12/03/10 - Laxdale Hall finally available on DVD

The rarely seen British comedy classic Laxdale Hall is to be release on DVD through Panamint Cinema from 5 April.

Laxdale Hall is a 1952 gem about disquiet in a remote Highland community. The few residents of Laxdale who own cars are refusing to pay their road fund licence because of the poor state of the only road which links them to the rest of Scotland.

A parliamentary delegation including Samuel Pettigrew, M.P (Raymond Huntley, Barnaby Rudge & Hancock's Half Hour) and Andrew Flett (Fulton Mackay) is dispatched to the Scottish Highland to quell the rebellion. Along the way they encounter resistance from school teacher Morag McLeod (Prunella Scales, in her first film) and her roguish dad, Roderick McLeod (Jameson Clark). With a brief appearance by Rikki Futton in his film debut as a salmon poacher there’s plenty of action and laughter.

Extras: The classic documentary, The Glen Is Ours (1946) with Ealing stalwarts Edie Martin and Anthony Baird, is a timeless parable of politicians at odds with their electorate. Recently de-mobbed Hector Andrews takes to the hustings to stop Cadisburn Glen being converted from a beauty spot into an amusement park.

Click here to buy this DVD for £14.99 (RRP: £15.99)

 

11/03/10 - BBC release Lenny Henry in Othello

BBC Audio has released Shakespeare’s Othello starring Lenny Henry on CD and digital download.

One of Shakespeare's most revered tragedies, Othello tells the story of a noble African commander in the service of the Venetian army whose mind is poisoned against the one he loves by the jealous and hate-filled Iago.

Love, racism, jealousy and desire are at the emotional core of Shakespeare’s monumental tragedy, a tender love story shattered by one man’s obsessive hatred of another. Othello is noble, brave and victorious. Iago, passed over for a position in the army, fuels his diabolical revenge with hatred and snarling racism.

Poignant, intense and heartbreaking, Othello mercilessly explores every inch of the human condition.

This BBC Radio production stars much-loved actor and comedian Lenny Henry. First performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, it subsequently toured the country before arriving in London’s West End where Henry received rave reviews.

Click here to buy this on CD for £8.79 (RRP: £12.99)

 

10/03/10 - Passion of the Christ comes to DVD

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is to be released on Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD though Icon Home Entertainment from 22 March.

The film picked up 17 awards including the 'People’s Choice Award for Favourite Movie Drama' and thirteen further nominations including three for the Academy Awards®.

A box office phenomenon and equally controversial, the film’s Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew dialogue makes it the highest grossing non-English language film in history.

This profound story of courage and sacrifice depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus Christ (James Caviezel). The film begins in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus has gone to pray after sitting the Last Supper where he must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death by crucifixion.

Click here to buy this on Blu-ray for £6.99 (RRP: £10.99) - in what appears to be an error on Amazon.co.uk's part
Click here to buy this on DVD for £6.98 (RRP: £10.99)

 

09/03/10 - Sherlock Holmes on Blu-ray & DVD

Warner Home Video is to release Sherlock Holmes on Blu-ray and DVD from 17 May.

Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong.

In this gritty, never before seen look at the London underworld, Robert Downey Jr. takes us beyond the legendary reputation of the brilliant sleuth and puts his spin on the quick-witted, bare-knuckled detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes, with the aid of his trusted ally Dr. John Watson, is unequalled in his pursuit of criminals. He employs his own quirky and unique (albeit at times unconventional), methods to get to the heart of a case, travelling where no one else would think to go to find what others cannot see... But now a storm is gathering, a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted.

After a string of ritualistic murders, Holmes and Watson arrive just in time to save the latest victim and uncover the killer: Lord Blackwood. As he approaches his scheduled hanging, Blackwood warns Holmes that death has no power over him, and when that prediction comes true, London and Scotland Yard are left confounded. But to Holmes, the game is afoot. Racing to stop Blackwood's deadly plot, Holmes and Watson plunge into a world of the dark arts and new technologies, where logic is sometimes the best crime-fighting weapon.

Click here to buy this on Blu-ray for £15.98 (RRP: £26.99)
Click here to buy this on DVD for £9.95 (RRP: £19.99)

 

08/03/10 - Finally, the wait for FFXIII is over

The latest game in the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy XIII, is to be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 from 9 March through Square Enix.

Final Fantasy XIII marks the dawning of a new era for the celebrated series, bringing the series to multiple hi-definition consoles simultaneously for the first time in its history.

Cocoon - a utopia in the sky. Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise. Under the Sanctum's rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity. Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal'Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever. Their tranquillity was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal'Cie.

The moment that fal'Cie from Pulse - the feared and detested lowerworld - awoke from its slumber, peace on Cocoon came to an end. Fal'Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants. They become l'Cie - chosen of the fal'Cie. Those branded with the mark of a l'Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate harsher than death itself. A prayer for redemption. A wish to protect the world. A promise to challenge destiny. After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins.

Click here to buy this game for PS3 for £41.99 (RRP: £49.99)
Click here to buy this game for Xbox 360 for £34.91 (RRP: £49.99)

 

05/03/10 - Crimes That Shook Britain out on DVD

Acorn Media UK is to release Crimes That Shook Britain on DVD from 12 April.

Crimes That Shook Britain investigates some of the country’s most terrible murders through the eyes of people who suffered at the heart of the crime. Together with reconstructions, key interviews and archive material these programmes examine the crime and the criminal, revealing how the fall-out from the cases led to significant changes in British law.

The six cases featured on the two-disc DVD release are: Serial killer Harold Shipman; the kidnap of Stephanie Slater; the Russell murders; serial killer Beverley Allitt; the Hungerford massacre; and the murder of Sarah Payne.

Click here to buy this on DVD for £14.99 (RRP: £19.99)

 

04/03/10 - Latest information on The Informant

The Informant is to be released on Blu-ray and DVD through Warner Home Video from 29 March.

Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history, The Informant is a slick and intelligent comedy about the good guy taking on the boardroom bullies.

Steven Soderburgh directs a Scott Burns script with a stellar cast including Scott Bakula, Eddie Jemison and Melanie Lynskey delivering outstanding performances in this comedy satire.

What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at anti-industry giant ADM, Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and landing a huge promotion. But before all that can happen the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent and branding himself ‘0014’ - twice as smart as James Bond. Ironic when it soon becomes clear that Whitacre is uncovering a different version of the truth.

Click here to buy this on Blu-ray for £16.99 (RRP: £26.99)
Click here to buy this on DVD for £11.99 (RRP: £19.99)

 

03/03/10 - Twin Peaks second Season on DVD

Universal Playback it to release Twin Peaks: The Second Season on DVD from 22 March.

Directed by the legendary David Lynch, Twin Peaks's second season picks up from the first season cliff-hanger that saw Agent Cooper (Kyle Maclachlan) shot repeatedly as he closed in on the mystery surrounding the brutal murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).

Agent Cooper’s investigations take him deeper and deeper into a murky otherworld and to the very brink of madness itself...

Notable guest appearances in season two include Heather Graham, Billy Zane, David Duchovny and David Lynch himself as a very peculiar and very deaf senior FBI agent!

Click here to buy this DVD for £34.47 (RRP: £49.99)

 

02/03/10 - Caprica pilot DVD out later this month

The feature length pilot of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel, is to be released on DVD through Universal Playback on 29 March.

Telling the story of how the murderous Cylons came into existence, Caprica follows two rival dynasties, the Adamas and the Graystones, as future events are set dreadfully in motion.

When Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) diverts his grief following the death of his daughter into researching artificial and biological intelligence he comes into direct conflict with the charismatic Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), beginning a conflict between ethics, science and business as the war for the very survival of the human race looms on the horizon.

Click here to buy this DVD for £10.93 (RRP: £15.99)

 

01/03/10 - Eastbound and Down DVD release

HBO Home Entertainment is to release the first season of Eastbound and Down on DVD from 15 March.

The season kicks off with an introduction to Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), the guy who had it all at just 19, the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, fans screaming his name and sponsorship deals to make David Beckham turn green with envy. But two things got in the way: his fading fastball and his insufferable personality. After a spectacular career flame-out, Kenny goes home to Shelby County, NC and lands a job as a substitute gym teacher, where his high school sweetheart April Buchanon (Katy Mixon), provides a welcome distraction to his eclipsed star status.

Whilst crashing at his brother’s place, Kenny spends every waking moment since his fall cashing in the last of his dying fame plotting his inevitable comeback... one beer at a time. Follow the hilarious trials of the mullet topped Powers, as he attempts to climb back up to the top of the league tables with the aid of his own hilarious self-help tapes.

Click here to buy this DVD for £11.99 (RRP: £19.99)

 

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