London's Open City Docs Festival Launches This Month, Win Preview Tickets To Screening

Open City Docs Fest is devoted to exploring the world we live in through the vision of documentary film, and today reveals its programme for 2013.

Highlights of this year’s festival include:

·         A Grand Jury chaired by Jeremy Irons

·         The international premiere of Baltimore doc The 12 O’Clock Boys at the Opening Gala

·         The director’s cut of acclaimed film The Act Of Killing, alongside a masterclass with its director

·         The hotly anticipated Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer doc

·         A screening of the Cannes-accoladed film Sofia’s Last Ambulance

Spanning four-days (20-23 June 2013), this year’s Open City Docs programme of 100+ films includes world premieres, exceptional masterclasses and a grand jury of award-winning directors, producers and authors. The festival takes place at numerous venues across London including the Open City Docs’ special cinema tent, The Bloomsbury Theatre, The Hackney Picturehouse, and venues around University College London campus.

Open City Docs Fest nurtures the next generation of filmmaker by running workshops and screenings throughout the year across London, and is highly accessible - tickets start from just £6. Bold programming includes a discussion on the rise of interactive docs, a focus on where drama meets documentary and films from every corner of the globe.


This year, the festival will open with The 12 O’Clock Boys, a fast-paced and dangerous coming-of-age story from Baltimore. It focuses on Pug, a 13 year-old boy, whose sole ambition is to join the infamous 12 O’Clock Boys biker gang. While the bikers invade the Baltimore inner-city streets, the police are forbidden to chase them, for fear of endangering the public. The screening will be followed by live music from DVA and an opening night party.

The Act Of Killing is sure to become one of the festival’s biggest talking points and has already been dubbed 2013’s most controversial film. It’s a deeply troubling film with the potential to change how audiences think and feel about cinema, focusing on the gangsters who slaughtered communists in a 1965 massacre in Indonesia, documenting their killings through bizarre narrative cinema. The screening is part of Open City Docs’ Theatre Of The Oppressor strand of films - a fresh perspective on a major trend in international documentary this year. The festival welcomes the director to London for an exclusive masterclass on cinema, trauma and memory.

Open City Docs is screening the much-anticipated Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer at The Bloomsbury Theatre at this year’s festival, bringing the sheer devastating power of their art to life and illuminating the ongoing political struggles in the domains of gender and social equality.

The festival will end with Sofia’s Last Ambulance by Bulgarian director, Ilian Metev. This documentary won the France 4 Visionary Award at Cannes in 2012, and whose unlikely heroes save lives against all the odds, while chain-smoking and filling their days with their own brand of humour. Using an unorthodox creative form and avoiding all trace of sensationalism, this film asks how long they can continue to come to the sick and injured’s rescue, through the voices, sounds and lights of one of Sofia’s last ambulances.

Michael Stewart, Open City Docs Fest director, said: “This year we’re asking questions. Questions of filmmakers, questions of artists and also questions of ourselves - part of a provocative programme of films that we are confident will help shape the news agenda in 2013, inspire a new generation of filmmakers and entertain broad audiences from right across London and beyond.

“We want to celebrate the documentarian who changes things. Not only changing their world, but changing our understanding of the wider world. Open City Docs’ unique set of masterclasses, workshops and special events will go some way to equipping audiences with the tools to create their own films.

He added: “The whole team here at Open City Docs and across UCL have worked incredibly hard over the past year to put together our best festival programme yet - we are looking forward to welcoming everyone here at the end of June.”

Amongst the Open City Docs Fest jurors this year are award-winning directors, producers and authors. Jeremy Irons will be joined by Pulitzer bre Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum; BAFTA Award-winning director and producer Molly Dineen;Sundance Award-winning director Kim Longinotto;  Katerina Cizek, the Emmy-winning director of digital documentaryHighrise; and the producer of Into the Abyss, Andre Singer and director Brian Hill (Secret History of Our Streets).

Open City Docs Fest films are organised into thematic strands, that offer unique perspectives on real lives often never seen on screen that challenge the nature of what documentary can be.  Strands include:

Science Frictions; films investigate the impact of medical science on our daily lives. Featuring:

Legally Wasted by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Dan Reed explores the many-headed Hydra that is the market for ‘legal highs’ in the UK. It will be shown conjunction with a director Q&A with a leading criminologist.

Challenging Behaviour is a UK premiere and asks fundamental questions of how we bring up children with autism.

I Am Breathing is an intimate look at human life and legacy as a dying Yorkshire man records a message to his son. It is another UK premiere, screening on Motor Neurone Disease Global Awareness Day.

Hybrid Forms; examines films that transcend the nature of documentary, fiction and art. It features films such as:

To The Wolf, a dark yet beautiful portrait of Greek mountain farmers and their dysfunctional lives, overshadowed by the Greek economic crisis

Wonder House, an international premiere looking at what first makes a scientist explore the world

Elena, a UK premiere of a Brazilian film about a young girl’s cathartic search for her sister, and with it, her identity

Moving Lives focuses on intimate meetings with extraordinary characters, featuring films such as:

Grass, an international premiere of a Turkish film about family, identity and struggle.

A Dream In The Making, a UK premiere of a Polish film set in Warsaw, following a young man with big dreams of becoming a stuntman

Matthew’s Laws, a UK premiere asking profound questions of how society should make room for people with autism - this will be accompanied by a director Q&A, chaired by Jonathan Wolff from UCL’s Philosophy dept

Power Struggles explores anxieties over access to energy, its sustainability and solutions for the future, with films like:

Black Out which depicts Guinean children’s search for light at airports and petrol stations so that they can continue studying after dark

Powerless, an international premiere about an Indian Robin Hood-figure who taps into the Indian electricity lines and diverting electricity from the rich to those who can’t afford it

Solar Mamas, a film showing a Bedouin woman’s journey to becoming a solar engineer against the wishes of her husband and her community

City Stories covers cinematic negotiations of the urban environment are covered by the strand:

Andreas Dalsgaard’s film The Human Scale which attempts to reconcile the design of modern mega-cities with human intimacy. This film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from Publica and Gehl Architects.

Grasp the Nettle, a world première of a UK group’s efforts to establish an alternative society outside of consumerism, eventually occupying Parliament Square.

Tchoupitoulas which follows the Zanders brothers’ night-time adventure in the heart of the vibrant city of New Orleans.

World Visions showcases new narrative perspectives on global journalism, such as:

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, on one of the biggest global news stories of 2012 - the trial of three members of Pussy Riot, a feminist collective who protested the Russian church and state.

Iceland, Year Zero which focuses on the aftermath of the collapse of the three main banks in Iceland of 2008, which plunged a nation into bankruptcy

The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear, a fascinating portal into post-Soviet Georgian society through intimate interviews with teenagers by Tinatin Gurchiani who won Best Director at Sundance.

The Theatre Of The Oppressor strand takes as its theme the new trend in cinema focusing on perpetrators as protagonists. The strand features films such as:

The Act of Killing, a disturbing powerful work on the nature of catharsis, through recreating the narrative of mercenary killings during the massacre of communists in Indonesia in 1965. The screening will be followed by a directors’ Q&A, and the director will also be hosting a masterclass on the filmmaking process and its ethics.

No Man’s Land interviews a mercenary in his sixties, revealing the cruelties and paradoxes of power.

Duch: Master of the Forges of Hell, a film by masterful Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panth focusing around an interview of the man who ran the notorious S-21 Khmer Rouge Prison where at least 12, 280 people lost their lives.

Music Docs; are films at the intersection of sound, art and storytelling.

Nocturne a UK premiere of Tony Palmer’s documentary on Benjamin Britten, examining the artist’s role.

Turning steps into the world of Antony And The Johnsons on a live tour, a series of intimate portraits.

In addition to the exciting and extensive screening programme, there will be the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops and masterclasses with acclaimed directors.

Workshops this year include:

Searching for an Escape in 70 mins - Working with filmmaker Chris Martin, invited participants will construct a short in-camera-edited film looking at the themes present in Jaywick Escapes (a film about an Essex seaside town) such as: How do you define home? What do you do to escape? Where do we go from here?

Filming to Change the World - What makes a documentary make a difference? - an interactive session on how documentaries can propel change, whether political or social

and there will be masterclasses such as:

Digital Documentary in the 21st Century, with Katarina Cizek - exploring a new kind of documentary practice born from the possibilities of storytelling through the internet such as interactive collaboration and immersive onlien experiences

Cinema and Memory with Joshua Oppenheimer - the director of The Act of Killing discusses the ethics raised in the film-making process and the interplay of fiction and non-fiction in re-telling community memories.

Fancy winning tickets for a screening of I Am Breathing to be screened on 21st June? Head over to here(link take you to our main site at thepeoplesmovies.com), remember for more information head over to Open City Docs official website and to purchase tickets too. Be different watch a Documentary instead!Before you book your tickets check out the festival's official trailer



 The OPEN CITY DOCS FEST runs from 20-23 June in London. www.opencitydocsfest.com

BFI To Release John Casavettes' The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie On DualPlay This July

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, released on 15 July 2013, is the fifth and final title in the BFI's John Cassavetes Collection. Presented on Blu-ray for the first time, it is released in a Dual Format Edition (containing both DVD and Blu-ray) in both its original 1976 cut and Cassavetes’ re-edited shorter 1978 version. Also available on the same date will be a Limited 3-Disc Collector’s Edition which has a bonus DVD containing the documentary Anything for John (1993), the short film The Haircut (1982), and an interview with Tamar Hoffs, director of The Haircut.

In an absorbing performance, Ben Gazzara plays small-time Sunset Strip entrepreneur Cosmo Vitelli, owner of the Crazy Horse West night spot. An obsessive showman, Cosmo navigates a murky world of loan sharks and crooks to keep his club afloat, but, when a gambling debt spirals out of control, he is blackmailed into accepting a murderous commission.

Featuring standout turns by Seymour Cassel and Timothy Agoglia Carey as the underworld racketeers out to fleece Cosmo, John Cassavetes' portrayal of one man's hubristic descent subverts the conventions of its plot to explore the darker regions of the American dream.

Arguably the most plot-driven of all his films, Cassavetes withdrew The Killing of a Chinese Bookie shortly after the initial release and subsequently cut a new version which features different scenes.

Check out this funny clip from the documentary Anything For John, in which actor Ben Gazzara talks about the time he and Cassavetes discussed the film's title. The documentary the clip is from is included as a bonus on the BFI's 3-Disc Collector's Edition of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.

Special features
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• Includes the original 1976 cut of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
• Selected scenes commentary on 1976 version by Al Ruban and Peter Bogdanovich
• Illustrated booklet with a newly commissioned essay by Tom Charity

Limited 3-Disc Collector's Edition - Dual Format - As above, plus:
• The Haircut (Tamar Simon Hoffs, 1982, bonus DVD only): John Cassavetes stars as a busy music executive sidetracked by a haircut in Hoffs' delightful directorial debut
• Anything for John (Doug Headline, 1993, 91 mins, bonus DVD only): feature length documentary tribute to John Cassavetes, featuring interviews with Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands and Al Ruban
• Tamar Hoffs interview (Doug Headline, 1993, 6 mins, bonus DVD only)

Pre-Order/Buy The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie:Dual Play (DVD + Blu-ray) / 3-Disc Limited Edition (DVD & Blu-ray)

Joss Whedon Talks Shakespeare and Superhero’s Ahead of his Latest Release

Buffy creator Joss Whedon answered my questions at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival; ahead of the UK premiere of his latest big-screen endeavour: an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. In addition to the release of Much Ado, Whedon is currently working on Avengers 2 and its forthcoming spin-off TV show, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Much Ado About Nothing departs from the Whedon canon, as unlike fan favourites such as Firefly and The Avengers, it is not science fiction (however – with the film’s script making use of original Shakespearean dialogue – it could be said that this also functions as a form of fantasy). Whedon notes the alterations in filming a much smaller scale production this time around than with The Avengers, saying: “It’s quite different. Ultimately what you’re looking for on the set is that camaraderie, where everybody’s pulling in the same direction. When you’re doing Avengers – and this is something that I’m hoping to rectify – you didn’t really have the same, everybody working on a huge movie, coming off another huge movie (with people much bigger than you are), and going off to do another huge movie with someone much bigger than you are; and their just sort of jobbing. When we did Buffy, people would come up and go ‘Oh, this is my favourite script’, they understood why they were doing everything. When we were shooting Avengers, a crew came up to me on the Helicarrier and said to me ‘Are we in space?’…and I realised oh they haven’t been allowed to read the film, because Marvel is so secret. Also cause there’s so many people and you’ve got to spend so much time blowing stuff up and this that and the other. With this film, I’m at my house, with my best friends, and every day we’re completing at least one – if not more – really thick, meaty delightful scenes. So we go away every day going ‘God we just accomplished all this as opposed to ‘we shot a tenth of that explosion and tomorrow…’. It’s a very different feeling. Ultimately, you try and get to the same thing. The camaraderie on set, of the Avengers themselves, was absolutely terrific. The only problem of them was that they would not. Stop. Talking. They were having so much fun…’Guys we have to shoot a film…will you please shut up’…That didn’t happen on Much Ado because we had twenty minutes to make the film.


Whedon praises his actors – most of whom he has worked with on previous projects – for their ability to handle the source material so well. He states, “A lot of them were classically trained, Alexis and Amy and Reed had theatre experience; and those who weren’t, I just had confidence in, particularly Nathan, who had no confidence in himself; which is an amazing thing to say about Nathan Fillion. He was very worried about it, and he tried to duck out of it. I was like ‘I’ll trim the part, I’ll take you out of that one scene where you don’t talk, but I don’t care how busy you are on Castle, you’re gonna do this!’ He closes the book on Dogberry. I can’t imagine a better version. But for some people it was a little bit new, and tricky; for some who hadn’t it came very naturally. Sean had also never done any Shakespeare and you would never know from the film. He’d also never played a bad guy, I was like ‘Whaaat’… you’re far too pretty not to have played a bad guy.” Fortunately, the filmmaker was lucky enough to get his perfect cast, stating: “You know, yeah I got pretty much everyone I wanted to. I had this idea of Claudio as a jock, as a warrior, and not as a huge wet. I forgot that Fran, when he played the nerd on Dollhouse or the stoner on Cabin, we had to layer tons of clothing on him to hide the fact that he’s incredibly buff. And he’s got such a gentle face and demeanour, you would never think of him as this kind of guy, but I couldn’t have been happier, I think he was absolutely the right guy for it. His commitment, to being a dick, was so great. And Clark I wanted for Leonato, he had fallen out and Tony Head was gonna do it, then he fell out, then Bradley Whitford fell out, everyone’s schedule kept not working. Then finally I called Clark again and said ‘so is that thing that you were doing still happening, in this month?’…he was like ‘You’re fucking kidding right?’ Those were his exact words. He said ‘Don’t you start shooting in three days?’ I was like ‘You can come over now!’ So yeah, I really got exactly who I wanted, even down to the first and second watchmen who I had never met but was just a fan of.”

Undoubtedly, helming the largest grossing film of all time was a slight change of pace for Whedon. “At the very beginning of Avengers I had a little moment, and thought ‘Oh my God it’s bad…I have a lot of money…’ And, my wife said, ‘It’s just a story’, and the moment she said that I was done with worrying, and I never have since. The flip side of never worrying, is that when it blows up huge, you don’t really get to go ‘Yay’, because you think ‘That was the point. Wasn’t that what we were trying to do?’ And it did, more than I could have hoped. But, that’s because I didn’t hope. I couldn’t afford to think about numbers, because that would hamper my storytelling. All I can say is the first three weeks of doing The Avengers this was more like doing an internet musical than anything I’ve ever worked on: nothing was ready, the actors weren’t available; everything was being juggled at the last minute. Yep, here we are, it’s an internet musical. So you’re always one step ahead of the reaper, or the giant Indiana Jones ball. No matter what you’re working on. Any schedule will give you just not enough time.” Now having a little experience behind his belt, Whedon has been able to engage more fully with the entirety of the creative process second time around: “When I came in on Avengers the first time, the script had to just be thrown out. And so we were under the gun, with storyboarding sequences that I hadn’t even written yet. Which was frustrating, because you cannot let the ball overtake you. As talented as these people are - being some of the best in the business - your job is to be the storyteller, and you’re gonna get something generic if you don’t stay in front of it. Now, I feel like I have an opportunity to design scenes and set-pieces. Not that I didn’t design the ones that are in the first film, but now in a much more relaxed and holistic, and even possibly artistic way.”

As Avengers 2 will not hit cinemas until 2015, it is too early to think about what other projects he will take on in the future. Despite being an avid fan, don’t count on another Shakespeare adaptation. “For years I wanted to do a film of Hamlet, until everybody else was, and so I tabled it. It would be delightful to do another film, with this exact cast, in that exact style; but I feel like part of the attraction of it was that it was something I had never done. It is no longer something I have never done and so my heart sort of goes more towards things that are untested, because one wants to challenge oneself, as one realises that one’s life is dwindling.”

Finally, I asked Joss: If you could live the life of one of your characters for 24 hours, who would it be? To which he responded: “Well…Benedick gets to make out with Beatrice a lot…Gosh. I think I would probably go with Tony. His life doesn’t suck. I’m already as messed up as he is, so I may as well have a cool flying little suit.”

Joss Whedon's version of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is released in UK&Irish cinemas from Friday 14th June.

Sophie Stephenson

Film's Best Priests (To The Wonder Feature)

To celebrate the release of TO THE WONDER DVD &Blu-ray release on 17 June, we take a look at cinema’s best portrayals of priests in film, starting with Javier Bardem as Father Quintana in Terrence Malick’s poetic meditation on love, doubt and conflict.

Javier Bardem in To the Wonder
In To the Wonder, Father Quintana (Javier Bardem) is battling a crisis of faith and provides solace to Marina (Olga Kurylenko), whose relationship with Neil (Ben Affleck) has become strained. Quintana’s self doubt and internal conflict also provides a parallel to Neil’s turmoil. Bardem provides a touching performance that creates a deeply reflective mood.


Anthony Perkins in Catch-22
With a fantastic cast (Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, Alan Arkin, and Anthony Perkins as Chaplain Captain A.T. Tappman) and funny plot, this War-time comedy, Catch 22, follows the story of a set of men entangled in the Vietnam war. It fast becomes more about the hilarious shenanigans, such as a captain trying to escape the war by feigning insanity, while others have actually descended into madness, and the troops’ supplies are sold for profit! Chaplain Tappman attempts to make sense of things amongst all the absurdity.


Pat O’Brien in Angels with Dirty Faces
Angels with Dirty Faces presents the tale of two childhood friends growing up in a tough neighbourhood – one becomes a gangster, Rocky (James Cagney), the other, Jerry (Pat O’Brien), becomes a priest. Father Jerry helps guide kids who must endure a hard life in a crime-ridden neighbourhood and choose between crime and living straight – much like the decision he and Rocky had to make.


Max von Sydow in The Exorcist
In William Friedkin's classic chilling horror, The Exorcist (1973), Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) performs the ultimate act by evicting Satan from little Regan’s (Linda Blair) soul with courage and conviction. Despite the terrifying prospect of battling Satan, Father Merrin, remains resolute in his battle with the devil and dies in his attempt to purify her soul, while his fellow priest Karras sacrifices his life to rid the demon. The purging scene is perhaps one of film’s most memorable and famous scenes of all time.


Robert de Niro in Sleepers
The legendary Robert de Niro takes on the role of priest in Sleepers, and delivers a superb performance as a protective, truly fatherly character to several local boys who look upon him for emotional support and guidance. Amongst a phenomenal cast, from Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, to Brad Pitt, De Niro leads the pack in this crime thriller providing a strong role throughout.

Zero Darky Thirty DVD Review

After missing Zero Dark Thirty's theatrical run, I settled on straight to DVD alternative Code Name: Geronimo which also detailed US Navy Seal's hunt for Bin Laden as well as the political and military politics building up to this. Whilst the cheaper version was an honourable attempt to portray these events, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty will remain the definitive interpretation of one of the most prominent moments in military history.

Zero Dark Thirty follows Maya (Jessica Chastain) a CIA agent who is inherently driven by the concept of hunting down Bin Laden. We see Maya sit through brutal interrogations with suspected terrorists in her hunt for information, which ultimately leads to threats against her own life. The last segment of the feature details a US Navy Seal team using Maya's intelligence to raid Bin Laden's compound and finally take down the figure-head of Al Qaeda.

Despite a hefty runtime of 157 minutes, Zero Dark Thirty remains fast paced throughout thanks to a sharp screenplay from Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) and energetic direction from Bigelow. Boal's screenplay feels completely convincing in its portrayal of the events (whether it is or not is anyone's guess), with every information/military briefing meeting feeling grounded in tension and political gravitas. Boal's narrative gradually unwinds with every piece of information that Maya learns, allowing Zero Dark Thirty to detailing the highly dangerous world of the CIA.

Bigelow's direction is tense and hold viewer's attentions in a tight-grip throughout. Whether taking an action-centric or more dramatic approach (many of the tracking/discussion sequences are far more gripping than the action ones) Zero Dark Thirty remains completely entrancing. The raid on the compound in the film's conclusion is thrilling, despite reflecting that this was not a clean-cut mission - several innocent people were taken out. Despite this, it is hard not to feel like there is a sinister pleasure behind many of these action scenes - with the quick editing and high-octane style reflecting some form of brutal gung-ho quest for blood and revenge. This can make Zero Dark Thirty feel like a rather dubious, problematic watch.

The cast lead with utter conviction, in particular the magnificent Jessica Chastain who captures Maya's unparalleled drive to end this manhunt - which is truly showcased in the film's final sequence. Supporting turns from Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, and Chris Pratt also round off the stellar cast. Also look out for an odd appearance from John Barrowman and Brit action favourite Scott Adkins.

There is no doubt that Zero Dark Thirty is a gripping and truly thrilling watch. Boal's screenplay feels like an accurate and detailed depiction of this military manhunt, whilst Bigelow champions this through slick, tense direction. However, it is hard to ignore these sense of gleeful brutality and bloodlust in the film's final act.

★★★½☆

Andrew McArthur

Rating: 15
DVD/BD Release Date: 10th June 2013 (UK)
Director:  Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke,
Buy:Zero Dark Thirty (Blu-ray + UV Copy)
Win: Zero Dark Thirty on Blu Ray (opens up on a The Peoples Movies page)

The Returned Original 'Returning' To UK For July DVD Release

Were you one of the 1.5 million viewers who tuned into Channel 4's French subtitled supernatural drama The Returned last night? Did you know the French series is in fact based on a 2004 cult hit feature film called Les Revenants? Arrow Films have announced they will be releasing Robin Campillo's original feature film on UK DVD on Monday 22nd July 2013 which is also now re-titled The Returned.

The recently dead return to life and seem content merely to go back to their former lives, but their return causes a myriad of complications. Isham and Véronique have their trepidations,but they're generally happy, at first, to see their little boy Sylvain,and the town's elderly mayor welcomes home his wife, Martha . But Rachel, a government health official, cannot bring herself to visit her newly returned husband, Mathieu, at the ad-hoc shelter where the government houses the "zombies" like refugees. Eventually, she relents, and Mathieu returns home, but the living find that their loved ones are not exactly as they remember them. Studies soon reveal that the dead suffer from a form of aphasia.

They cannot create new memories, and they cannot be trusted to perform any but the most menial tasks. Perhaps sensing the discomfort they cause the living, the dead gather together at night, and seem to be formulating some kind of secret plan.

So if you where hooked on last night's new series, you can buy the film that started it all off The Returned (Les Revenants), which  is out on DVD Monday 22nd July 2013.

Pre-order/ Buy: The Returned (Les Revenants): The Returned On DVD

Jack Hill's Spider Baby Will Be The Maddest Blu-Ray You'll Ever Own, Coming July

Arrow Video is pleased to confirm the UK DVD and Worldwide Blu-ray premiere of Jack Hill’s landmark debut feature film, SPIDER BABY, on Monday June 17th.

Finally available on Blu-ray for the very first time anywhere in the world, this stunning version of “the maddest story ever told” features a beautifully restored high-definition transfer, a process supervised and approved by Jack Hill himself.

Starring cult superstar Sid Haig (House Of 1000 Corpses) alongside Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolf Man, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein) in one of his last ever on-screen roles, SPIDER BABY tells the unfathomable story of three orphaned siblings who suffer from "Merrye Syndrome" – a condition which causes them to mentally, socially, and physically regress backwards down the evolutionary ladder!

The super-deluxe dual DVD & Blu-ray edition comes LOADED with special features and bonus material, even including Hill’s 30-minute short film “The Host”. Made in 1960 and starring Sid Haig in his first ever leading role, “The Host” sees a fugitive gangster attempt to set-free a group of Spanish settlers who are held under the powers of evil.

Other extras include audio commentary with Jack Hill and Sid Haig, three new featurettes, an alternate opening sequence, extended scenes, original trailer, behind-the-scenes imagery and an in-depth collector’s booklet. A complete list of special features and full details follow the synopsis.

Keeping with what is a now a fan-favoured tradition of Arrow Video restorations, SPIDER BABY will come complete with a reversible sleeve, featuring the original 1968 artwork and a stunning new design by Graham ‘Evil Dead’ Humphries.

Synopsis

The credits dub this “the maddest story ever told”, a promise that’s well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She’s one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults.

Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the ‘children’ behave towards their new guests...

This was the first solo feature by Jack Hill (Coffy, Switchblade Sisters), whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed “the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking”, and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest.

The director-approved special features included on the dual edition release of SPIDER BABY are as follows:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature, available in the UK for the very first time.
- High Definition transfer of the feature approved by director Jack Hill.
- English SDH subtitles for deaf and hearing impaired.
- Audio commentary featuring Jack Hill and star Sid Haig.
- Panel discussion from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “FILM-TO-FILM” Festival, recorded September 2012, featuring Jack Hill and stars Quinn K. Redeker and Beverly Washburn.
- “The Hatching of Spider Baby” – Interviews with Jack Hill, Sid Haig, star Mary Mitchel, fan Joe Dante and more on the making of the film.
- “Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein” – The composer of ‘The Terror’ and ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’ among others is remembered by Harlene Stein, Jack Hill, American Cinematheque’s Chris D. and others.
- “The Merrye House Revisited” – Jack Hill revisits the original house that was used as the main location in the film.
- Alternate opening title sequence.
- Extended scene.
- Original Trailer.
- Gallery of behind-the-scenes images.
- The Host (1960) – Jack Hill’s early short film featuring Sid Haig in his first starring role.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham ‘Evil Dead’ Humpreys.
- Collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and an extensive article re-printed from FilmFax: The Magazine of Unusual Film and Television featuring interviews with the cast and crew, illustrated with original stills and artwork.

Buy: Spider Baby On Blu-ray

BFI To Release Complete Humphrey Jennings Vol 3 - A Diary for Timothy This July

Widely celebrated as one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers, Humphrey Jennings is a true poet of the cinema, and his work was the inspiration for Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Released on 15 July 2013, this is the third and final volume of Dual Format Edition (DVD and Blu-ray) releases that bring together his entire directorial output. It includes the films he made between 1944 and 1951, and charts his transition from wartime to peacetime filmmaking.

Featuring A Diary for Timothy, Jennings’ much-loved collaboration with E M Forster, The Dim Little Island, a muted but affecting celebration of Britishness, and Family Portrait, the esoteric Festival of Britain film, this essential collection confirms Jennings as a master of the cinematic art.

Films
The True Story of Lili Marlene (1944)
The Eighty Days (1944)
Myra Hess (1945)
A Diary for Timothy (1945)
A Defeated People (1946)
The Cumberland Story (1947)
The Dim Little Island (1949)
Family Portrait (1950)

Special Features

• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• V.1. (1944): alternative cut of The Eighty Days
• The Good Life (Graham Wallace, 1951): the film Jennings was working on at his death
• Illustrated booklet with film notes, credits and biographies by John Wyver, Patrick Russell, Kevin Jackson, Scott Anthony and others.

The Complete Humphrey Jennings volume 3: A Diary for Timothy [Blu-ray] [DVD]

Watch The Official First Trailer For Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine

It wouldn't be a Summer without Woody Allen and you'll be happy to know we now have the official first trailer for his next film Blue Jasmine a woman who had every thing financially only for her to go from riches to rags.

Blue Jasmine stars  Cate Blanchett as a wealthy New York housewife who becomes broke thanks to her husbands criminal actions (Alec Baldwin) and is forced to live with her sister in San Francisco.

I've always found it hard to appreciate Woody Allen's films (acting and directed by) his work is a required taste but 40 plus years in the industry he must be doing something right. It's hoped Blue Jasmine will buck the indecisive trend of Allen's recent films with it been back on home soil,New York but mostly San Francisco instead of the usual European city.The film does have the trademark Allen  humour however things do look a little more dramatic and darker in tone too. The story of rivaling siblings is something Allen excels at (Hannah And Her Sisters) really well and we're optimistic this one will follow suit and Cate Blanchett really does look the part and it's nice to see show film fans that she's more than the Elfish queen in Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings/The Hobbit films.

Blue Jasmine does have a UK&Irish release date of 20th September (USA 26th July) and the film co-stars Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay ,Bobby Cannavale ,  Louis C.K and Peter Sarsgaard.



source: Yahoo

Steven Soderbergh Side Effects Prescribes You To Buy This July

One of the years most anticipated releases, Side Effects, is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 29th July from Entertainment One, and is available for pre-order now.

Directed by the visionary Steven Soderbergh, Side Effects stars Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Hugo) in “his best performance since the Talented Mr Ripley” (The Guardian), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network) Catherine Zeta-Jones (Rock of Ages, Oceans Twelve) and Channing Tatum (The Vow, Dear John).

Emily (Rooney Mara) and Martin (Channing Tatum) appear to be love’s young dream. However their worlds are turned upside down when Emily’s psychiatrist (Jude Law) prescribes a new drug to treat her anxiety. As Emily experiences unexpected and dangerous side effects, neither the symptoms nor the cure are quite what they seem.

BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS

Special Features include:
· Interviews
· True of Life
· Making of
· Reaching Too High
· Perfect couple
· Behind-The-Scenes
· Ablixa Commercial
· Intentin Commercial
· Super 8 featurette shot by Steven Soderbergh

We will be reviewing Side Effects closer to release date, you can check out our cinema review here in the mean time and off course pre book your copy of Side Effects on DVD or Blu-ray

Side Effects will be ready for home prescription in U&Ireland on 29th July 2013.

Dr. Who and the Daleks/Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. Blu-Ray Review

In this the fiftieth anniversary year of Dr Who, one of the world's most successful television creations, it's inevitable that talk of the show will be everywhere. Despite all the 'Who-ha' however, there seems little if any mention of the film spin-offs made shortly after the Doctor first appeared on the small screen during the early 1960's. So it's timely that STUDIOCANAL have seen fit to release what is surprisingly, considering the Doctor's cult-like status, his only big screen adventures to date.

Dr Who (Peter Cushing) comes up against the mighty force of his most diabolical foe the Daleks, firstly on their home planet of Skaro in Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and then on a devastated, futuristic Earth in Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.(1966)  Aided by his granddaughter Susan (Roberta Tovey) and various hapless innocents who inadvertently get taken along for the ride, the Doctor must face his biggest fears in order to save the human race yet again.

In the same way that David Niven's outing as 007 in the original film treatment of Casino Royale (1967) is frequently overlooked when discussing the celluloid history of Ian Fleming's super-spy, so too is Peter Cushing's camp though endearingly batty big screen interpretation of the ageless Timelord. Made by Amicus Studios on the back of the BBC series' success, the two films are remarkably similar to the television show at the time, from the age of the Doctor (portrayed as an eccentric, fatherly figure), to him being accompanied by his granddaughter (played in both films by the precocious child star Tovey). On reflection this is hardly surprising considering that Terry Nation, the writer of the television series and creator of the Daleks, was also co-writer of the films along with Amicus supremo Milton Subotsky.

Nation's involvement likely influenced the choice of the Daleks as the enemies in the film adventures. Watching them now the Doctor's most famous adversaries (who really resemble nothing more scary than giant salt cellars on casters), seem created with the big screen in mind. Though it would be several years before the Doctor appeared in colour on television, here he jumps from the screen in vibrant Technicolor as a velvet jacketed nutty professor, whilst the Daleks themselves are given a new vibrancy in acid yellow and neon red as well as the more familiar neutral silver.

Like the television show which suffered when restricted to indoor sets but came alive in later years with the use of outdoor locations, Dr. Who and the Daleks, though undoubtedly fun with its kitsch air of 1960's psychedelia, is pale in comparison to the following year's sequel. Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. makes marvellous use of an atmospherically war torn London, when the the Doctor and his companions land the Tardis in a post apocalyptic future. This setting also provides not only the film but perhaps the whole Dr Who mythology with one of its most iconic images - namely the vision of a Dalek emerging from the River Thames, which once seen will remain indelibly etched in the viewer's mind. It is the second film which also introduces a certain risqué'ness in the form of the Dalek's latex clad human slaves - a 'kinky' touch they would likely not have got away with on television during the 1960's.

Apart from the locations, Daleks and a marvellous supporting cast including Roy Castle and Bernard Cribbens, it is undoubtedly Cushing who makes the films comes alive. An actor who was at the height of his fame during the mid 1960's, Cushing had made mad scientists his forte and hence was perfectly suited for the big screen version of Dr Who. Indeed, watching the films now, it is puzzling why he was never asked to take on the role on television as he would undoubtedly have brought a unique zest to the part. A tantalising option fans were unfortunately never to see.

Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. were released on digitally remastered DVD and Blu-ray on 27th May, 2013. Both versions come with a host of extras including audio commentary, cast interviews, still galleries and trailers.

Cleaver Patterson

Dr. Who and the Daleks

★★☆☆☆

Rating: U
DVD/BD Release Date: 27th May 2013 (UK)
Director: Gordon Flemyng
Cast: Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden
Buy: Doctor Who And The Daleks [Blu-ray]



Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

★★★½☆

Rating: U
DVD/BD Release Date: 27th May 2013(UK)
Director: Gordon Flemyng
Cast: Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks

Buy: Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. [Blu-ray]

Watch 20 Minute Behind The Scenes Documentary On Martin Scorsese's After Hours

2012 marked the 70th birthday of probably cinemas most intelligent film autuer, the living film encyclopedia Martin Scorsese. Like any landmark birthday the urge to have an nostalgic look back at that particular  persons work is infectiously curious and how could you resist?

When  you dive through the archives you always come across a film you didn't realise they made or just simply forgotten about. Back in 1980's it's common knowledge Scorsese attempted to direct The Last Temptation of Christ but something prevented him for making it but in 1985 instead he made one of his most underrated films After Hours.

Like many little unknown films it's years later before you really appreciate the quality of what you've just watched. After Hours is a kafka-esque surreal black comedy starring Griffin Dunne a young man who crosses paths with a pretty young girl (Rosanna Arquette) at a coffee shop in what turns into a unforgettable night but when you think nothing can go wrong, things go wrong drastically.

The good folks at No Film School have come across this 20 minute documentary which has a brief look at the film talking to the cast especially Dunne and of course Scorsese. You can here some of the reasons why Last Temptation of Christ never materialized but could you say Scorsese has made an movie like this again? Highly unlikely, there's also about 8 or 9 minutes of deleted scenes to be watched here to in a video that's actually quite funny overall too.

A Prophet Set For A Hollywood Remake As Sony Buy Rights

Sony Pictures have acquired the right's to Jacques Audiard's A Prophet to make an English language version for Hollywood. The 2010 Award winning Oscar nominated French prison drama tells the tale of a petty criminal who is sent to prison and in order to survive he is forced to climb the ranks of syndicate.

Fast& Furious producer Neal H Moritz has been confirmed to produce the acclaimed film's remake and this will surprise not just fans of the original but mainstream film fans too. As Moritz's credentials lie in big popcorn no brainer tentpole films does this suggest Sony will go for a mainstream route or will they take that same route they did for Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which is another favorite within Arthouse genre.

The question people will be asking do we really need an A Prophet  remake? It's hard to really say what route Sony want to take until they announce a director but what ever route they take we do hope the psychological tension will still be there in the new version as it was one of the key elements that made this film  so good! Check out the official press release below...

Press ReleaseCULVER CITY, Calif., June 5, 2013 – Sony Pictures Entertainment has optioned the rights to remake A Prophet, the French hit released in the US in 2010, into an English language film to be produced by Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe through the Original Film banner, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, and Hannah Minghella, president of Production for the studio.
Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film tells the story of a young man’s rise to power in a criminal syndicate after he is mentored by a crime boss. A Prophet was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010 and was honored with the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and nine César Awards (French Oscar), including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
Commenting on the announcement, Moritz said, “This is an epic crime saga with compelling characters and original storytelling. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to make an English language version of the film and I am grateful to have the trust of Jacques Audiard and his producers, as well as the writers Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Abdel Raouf Dafri.”
Commenting on the announcement, Minghella said, “We think A Prophet will translate perfectly for English-speaking audiences. Obviously, we love working with Neal and he has a great track record with this kind of film – we’re confident that our film will excite audiences in the same way that the original material did.”

source: Collider

EIFF 2013: Watch The We Steal Secrets:Story Of WikiLeaks Trailer

Secrets can be precious but most of the time there dirty but when you reveal them  would you be classified as traitor even a terrorist? Julian Assange to some is regarded as a defender of free speech and in Alex Gibney's  We Steal Secrets: Story Of Wikileaks you can decide for yourselves check out the UK trailer below.

Julian Assange an Australian hacker come activist  whose website WikiLeaks a site which has revealed those nasty secrets many governments rather you not know or read about which has seen the Aussie owner found himself locked up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The question is how balanced will this documentary be and will it tackle 'whistle blowing' as an honorable thing and Assange is the real life Spooky Mulder who knows the truth is out there and it must be told?

Gibney is no stranger to controversy or attacking the capitalist dream or political scandal with Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room,Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer) and Taxi To The Dark Side among his previous exposes. Who is US army private Bradley Manning? To many his Assange's source that has made Assange numero uno with the American government, despite commiting the so called worst breaches of should he be in jail not Assange? Hopefully this documentary may shed some light on this whole affair or will this leave us pondering?



We Steal Secrets: Story Of WikiLeaks is due a UK release on 12th July or catch the UK premier at this months Edinburgh Film Festival on 25th and 26th June.

Synopsis

Filmed with the startling immediacy of unfolding history, Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney’s WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS details the creation of Julian Assange’s controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in US history. Hailed by some as a free-speech hero and others as a traitor and terrorist, the enigmatic Assange’s rise and fall are paralleled with that of PFC Bradley Manning, the brilliant, troubled young soldier who downloaded hundreds of thousands of documents from classified US military and diplomatic servers, revealing the behind-the-scenes workings of the government’s international diplomacy and military strategy.

In seeking to expose abuse in the corridors of power, Assange and Manning were undermined by forces within and without, as well as by their own human failings. WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS is a riveting, multi-layered tale about transparency in the information age and our ever-elusive search for the truth

 Source: First Published at The People's Movies

Highlights and Guest Filmmakers at the 5th Terracotta Festival 2013

With 2 days to go to the Opening Night, it's time to reveal the guests of the 5th annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival and the Festival organisers are delighted to make a series of other announcements.

Highlights of this edition are the guest talent from Asia who will be attending the festival, the talent Masterclasses, the winner of the inaugural Terracotta Short-Film Competition, unveiling of the Official Trailer and the festival parties.

Hong Kong director Gilitte Leung joins the festival to introduce her independently produced film, LOVE ME NOT. Gilitte is also a guest jury member for the Short-Film Competition.

South Korean Director Ryoo Seung-wan, the master of action films such as THE CITY OF VIOLENCE, will be here to present the UK Premiere of his latest blockbuster, THE BERLIN FILE.

Week two of the festival sees Indonesian directors Ifa Isfansyah and Edwin at the festival for THE DANCER and POSTCARDS FROM THE ZOO respectively.

Gilitte Leung will hold a Masterclass at 11.30am on Friday 7 June; Ryoo Seung-wan’s Masterclass will be held at 11am Saturday 8 June. The free Masterclasses will take place at the upstairs screen of the Prince Charles Cinema and are open to all Terracotta Festival ticket holders, with priority entry for Festival Pass holders.

The winner of the Terracotta Short-Film Competition is Marcos Villaseñor with his fast-paced thriller entry PHONE BOX. The three minute short will have its World Premiere screening at the Opening Night of Terracotta Festival where the prize of a trip to Hong Kong will be presented. The prize includes flight and accommodation courtesy of the competition sponsors Cathay Pacific Airways and The Mira Hong Kong. The competition judges were impressed by the standard of entries.

The Terracotta Festival homepage now features the Official Trailer for Terracotta Festival 2013, created by Design Agency Sponsors of the festival, What is Bobo.

Last but not least, Terracotta Festival has also expanded the number of party and receptions.
There will be an East Street Party, Saturday 8 June 11pm - 1.30am (East Street, Rathbone Place) which is open to all Terracotta Festival ticket holders. Drinks and food can be purchased till 1am.

Japan Underground and Terracotta Festival team up to bring a Japan Night Party from 7pm Monday 10 June at The Pipeline, Middlesex street. Featuring four live Japanese music acts, tickets can be purchased via the Terracotta Festival website.

Ticket holders for any of the SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia films are invited to an Indonesian Reception at the Indonesian Embassy, Grosvenor Square at 6pm Tuesday 11 June (striclty reserved to ticket holders)

Following films will play at Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY / Box Office: 020 7494 3654
The following times are door opening times.
In memory of: Leslie Cheung &Anita Mui:
Days of Being Wild (Hong Kong) wed 29 May 2013, 20:45
Rouge (Hong Kong) thurs 06 June 2013, 17:50
Happy Together (Hong Kong) fri 07 June 2013, 12:30
Current Asian cinema:
Cold War (Hong Kong) Opening film thurs 06 June 2013, 19:50
Love Me Not (Hong Kong) fri 07 June 2013, 14:30 + q&a with dir.Gilitte Leung
When A Wolf Falls In Love With A Sheep (Taiwan) fri 07June 2013, 16:35
Young Gun In The Time (South Korea) fri 07June 2013, 18:35
Karaoke Girl (Thailand) fri 07June 2013, 20:30
The Assassins (China) sat 08 June 2013, 12:00
The Story of Yonosuke (Japan) sat 08 June 2013, 14:20
Drug War (Hong Kong) sat 08 June 2013, 17:30
The Berlin File (South Korea) sat 08 June 2013, 19:45 + q&a with dir. Ryoo Seung-wan
See You Tomorrow, Everyone (Japan) sun 09 June 2013, 12:25
A Werewolf Boy (South Korea) sun 09 June 2013, 15:30
The Bullet Vanishes (Hong Kong) sun 09 June 2013, 18:00
The Land Of Hope (Japan) sun 09 June 2013, 20:05
Terror cotta horror all-nighter:
Countdown (Thailand) fri 07 June, 23:15- 07:10
Belenggu (Indonesia) fri 07 June, 23:15- 07:10
Henge (Japan) – fri 07 June, 23:15- 07:10
The Ghost Story Of Yotsuya (Japan) fri 07 June, 23:15- 07:10
Zomvideo (Japan) fri 07 June, 23:15- 07:10

Tickets at Prince Charles Cinema: £8.50 non members, no concessions/ £6.00 (PCC Members)

(Friday afternoon: £6.50/ £4.00)
Festival Pass: £59.50 non members/ £48 members

Terror-Cotta Horror All-nighter: £22 non members/ £19.50 members

SPOTLIGHT ON: INDONESIA will play at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA): The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH / Box Office: 020 7930 3647
The Dancer - tue 11 June, 20:15 + q&a with dir.Ifa Isfansyah
Lovely Man - wed 12 June, 18:15
What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love - thurs 13 June, 18:15
Postcards From The Zoo - fri 14 June, 20:15 + q&a with dir.Edwin
Opera Jawa - sat 15 June, 15:15
The Blindfold - sat 15 June, 20:15

Tickets at ICA: £10 / £8 Concessions / £7 ICA Members

Watch SXSW Prize Winning Trailer For Short Term 12 Starring Brie Larsson

Whilst to many cinephile's who don't dare to go beyond the popcorn munching blockbusters Summer is also when the great independent films from early film festivals are released like  Destin Daniel Cretton's Short Term 12. Grabbing the Grand Jury as well as Audience awards at SXSW starring Brie Larsson (21 Jump Street), John Gallagher Jr (The Newsroom)in a tale of a a gifted but troubled teenage girl arrives at the facility, Grace is forced to confront her own difficult past and unexpected future.

From those who have been fortunate to have seen this film have had nothing but praise for the film delivering a dose of every form of emotion you can think off. It looks charming, delicate, funny but most of all true to life. The trailer looks wonderful but for anyone who has doubts on Short Term 12, watch the trailer and check out the reviews and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

No word on an UK&Irish release date and if it does get a release expect it to be shown via arthouse cinemas rather than mainstream cinema. Short Term 12 does have an American release date which is 23rd August, the film also stars Rami Malek (The Master). Check out the trailer now....

Synopsis

SHORT TERM 12 is told through the eyes of Grace (Brie Larson), a twenty- something supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Passionate and tough, Grace is a formidable caretaker of the kids in her charge – and in love with her long-term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.)
But Grace’s own difficult past – and the surprising future that suddenly presents itself – throw her into unforeseen confusion, made all the sharper with the arrival of a new intake at the facility – Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a gifted but troubled teenage girl with whom Grace has a charged connection.
She and Mason also struggle to help Marcus (Keith Stanfield) – an intense, quiet kid who is about to turn 18 – manage through the difficulty of having to leave the facility.
Grace comes to find – in both her work and the new teenager in her care – surprising sources of redemption. And while the subject matter is complex and often dark, this lovingly realized film finds truth – and humor – in unexpected places.

source:Yahoo

The Long Riders (1980) Blu Ray Review

The Long Riders is a film by Walter Hill, who is perhaps one of the more under appreciated directors of the “New Hollywood” generation. He started out writing screenplays for Sam Peckinpah (The Getaway) and John Huston (The Machintosh Man) and eventually starting directing films starting with Hard Times. His next film was The Driver (which shared many similarities with the modern classic Drive) and the bonafide classic The Warriors. He has also been involved with the Alien franchise from the beginning. He also wanted to make a western and finally got his chance with The Long Riders and since it’s release he has many some more and he was involved with the tv show Deadwood.

The Long Riders is in a long lineage of films about Jesse-Younger Gang. There have been many better films made about Jesse James such as The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford and I Shot Jesse James. Both of those films however deal more with the difficult relationship between Jesse and his assassinator Robert Ford and because of this it’s interesting to see a film about his and his gang’s exploits. The film features real life brothers as the 4 groups of brothers… The Keaches play the James, The Carradines play the Youngers, The Quaids play the Millers and lastly The Guests play The Ford (yes…. Christopher Guest of Spinal Tap fame). This gives the film a extra authenticity other films on the subject lack and all them give very fine performances with David Carradine and Stacy Keach being the standouts.

Walter Hill has said, “Every film I've done has been a Western" and there is certainly some truth in that and he has elaborated "The Western is ultimately a stripped down moral universe that is, whatever the dramatic problems are, beyond the normal avenues of social control and social alleviation of the problem, and I like to do that even within contemporary stories.". It’s interesting to see him tackle a “real western” and his take is very much influenced to his mentor Sam Peckinpah despites his claims he wasn’t with this film. The slow motion scenes certainly recall Peckinpah’s masterpiece The Wild Bunch. It’s a very romanticized version of the west which Peckinpah dealt with often in his western but the difference is Peckinpah was much more cynical.

Overall it’s a very fine western by one of 70s/80s more underrated autuers with beautiful cinematography and very fine acting. Second Sight has released it blu-ray and marks their second release of a Walter Hill film, the first being the superior Southern Comfort. They are planning to release his later film Streets of Fire later in the year.

★★★★☆

Ian Schultz

Rating: 15
BD Release Date: 3rd June 2013 (UK)
Director: Walter Hill
Cast: David Carradine, Keith Carradine, Stacy Keach

Buy: The Long Riders On Blu-Ray

Watch UK Trailer For Kenji Kamiyama's 009 Re:Cyborg Anime

Rarely these days in British cinema does any new anime film get any form of cinematic release in the UK however this Friday Kenji Kamiyama's 009 Re:Cyborg will get that unique opportunity and we have the film's UK Trailer. 009 RE:CYBORG, is a mature and thought-provoking approach to Shotaro Ishinomori’s classic manga, Cyborg 009 from the director of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

The animation in 009 RE:CYBORG is fully computer-generated but treated with cel-shader, a program designed to keep the look of traditional Japanese 2D animation.Music by Kenji Kawai (Apocalypse, Avalon, Ghost in the Shell, The Sky Crawlers). Sound design by Tom Myers at Skywalker Sound (WALL-E, Toy Story 3).

009 RE:CYBORG will launch on Distrify on 7th June. A 2D version of the film will be available for £2.99 per stream. Streaming will be available via www.alltheanime.com/cyborg. The animation may not be getting a full distribution but its still an unique opportunity to watch a film outside the usual festival parameters and you can catch the film from June 7th at one of the following cinemas:

Edinburgh Filmhouse from 7 June 2013
Hackney Picturehouse from 7 June 2013
Ritzy Picturehouse from 7 June 2013
Stratford East Picturehouse from 15 June 2013
FACT Liverpool from 22 June 2013
Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre from TBC
Glasgow Film Theatre from July
009 RE:CYBORG will be available on FilmFlex Movies and iTunes from 7th July

009 RE:CYBORG UK Trailer from paull devine on Vimeo.

Synopsis

1964: Nine regular humans from different parts of the world are abducted and transformed into cyborgs with astounding powers for the purpose of being used as weapons. The nine cyborgs rebel and start to fight against their creators in the name of justice. But as their struggle finally restored world peace, they eventually disappeared from the pages of history and from people's memory.
2013: Skyscrapers across the world are hit by suicide bombers with no apparent connection. The nine heroes gather once again after 27 years to fight against this faceless menace. They appear untouched by time, but society around them has changed dramatically, as it has the very idea of "justice": they used to believe in... What is their role in the world now?