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Part 3 of our roundup of the DVDs set for release on 23rd May*, including a 19-disc box set chronicling the amazing adventures of Jacques Cousteau and his crew and one of the most notorious ‘sex films’…
Country of Production: France
During the ‘60s and ‘70s, millions tuned in to watch groundbreaking TV series The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau, held spellbound as the renowned explorer, ecologist, diver and filmmaker brought the hidden wonders of the world’s oceans into their living rooms for the first time.
Jacques Cousteau and his crew journey from the icy reaches of Antarctica to the coral jungles of the tropics. As well as capturing stunning footage of ocean life – from sharks to shipwrecks, whales to walruses – The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau also charts the fascinating life of a truly remarkable individual.
A landmark natural history title, The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau is credited not only with showing never-before-seen images from the ocean depths but also with raising public awareness of pollution and other ecological issues.
Film: An Autumn Afternoon
Country of Production: Japan
Yasujiro Ozu’s elegiac final film An Autumn Afternoon charts the inevitable eclipse of older generations by irreverent youth. Revisiting the story of his earlier masterpiece Late Spring(1949), Ozu once again casts Chishu Ryu in the role of a concerned father, Hirayama, to unmarried daughter Michiko. Harangued on all sides to marry off Michiko, Hirayama reluctantly prepares to bid his old life farewell. A cast of tragi-comic characters weaves seamlessly through this gently satirical portrayal of life’s inevitable, endless cycle.
Country of Production: Germany/Turkey/Netherlands
Spanning the divide between Europe and Asia, Istanbul’s gridlocked Bosphorus Bridge is the focal point of Men On The Bridge, a wonderful portrait of life in the rapidly changing sprawl of today’s city. Following the lives of three young inhabitants from the suburbs who use the bridge daily, the film uses non professional actors to tell their individual stories as their paths occasionally cross and they struggle to realise their aspirations.
Unemployed Fikret (17) illegally sells roses in the traffic jam on the bridge, and would do anything to have a real job. Umit (28)) drives a shared taxi, crossing the bridge every day, hoping that the work will allow him to rent a better apartment to satisfy his wife Cecile. Traffic cop Murat, who is stationed on the bridge, feels alone amongst the solid line of cars. Every night at home, he logs onto the internet, hoping that he might one day find love on line. Originally from Eastern Turkey, he finds the city a lonely place. Unaware of each other Fikret, Umut and Murat intersect in the rush hour every day, along with millions of other Instanbulites, coping with the challenges of life in this frenetic city. Their stories are simple and universal, and are bought alive by the first rate performances of the excellent cast.
Film: World War II - Soldiers Of Valour Box Set
Country of Production: Australia/Germany/Poland/USA
Triple bill of World War Two dramas.
Everyman's War (2009) is an American drama based on the personal wartime experiences of director Thad Smith's father. Don Smith (Cole Carson), a young sergeant in the 94th Infantry Division, finds himself unarmed and wounded on the frontline of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest battle involving American forces in the entire war. As the Allies advance through the snow-packed, densely-forested mountains of Ardennes, Don's sweetheart Dorine (Lauren Bair) waits at home in Oregon, desperate for news.
Anonyma: The Downfall Of Berlin (2008) is a German drama set in Berlin in the final days of the war. The events of the film are based on the real diary of an anonymous woman who lived through the liberation of Berlin by Soviet troops in 1945, suffering shockingly brutal treatment by the city's captors. Living in the basement of her bombed-out apartment building with a handful of similarly destitute neighbours, the woman - known only as 'Anonyma' (Nina Foss) - endures repeated rape by Russian soldiers, and tries to wrestle a modicum of control over her destiny by using sex as a tool for survival, forging an uneasy sexual alliance with Russian leader Major Andrei Rybkin (Yevgeni Sidikhin).
Brad Haynes directs the Australian drama Broken Sun (2008). In 1944, a group of Japanese soldiers held in a P.O.W. camp deep in the Australian outback make an escape attempt. One young soldier, Masaru (Shingo Usami), ends up hiding in the remote hilltop farm of reclusive farmer Jack (Jai Koutrae), a World War One veteran who never recovered from the traumas he experienced as a soldier. Despite their differences and mutual suspicions, it soon becomes evident that the two men share the understanding that war is not simply a question of good versus evil but a complex set of rules by which each of them is duty-bound to abide.
Country of Production: West Germany
Frank Ripploh is a bit of a rascal: he's a bearded and shaggy-haired teacher, and he's gay with a very active sex life and an interest in making films. He keeps his personal life and teaching separate, but he sometimes corrects student papers in public toilets as he waits to score. He cruises constantly and, one evening, he meets Bernd. They become lovers. While Bernd is attentive and caring, Frank gets bored and continues his polymorphously perverse ways. For how long will Bernd and Frank tolerate each other's habits, and for how long can Frank keep his sexual orientation out of the classroom?
When Taxi Zum Klo was first released in cinemas in the UK in 1982 it caused uproar. It was seized by US Customs, restricted to screenings in private clubs in London and in Paris and hailed as the first ‘post-gay liberation movie’ by Newsweek. Despite its limited release in the UK at the time, audiences flocked to cinema clubs such as The Screen On The Green and The ICA to see Taxi Zum Klo, which remains to this day a cult classic.
Country of Production: Netherlands/UK/USA
Two-disc set celebrating one of the better known, award-winning films by the assassinated Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh. This set contains the original Dutch film as well as the Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson remake directed by Tucci himself.
Blind Date is the story of two parents trying to come to terms with the loss of their young daughter. Placing personal ads in a paper, the couple go on a series of ‘blind dates’, pretending to be strangers when they meet. By playing various roles, they talk, flirt and fight with each other in a desperate attempt to overcome their buried grief and rebuild their shattered relationship.
Based on his Van Gogh's own idea, the plot allowed the characters to live in all of their diversity. This narrative and structural complexity afforded the film three Golden Calfe, the Prize from the Dutch Cinema as best director, best actress (Renée Fokker) and best actor (Peer Mascini).
Country of Production: France
Winning an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature as well as a Palme d'Or at Cannes, The Silent World is a truly groundbreaking title; not only for introducing the world at large to Jacques Cousteau’s pioneering underwater exploration but also for being one of the first films to show the ocean depths in colour.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
Part 2 of our roundup of the DVDs set for release on 23rd May*, including a box set of four documentaries by French filmmaker Nicolas Philibert and the directorial debut of Dario Argento…
Country of Production: Finland/Denmark
Czech actors and sites like BelAmi have risen to iconic status in the world of gay erotica, and Heikkinen chronicles how cultural events like the Velvet Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall cleared the way for the gay porn industry’s ascent. While the young men who populate the films and photo shoots of such productions carry an air of sexual liberation, the dark truth is that many of the actors are troubled youths without viable career choices. Through beautiful cinematography, the film draws poetic parallels between the loneliness of the creators and consumers of adult film. Yet, the often dark subject matter of All Boys is countered by the interviewee’s genuine longing for love and human connection. Scenes with one man who managed to move on from acting in gay porn to a seemingly traditional family life suggest that those involved in the industry can escape the perils of drugs and prostitution.
In a hyper connected world where erotic material is never far out of reach, All Boys is required viewing. Behind every seductive image in adult media is a story, and All Boys is a film that’s intent on finding out how the story ends.
Film: La Ville Louvre
Country of Production: France
French filmmaker Nicolas Philibert goes behind the scenes of one of the world's most famous museums in this documentary about the Louvre in Paris. The film charts the extensive renovations that took place at the Louvre in the late 1980s, when the now-famous glass pyramid was added to the classic buildings.
Country of Production: Japan
Episodes 1-13 of the Japanese anime series. In the dark of night at a Buddhist temple, a mysterious ritual is performed causing the dead body of a beautiful teenage girl to be brought back to life. This girl is Makina Hoshino, the latest Shikabane Hime (corpse princess), or killer of restless souls. Makina Hoshino now travels the Earth as a Shikabane Hime, or Corpse Princess, destined to wreak havoc on the walking undead with her twin MAC-11 machine guns. Caught between here and the afterworld, and bound to the monk who reanimated her, Makina can only gain eternal peace by killing 108 fellow zombies before she is murdered all over again.
Film: The Nicolas Philibert Collection
Country of Production: France
Nenette tells the story of a 40-year-old orangutan kept at the Jardins des Plantes zoo in Paris. A star attraction at the zoo, Nenette nevertheless pays little attention to the hordes of visitors who flock to look at her. A mother of four who has outlived three mates, Nenette has lived at the zoo for over 30 years. The film shows her going about her daily routines behind glass, revealing her visitors only by their voices and as shadowy reflections in the glass.
The award-winning film Etre et Avoir (2002) charts the events within a small single-class village primary school in the Auvergne region of France over the course of one academic year. A dozen children aged 4-10 are brought together each day in a rural classroom and taught all their subjects by a single teacher, Monsieur Georges Lopez. A master of quiet authority, he patiently navigates the children towards adolescence, cooling down their arguments and listening to their problems, while trying to balance the varying needs of the disparate age groups for whom he must provide.
Nicolas Philibert goes behind the scenes of one of the world's most famous museums in La Ville Louvre (1990), a documentary about the Louvre in Paris. The film charts the extensive renovations that took place at the Louvre in the late 1980s, when the now-famous glass pyramid was added to the classic buildings.
Un Animal, Des Animaux (1996) charts the renovations of the zoological gallery of France's Natural History Museum, which was closed to the public for over 25 years before reopening in the mid-1990s.
Country of Production: France
Jacques Cousteau and his crew take on the cold of Antarctica, exploring icebergs, volcanoes, reefs and islands on his ship Calypso and in a submarine. During the expedition, the team brave the icy water to film beneath the ice that surrounds the continents, as well as taking to the skies in a hot air balloon.
Film: Late Autumn
Country of Production: Japan
BFI adds another title to its ongoing strand, The Ozu Collection with the release of Late Autumn (1960), presented in a Dual Format Edition (a Blu-ray and a DVD disc in one box), and complemented by an early Ozu film that has never been made available in the UK before.
When college nostalgia inspires a group of middle-aged businessmen to match-make for the widow of a friend – played with measured dignity by Setsuko Hara (Tokyo Story) – and her daughter, they have no idea of the strife their careless interference will cause.
Late Autumn’s examination of familial upheaval moves effortlessly from comedy to pathos and is amongst the finest of Ozu’s post-war films.
Country of Production: Italy/West Germany
Blu-ray only release. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage sees the Italian master of terror nailing the ‘Giallo’ blueprint with a brutal thriller that packs a gory brace of horrific murders alongside its genre defining mix of red herrings, leather gloved slashers and stylish decor.
When Sam, an American writer living in Rome, witnesses an attempted murder in an art gallery and reports the crime to the police, he unwittingly sets the killer’s sights on himself and his beautiful model girlfriend. Things soon start to unravel as it becomes clear that, with the identity of the villain very much open to question, Sam himself is a prime suspect in the case. As the murders continue, Sam begins his own investigations into the serial killings hoping to somehow clear his name. But in doing so he becomes involved in a deadly relationship with the unknown slayer.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
Part 1 of our roundup of the DVDs set for release on 23rd May*, including a box set featuring the best of Andrei Tarkovsky’s films and a classic slice of Spanish horror…
Country of Production: France
Documentary by French filmmaker Nicolas Philibert. Nenette (2010) tells the story of a 40-year-old orangutan kept at the Jardins des Plantes zoo in Paris. A star attraction at the zoo, Nenette nevertheless pays little attention to the hordes of visitors who flock to look at her. A mother of four who has outlived three mates, Nenette has lived at the zoo for over 30 years. The film shows her going about her daily routines behind glass, revealing her visitors only by their voices and as shadowy reflections in the glass.
Film: Alice
Country of Production: Czechoslovakia/Switzerland/UK/West Germany
Švankmajer’s Alice is a distinctly disturbing and creepy interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s perennial literary classic, yet it is perhaps the closest to the original work. Combining a live-action Alice (Kristýna Kohoutová) with a stop-motion Wonderland filled with threatening, bizarre characters, Švankmajer’s deliberately crude style of animation, use of close-ups and rich design work lend the film a pervading sense of unease and a menacing dream-logic which marries a sly visual wit with piercing psychological insight.
Presented here fully uncut and in its original Czech-language version for the very first time, this comprehensive BFI release also gathers together a selection of rare and fascinating Alice-related short films including Alice in Wonderland (1903), the first screen adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic (and a big YouTube hit!) and Elsie and the Brown Bunny (1921), an early advertising film for Cadbury Bros. Ltd.
Film: The Debt
Country of Production: Thriller
The past comes back to haunt three retired Mossad agents in this Israeli thriller from director Assaf Bernstein. After being tracked down and held by three Israeli agents in Berlin in 1965, Nazi war criminal 'The Surgeon of Birkenau' manages to escape from his captors. To avoid national embarrassment to the Israeli state, the three agents involved decide to claim that 'The Surgeon' committed suicide whilst in custody. After returning home to a heroes' welcome and the respect and admiration of their countrymen, the three are shocked when, 30 years later, a man surfaces in the Ukraine claiming to be 'The Surgeon' and asking for forgiveness. Now, to protect the lie, it falls to one of the former agents involved, Rachel (Gila Almagor), to finally draw a line under the past by terminating her former prisoner.
Country of Production: France
Jacques Cousteau’s second documentary film to scoop an Academy Award, World Without Sun is the fascinating chronicle of his ambitious attempt to create an undersea colony, with six divers living for a month beneath the Red Sea in Conshelf Two; an advanced habitat equipped with a two-man submarine and special deep-sea cabin.
Film: The Andrei Tarkovsky Collection
Country of Production: Soviet Union/Italy
Box set of the legendary director’s films:
Ivan’s Childhood. Tarkovsky’s extraordinarily accomplished debut feature is a powerful and moving tale of a 12-year-old boy who vows to avenge his family’s death at the hands of the Nazis.
Andrei Rublev. Regarded by many as Tarkovsky’s finest film, this epic tale of the great medieval icon painter chronicles a turbulent period of Russian history and was long suppressed by the politically sensitive Soviet authorities.
Solaris. Based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel, Solaris is a moving and unsettling vision of memory and humanity which transcends the science fiction genre and has often been compared to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Mirror. Reflecting upon his own childhood and the destiny of the Russian people, this beautiful and densely layered film is Tarkovsky’s most autobiographical work.
Stalker. Set in a devastated future landscape, Tarkovsky’s second foray into science fiction is a surreal and disturbing exploration of man’s quest to realise his dreams and desires.
Nostalgia. Filmed in Italy just prior to his defection to the west, Tarkovsky’s unforgettably haunting film explores the melancholy of exile from one’s homeland.
The Sacrifice. In Tarkovsky’s final masterpiece, completed as he was gravely ill, a man vows to God that he will sacrifice all he holds dear if an imminent nuclear catastrophe can be averted.
Country of Production:
Award-winning filmmaker Rodrigue Jean’s reflective film exposes a population of Montreal that society usually prefers to overlook: the young, often drug-addicted male prostitutes who work the city’s sex trade industry.
Men For Sale provides a mesmerising look into the lives of eleven men – most of them in their early twenties – as they attempt to explain how they all arrived at the same profession. With a humanistic eye, the film uncovers the vulnerabilities of its subjects as they struggle to affirm their masculinity and make sense of their conflicting sexual practices. Some of them envision themselves escaping the sex trade industry, while others feel like prisoners in a vicious cycle of drug use and prostitution.
By artfully weaving together intimate confessionals and scenes of Montreal’s night-time cityscape, Jean creates a dreamlike vision of a rarely-glimpsed world – one that often goes unnoticed even when in plain sight. The film, which was co-produced with the National Film Board of Canada, covers a difficult subject matter, but Jean handles it with a sensitivity that reveals the human side of those involved and their urgent need for the public’s attention.
Series: Vampire Knight Guilty: Part 2 – Episodes 5-7
Country of Production: Japan
Episodes 5-7 from the spin-off of the anime series Vampire Knight. When Yuuki decides she wants to find out more about her hidden heritage and starts to delve into the secrets of her past. Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire... And then rescued by another. Now ten years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her saviour, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school.
Country of Production: Spain
Who Can Kill A Child? is one of the most unsettling and infamous Eurocult items of the 1970s. When an English couple holidaying in Spain travel to a small, apparently deserted island, soon the hideous truth reveals itself: all the adults have been killed by the child population, and are far from finished with their systematic slaughter.
With its sun-bleached photography, dread-filled atmosphere and shocking imagery, Who Can Kill A Child? has become one of the most talked-about but little-seen shockers of perhaps cinematic horror's finest decade.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
A roundup of the DVDs set for release on 16th May 2011*, including a film set during World War Two, following two women who try to maintain their friendship under difficult circumstances, and Javier Bardem’s towering performance in an Oscar-nominated drama showing the less picturesque side of Barcelona.
Country of Production: Democratic Republic of the Congo/France
Benda Bilili! is a real-life world music fairytale, lifting the lid on the Congolese music scene to reveal the incredible true story behind Kinshasa’s ghetto stars; Staff Benda Bilili, the world music sensation who have exploded onto the scene with their critically acclaimed debut album Tres, Tres, Fort and electric performances at Glastonbury, Womad and other festivals worldwide. Staff Benda Bilili’s distinct musical style is a seductive mix of Congolese rumba, James Brown-esque funk, Cuban mambo, ancestral trance and Jimi Hendrix-esque flourishes from Roger Landu, the former street kid virtuoso.
Opening Directors Fortnight at Cannes this year, Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye’s uplifting film is a frank and intimate portrait of the band, their musical energy and social observation of the realities of life in the Congo. Hotly tipped to be the next Buena Vista Social Club, Benda Bilili! Is a rare cinematic discovery; a powerful and inspirational film that follows the extraordinary journey of the band over the course of six years, from the streets of Kinshasa to headlining international music festivals. Benda Bilili! is the story of a dream become reality; a tale of triumph over adversity which embraces the band’s creed; to be true to oneself, take pride, be strong, and never give up.
Country of Production: Japan
Episodes 54-65 of the 'Naruto' anime spin-off series.
The fifth set follows Naruto, who is troubled by nightmares after his second failed attempt to bring Sasuke home. Kakashi, recovering in the hospital, suggests a new training regimen for Naruto that puts him in touch with his wind chakra nature.
Country of Production: Mexico/Spain
Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor (Javier Bardem), Biutiful is directed by Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams), and tells the story of a man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona.
Uxbal (Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is a man with a bright side and a dark side. On the one hand a caring father, strong but affectionate towards his two children, he struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with their mother, Marambra (Maricel Álvarez), despite her problems with alcohol and instability. But Uxbal is also a criminal who oversees a small underground empire alongside his impulsive brother Tito (Eduard Fernández) and fellow crime boss Hai. Uxbal's dealings range from drugs to construction, but, unlike his partners, he tries to treat those around him with dignity, even as he trades in human misery. Uxbal's precarious world begins to collapse when he's diagnosed with a serious illness and told he has only a few weeks left to live; he comes to consider what his life will mean for the legacy he leaves his children, and sets about trying to make a better life for them before he departs.
Country of Production: France/Tunisia
César nominee writer/director Karin Albou's bold second feature lifts the lid on a chapter of WWII history that has rarely been shown. Reminiscent of women-led wartime films such as Aimée & Jaguar and The Diary Of Anne Frank, The Wedding Song explores both Jewish and Arab cultures and female sexuality to winning effect.
Tunis, 1942: Against the Allied bombs and the goosesteps of the Nazi occupiers, two teenage girlfriends, one Muslim, the other Jewish, cling to the bond they’ve shared since childhood. However, the world shared by Jews and Arabs is being split by German promises of liberation - they’ll rid Tunis of the French and the Jews. As Myriam is no longer safe, her mother attempts to marry her off to a wealthy doctor to save them both. But Myriam doesn't want to get married, so she and Nour make efforts to scupper the wedding plans.
Country of Production: Japan
All 13 episodes from the follow-up series to the Japanese anime that follows the exploits of brainwashed assassins working for a branch of Italian intelligence.
When the Social Welfare Agency investigates the disappearance of an operative, their inquiry leads them right into the lair of their rival, the Five Republics. The assassin Triela infiltrates the hostile organization, but her search is cut short when she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun.
Film: Trackman
Country of Production: Russia
Horror lurks underground in this new, twisted Russian horror film, from the makers of 30 Days Of Night and The Grudge.
A perfect bank heist turns deadly when the criminals and their hostages flee to an abandoned underground subway station to escape the authorities. Searching for a way out, they don’t realise that they are being hunted by the Trackman; a madman that prowls the darkness, looking for potential victims. Existing in the dark, dank tunnels of an abandoned subway system and preying on those who venture from the safety of the streets above, the Trackman is a lone serial killer who specialises in collecting eyeballs.
Country of Production: Germany
Nana Neul's blistering directorial debut has drawn comparisons with Boys Don't Cry and Unveiled. An assured, mature piece of work that draws heartfelt performances from its leads, Neul's future work will be worth watching out for.
Eternal daydreamer Mel can't wait to quit her ‘sucky’ catering job and fly to her dream destination: Portugal. Things change when the beautiful Jenny literally crashes into her life when Mel nearly runs her over in her classic BMW. It is love at first sight; however, there is just one problem: Jenny mistakenly assumes Mel to be a boy. Despite this, the pair become boyfriend and girlfriend. With Mel attempting to disguise her true gender at every turn, her journey from tomboy to out lesbian is fraught with life-defining dilemmas and sweet surprises.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
Second of our two-part roundup of the DVDs set for release on 6th May 2011*, including the return of celebrated Hong Kong director Johnnie To and a collection of Theo Van Gogh’s controversial films.
Country of Production: Hong Kong
Daily proceedings of a band of pick-pockets (‘sparrow’ in Hong Kong slang) are disrupted by the sudden appearance of a beautiful and mysterious lady, who turns the tables on them. Following her trail, the pick-pockets are led to a face-off on the streets of Hong Kong with a rival pick-pocket gang, with both gangs vying for the possession of this enigmatic lady.
A comedy caper with comparisons to French New Wave work such as Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, Sparrow has the stylish trademarks of a Johnnie To film, with a wonderful jazz-tinged soundtrack and a photographic blend of the nostalgic old Hong Kong and the modern sky-scraper city. Starring To regulars Simon Yam (Tomb Raider 3. Election), Lam Kar Tung (Election, Triangle, Vengeance) and Kelly Lin (Reign Of Assassins).
Series: Desert Punk: The Complete Collection
Country of Production: Japan
All 24 episodes of the action comedy anime series. A post-apocalyptic Japan has been reduced to a desert where the few surviving humans eke out their living in the hot sand. Against this stark background, mammary-obsessed mercenary Kanta Mizuno, aka 'Desert Punk', carries out his less-than-noble assignments.
Country of Production: Japan
Japanese director Takahisa Zeze (Flying Rabbits; Moon Child) combines the apocalyptic excitement of the disaster movie with the high tension of a medical thriller in Pandemic, which stars Satoshi Tsumabuki (Dororo; The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift), Kanningu Takeyama (Memories Of Matsuko) and celebrated veteran actor Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses; Empire Of Passion) in a terrifyingly topical tale of a world threatened by a mysterious virus.
When a lethal avian flu outbreak hits a small village in the Northern Philippines, the international medical team working to contain the virus hears unconfirmed reports that one of the residents has left the village to attend a relative’s wedding and has taken a chicken as a gift. Three months later, a poultry farm on the outskirts of Tokyo is found to be infected. At a nearby hospital, a patient thought to be suffering from flu tests negative for the disease but then suffers from fever, pneumonia, bleeding, diarrhoea, systemic infection and multiple organ failure. Doctors quickly determine that the cause was not avian flu. It was something much, much worse – a brand new form of flu, the likes of which has never been seen before. Early estimates suggest an outbreak of this deadly plague could infect 2.5 million people within the Tokyo area and kill around 640,000 within weeks. Fear quickly spreads as government authorities and medical researchers race to identify and isolate the virus and to produce a vaccine. Meanwhile, as the outbreak becomes an epidemic, the death toll begins to rise far more quickly than anticipated. Japanese citizens are barred from visiting other nations and as the invisible threat takes over Tokyo, mass panic leads to chaos as martial law is imposed. In the middle of it all is the hospital where the virus was first discovered, the site now a war zone hosting a conflict between the military, the medical teams and the stricken public. Now, the race is on to save Japan and prevent a global outbreak that could lead to Armageddon.
Film: Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji
Country of Production: India
Romantic Bollywood comedy starring Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya. The film follows the tumultuous love lives of three housemates: unassuming banker Naren (Devgan), who has recently separated from his career-obsessed wife; Abhay (Hashmi), a fitness trainer with a penchant for rich girlfriends; and Milind, (Vaidya), a poet who is proudly holding on to his virginity until he is married.
Series: Casshern Sins - Part One
Country of Production: Japan
Episodes 1-12 of the anime series set in a post-apocalyptic future world. After robots subjugate humanity when they become self-aware, the remaining humans place their salvation in the hands of a mysterious girl named 'Luna'. But her assassination at the hands of the robot leader's cyborg Casshern triggers 'the ruin', a cataclysmic event which sets into motion the end of the world. With the Earth's atmosphere now full of poisonous gases which affect both humans and robots alike, Casshern, the only one immune to 'the ruin', awakes to find himself with no memory of his past or what he has done. Setting out across the ravaged planet, Casshern searches for the truth and the destiny that lies ahead.
Country of Production: Japan
Double Play (DVD & Blu-ray) release. From the creators of Spirited Away comes Hayao Miyazaki’s homage to Jules Verne and Jonathan Swift. Castle In The Sky was the first feature film from the now legendary Studio Ghibli and combines the Japanese master director’s twin obsessions of eco-thriller and aerial escapades and turns a treasure hunt into a fight against evil for an unforgettable adventure.
Country of Production: Netherlands
Three landmark films from the controversial and assassinated film director Theo Van Gogh.
Blind Date (1996). A bartender watches on as two strangers meet regularly in his bar-Katya, the bereaved mother who loses her daughter, and Pom the former comedian. They are both former performers of some kind. They meet and attempt to get through their individual pain with the conversations that take place with every meeting.
1-900 (1994). The outrageously frank 1-900 is a lot more than just talk. Two lonely professionals meet through a sex-line and begin a weekly rendezvous via the telephone. Their conversations and interchanges start taking on a life of its own. In turns erotic, funny, frustrating, and even sinister, as they become increasingly attached to one another. Despite the initial rules of the game – the two can never meet, nor even know one another’s identities – neither partner can help wishing for more intimate contact. 1-900 is a provocative and sexually charged exploration of the boundaries of imagination, fantasy and power.
Interview (2003). A war correspondent is sent by the newspaper he works for to interview soap opera actress Katja - much to his chagrin, as he considers it a fluffy, irreverent assignment for a serious, political journalist such as himself. Yet as the day progresses and the conversation takes flight, both realise that they are each bringing something out of the other that is long buried.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
First of a two-part roundup of the DVDs set for release on 6th May 2011*, including the re-release of two recognised classics and award-winning filmmaker Julia Bacha’s return with an action-filled documentary.
Country of Production: Spain/UK
A collaboration between Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba and Spanish designer Javier Mariscal, this animated feature is set in the vibrant bebop jazz scene of the late 1940s and early 1950s. When handsome and talented young jazz pianist Chico (voiced by Eman Xor Ona) meets sultry nightclub singer Rita (Limara Meneses) in Havana, the two quickly become a double act both on stage and in love. As they take their Cuban rhythms to the clubs of New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Paris, their turbulent relationship plays out its passions and heartbreaks to a soundtrack of Latin beats, ballads and bolero.
Cuban pianist and composer Bebo Valdes provides the original score for the film, which also features the music of jazz greats including Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.
Film: Budrus
Country of Production: Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territory/USA
Julia Bacha’s thought-provoking, compelling documentary gives an amazing insight into the Middle East conflict and the struggle of a group of villagers trying to protect their land without resorting to violence.
Ayed Morrar, an unlikely community organiser, unites Palestinians from all political factions and Israelis to save his village from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Victory seems improbable until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today.
Series: Gungrave: The Complete Collection
Country of Production: Japan
All 26 episodes of the Japanese anime series. Armed with twin handguns, and a coffin filled with weapons on his back, Grave returns from the dead cloaked in darkness and bent on revenge. His goal is to cripple Millennion, the huge mafia organization that uses undead monsters as its enforcers, but his real objective is to root out Harry Macdowel, Millennion’s leader. The former friends are on a collision course with destiny and anyone in the way is destined for the grave.
Country of Production: South Korea
Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure, his victims ranging from young women to children. The police have chased him for a long time, but have been unsuccessful. One day Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state. Her fiance, a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means becoming a monster himself.
Country of Production: Japan
All 24 episodes of the Japanese anime series. Defeat the demon, save the kingdom, and don't forget those extra lives! In a summer once every five years, demons within the mysterious Tower of Druaga lose their powers due to a magic spell cast by a god named 'Anu'. During this time, King Gilgamesh, ruler of the kingdom Uruk, and his army have invaded the tower and built a fortress city on the very first floor of Druaga. Thus begins the story of a warrior named Jil who embarks on a quest for the legendary Blue Crystal Rod, a powerful artifact said to be held on the highest floor of Druaga. However, others want the treasure for themselves!
Film: Rififi
Country of Production: France
Jules Dassin's classic noir, starring Jean Servais as master thief Tony le Stephanois. Recently released from jail, the aging Tony is reluctant to return to a life of crime - but when he discovers that his girlfriend has thrown him over for a rival gangster, he agrees to attempt one last job. Together with three collaborators - young father Jo (Carl Mohner), boisterous Franco-Italian Mario (Robert Manuel) and sentimental Milanese safecracker Cesar (played by the director under the pseudonym of Perlo Vita) - Tony meticulously engineers his biggest heist yet: robbing the most heavily guarded jeweller in Paris. But when a rival gangster, Pierre Gruter (Marcel Lupovici) finds out about their haul, he stakes a claim to a cut of the take in a most persuasive manner. The film is best known for its celebrated half-hour silent robbery sequence.
Film: My Neighbours The Yamadas
Country of Production: Japan
Double Play (DVD and Blu-ray) release. The little victories of the quirky Takashi Yamada and his wacky wife Matsuko are followed in this touching animation from Isao Takahata (Grave Of The Fireflies) and Studio Ghibli. The Yamadas navigate their way through the ups and downs of work, marriage, and family life with a sharp-tongued grandmother who lives with them, a teenage son who wishes he had cooler parents, and a pesky daughter whose loud voice is unusual for someone so small. Even the family dog has issues!
Film: Samurai Avenger
Country of Production: USA (Japanese language)
Samurai action, from actor/director Kurando Mitsutake, about the victim of a brutal assault who takes revenge on his attacker eight years after the event. An innocent man (Mitsutake) was left blind and alone after notorious psychopath Nathan Flesher (Domiziano Arcangeli) ambushed him and killed his family. Now known only as Blind Wolf, the wronged man has returned as a highly skilled samurai, intent on seeking vengeance. However, the powerful criminal has hired seven deadly assassins to finish what he started...
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
A roundup of the DVDs set for release on 2nd May 2011*, including a live action film based on one of the most popular fighting console games of all time, as well as four Dario Argento favourites!
Country of Production: France
Prepare for a sun-drenched, sexually-charged road trip as the gorgeous and brooding Sam sets off on a revelatory journey in a bid to unravel his troubled past. Sam is soon joined by a pair of hitchhikers – sexually adventurous Lea and her hesitant younger brother Matthieu who both take an instant shine to the mysterious driver. Once Lea’s advances are firmly rebuffed, she picks up fellow hitchhiker Jeremie, which gives her sibling the perfect opportunity to make his burgeoning feelings clear for Sam. Inevitably, Matthieu makes his move and this becomes the catalyst for the revelation of secrets and a tentative but explosive bond between the young travellers. Exquisitely shot and seething with burning sexual desire, Going South is the hottest road trip you’ll ever take.
Film: Black Sheep
Country of Production: Switzerland/Germany
Deviant, multi-stranded black comedy set in the dark underbelly of modern Berlin. The story follows a group of deadbeats as they act out their bizarre and twisted plans to hit the big time. Satanists, prostitutes, artists and thieves are just some of the unsavoury characters looming large in this anarchically offbeat urban parody.
Film: Blades Of Blood
Country of Production: South Korea
Lee Joon-Ik directs this Korean action-infused period drama. Set amid the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1591, the film tells the story of Gyeon-ja (Baek Seong-hyeon), the illegitimate son of a noble family who sets out for revenge after his father is murdered by rebel forces led by Lee Mong-hak (Cha Seung-won). Aided by gifted blind swordsman Hwang (Hwang Jeong-min) and the mistress of the man he has vowed to kill, Gyeon-ja sets out to settle the score.
Country of Production: Japan
A girl travels back in time in order to save her dying mother in this Japanese sci-fi adventure directed by Masaaki Taniguchi. With her scientist mother Kazuko (Narumi Yasuda) in a coma after being knocked down in a car accident, high school student Akira Yoshiyama (Riisa Naka) decides to use her mother's research into time travel to journey back to the 1970s. Once there, Akira searches to find her mother's first true love and bring him back to the present, where she hopes his presence will bring Kazuko out of her coma. Unfortunately for Akira, she soon discovers that her presence in the past has unforeseen consequences for her future.
Film: Dario Argento: Neo Giallo Collection
Country of Production: Italy
Collection of four late 'Giallo' features from director Dario Argento. In Terror At The Opera (1987) Betty (Christina Marsillach), a young understudy at the opera house, finds herself in demand when the female lead in Verdi's Macbeth falls ill. Whilst on stage, her fears about the curse of Macbeth begin to ring true as a stagehand is murdered and several ravens used in the production are killed. Betty is then taken captive by the murderer, tied up, forced to have her eyes pinned open and then witness the murder of two other people. The police inspector assigned to the job, Santini (Urbano Barberini), realises that ravens never forget and releases the remaining birds so that they can find the murderer. This leads to a chain of gory events, eventually revealing who the killer is and his connection to Betty.
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) sees Asia Argento star as detective Anna Manni, on the trail of a serial killer and rapist. Unfortunately, she suffers from the Stendhal syndrome, a mental disorder causing hallucinations whenever the sufferer comes into contact with works of art. The killer discovers Manni's condition, and uses it to make her insane. Even when she thinks she has finally tracked him down and dealt with him, his taunts continue, and so do the murders.
In Sleepless (2001) insomaniac ex-cop Ulisse Moretti (Max von Sydow) is called out of retirement to investigate a series of violent slayings, all of which bear a resemblance to a case he worked on 17 years ago. Meanwhile, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), the son of one of the victims in the earlier spate of killings, learns that the murderer is at work again and decides to finally exact his revenge.
In The Card Player (2004) police detective Anna Mari (Stefania Rocca) becomes caught up in an Internet poker game, only to realise to her horror that the stakes are higher than she could have imagined: if she loses, the maniacal 'Card Player' will slit his victims' throats live on webcam. Irish police detective John Brennan (Liam Cunningham) is sent to Rome to join the investigation after a British tourist becomes involved. But the stakes are raised even higher when the police chief's daughter (Fiore Argento) is abducted - and it becomes apparent The Card Player knows Anna better than she thought...
Country of Production: Japan/USA
Action film based on the Playstation/Xbox fighting game. In the year 2039, the all-powerful Tekken Corporation controls the whole of America. When rebel teen street fighter Jin Kazama (Jon Foo) witnesses the murder of his beloved mother by the Corporation, he takes on a Tekken ID and sets out to avenge her death.
Film: What War May Bring
Country of Production: France
Claude Lelouch directs this episodic romantic drama chronicling the five major loves in the life of one woman. Audrey Dana stars as Ilva Lemoine, a half-Italian cinema usherette whose passionate love affairs - depicted in flashback as she recounts her life from the dock at her murder trial - touch on some of the key moments of 20th-century European history.
*The release date is subject to change for any of these titles.
The second part of our round up looking ahead to the DVDs being released on 25th April 2011, including Korea’s biggest box-office hit, and Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci in a riotous cult classic.
Film: Anthony Zimmer
Country of Production: France
French thriller written and directed by Jérôme Salle. Notorious international money launderer Anthony Zimmer is a wanted man. Hunted by police forces all over the world, he now has the Russian mafia on his tail too. Unfortunately for the cops, Zimmer has had so much plastic surgery in order to evade capture that no-one knows what he now looks or even sounds like. Knowing that Zimmer will try to get in touch with his mistress, Chiara (Sophie Marceau), police official Akerman (Sami Frey) has her followed to try and flush him out into the open. On the train to Nice, and with the police in hot pursuit, Chiara lures fellow passenger Francois Taillandier (Yvan Attal) with the promise of a shared bed. Waking to find his companion gone, and with Russian hitmen and the police on his trail, Francois's nightmare is only just beginning.
Country of Production: South Korea
Discover the movie that delivered the biggest box-office opening in Korean cinema history and experience breathtaking hi-octane thrills from the celebrated action-director of The Good, The Bad And The Weird and Brotherhood.
When a dark lord obtains the secret to unimaginable power, an elite army of shape-shifting goblins threaten to destroy the world, as we know it. However, just when it all seems to be lost, a great warrior wizard, named Woochi, travels through time to fight for the future of all mankind...
Country of Production: France
Starring the cooler than thou French husband and wife team Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible) and Monica Bellucci (Irreversible, Shoot ‘Em Up), Dobermann is Jan Kounen’s stylish, supremely violent, rip-roaring action movie. With its ultra-hip look and slick camerawork it ushered in a new era of French action films and has become a hugely requested cult classic.
Charismatic villain Dobermann (Cassel) leads a gang of depraved henchmen in a world of crime, drugs and endless violence. The gang boldly pull off a blood-soaked Paris bank heist in broad daylight under the noses of the police. Ruthless police officer (Tcheky Karyo) takes the law into his own hands and makes it his mission to stop Dobermann by any means necessary.
With its seedy, psychotic characters, beautifully choreographed explosive action sequences and high octane violence Dobermann is the dog’s proverbials.
Film: Severed Ways
Country of Production: USA (Swedish language)
Tony Stone writes, directs and stars in this bizarre low-budget historical adventure following two young Viking men, Orn (Stone) and Volnard (Fiore Tedesco), who become stranded when an expedition to North America ends in shipwreck. Left for dead, the pair struggle to survive in the unfamiliar forests of the New World. Over time their paths diverge as Volnard pursues a spiritual quest, befriending two Irish monks (David Perry and Sean Dooley), while Orn reverts to his primal instincts, finding warmth in the arms of a native American squaw (Noelle Bailey).
Country of Production: France/Germany/Italy
English and Japanese dialogue. Gaspar Noe directs this boldly experimental film shot entirely from the first person perspective of the protagonist (both before and after his death) and laced with hallucinatory visuals. Years after a childhood tragedy that led to their separation, brother and sister Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) and Linda (Paz de la Huerta) move together to Tokyo's red light district, where Oscar earns his living as a drug dealer while Linda works as a stripper. When Oscar is shot dead in The Void bar after a deal goes wrong, he looks back over his life from the other side and watches over his sister as she becomes increasingly lost in the city's dark and dangerous underworld.
Film: Outlaw Star: The Complete Series - Anime Legends
Country of Production: Japan
All 26 episodes of the anime adventure series following Gene Starwind and the rest of the crew onboard the stolen Outlaw Star spaceship. Gene and his partner in crime, Jim Hawking, come up against pirates and aliens as the owners of the ship try to track them down.
Country of Production: France
Classic thriller from director Henri-Georges Clouzot, following the events of a murder plot in a small French provincial school. Tired of being mistreated by abusive headmaster Michel Delasalle (Paul Meurisse), his frail wife, Christina (Vera Clouzot), and his mistress, Nicole (Simone Signoret), plot to kill their tormentor. When Michel's body goes missing, however, the women soon realise their plan is not as straightforward as they first thought.
Film: Louise-Michel
Country of Production: France
French filmmakers Gustave de Kervern and Benoit Delepine write and direct this absurdist black comedy. When the factory where she works closes overnight, ex-con cross-dresser Louise (Yolande Moreau) comes up with the idea that the workers pool their compensation money and use it to hire a hitman to take out their uncaring boss. Security guard Michel (Bouli Lanners) seems like the ideal man to carry out the job. But the plan comes wildly unstuck as Michel turns out to be woefully inept as a hired assassin, and it becomes increasingly difficult for the workers to identify exactly which capitalist culprit made the final decision to close the factory.
Our first round up of the day looking ahead to the DVDs being released on 25th April 2011, including “the most exciting German film since Das Boot,” and the return of the genre-busting auteur Tetsuya Nakashima.
Country of Production: Mexico
Directed by Diego Luna and executive produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and John Malkovich, Abel is a darkly funny and poignant fable about a child who thinks he is an adult.
Christopher Ruiz-Esparza (a mere 9 years of age at the time of filming) stars as Abel, a young boy whose confounding behaviour and refusal to speak has landed him in a mental health facility. His single mother is convinced that a reunion between Abel and his younger brother and older sister would be the answer to repairing his condition, so she arranges for Abel’s doctor to release the boy for a single week. Abel starts speaking the day after returning home but the joy of the mother quickly turns into confusion as the child starts speaking and behaving as a fully-grown adult - her missing partner. Not wishing to worsen his condition the mother and the siblings go along with Abel’s unorthodox, strange behaviour. But then his father decides to show up…
Disturbing, surreal and darkly funny, Abel follows in a great tradition of fabular filmmaking associated with the likes of Guillermo del Toro and deals with an important issue in Mexico - parental absenteeism - increasingly common as many Mexican men abandon their families to find work in the United States.
Film: Il Posto
Country of Production: Italy
Ermanno Olmi’s semi auto-biographical Il Posto, aka The Sound Of Trumpets, is a satirical take on the daily grind of working life. A young suburban boy, Domenico, has big dreams of working in a big city corporation and after a gruelling entry process he lands a job as an errand boy. Here Domenico meets Antonietta and the pair embark on a relationship as he begins to climb to the corporate ladder.
Film: On Tour
Country of Production: France
Joachim, a former Parisian television producer had left everything behind - his children, friends, enemies, lovers and regrets - to start a new life in America. He comes back with a team of New Burlesque strip-tease performers whom Joachim has fed fantasies of a tour of France, of Paris! Travelling from port to port, the curvaceous showgirls invent an extravagant fantasy world of warmth and hedonism, despite the constant round of impersonal hotels with their endless elevator music and the lack of money. The show gets an enthusiastic response from men and women alike. But their dream of a tour culminating in a last grand show in Paris goes up in smoke when Joachim is betrayed by an old friend and loses the theatre where they were due to perform. A quick return journey to the capital violently reopens old wounds...
On Tour stars a sassy cast of celebrated New Burlesque performers, including Dirty Martini (Shortbus), Mimi Le Meaux and Kitten on the Keys.
Film: The Tunnel
Country of Production: Germany
Roland Suso Richter's multi-award winning drama The Tunnel has been described as the most exciting German film since Das Boot. Based on a fascinating true story that takes place in the divided Berlin in 1961, the film stars Heino Ferch (Downfall) and Sebastian Koch (Black Book, The Lives Of Others).
During the 28 years that the Berlin Wall stood, countless tunnels were planned as escape passageways from East to West. The Tunnel recounts the harrowing tale of the development of the most famous one. East German swimming champion Harry Melchior (Ferch) flees to the West to escape the communist regime just before the borders are sealed, but his sister is not so lucky and he is determined to free her. Joined by others also desperate to free their loved ones, they have an audacious plan; to tunnel beneath the wall and the ‘death strip’ patrolled by border guards. But not everyone can be trusted and they are soon digging for their lives in a nerve-racking race against time.
The Tunnel is a riveting and harrowing tale about the courage and tenacity of a group of heroes driven by the love of their families and the need for freedom that grips to the very end.
Country of Production: Japan
Following the critical acclaim of his previous features, Kamikaze Girls and Memories Of Matsuko, Tetsuya Nakashima returns with Confessions, a notably darker but equally absorbing and typically idiosyncratic work, this time adapted from the award winning debut novel by Kanae Minato. Written and directed by Nakashima, Confessions was selected as Japan’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film category of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards and was the winner of the awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director (Tetsuya Nakashima) at the 34th Japanese Academy Awards earlier this year. Reigning in his impulse to create surreal candy-coloured worlds full of chaos and confusion, with Confessions Nakashima opts instead for an intense drama throbbing with dark emotions and powered by a savage central performance.
Takako Matsu (K-20: Legend Of The Mask) stars as Yuko Moriguchi, a middle-school teacher whose 4-year-old daughter is found dead. Shattered, she finally returns to her classroom only to become convinced that two of her students were responsible for her daughter's murder. No-one believes her, and she may very well be wrong, but she decides, nevertheless, that it's time to take her revenge. What happens next is all-out psychological warfare waged against her students in an attempt to force them into confessing what she knows in her heart to be true: they are guilty and must be punished.
Brilliantly building the psychological tension from the film’s very start before pulling out all the stops for a devastating and explosive finale, Nakashima has produced what is arguably his most mature and impressive work to date. A superb script, excellent performances from a fine cast and a perfectly pitched soundtrack (that includes tracks by Radiohead, acclaimed Japanese experimental rock band, Boris, and Mercury Prize winners, The XX) make Confessions one of the most original and impressive films of the year.
Film: Lucky Star: The Complete Series - Anime Legends
Country of Production: Japan
Complete collection of the anime series about a group of Japanese school girls going about their day to day lives, while having some silly antics along the way. The heroine is a bright and athletic girl called Konata, who is too interested in video games and cartoons to really excel. Her friends are Miyuki, a kind but geeky girl with an amazing knowledge of all subjects, Kagami, the shy and serious one, and Tsukasa, her sweet but slightly vacant twin sister. The girls while away their school days, pondering over questions like what a chocolate cornet is, and how to eat it.
Film: Assault On the Pacific - Kamikaze
Country of Production: Japan
Japanese World War II drama about a squadron of Kamikaze pilots fighting in the Pacific. The film follows the training and final moments in the lives of the young pilots as they bid farewell to their families and girlfriends and embark on their suicidal missions against the US Navy over the Pacific Ocean.
Film: The Grim Reaper
Country of Production: Italy
Bernardo Bertolucci’s directorial debut, The Grim Reaper, aka La Commare Secca, is based on a book by Pasolini and tells the story of a prostitute who is brutally murdered in a park near the Tiber River in Rome. The police track down all visitors to the park that night with hope of catching the killer, with the story told in flashbacks as each suspect gives their account.
Film: Mamma Roma
Country of Production: Italy
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma stars the Academy award-winning Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) who plays the lead role of a prostitute who attempts to better her life for her son Ettore (Ettore Garofolo – Ro.Go.Pa.G.). But her efforts may be too late as Ettore is drawn to the street life and ironically falls for a young whore.
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji
Romantic Bollywood comedy starring Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya. The film follows the tumultuous love lives of three housemates: unassuming banker Naren (Devgan), who has recently separated from his career-obsessed wife; Abhay (Hashmi), a fitness trainer with a penchant for rich girlfriends; and Milind, (Vaidya), a poet who is proudly holding on to his virginity until he is married.
Eleanor's Secret
Animated children's feature about a boy who inherits a library of very special books. When his aunt Eleanor dies, 7-year-old Nathaniel is bequeathed the old lady's collection of classic children's books. Not having learnt to read, Nathaniel isn't very interested in the novels at first, but that all changes when the books' characters come unexpectedly to life. Asking for his protection, they tell him he must recite a magical passage in one of the books to prevent their disappearance and the stories being lost forever. Learning that his parents wish to sell off the library to unscrupulous local dealer Mr Pickall, Nathaniel soon finds himself magically transported into the characters' realm, where he must brave many dangers to save his new found friends.
Patiala House
Bollywood family drama starring Akshay Kumar as Gattu Kahlon, a second-generation Sikh in London who gives up his dream of becoming a professional cricketer to hold down a job in his father's corner shop. But when Gattu meets the beautiful and spirited Simran (Anushka Sharma), he finally finds the strength to stand up for what he believes in and undo the shackles of the past.
Requiem For A Vampire
Two women on the run seek shelter in an old castle, unaware that its owner - a sadistic vampire - lurks in the shadows. Jean Rollin's film exposes the sexual undertones that are only hinted at in most vampire movies.
The Bicycle Thieves
A key film in what became known as the Italian Neo-Realist movement, inaugarated in post-WWII Italy through the use of lightweight 16mm cameras, a cast of non-professional actors and actual locations rather than studio sets. Director Vittorio De Sica's film won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1949. It tells the story of Antonio, a working-class Italian, living just above the poverty line. When he finally lands a job as a bill-sticker, his happiness is short-lived as his bicycle, essential for the promised job, is stolen. With his small son Bruno he tramps the city in a desperate search for the precious bicycle.
Raised by their grandmother since their mother’s death, 9-year-old Li Yi (Wei Dong) and his younger brother Li Er (Wu Dazhou) are about to start a new life with their father, Li Hui (Sammo Hung), a teacher at an elite Chinese martial arts school which they are to attend. Their mischief-filled first day introduces them to fellow pupils Fong Fong (Lie Xin), Xiao Zhang (Shi Yao) and Yang Yauwu (Liang Zhicheng) and a life-long allegiance between the five friends is soon formed.
Ten years later, in their final year of college, Li Yi, Fong Fong and Yang have become the school’s top Wushu students, while Li Er and Xiao Zhang are the top two Sanda fighters, all working hard to get in shape for the forthcoming selection competition for the provincial martial arts team. A chance meeting with a former student-turned-fight choreographer, Guo Nan (Zhang Jin), and a visit to his latest film set rouses dreams of action movie stardom in the youngsters, dreams which could threaten their athletic careers.
However, their fates take an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Ke Le (Tie Nan), a former pupil of Li Hui and a one-time friend of Nan’s, who is now involved in illegal underground fighting and a child trafficking ring. When the five friends thwart Ke Le’s attempt to kidnap a little girl, it places all their lives in danger. Turning to Li Hui for help, the group of friends and their mentor must combine their combine skills to face their greatest challenge.
Feet and fists fly with impressive speed, style and grace as a new generation of martial arts stars takes the stage to display their fighting skills under the guidance of two of the genre’s master practitioners in Wushu, a film that is as full of charm and character as it is bone-crunching action.
Film: Wushu
Release date: 18th April 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Antony Szeto
Starring: Sammo Hung, Wei Dong, Wu Dazhou, Lie Xin, Shi Yao
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
