Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 When listing the most influential filmmakers of all time, it would be hard to find a list that didn't include Ingmar Bergman. The Swedish auteur became the most recognized name in Swedish cinema through his works as a director as well as a writer, delving deep into the human psyche with dark yet enlightening stories of love and loss, unforgettable surreal images in the midst of straightforward reality, and hypnotic visuals especially that of the extreme closeups of faces. While his works from the 1950s onward were critically lauded internationally, his earliest works in the 1940s are rarely mentioned. As a young filmmaker, his earliest works may not have the stature of his later works, but they are certainly worth a look for film fans and those interested in seeing the early seeds of what eventually was coined "Bergman-esque". "Torment" (Hets) (1944) Jan-Erik (played by Alf Kjellin) is a student that is not terribly focused on his studies, especially with his sadistically tough Latin teacher who the kids nickname "Caligula" (...

Hong Kong Film Award (Best Original Film Song): Man-Yee Lam and Yuen-Leung Poon (nominee) - Hong Kong Film Awards, 1987 On the run across the Russian tundra for crimes committed in China, Ching Tin-Fong (Encounters of the Spooky Kind's Sammo Hung) just escapes Russian Cossacks only to nearly be caught by Hong Kong Interpol agent Loi Fook (Project A2's Kenny Bee). Returning to China with the goal of redeeming himself in the eyes of his dead family, Ching Tin-Fong arrives in his dying home town of Hon Sui to drum up big business with the help of a quintet of prostitutes lead by Big Sis (Olivia Cheng). The town has just started picking up the pieces after the town's police force – lead by Jook Bo (...

"Fire Down Below" (1957) Felix (played by Robert Mitchum) and Tony (played by Jack Lemmon) are two American men working in the Caribbean sea. Their boat is fairly small, and is used for small scale menial work in smuggling throughout the area with the help of their local shipmate Jimmy Jean (played by Edric Connor). They suddenly find themselves with an unusual request of transporting a mysterious and gorgeous European baroness named Irena (played by Rita Hayworth) to a differing island. While initially reluctant, $1,200 is an incredibly generous sum for the job and they decide to voyage forward with the deal. First and foremost, "Fire Down Below" is a gorgeous film. Shot mostly in Trinidad and Tobago, every location shot is exquisite in nature with the sunny skies and clear blue seas, and the sands of the beaches. The wardrobes of Hayworth whether in dresses or swimsuits are breathtaking, as well as the dancehall scenes with the various dancers and patrons wi...

Fifteen-year-old Lyz Lopez (Genesis's Noée Abita) is the new girl on Team FL training for the World Cup in alpine skiing. The daughter of a working single mother (Félix et Lola's Muriel Combeau), Lyz finally starts to feel more independent away in the mountains than she could in the Paris apartment for which her mother is also paying to give her daughter space. Her coach Fred (Criminal Lovers's Jérémie Renier) seems completely driven towards turning out a champion, criticizing her mercilessly about her commitment and coordination, only softening when her performance starts to improve; although this does not seem too unusual since the young leader of the French team Max (Axel Auriant) only starts flirting with her when she starts winning, the du...

In Israel to do a story for his gay travel column for the New York Times – the gimmick of which is what a five day stay in a given location can offer the intrepid traveler willing to leave maps and tour guides behind – middle-aged Michael (Love! Valour! Compassion!'s John Benjamin Hickey) has rented an apartment in an ostensibly gay-friendly neighborhood but finds his host – handsome young film student Tomer (Niv Nissim) – unprepared for his arrival, having missed an entire day due to his engrossment in his latest short horror film. Michael is prepared to go find a hotel but Tomer begs him to stay because he needs the money. Michael's first two days consist of aimless wandering and people watching, having been seemingly thrown off by a call from a fertility doctor who has apparently been in contact with Michael's boyfriend David (Call Me By Your Name's Peter Spears) behind his back. When...

"Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" (2008) When director Quentin Tarantino took "Kill Bill Volume 2" to Australia and he was to dedicate the film to his favorite Australian filmmaker, most were expecting George Miller, the director of the "Mad Max" series. But when Tarantino shouted out the name Brian Trenchard-Smith, most were left slightly clueless. The named director had made a slew of clunkers in the 90s and 2000s and mostly forgotten even in his native homeland but Tarantino was praising the man who directed "The Man from Hong Kong" (1975), "Turkey Shoot" (1981), "BMX Bandits" (1983), and ...

"Salaam Bombay!" (1988) Krishna (played by Shafiq Syed) is an 11 year old living in the streets of Bombay without a home or family. Instead he has fellow street children, local pimps, drug dealers, and others that he can call friends or acquaintances, and also allowing for menial work as a chai tea delivery boy. One day he dreams of returning home and reuniting with his mother, but the deeper he sinks into the lower depths of his surroundings, it becomes more difficult for an escape. Yet as a child he always finds a way to stay positive and keep his head up. While the story of "Salaam Bombay! might surround one child, there is a much broader world to be seen through the eyes of various characters that young Krishna (or "Chaipau" as he is nicknamed by everyone) sees every day. Chillum (played by Raghuvir Yadav) is one of the first people he befriends. Much older, he is like an adult older brother to Chaipau but one with a serious drug problem - both as a user and a dealer. Chillum and Chaipau do menial work for Baba (played by ...

Crystal Globe (Best Film): Peter Solan (nominee) - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 1966 Off-season in the resort area of the High Tatras, the highest mountain region of the Carpathians situated in Slovakia, on such a night when a certain type of people can affect the lives of the leisure class in an underground club bar. Plumber Milos (I Served the King of England's Marián Labuda) hopes to score with one of a pair of Polish model lookalikes Olga (The Hour of Truth's Jana Gýrová) and Mira (Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea's Jitka Zelenohorská ); that is, he hopes for his pretty boy colleague Kvetinka (Murderer from Beyond the Grave's ...

Following his final concert, world-famous pianist Paul Orlac (The Man Who Laughs' Conrad Veidt) plans to retire and spend more time with his wife Yvonne (Rasputin, Demon with Women's Alexandra Sorina). In an unfortunate twist of fate, he is in a train collision on his way home and loses his hands. While he is still recovering from a skull fracture, Yvonne begs the doctor (Hans Homma) to save his hands, knowing music is everything to her husband. Orlac awakens following a hand transplant already in doubt about his ability to play with someone else's hands; he is terrified, however, by the specter of a strange man (Pandora's Box's Fritz Kortner) and a mysterious note informing him that the hands that have been grafted on to him are those of Vas...

With the biggest rematch of the century – “Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021) - currently winding down its impressive box office run this seems like the perfect (albeit LONG overdue) time to finally grace monster movie fans with a Blu-ray for the unfairly maligned remake of the original 1933 classic, “King Kong” (1976). Paramount, the film’s home studio, never bothered giving this film even a barebones HD release, leaving fans to shop internationally for various Blu-ray releases with minimal extras. Personally, I’ve owned the film on VHS, DVD, French HD DVD, and German Blu-ray… but now Scream Factory has delivered a U.S. release that is not only brimming with bonus features but also contains what has been a Holy Grail title of mine for years: the legendary 1978 TV cut. Why, might you ask, would a TV cut be exciting? Those films are usually censored for broadcast – and that’s true here – but in order to make “King Kong” a true epic on television the film had an additional roughly 45 minutes of deleted, extended, and alternate footage added in, swelling the 134-minute theatrical running time up to a Kong-sized 182-minute mammoth. And even though some of it is clearly filler there are more than enough great moments to make up for that: mo...

One common question in regard to time travel is if you could go back in time and kill baby Hitler, would you? Essentially, given the opportunity to play god with life and history to what allegiance would your actions be governed? Let things play out as they historically did, or alter the future forever? – potentially. “The Final Countdown” (1980) poses a similar question to Capt. Yelland (Kirk Douglas) and the men of the USS Nimitz who, due to a freak storm, are thrust back in time to December 6, 1941, a day before one of the most infamous dates in U.S. history when the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place. No one else knows the Japanese fleet is headed in their direction, and although the Nimitz is a lone carrier it has more than enough firepower to severely cripple if not outright decimate the enemy. The potential to save countless lives is literally in the hands of a few people who fiercely debate what actions are to be taken. This is not a film concerned with building up to a massive battle; this is a tense and passionate conundrum. The situation is further complicated by the appearance of Senator Chapman (Charles Durning), a potential future White House candidate who had originally disappeared on the morning of December 7th...

"Friendship's Death" It is September, 1970 and Scottish journalist Sullivan (played by Bill Paterson) is in Amman, Jordan covering the Jordanian Civil War. He is ready to leave the dangerous environment filled with bomb blasts and gunfire at any time. It is there that he meets a mysterious woman named Friendship (played by Tilda Swinton). He thinks she is a fellow journalist covering the events of Black September, but she reveals that she is not a journalist. She is also not human. She is an alien creature, sent as a vessel from the Procyon galaxy on a peace mission. Her goal was to reach the Massachusetts Institute of Technology but with spacecraft malfunction she landed in Jordan, a far distance from her destination. "Friendship's Death" seems like it could be the basis for an epic science fiction film, as tonally it shares a similar alien being with "The Day the Earth Stood Still", as well as ...

"Piccadilly" (1929) Valentine Wilmot (played by Jameson Thomas) is an owner of a glamorous nightclub and restaurant in Piccadilly Circus where the main attraction is Mabel Greenfield (played by Gilda Gray). a dancer of great agility and flair, alongside her dance partner Victor Smiles (played Cyril Ritchard). But Victor is leaving for America to make his break on Broadway, leaving Mabel without a dance partner, and Valentine without a positive outlook for his establishment. It is one night that he happens to go to the kitchen area and sees a female dishwasher dancing exotically on the table to the grins of other kitchen staff. Shosho (played by Anna May Wong) is a Chinese immigrant, with scratched leggings and living on the brink of poverty, but Valentine sees an opportunity to cast her as a star performer to bring new life and business, which causes a rift between him and the more established Mabel. Produced by British International Pictures in 1929, the British fil...

China Film Media Award (Best Director - Hong Kong/Taiwan): Johnnie To (winner), Best Film - Hong Kong/Taiwan (nominee), Best Screenplay - Hong Kong/Taiwan: Kin-Yee Au and Nai-Hoi Yau (nominee), Best Actor - Hong Kong/Taiwan: Simon Yam (nominee), and Best Supporting Actress - Hong Kong/Taiwan: Maggie Siu (nominee) - Chinese Film Media Awards, 2004 Golden Bauhinia: Best Picture (winner), Best Director: Johnnie To and Ka-Fai Wai (winner), Best Actor: Simon Yam (winner), Best Supporting Actor: Suet Lam (winner), Best Screenplay: Kin-Yee Au and Nai-Hoi Yau (winner), Best Support...

21 December 2003, Ararat, Southwest Victoria, Australia: When teenager Alice Palmer (Ned Kelly's Talia Zucker) goes missing after a swim at the local dam during a family picnic, the recovery of her body from the water by police divers after several days is only the beginning. When her family – office worker mother June (Cut Snake's Rosie Traynor), engineer father Russell (One Night Stand's David Pledger), and photography enthusiast younger brother Matthew (Martin Sharpe) – in the midst of falling apart are disturbed in their home by strange noises emanating from Alice's room, June starts to believe they are being haunted. When Alice's image turns up in a backyard photograph taken by Matthew and she also appears to turn up i...

"Radio On" (1979) Robert (played by David Beames hears about the death of his brother, a radio DJ, which leads him to drive from London to Bristol to look into what happened. On his journey he encounters various people, including Inga (played by Lisa Kreuzer), a German woman who is hoping to reunite with her young son, a Scottish soldier (played by Andrew Byatt) who is deserting his post, as well as a gas station attendant (played by Sting) who is obsessed with the late singer Eddie Cochran. The genre of the road movie took on new life in American cinema with films like "Easy Rider" (1969), "Two-Lane Blacktop" (1971), and "Vanishing Point", crossing existential elements with a continuously changing landscape with various locations of the journey taken by the mai...

Since the death of his wife from cancer, former marine Jim Hanson (The Grey's Liam Neeson) has fallen behind on his ranch's mortgage after his savings were drained by hospital bills. He spends his days between searching for day labor, for which even his good friends think he is too old, and patrolling his land along the border with Mexico and calling Border Patrol to pick up sick and dying border crossers who only just made it beyond the fence. When single mother Rosa (Narcos: México's Teresa Ruis) and her son Miguel (Jacob Perez) are abandoned by their "coyote" (Silk Road's David DeLau) guide on the other side of the fence, they risk the run themselves, on the run after her brother Carlos (...

Although rickshaw driver Big Guts Cheung (Eastern Condors' Sammo Kam-Bo Hung) has a reputation for bravery and daring, it is more in his size and his fighting skills than in things that go bump in the night. When he nearly catches his unhappy wife in the arms of another man, he becomes a laughing stock of his buddies and the neighborhood gawkers. Unbeknownst to him, his respected Master Tam (Drunken Master's Wong Ha) who is actually in bed with his wife when he takes the older man on visits to the town brothels of which he is sworn to secrecy less Master Tam's lechery threaten his political aspirations. Fearing that Cheung may force his wife to divulge the identity of her lover, Master Tam lets Advisor Lau (Police Story's Tai-Bo) hire a Maoshan sorcerer Chin Hoi (...

Unable to cope with life and move on after the tragic loss of her husband and child, Edee Holzer (The Princess Bride's Robin Wright) can only promise her sister Emma (Deadwood's Kim Dickens) that she will not hurt herself when she decides to quit the city for the Rockies and a derelict cabin. Although she has absolutely no experience "roughing it", she insists that guide Colt (Deepwater Horizon's Brad Leland) not check up on her, leaving supplies on and collecting rent money from the front porch. Her books about living off the land have left her ill-equipped for the physical tasks of chopping wood and planting crops before winter sets in, but a bear scavenging her cabin leaves her short on food when the snow starts to fall heavily. Subsisting on frozen cans of chili, Edee's health worse...

"Maeve" (1981) Maeve (played by Mary Jackson) was born and raised in Northern Ireland, but currently lives in London. She returns to visit her family after a few short apart, while the Troubles is still brewing to a boiling point in her surroundings. She was not always a typical girl by obeying the gender norms. As a child she was not afraid to stand up to boy bullies that made her younger sister Roisin (played by Brid Brennan) come home crying. As an adult she was more comfortable having her hair cut short. She was always a feminist at heart and her time in London also gave her the opportunity to see the world in a broader perspective than what she and her family grew up with. Her time back together with her family at home brings back a full spectrum of memories that shaped her into who she is. "Maeve" may have a lot of subtext but it is a film in which not a lot happens, nor does it give everything in a clear and linear manner, opting for a disjointed collage of flashback memories. Written and directed by ...

The Bloodhound (Patrick Picard, 2020) The debut feature of its writer-director Patrick Picard, The Bloodhound is based loosely on Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’. The narrative focuses on recluse Jean-Paul (Joe Adler), aka JP, who requests the presence of his childhood friend Francis (Liam Aiken). JP lives in perfect isolation from the rest of the world with his twin sister Vivian (Annalise Basso), who rarely leaves her room. The film opens with… something crawling across the ground, into a house, and snaking into a wardrobe where it hides by closing the door behind it. This moment establishes the film’s emphasis on the disorienting and quietly eerie, underscored by its claustrophobic setting. The Bloodhound was shot in the Neutra Research House, the former home of architect Richard Neutra, in Los Angeles. A modernist constr...

"Play for Today" Between 1970 and 1984, BBC1 broadcast over 300 episodes of "Play for Today", a series that consisted of individual productions by various cast and crew members over the years. The series was not episodic, but was in line with telefilms that showcased individual stories that stood on their own, without hosts or themes to connect the many stories told. From adaptations of existing works to original writing, "Play for Today" showcased a great amount of talent in front of and behind the camera for television, with crossing with success on the big screen as well. Unfortunately, 31 productions have been lost over the years, but of the many works that survive, the power of these small scale productions even decades later prove to be powerful with the themes presented. From social issues to family dramas, focusing in on married couples, children, or the elderly, topics and situations were vast and sometimes controversial. Productions did not shy away from hard hitting issues like violence, trauma, and language as the primetime show was geared more for an adult audience. Risks were taken and for television that can be a tough point to keep viewers,...

"Perdita Durango" (1997) I was extremely excited when I saw the ads mentioning that a brand new 4K two-disc set was forthcoming that I coughed up my own hard-earned dough to purchase this disc to review. You see I am a die-hard fan of Barry Gifford’s writing and I had enjoyed how David Lynch had Isabella Rossellini appear in his wonderful film, Wild at Heart (1990) as Perdita Durango, even though she was a minor character in that film. I, of course had also tracked down the heavily edited R-rated version entitled Dance with the Devil (A-Pix), but I knew that there were too many loose ends to yield to my warped desires. So, what we finally have here is the uncut production seen the way it was meant to be seen. Unfortunately, since I do not have the equipment to screen the 4K version we will simply have to make do with the Blu-ray version which is sourced from the same materials as the later version. From what I read the 4K version is a sight to behol...

"Elegiac and celebratory, passionate and sceptical ... the place from which all future revisionism must start." The New York Times Available in High Definition for the first time, The Story of Film: An Odyssey, written and directed by award-winning film-maker Mark Cousins, is the story of international cinema told through the history of cinematic innovation. Five years in the making, The Story of Film: An Odyssey covers six continents and 12 decades, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. It provides a worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made; an epic tale that starts in nickelodeons and ends as a multi-billion dollar globalised digital industry. Described as a 'love letter' to the movies, Cousins visits the key sites in the history of cinema; from Hollywood to Mumbai; from Hitchcock's London to the village where Pather Panchali was shot, and features interviews with legendary filmmakers and actors including Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale....

Invincible was the first dramatic work by Werner Herzog in a decade. He assembled a typically eclectic cast – including Tim Roth (Meantime), Udo Kier (Exposé) and two-time World’s Strongest Man Jouko Ahola – and blended the lives of three equally eclectic real-life figures – Jewish strongman Zishe Breitbart, Austrian clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen, and German chief of police Count Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorff – to blend fact and fiction in his typically idiosyncratic way. This Indicator Blu-ray edition presents the film in a new 2K restoration with both its English and German soundtracks....

The third and final collaboration between director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Buck Henry, following The Graduate and Catch-22, The Day of the Dolphin, is a true one-off. A science-fiction thriller filmed in the Bahamas, and adapted from Robert Merle’s best-selling novel, the film concerns a scientist (George C Scott, Hardcore) who is teaching dolphins to speak but finds himself embroiled in a shadowy government plot to assassinate the US president....

Richard Dreyfuss, riding high on the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Goodbye Girl (for which he won an Oscar), produced and starred in this quirky 1978 comedy-thriller, adapted from Roger L Simon’s cult novel. Playing Moses Wine, a sixties’ radical-turned-private eye, Dreyfuss is ably supported by a wealth of soon-to-be-famous co-stars, including Bonnie Bedelia, John Lithgow and F Murray Abraham....

"Beautifully composed, captivating" The People's Movies "A document of some of modern history's most extraordinary moments" Daily Mail A prolific yet unknown filmmaker, Harry Birrell created films throughout the 20th century. Harry was given his first cine-camera as a boy in 1928 and spent his life recording incidents great and small – his entertaining and errant adventures are recorded in over 400 films, diaries and photographs that were recently brought to light by his granddaughter Carina. His home movies of family events and fine romances now ache with fond nostalgia but Harry's life was also filled with far away adventures and the film captures a vivid sense of wartime years spent in Bombay, the jungles of Burma and the mountains of Nepal. From commanding a battalion of Gurkhas in the Indian army at the start of the WWII, to dangerous sorties deep behind enemy lines in Burma at its end; from the ballroom dances of his youth in the 1930s to teaching his children to twist in the 1960s – Harry filmed his whole life with the intimacy of home movies but on the scale of Lawrence of Arabia. Matt Pinder's beautifully composed, captivating documentary delivers one man's cinematic vision of the 20th century and his own i...

"Beautifully composed, captivating" The People's Movies "A document of some of modern history's most extraordinary moments" Daily Mail A prolific yet unknown filmmaker, Harry Birrell created films throughout the 20th century. Harry was given his first cine-camera as a boy in 1928 and spent his life recording incidents great and small – his entertaining and errant adventures are recorded in over 400 films, diaries and photographs that were recently brought to light by his granddaughter Carina. His home movies of family events and fine romances now ache with fond nostalgia but Harry's life was also filled with far away adventures and the film captures a vivid sense of wartime years spent in Bombay, the jungles of Burma and the mountains of Nepal. From commanding a battalion of Gurkhas in the Indian army at the start of the WWII, to dangerous sorties deep behind enemy lines in Burma at its end; from the ballroom dances of his youth in the 1930s to teaching his children to twist in the 1960s – Harry filmed his whole life with the intimacy of home movies but on the scale of Lawrence of Arabia. Matt Pinder's beautifully composed, captivating documentary delivers one man's cinematic vision of the 20th century and his own i...

Penned by Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano and directed by film and TV movie veteran David Lowell Rich (The Horror at 37,000 Feet), Eye of the Cat is a skilfully crafted, San Francisco-set chiller starring Michael Sarrazin (They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?) and Gayle Hunnicutt (Voices) as Wylie and Kassia – a couple whose scheme to rob wealthy, cat-loving Aunt Danny (Eleanor Parker, The Sound of Music) goes awry when Wyle’s compulsive feline phobia comes up against the many cats defending Aunt Danny’s mansion. David Lowell Rich’s film benefits from suspenseful cat-attack set-pieces, a menacing Lalo Schifrin (Dirty Harry) score, and a seductive sixties wardrobe courtesy of legendary costume designer Edith Head (Sweet Charity)....

Unique film-maker Andrew Kötting's latest psycho-geographic journey across the British Isles is both quest and mission - with a merrie band of travellers including Eden Kötting, Iain Sinclair, Philip Hoare, Dr Helen Paris, Macgillivray, Kyunwai So, Ceylan Unal and Steve Dilworth. Part history, part myth, part fiction part documentary - but always a fascinating and original cinematic experience. A whalebone box found washed up on the shore. Is it an enigmatic object containing a secret? A survivor from a shipwreck? It was given to Iain Sinclair, Kötting’s walking companion on his latest jaunt themed film. They set out on an expedition to take this box to its place of origin, a beach on the Isle of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. Artist Eden Kötting helps shape the film, and in many ways it’s an ode to her indomitable spirit. Shot using mainly super 8 and super 8 apps and incorporating elements of archive and pinhole photography, The Whalebone Box celebrates the notion of the home-made but is also an idiosyncratic road map....

After its debut at Cannes Director's Fortnight 2019, Director and writer J-P Valkeapää's third feature film travelled across the world wowing film festival audiences and winning multiple awards. The story follows Juha – a successful neurosurgeon - who develops an unexpected but powerful connection with a dominatrix named Mona, following a tragic event in his life that has left him emotionally paralyzed. His dangerous addiction to suffocation is reciprocated by Mona leading them both down a wild and crazy path towards emotional enlightenment. Dogs Don’t Wear Pants is a darkly humorous story of loss, love and the sweet pain of being....

Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows revives four consummate Hammer classics from the early sixties, exemplifying some of Hammer Films' best work in the horror and thriller genres. Edgar Allan Poe looms large in The Shadow of the Cat, a macabre ‘old dark house’ tale of feline revenge, starring André Morell (Cash on Demand) and Barbara Shelley (The Camp on Blood Island); Peter Cushing (The Gorgon, Corruption) and Oliver Reed (The Scarlet Blade) star in Captain Clegg, which sees Hammer fuse horror and adventure in an eighteenth-century-set tale of smugglers and marsh phantoms; Herbert Lom (Mysterious Island) stars as The Phantom of the Opera in Hammer’s acclaimed production of Gaston Leroux’s Gothic classic, whilst Freddie Francis (Torture Garden) directs Nightmare, a spooky psychological thriller in the Les Diaboliques vein, which benefits from full-blooded central performances by Moira Redmond (Jigsaw) and Jennie Linden (A Severed Head). This collection contains a wealth of new and archival extra features, including documentaries and appreciations, interviews with actors and crew members, audio commentaries, and extensive booklets. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows revives four consummate Hammer classics from the early sixties, exemplifying some of Hammer Films' best work in the horror and thriller genres. Edgar Allan Poe looms large in The Shadow of the Cat, a macabre ‘old dark house’ tale of feline revenge, starring André Morell (Cash on Demand) and Barbara Shelley (The Camp on Blood Island); Peter Cushing (The Gorgon, Corruption) and Oliver Reed (The Scarlet Blade) star in Captain Clegg, which sees Hammer fuse horror and adventure in an eighteenth-century-set tale of smugglers and marsh phantoms; Herbert Lom (Mysterious Island) stars as The Phantom of the Opera in Hammer’s acclaimed production of Gaston Leroux’s Gothic classic, whilst Freddie Francis (Torture Garden) directs Nightmare, a spooky psychological thriller in the Les Diaboliques vein, which benefits from full-blooded central performances by Moira Redmond (Jigsaw) and Jennie Linden (A Severed Head). This collection contains a wealth of new and archival extra features, including documentaries and appreciations, interviews with actors and crew members, audio commentaries, and extensive booklets. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

This whimsically edgy comedy, directed by Jamie Babbit, follows teenager Megan (Natasha Lyonne), whose suburban existence filled with friends, cheerleading, and all-American fun is upended when her straight-laced parents suspect she may be a lesbian. In a panic, they send her to True Directions, a "rehabilitation" camp run by the strict and prudish Mary (Cathy Moriarty), to mount an intervention led by counselor Mike (RuPaul Charles). Megan dutifully follows the program - until she develops feelings for another camper (Clea DuVall) in this timeless, satirical romantic-comedy about self-acceptance and love, also co-starring Eddie Cibrian, Melanie Lynskey, and Michelle Williams....

Robert (Philip Winchester), his wife Andi (Rebecca Romijn), teenage daughter Katie, and young son Toby take a trip to the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Wanting to experience adventure in the wilderness, they head down a forbidden road to a remote area of the vast national park without a guide, when a hair-raising encounter with a wild rhino leaves their car a wreck and the family stranded miles off the main trail. Under the suffocating African sun, they soon find themselves stalked by hyenas and facing deadly attacks from leopards, but when they discover a vicious gang of armed poachers they find that man is the most deadly animal on the savanna … Blending fast-paced action in a tense eco-thrill ride, director M.J. Bassett explores the horrors of animal poaching with an empowering message about how ordinary people can fight back against the devastation inflicted on the natural world. Starring Rebecca Romijn (X-Men franchise, Star Trek: Discovery), Jerry O’Connell (Scream 2, Stand by Me), Philip Winchester (Rogue, Thunderbirds) and Michael Johnston (Teen Wolf). Written and directed by M.J. Bassett....

Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows revives four consummate Hammer classics from the early sixties, exemplifying some of Hammer Films' best work in the horror and thriller genres. Edgar Allan Poe looms large in The Shadow of the Cat, a macabre ‘old dark house’ tale of feline revenge, starring André Morell (Cash on Demand) and Barbara Shelley (The Camp on Blood Island); Peter Cushing (The Gorgon, Corruption) and Oliver Reed (The Scarlet Blade) star in Captain Clegg, which sees Hammer fuse horror and adventure in an eighteenth-century-set tale of smugglers and marsh phantoms; Herbert Lom (Mysterious Island) stars as The Phantom of the Opera in Hammer’s acclaimed production of Gaston Leroux’s Gothic classic, whilst Freddie Francis (Torture Garden) directs Nightmare, a spooky psychological thriller in the Les Diaboliques vein, which benefits from full-blooded central performances by Moira Redmond (Jigsaw) and Jennie Linden (A Severed Head). This collection contains a wealth of new and archival extra features, including documentaries and appreciations, interviews with actors and crew members, audio commentaries, and extensive booklets. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Hammer Volume Six: Night Shadows revives four consummate Hammer classics from the early sixties, exemplifying some of Hammer Films' best work in the horror and thriller genres. Edgar Allan Poe looms large in The Shadow of the Cat, a macabre ‘old dark house’ tale of feline revenge, starring André Morell (Cash on Demand) and Barbara Shelley (The Camp on Blood Island); Peter Cushing (The Gorgon, Corruption) and Oliver Reed (The Scarlet Blade) star in Captain Clegg, which sees Hammer fuse horror and adventure in an eighteenth-century-set tale of smugglers and marsh phantoms; Herbert Lom (Mysterious Island) stars as The Phantom of the Opera in Hammer’s acclaimed production of Gaston Leroux’s Gothic classic, whilst Freddie Francis (Torture Garden) directs Nightmare, a spooky psychological thriller in the Les Diaboliques vein, which benefits from full-blooded central performances by Moira Redmond (Jigsaw) and Jennie Linden (A Severed Head). This collection contains a wealth of new and archival extra features, including documentaries and appreciations, interviews with actors and crew members, audio commentaries, and extensive booklets. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

For the third volume in our ongoing Columbia Noir series, we return once again to the studio’s archives for a sextet of films which brings together some of the great names of film noir – including Dick Powell, Lee J Cobb, Nina Foch, William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Dorothy Malone, Glenn Ford, Broderick Crawford, Marie Windsor, and Vince Edwards – in stories of psychoanalysis and cynicism, racketeers and radioactivity, casinos and killing sprees, and cops and convicts. Presenting all six films for the first time on Blu-ray anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes a commentary on each film, critical appreciations and analyses, a range of documentary shorts from the forties and fifties, six Three Stooges comedy shorts lampooning the tropes and themes of the titles in the set, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

After exploring the science-fiction and fantasy worlds of Alien, Blade Runner and Legend, famed British director Ridley Scott turned to modern-day New York for Someone to Watch Over Me, one of a number of adult-orientated erotic thrillers, including Fatal Attraction, Black Widow and Jagged Edge, to appear in the late eighties. Tom Berenger (Platoon, Inception) plays a blue-collar NYPD detective assigned to protect a wealthy murder witness (Mimi Rogers, The Rapture). Soon, the relationship becomes an affair, threatening Berenger’s marriage to Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, The Sopranos), and the killer is still on the loose… Stylishly shot by Steven Poster (Donnie Darko), Someone to Watch Over Me is glossy, high-concept filmmaking from start to finish....

Initiation sees Whiton University unravel on the night a star-athlete is murdered in the wake of a buried assault allegation, kicking off a spree of social media-linked slayings. As a masked killer targets students across campus, a trio of sorority sisters races to uncover the truth behind the school’s hidden secrets — and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point – before they become the next victims. A thought-provoking thrill ride starring Yancy Butler (Kick-Ass, Hard Target), Lochlyn Munro (The Predator, Riverdale), Jon Huertas (This Is Us), Bart Johnson (High School Musical) and Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf)....

Directed by Brenda Chapman, the Oscar-winning director and co-writer of Pixar's Brave, COME AWAY is a whimsical and inspiring British made live-action fairy-tale and an ingeniously conceived prequel to two of the world's most beloved and enduring pieces of children's literature Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Starring Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo, Anna Chancellor, Michael Caine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Reece Yates, the film follows the adventures of siblings Alice and Peter who transform into Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland in a bid to help their parents overcome the tragedy of losing their eldest son. Peter and Alice find strength in the power of their imaginations and set off on a real adventure to try and rescue the family - escaping to a destiny of eternal boyhood in the distant isle of Neverland - whilst Alice delves into a world of Wonderland....

Perhaps the quintessential exemplar of New French Extremity, Irreversible amazed and outraged audiences across the world upon its release in 2002 with its harrowing scenes of rape and violence. Now Gaspar Noé’s nauseating, thrilling, ingenious masterwork returns in a new 2K restoration, both in its original theatrical cut and a potent new straight cut, assembled in 2020....

The first collaboration between director Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty – a relationship which now extends to fifteen feature films and shorts, including My Name Is Joe and I, Daniel Blake – Carla’s Song tells the story of George (Robert Carlyle, Trainspotting), a Glaswegian bus driver, and Carla (Oyanka Cabezas), a Nicaraguan refugee. Set in 1987, the film follows the pair as they meet, fall in love, and travel to Nicaragua in search of Carla’s former lover, a possible victim of the civil war....

Ken Loach collaborated with playwright Trevor Griffiths (Comedians) for this underseen political drama about an East German protest singer (played by Gerulf Pannach) who emigrates to the West when he falls foul of the authorities. He arrives to much interest from the media – and a potentially lucrative record contract – but wishes only to be able to perform his songs, and to find his father, another exile, who had left his home country during the 1953 East German uprising....

Ronald Neame (The Odessa File) directs this stately adaptation of Enid Bagnold’s play which tells of a haughty matriarch (Edith Evans, The Whisperers) who employs a governess (Deborah Kerr, The Innocents) with a shadowy past to take care of her troubled teenage granddaughter (Hayley Mills, Take a Girl Like You, Endless Night), and her neglected garden. John Mills (Town on Trial, The Wrong Box) plays the butler who develops a soft spot for the governess, and navigates the fraught interpersonal relationships of the house. A hit with audiences upon its original release, The Chalk Garden benefits from a nuanced screenplay by the great John Michael Hayes (Rear Window) and tasteful photography by Arthur Ibbetson (Where Eagles Dare, Fanatic). ...

One night of violence she'll never forget. An unsuspecting nurse returns home for a night of relaxation after a hard day, only to discover that this is far from the reality which will unfold. It's Halloween night and her one game of trick or treat is about to get out of hand, as the arrival of a criminal and the man holding him hostage force their way into her home. Pulled into the drama, she must choose a side before it's too late. But things turn nuclear when the house comes under siege as wave after wave of violent mercenaries descend to free their captive boss....

Portal is captivating and visually-arresting sci-fi thriller that pushes the boundaries of science fiction storytelling. From the team that brought you V/H/S, Sea Fever and Becky, the film stars Josh Peck (Drake & Josh, Mean Creak), Wilson Bethel (Daredevil, Hart of Dixie) and Lina Esco (Kingdom, S.W.A.T.). When a number of mysterious, alien "doors" appear suddenly around the globe, individuals from all walks of life must come together to discover what these doors are, where they lead, and if we can-or should-attempt to cross to the other side....

In 1967, fashion photographer by day and super-agent by night Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is on the verge of catching his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil (also Myers), when the latter has himself cryogenically frozen. Following suit, Powers unthaws thirty years later in the '90s to find Evil threatening the world once more. Can Powers recover from his culture shock in time to battle his old foe? With the help of sexy sidekick Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), he just might. Featuring a huge ensemble cast including Will Ferrell, Seth Green, Carrie Fisher, Christian Slater, Priscilla Presley and Burt Bacharach, this hilarious and iconic spy movie parody, written by and starring Mike Myers, is undeniably groovy, baby!...

From breakout genre filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless) SYNCHRONIC is a mind-bending, haunting sci-fi starring two of Hollywood's most popular actors Jamie Dornan (The Fall, Fifty Shades of Grey franchise) and Anthony Mackie (The Avengers franchise, Detroit). When New Orleans paramedics and long-time best friends Steve and Dennis are called to a series of bizarre and gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to a mysterious new drug found at the scene. But after Dennis' oldest daughter disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality -- and the flow of time itself. ...

Nicolas Cage takes on a set of violent animatronic amusement park mascots in this action packed, nail-biting tale of terror that will take you on the ride of your life! Stranded in a remote town with a car that won't work and no way to pay the local repair shop, THE JANITOR (Nicolas Cage - Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse) agrees to spend the night in an abandoned theme park full of animatronic characters that were once a joy to the kids of the town, but now hold a dark secret. As night falls, these once happy mascots come to life and they're out for blood. Survive at any cost, it's only one night!...

After the colossal success of The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi teamed up with the Coen brothers (fresh from Blood Simple) to make his next film, Crimewave, an unusual mixture of screwball comedy, film noir and B-movie homage. Raimi’s film tells the bizarre story of a security-system installer, Vic (Reed Birney), who finds himself in the electric chair when he falls in love with Nancy (Sheree J Wilson), a femme fatale on the run from two bumbling exterminators ‘of all sizes’ (Paul L Smith, Popeye, and Brion James, Blade Runner). A notoriously troubled production which flopped upon its original release, Crimewave can now be enjoyed as a riotously entertaining showcase for Raimi and the Coens, which also benefits from a highly amusing performance from cult-horror star Bruce Campbell. ...

From maverick filmmaker Sergio Martino (Torso) comes his most explosive and provocative film, Silent Action. When high-ranking military officials turn up dead, all from apparent suicides or suspicious accidents, it's down to Inspector Giorgio Solmi (Luc Merenda, The Violent Professionals) to find out what's happened to them. Aided by Captain Mario Sperli (Tomas Milian, Almost Human), the two men soon find themselves during a deadly political scandal that threatens to bring Rome to its knees. Making its global HD debut, Fractured Visions are proud to present Silent Action (A.K.A. The Police Accuse: The Secret Service Kill), a bold and uncompromising take on a startling true story, lovingly restored and featuring a host of new bonus material....