black comedy deserved better treatment that it received, as it is actually one of the best Brit coms made in the last few years.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 16th September 2008 are:

Ladies And Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains. An almost legendary and lost 1981 low budget flick about an all girl punk band who rise from obscurity to next big thing. With a cast that included Ray Winstone, alongside musicians Paul Cook and Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) and Paul Simenon (The Clash) the film enjoyed only rare screenings, but like all great cult classics, it has over the years gained a significant following through word of mouth and lots of poor quality video tapes and discs changing hands. Now receiving its first commercial release on any format.

The Love Guru. Everyone is waiting for Mike Myers to make a bad film - keep waiting. This is another truly funny Myers movies stuffed with some great gags, and again proves he is one of the very few universal talents making comedy these days.

British Cinema Classic B Film Collection, Vol. 1. B movie in this particular context is slightly misleading. There are some classics contained in this great selection. The Siege of Sidney Street is the pick of the bunch, the true story of a riot come uprising in the east end of London in 1911. Also included is Tread Softly Stranger, The Frightened Man, Crimes at the Dark House, The Hooded Terror and Girl in the News

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 8th / 9th September.

2008-09-08T01:15:00.015+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations to help you forget about the wind and the rain.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 8th September 2008 are:

Chemical Wedding. Now any film based on a screenplay written by Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, doesn't exactly set your imagination aflame but this blackly comic horror stars a wonderfully over the top (is there any other kind) Simon Callow. Callow stars as Cambridge professor who who becomes possessed by the spirit of the legendary occultist, Aleister Crowley. Then it starts getting really weird.

Charlie Bubbles. A very welcome re-release for the 1960s classic starring the wonderful Albert Finney who plays the title role of a successful writer who has lost his way and looks to reconnect with his roots and family. A superb film based on the script by the very wonderful Shelagh Delaney (A Taste Of Honey and Dance With A Stranger).

Caramel aka Sukkar banat. Nadine Labaki's refreshing bittersweet film tells the tales of the lives of 5 woman in a beauty salon is Beirut.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 9th September 2008 are:

The Big Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition. Ten years on and The Big Lebowksi still rocks (or rolls is more appropriate) and this is our favourite US movie of all time. Ok this release is in novel bowling ball packaging, but the real treat is that the previous releases have been rather bereft of extras whilst this one is an extras laden 2 disc release. Other editions including Blu-Ray, HD DVD, and normally packaged anniversary editions are all available from us via the alt-flix stores.

Wild Strawberries. Released as part of the Essential Art House series of DVDs. Ingmar Bergman's 1957 classic is a must see (don't be put off by his reputation his films are much more accessible than some would have you believe).
Also released the same day as part of the series are other classics like The Lord Of The Flies, Grand Illusion, Rashomon, Beauty and The Beast, and Knife In The Water.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Never Apologise (for correct spelling).

2008-09-07T01:16:00.013+01:00

Never Aplogise, or Never Apologize (USA title) is an exciting new film that has received a very limited cinematic run in the UK from 5th September.
The film is basically a recording of Malcolm McDowell's one man theatre show about legendary British film director Lindsay Anderson. The show is cut with clips of Lindsay Anderson's films If... and O'Lucky Man! (both starring McDowell), and excerpts from Andersons recently pothumously published memoirs.
We here at alt-flix are great fans of Lindsay Anderson's work (and Malcolm McDowell's for that matter) and can heartily recommend the film for fellow fans of Anderson and McDowell, film buffs and anyone who wants to have a damn good laugh at McDowell's hugely funny stories. Check out the trailer below.

If you can't make it to the cinema the DVD will be released in the UK on 27th October and can be pre-ordered direct from our alt-flix store, where you can also order the book Never Apologise: The Collected Writings of Lindsay Anderson.

You can read more about Lindsay Anderson in our Lindsay Anderson directors guide.

You can also visit the Never Apologise website, which has lots more clips and information about the project.

New DVD releases round up 1st / 2nd September.

2008-09-02T02:47:00.001+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations to help you get over the fact that Summer is almost over now.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 1st September 2008 are:

Doomsday. Director Neil Marshall continues his upward trajectory with this contribution to the post apocalyptic / viral outbreak genre. Not hugely original perhaps, but very well made and consistently acted (not always a given in the genre). There is more than enough going on here to suggest that Marshall has a serious career in the making.

To Kill A King (aka Cromwell and Fairfax). One of the very best films about the English Civil war (not that there have been that many). Dougray Scott and Tim Roth give some truly committed performances. Given a bigger budget this film could have been something of a masterpiece.

With Or Without You. One of Britain's very best directors Micheal Winterbottom, took this story by the scruff of the neck and made a very decent film out of what could have been a very middle of the road piece.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 2nd September 2008 are:

Legendary photographically inspired director Chris Marker (La Jette, Sans Soleil etc) has four extras packed DVDs released separately. First up is The Last Bolshevik / Happiness (1993); then Remembrance of Things to Come (2001), his most recent work The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004) and most excitingly The Sixth Side of the Pentagon / The Embassy (1967). Each of these are really not to be missed.

Water Lillies. One of last years best European movies - a portrait of a love triangle amongst some Parisian teenagers it was selected in the official selection at both the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals.

Derek. A truly superb documentary about Derek Jarman, one of the UK's most talented, provoking and experimental directors. The film includes many previously unseen clips form his film along with rare interviews, and is a fitting reminder of just why he is just so missed.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 25th / 26th August.

2008-08-24T17:46:00.015+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations to help you recover from all those late nights / early mornings watching the Olympics.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 25th August 2008 are:

First up is a film perfect fo a summer bank holiday Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders. Think of a slightly surreal, dream like and ethereal version of The Wicker Man, but made in Czechoslovakia in 1970 and it gives you a taste of what the film is about. A film that has grown into cult viewing amongst nu-folkists with its folk-lore settings and wonderful soundtrack. Second Run have released a new digital transfer with restored picture and sound, and also the release also includes an interview with its star Jaroslava Schallerová amongst other things.
Take a look at the trailer for this fabulous film here.

Love is the Devil. This fantastic film from 1998 should have been huge. A biopic of Britain's most controversial painter Francis Bacon, charts his relationship with with his model George Dyer. An amazing script is carried off by a perfect cast Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton and Derek Jacobi. Given a re-release on the very lovely BFI label. (Put back from 18th August).

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 26th August 2008 are:

The Nightmare Before Christmas - special 2 disc edition. Released to coincide with, erm the summer? This special 2 disc edition is a welcome re-release for the long out of print classic from Tim Burton. Released on HD and standard DVD. How long to wait for a 3d version on disc?

On the Ecstasy of Ski-Flying An hour long treat. Werner Herzog, modern cinema's unfathomable genius in conversation. A fascinating insight into a very intriguing subject.

The Rape of Europa. A different and multi-layered perspective on the horrors of the 3rd Reich. This time its effect on the art world.

Other recommended August 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 18th / 19th August.

2008-08-17T18:30:00.017+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations to help put Stars Wars Clone Wars out of your mind temporarily.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 18th August 2008 are:

Happy-Go-Lucky. Fresh from his previous film (oscar nominated Vera Drake) Mike Leigh manages to sneak this film out without anyone noticing. Harping back to an attitude he explored in Life Is Sweet, we are served up a marvelous confection of widescreen optimism (to match the mood of the nation). Great film and a stunning lead performance by Leigh collaborator and star in the making Sally Hawkins.

Love is the Devil. This fantastic film from 1998 should have been huge. A biopic of Britain's most controversial painter Francis Bacon, charts his relationship with with his model George Dyer. An amazing script is carried off by a perfect cast Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton and Derek Jacobi. Given a re-release on the very lovely BFI label.

Lonesome Jim . Steve Buscemi directs this excellent comedy drama about a failed novelist who returns home from New York to work in his families ladder factory. Strangely strange.

La Belle et la Bete. Jean Cocteau's 1946 retelling of the classic children's story Beauty And The Beast. One of the most beautifully made films ever.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 19th August 2008 are:

Twenty-Four Eyes. AKA Nijushi no hitomi. Revered in its homeland of Japan, but little known outside the country, Twenty-Four Eyes is an absolute classic of 1950s Japanese cinema. A masterpiece.

Orson Welles' Don Quixote. Welles unfinished 1961 film was a valiant attempt to bring the notoriously un-transferable tale to the silver screen. His lost masterpiece is lovingly refinished and reshaped by Jesús Franco. Certainly good enough until Terry Gilliam finally gets round to making his version of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - the exploits of which were the subject of the excellent film Lost In La Mancha.

Recount.Providing a slight insight into the 2000 US elections and its farcical outcome, and posing the question what price democracy and where can you find some?

Primo Levi's Journey. A tale of a truly remarkable man and his 1000 mile journey from the Auschwitz concentration camp to his home in Berlin. His footsteps are retraced 60 years later for a new look at Europe.

Other recommended August 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Shane Meadows Somers Town official site

2008-08-14T22:49:00.008+01:00

The official site for Somers Town Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, which is due for release in the UK on 22nd August, has now got its own official site at www.somers-town.com.

The official Somers Town site includes the film trailer, a synopsis of the film, news and reviews of the film, some beautiful stills from the movie and also some equally beautiful music from the forthcoming soundtrack CD by longtime Meadows contributor Gavin Clark.

It looks for all the world to be another excellent movie by Shane Meadows and certainly we can't wait for it's release on 22nd August (actually we'll have to wait until 5th September till it reaches us out in the sticks).

To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs and soundtrack CD) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to the Shane Meadows official site.

New DVD releases round up 11th / 12th August.

2008-08-10T22:29:00.011+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations to while away the summer hours wishing the rain away.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 11th August 2008 are:

Son Of Rambow. After a few weeks delay, this film, of one of last years most charming and genuinely funny films, gets it's DVD release. Director Garth Jennings is back from his criminally ignored sojourn with studio money (in the guise of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) with this charming, funny, heartfelt and hugely innovative tale of two schoolmates who attempt to make their own film, their own sequel to First Blood, in which they attempt to rescue Rambo (played by a wonderfully vagueEric Sykes). One of the surprise hits of last year. We highly recommend this one for laugh and a big heart.

Check out the trailer below.

The Best of 15th Raindance Film Festival. It does what it says on the tin. A superb collection of short films that featured in the 2007 Raindance Film Festival. There are already a few names from this collection that we are very much looking forward to seeing directing full length features.

Gimme Shelter. An extras pack release of the Mayles brothers classic documentary of the Rolling Stores American tour that culminated in Altamont, and the final beginning of the very end of the 60s dream. Without doubt one of the finest musical documentaries ever made.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 12th August 2008 are:

Brand Upon the Brain!. Weird is an often overly used word in society, but this DVD release seems to fit the weird and wonderful bill nicely. This strange piece from Canadian cult filmmaker Guy Maddin is as confusing and as a eccentrically delirious trip as you could wish for. (It's like what you dream after eating too much strong cheese before bed on a hot summer night).

Larisa Shepitko: Eclipse Series 11 (Wings / The Ascent). Before her untimely death, Shepitko's all to brief career showed consistent flashes of genius, and had she lived she would not doubt to have gone on to become a significant name in European cinema. Collected her are two films Wings and The Ascent, given a suitable treatment by the Criterion label.

Irina Palm. This one slipped out almost unseen last year. Starring the ever wonderful Marianne Faithfull and ever gorgeous Jenny Agutter. The film follows the exploits a middle-aged widow who, in order to raise money to pay for her grandson`s medical bills, takes a hostess job in a sex club. She soon finds she can turn her hand to almost anything. Sorry for the cheesy write up - the film is much better than our blurb.

Other recommended August 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Mel Gibson in bottom of barrel scraping drama

2008-08-09T00:23:00.010+01:00

It is with deep regret, that the staff here at alt-flix, have to sadly report that top Australian actor Mel Gibson (Chicken Run, Pocahontas) sadly, and very tragically, today lost his very short battle with artistic credibility when it was announced that will be appearing in Lethal Weapon 5.

Alt-flix would like to take this opportunity to remember all those who suffered so terribly watching the first four instalments of this franchise.
Lest we forget.

Our thoughts at this time of course go out to Mr Gibson and his family and friends (none of whom are in Hollywood it seems). And, we here at alt-flix would never say he brought it all on himself with that disgustingly unforgivable drunken incident in July 2006.

Quentin Tarantino picks Pitt for 'Bastards'

2008-08-08T23:39:00.008+01:00

The good news is that alt-flix favourite Quentin Tarantino is summoning up his strength for his latest directorial effort, the charmingly titled Inglorious Bastards.
The film sees Tarantino paying tribute to and gently subverting yet another film genre, this time the Dirty Dozen movies.
After the relative failure of his last film Grindhouse: Death Proof (which we just so happened to absolutely love), Tarantino is pulling in some heavyweight Hollywood insurance by way of casting none other Brad Pitt (better known as the husband of Angelina Jolie).
Perhaps more interestingly, Brit-com actor Simon Pegg is also being lined up to take a role in the movie.
Shooting starts in October.

Happy-Go-Lucky DVD release

2008-08-07T02:26:00.006+01:00

To celebrate the UK DVD release of Mike Leigh's most recent film Happy-Go-Lucky on August 18th, the official site for the movie is holding a competition with prizes of Mike Leigh box sets, film posters and Happy-Go-Lucky DVDs all signed by Mike Leigh himself.

Go along to the Happy-Go-Lucky official site and enter for a chance to win.

More about Happy-Go-Lucky.

Happy-Go-Lucky was released in 2008, and was Mike Leigh's first film since the critically lauded Vera Drake. It is in our opinion one of the best films released in 2008 so far. Happy-Go-Lucky marked a return to a more light-hearted feel, reminiscent of some of Leigh's earlier work (most notably Life Is Sweet).
The films central character of Poppy (portrayed superbly by the wonderful Sally Hawkins) is an optimist who enjoys life, in spite of all those who are around her, be it her damaged driving instructor, or her family and friends.
The films feel good element was possibly at odds with the cynical movie press, which no doubt contributed to the cinematic release coming and going with little fanfare. Hopefully the release of Happy Go-Lucky on DVD will see the film gain the wider audience that this little gem of a film deserves.

Take a look at Happy-Go-Lucky trailer to see what you are missing out on.

Somers Town trailer released

2008-08-04T20:59:00.011+01:00

The trailer for Somers Town Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, has just been made available on Shane Meadows official site. The film is due for limited release in the UK on 26th August, and has already picked up the prestigious Michael Powell award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film stars young actor Thomas Turgoose, the brilliant young actor who made such an impact in Meadows' film This Is England. Judging by the trailer it looks like another Meadows masterpiece and we here at alt-flix can't wait to see the film, in fact it will be the highlight of our summer.

Check out the trailer below and see if you agree.

To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to Shane Meadows offical site, which is still a very, very nice place indeed.

New DVD releases round up 4th / 5th August.

2008-08-03T15:07:00.009+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations, and hopefully some relief from corporate realisations of comic book icons, and without doubt the lamest movie of all time 'Mama Mia'.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 4th August 2008 are:

Those Glory, Glory Days. In those halcyon days of the newly formed Channel 4 (films), they knew their place and their inability to take on Hollywood. This gentle charming TV film and many others (P'Tang Yang Kipperbang etc) made by the company during the 1980s provided a welcome antidote to sharp suits and exploding helicopters in the movies. This was one of their films that made zero impact anywhere, but is a great 'little' film none the less.

In Memory Of My Father. A very interesting tale about the Hollywood family and the Hollywood system. Great soundtrack from yesterday's fey pioneers 'Belle & Sebastian'.

Rhapsody in August. Akira Kurosawa's 1991 tale of an old Japanese woman who is prompted to recall the past after a visit from her grandchildren and nephew (Richard Gere), which opens up the feelings she has about the loss of her husband who was killed as a result of the bombing of Nagasaki.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 5th August 2008 are:

The Killing of John Lennon. The dramatisation of the life of Mark Chapman, murderer of John Lennon. With a chilling insight into the mind and motives of a marginalised outsider who wanted to be a 'somebody not a nobody'.

Joy House. AKA Les Felins. René Clément's supremely enjoyable mid-1960s rom-crime flick. Starring Jane Fonda and the ever-marvelous Alain Delon.

The Counterfeiters. Rightly won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It tells the true story of a swindler who became Berlin's "King of the Counterfeiters." After living the high life he is caught and imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp where he own specialist skills are of interest to the Nazis trying to fund the war effort.

Other recommended August 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Mini season of Ingmar Bergman films on Film 4

2008-07-29T00:11:00.007+01:00

Fresh from their superb season of the films of Stanley Kubrick, the UK TV channel Film 4 will be showing a short season of films by the much missed director Ingmar Bergman.

The season kicks off on Tuesday 29th July with Bergman's epic The Seventh Seal (1957)and is followed by Wild Strawberries (1957), Summer Interlude (1951), Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955) and Persona (1966) over the following few days.

For those who have shied away from Bergman's work these movies are a superb introduction to the great man's work (Summer Interlude and Wild Strawberries are particular favourites of ours). The films are much more accessible than they are often painted.

There is also a superb interview with Woody Allen, who discusses his love of Bergman's work and his enduring influence on his film making.

New DVD releases round up 28th July.

2008-07-28T23:41:00.007+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 28th July 2008 are:

Funny Games. Just for sheer cinematic perversity, Michael Haneke has remade his controversial 1997 movie pretty much frame-by-frame for Hollywood. He is one of the true enigmas of modern cinema, and this move will only enhance that reputation. The original version of this movie is superb, this remake is also superb and superbly pointless in many respects, and perhaps that is the point.

A Comedy of Power . AKA L'Ivresse du pouvoir. Our favourite actress bar none, Isabelle Huppert, teams up again (for the seventh time) with renowned director Claude Chabrol on this superior movie from 2006. For some reason this film failed to catch the publics imagination and slipped out pretty much un-noticed.

Son Of Rambow. One of the surprise low key hits of last year. Director Garth Jennings is back from his criminally ignored sojourn with studio money (in the guise of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) with this genuinely charming, funny and hugely innovative tale of two schoolmates who attempt to make their own film. This movie is an absolute joy.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 29th July 2008 are:

Doomsday. Neil Marshall continues his upward trajectory with this contribution to the post apocalyptic / viral outbreak genre. Not hugely original perhaps, but very well made and consistently acted (not always a given in the genre). There is more than enough going on here to suggest that Marshall has a serious career in the making.

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism - Fox Attacks Special Edition. A film we recommended way back when it was first released on DVD a couple of years ago. This new edition includes new and updated content. With the 2008 election so near, it will be increasingly interesting watch how the networks, news corporations and politicians get their messages across to each of their mutual benefits.

Other recommended July 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

New DVD releases round up 21st July.

2008-07-21T13:52:00.005+01:00

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 21 July 2008 are:

With the school holidays just starting and everyone jetting off (except us it seems)to sunnier climbs, the DVD release schedules take their customary summer slow down. So not much to draw your attention to, but:

The Flesh And Blood Show. Archetypal 1970s British (s)exploitation horror, with a cast that includes Jenny Hanley (presenter of kids TV show Magpie), Ray Brooks (voice of Mr Ben) and Robin Askwith (obviously - star of the confessions series of films). The films climax(!)is shown in its original 3d format. Gasp.

One of the best TV comedies of the 1990s is also released - If You See God Tell Him.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 22 July 2008 are:

High And Low. Amongst the samurai classics it's very easy to forget Akira Kurosawa's command of contemporary drama. This film is an absolute masterpiece, and is perhaps the film that outlines his genius effortlessness of storytelling. It is certainly one of alt-flix's favourites of Kurosawa's works (alongside his more epic pieces that have gone onto become regarded as classics).

Duck. A charming film from 2005 about a man and his duck. Actually, although it doesn't sound so from the title, the film is actually pretty deep and meaningful.

Other recommended July 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Hard Labour - Mike Leigh

2008-07-14T20:47:00.008+01:00

Mike Leigh's rarely shown TV film Hard Labour, is on BBC4 tonight as part of the Liz Smith night. Hard Labour was first shown in 1973, and formed part of the ground breaking Play For Today series.

Hard Labour is far from a cheerful watch, as it focuses is on the drudgery of life of Mrs Thornely, a housewife and cleaner, who has accepted her lot in life as servant and chief bottle washer both at work and at home.

Whilst certainly not the best of Leigh's early work, it is definitely worth a watch if you are familiar with his later works.

It is showing tonight at 11.30pm on BBC4. It is followed by an interview with Liz Smith, and a couple of programmes on Mike Leigh's wonderful TV play Abigail's Party.

New DVD releases round up 14th July.

2008-07-14T14:16:00.020+01:00

Monday, a new week again. Happy DVD release day.

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases we've come up with some recommendations.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 14 July 2008 are:

I'm Not There. Seaming a dreadful idea, but actually quite brilliant, make a film about the many and changing faces of 'Bob Dylan' and use different actors to portray him (Cate Blanchett, Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Marcus Carl Franklin and Heath Ledger). Not a straightforward bio-pic, and as such its one of the few bio-pics that you can actually watch more than once.

A Way Of Life. A re-release of this great film from 2004 that has previously gone out of print. This was a stunning writing / directorial debut from former Grange Hill actress Amma Assante. The story is on a the streets of South Wales the story skillfully wends its way around belonging, poverty, hatred, violence and hard times. There is a review of the film on our main site if you would like to check it out.

The Cottage. One of the best of the recent slew brit-horror-coms. Directed by Paul Andrew Williams (his 2nd film - coming after the controversial London To Brighton). The film survives intact a terrible piece of mis-casting (watch the film and see what I mean). Other than that the film is funny, dark and suitably bloody.

Oh and Bergerac Series 7 is finally out on DVD! - Oh good.

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 15 July 2008 are:

Trafic. I guess you either love or loathe Jacques Tati as Msr Hulot - we love him. this hugely entertaining film from 1971 now gets a terrific release on the superb Criterion label, and as usual it is jam packed with loads of DVD extras to boot.

Monsieur Vincent.
Re-release of this classic 1947 bio pic of St. Vincent De Paul from director Maurice Cloche. That Academy award winner for best foreign language film.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. The classic Jack Nicholson film now released on Blu-ray - for all those who like that kind of thing.

In a terrific piece of one-upmanship, in response to the release of Bergerac Series 7on DVD in the UK, those dudes in the USA have released series 9 of Dallas on DVD (but when is the blu-ray being released!).

Other recommended July 2008 new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.

Films are like buses, you wait.....

2008-07-12T00:09:00.015+01:00

You wait all summer for a decent movie then two come along at once.

First up is the Coen brothers first movie since the success of the Oscar-laden No Country For Old Men. The new movie is called Burn After Reading, and it has been announced that the film will released in the cinemas on 12th September (in the USA) and 17th October (in the UK). The Burn After Reading trailer has been released over the net and can be seen here on the ToxicShock website.
From the trailer it looks reminiscent of the Coen brothers Fargo, which is one of our favourite Coen brothers films. All the signs are that the film will carry on the good work of No Country For Old Men, which was released after a run of three movies which seemed below the Coen's usual very high standard.

For more info on the Coen brothers (ot to buy their DVDs), go to our alt-flix Coen brothers guide.

A UK cinematic release for Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, which is called Somers Town has just been announced as the 26th August. The film has already been a hit with the critics, and only a couple of weeks ago Somers Town picked up the prestigious Michael Powell award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film stars young actor Thomas Turgoose, the brilliant young actor who was such a revelation in Meadows' This Is England, and it looks set to further establish Meadows as one of cinemas brightest and freshest directing talents (he's already our favourite).

To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to Shane Meadows offical homepage, which is a very nice place indeed.

Eric Cantona in Ken Loach's kitchen sink (drama).

2008-07-11T23:37:00.008+01:00

In one of the more astonishing revelations in cinema of recent years, it has come to light that former Manchester United legend Eric Cantona is to star in Ken Loach's, next movie Looking For Eric, and before you ask, it is not a martial arts movie.

Loach's trademark secrecy has meant that not too much has been let out of the bag about the project so far, but filming started last month in Manchester. What has also been revealed is that the film was based on conversations Loach and his screen writer Paul Laverty had with Cantona himself. There has also been rumours that Cantona may get involved in a some kind of production role in the movie.

Since giving up football in the late 1990s, Cantona has been carving out a career for himself as a movie actor and also a director.

All of us here at alt-flix are big fans of Loach's work, and are interested in how the film with two such genius' will finally turn out. It is just sad that Brian Glover is no longer around to star as Bobby Charlton in the film (as he did in Loach's 1968 classic Kes).

If you want to know more about Ken Loach's work go to our alt-flix Ken Loach director guide. You can also pick up his DVDs there too - if you want.

Stanley Kubrick season on More 4

2008-07-11T23:16:00.008+01:00

UK Satellite/Freesat/Freeview channel More 4 will be showing a season of the films of Stanley Kubrick. The season will start on 15th July and will include rare screenings of a couple of Kubrick's early documentary shorts (Day Of The Fight and Flying Padre), along with a new documentary named Stanley Kubrick's Boxes, plus a selection of his films (including his less well known movies The Killing and Killers Kiss).

For more information on the season check out the Stanley Kubrick Season on More 4 website, and don't forget to set your recorders.

If you want more information on Stanley Kubrick go to our alt-flix Stanley Kubrick director guide. You can also pick up his DVDs there too.

The start of blogging alt-flix site update

2008-07-11T20:38:00.004+01:00

The site at www.alt-flix.co.uk has had a bit of an overhaul and a small redesign - mainly to accommodate this blog embedded into its pages, but also to ease navigation.
There has also been a few updates like the addition of an alt-flix directors guide for the most wonderful Stanley Kubrick. There are also news updates for Ken Loach, Shane Meadows, Mike Leigh, The Coen brothers, Michael Haneke, Lindsay Anderson and Terry Gilliam. Check out the main directors guides page for more info.

If you would like to keep up to date with this blog and also changes to the main alt-flix site, then use the button on the left to subscribe to the alt-flix blog.

Cheers,
alt-flix

Testing the alt-flix Blog

2008-07-10T01:05:00.009+01:00

This is a first test post for the alt-flix.co.uk/ blog. Bear with us whilst we get our heads around how it all works.

Shortly this blog will be used as a latest news, updates and various nonsense annexe to the main www.alt-flix.co.uk/ site.

In the meantime feel free to visit the main site for news, reviews and features on contemporary films.

Cheers,

alt-flix.