June 30th 2009:

June 30th :Lara Croft is back in Tomb Raider: Underworld on Xbox 360…

Out now:

Lara Croft returns in Tomb Raider: Underworld with her deepest and darkest adventure yet. Ostensibly searching for themythical hammer of the Norse god Thor, the real draw of the game is exploring the underworlds of multiple differentcultures…

Tomb Raider: Underworldis online and out now on Xbox 360.

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Flame & Citron on DVD
• Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray
• Damnation on Xbox 360

June 29th :Clint Eastwood doesn’t like the way things change in Gran Torino on Blu-ray…

Released today:

Technically, this film centres around the 1972 classic car from which it takes its name, but it’s just the item thateverything revolves around in an incredibly well-written story that wasn’t even written with Clint Eastwood in mind, butthere’s no-one else who could’ve played this cranky widower, who’s bitter about everything in life, and for a very goodreason.

Gran Torinois online and out now on Blu-ray from today.

Steve Earle presents his tribute to Townes Van Zandt on CD…

Like the Gran Torino car in the film above, 1972 also plays a part here as it’s when Steve Earle met Townes Van Zandtand they became firm friends until his death in 1997. As such, he felt it only fitting that he released a tributeto him in the form of cover versions of 15 of his tracks.DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsloved every single one.

Steve Earle: Townesis online and out on CD now.

Sarah Beeny gets wet in the shower in Property Snakes and Ladders…

Well, it sounds incredible, but I have to admit it promises rather more than it delivers, even though it still does whatit says on the tin, as you’ll see when you take a look.

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray
• Damnation on Xbox 360

CHARTS: Kelly Rowland vs La Roux – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• The Cell 2 (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, EIV)
• Che Part 1 & 2: The Complete Story (29.99 DVD, 34.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• Confessions of a Shopaholic (17.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Walt Disney)
• Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (12.99 DVD, 15.99 Blu-ray, BBC)
• Gran Torino (19.99 DVD, 27.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Lipstick Jungle Season 2 (29.99 DVD, Universal)
• The Pink Panther 2 (19.99 DVD, 28.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
• New In Town (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, EIV)
• Push (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Icon)
• Rachel’s Getting Married (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Sony)
• Revolutionary Road (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Paramount)
• Robin Hood Series 3 (39.99 DVD, BBC)
• Flame and Citron (19.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu-ray, Metrodome)
• Life Begins Series 2 & 3 (24.99 DVD, ITV)
• The Rolling Stones: The Biggest Bang (19.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
• Fireball XL5: The Complete Series Special Edition (59.99 DVD, Network)
• American Teen (17.99 DVD, Optimum)

Confessions of a Shopaholic:

It’s way past time that Isla Fisher bagged herself a leading role, after solid supporting turns in the likes of Wedding Crashers and Definitely, Maybe and finally, in Confessions Of A Shopaholic, the ex-soap star gets her chance.

She seizes it quite well, too. Based on the Sophie Kinsella book of the same name, Confessions Of A Shopaholic is a fairly conventional romantic comedy, but it’s still a very enjoyable one. It’s directed by PJ Hogan, who previously gave us the excellent double bill of Muriel’s Wedding and My Best Friend’s Wedding, and it follows Fisher’s character Rebecca as she tries to cover up her dedication to shopping, while yearning for a job on a fashion magazine.

The plot goes through the fairly standard shenanigans of the genre, but there are one or two things that lift Confessions Of A Shopaholic above the norm. Firstly, it’s breezy and very good fun. Secondly, PJ Hogan knows this genre better than most, and fashions (no pun intended) a quite tight movie. And thirdly there’s Fisher. It may not be a role that makes her an outright movie star, but there’s compelling evidence here that she’s got the talent to be a leading lady in her own right. This, her first stab at headlining such a film, works really quite well, and her charm and enthusiasm is the best thing in it. Worth taking a look at.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is out now onDVD (£12.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Che Part 1 & 2: The Complete Story.

Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh delivers this ambitious and sprawling biopic of one of the 20th century’s most influential political figures. This is the full, unabridged version of CHE and comprises THE ARGENTINE and GUERILLA.

Che Part 1 & 2: The Complete Story is out now on DVD (£17.88) andBlu-ray (£24.98).

Revolutionary Road.

In Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for the first time since their careers exploded with Titanic–and it’s almost as if they’re playing the same characters, only married and faced with the hollowness of a 1950s suburban existence. Frank and April Wheeler (DiCaprio and Winslet) always thought of themselves as special, but they settled in a conventional Connecticut suburb when they had children. Hungry for a less constricted life, April persuades Frank to move to Paris–but slowly their plans unravel and their marriage unravels along with it.

While Revolutionary Road may be a bit too glib about suburban emptiness–the lives Frank and April lead don’t seem so stifled–the portrait of a mismatched marriage is vivid and devastating. The ways that Frank and April misinterpret each other, and the subtle yet unbearable dissatisfaction they feel, is rendered with remarkable and unsettling acuteness. Winslet and DiCaprio’s natural chemistry tells us what drew these two together, making the way they tear each other apart all the more shocking.

The excellent supporting cast includes Kathy Bates (Misery), Dylan Baker (Happiness), and especially Michael Shannon (Bug) as a mentally troubled mathematician who cuts to the quick of the Wheelers’ troubles. Mention must be made of the beautiful production design; the costumes and sets are simply gorgeous.

Revolutionary Road is out now on DVD (£12.68) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Robin Hood Series 3.

It’s been three months since Marian’s untimely death and Robin is a changed man. Tougher, he’s sacked his gang since they all returned from the Holy Land. Not only that – he’s hell bent on avenging his wife’s tragic end. Her slayer, Guy of Gisborne is a marked man. Fuelled by anger and grief, Robin seems stuck in a downward spiral, but a new beacon of hope arrives in the form of a travelling monk called Tuck (David Harewood), who soon gets our hooded hero back on track. Meanwhile, the wickedness of the Sheriff continues unabated.

A spirited Locksley girl named Kate (Joanne Froggatt) objects to her brother’s forced conscription. As a result she inadvertently gets caught up in the cause of Robin Hood and becomes an indispensable member of the gang. As the threat of Prince John (Toby Stephens)looms larger, Robin and Gisborne have to reach an uneasy truce as it emerges that they may have rather more in common than they thought.

Robin Hood Series 3 is out now on DVD (£28.98).

June 26th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• Network DVDs for 1st half of July 2009
• Columbo Season 10 Vol.2 on DVD
• Gladiator on Blu-ray
• Doom on Blu-ray
• Children of Men on Blu-ray
• Max Payne 3 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
• Playfish confirmed for Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009

The latest press releasesare online now.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Year One, My Sister’s Keeper and Blood: The Last Vampire.

June 24th :CHARTS: Kelly Rowland vs Pixie Lott – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-August.

June 23rd :Alain Clark lets it out on CD…

This man from the Netherlands looks a lot like Craig David and is one of WarnerBros’ tips for the top this year. Coming from a musical family, he has theright start in his career, soDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertstells us how he is progressing.

Alain Clark: Let It Outis online and out now on CD.

June 22nd :Mickey Rourke rides is back on form with The Wrestler on Blu-ray…

Out now:

Although not quite as an award-winning performance as the critics would have you believe, this is still a fantastictale about a man trying to face the facts that his career isn’t as an top as it used to be, but there are limits tohow low you have to go. Mickey Rourke stars alongside Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.

The Wrestleris online and out now on Blu-ray.

The Alexandria Quartet compete with major bands on CD…

11 tracks make up this tour-de-force from the four people that make up this new band with a debut release thatputs them in the same league as Snow Patrol, Coldplay and Kasabian, according toDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Roberts.Find out why in this review.

The Alexandria Quartet: The Alexandria Quartetis online and out on CD now.

Get your Sex Drive ready on DVD…

A new teen sex comedy, but one that’s a long way from hitting the dizzy heights of American Pie, and also onethat doesn’t star anyone famous, but does it have any redeeming features, and did it makeDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Dan Owen laugh?

This review originally premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

Sex Driveis online and out on DVD now.

Cherie Lunghi interviewed on The Wright Stuff…

She appeared last Thursday to promote the new series, Casualty 1909, and the entire episode of that day’s show is nowonline, and discussions include whether a ban should be applied on smoking in cars when you’ve got your kids with you.

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray
• Damnation on Xbox 360

CHARTS: Kelly Rowland vs Pixie Lott – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• NCIS Season 5 (50.99 DVD, Paramount)
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona (17.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray,
• Doctor Who: Delta And The Bannermen (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• Queer As Folk USA Season 4 (39.99 DVD, Warner)
• Moving On (19.99 DVD, ITV DVD)
• Hardware Special Edition (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• The Unborn (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
• The Punisher 2: War Zone (15.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, 39.99 Double Blu-ray, Sony)
• Electra Glide In Blue (15.99 DVD, Optimum)
• Notorious (19.99 DVD, 28.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
• Franklyn (15.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu-ray, E1)
• Moonlighting Season 4 (29.99 DVD, Sony)
• Stephen Tompkinson’s The Great African Balloon Adventure (19.99 DVD, 4DVD)
• Occupation (19.99 DVD, BBC)
• Metalocalypse [Adult Swim] Series 1 (19.99 DVD, Revolver)

Hardware Special Edition:

Jill lives in a war-torn and alien world. She is given the remains of a Mark 13 Cyborg, a killing machine found on radioactive waste ground by a friend. Once the Cyborg is in her flat it begins to rebuild itself with household equipment and and now it’s capable of doing its job…..killing!

Hardware Special Edition is out now onDVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Doctor Who: Delta And The Bannermen.

The time: 1959. The place: the Shangri-La Holiday Camp, South Wales. The Doctor and Mel want time out.

The hedonistic alien Navarinos wants to catch some vintage rock and roll. And two CIA agents want to know what happened to their country’s missing satellite.

When the beautiful Chimeron princess Delta shows up on the scene, the murderous Bannermen soon follow in hot pursuit. The stage is set for a fiery showdown that will decide the fate of an entire civilisation.

This story was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 2nd November – 16th November 1987.

Produced by John Nathan-Turner, Directed by Chris Clough Liner notes by Niall Boyce, Cover by Clayton Hickman

SPECIAL FEATURES:• Commentary by Sylvester McCoy (the Doctor), Sara Griffiths (Ray), director Chris Clough and script editor Andrew Cartmel • But First This Andi Peters presents a contemporary children’s TV feature on location with the cast of Delta and the Bannermen • Interview Rushes Hugh Lloyd (Goronwy) • Clown Court Noel Edmonds and Sylvester McCoy present out-takes the Seventh Doctor • Trails and Continuity • Photo Gallery • Radio Times Billings Listings for • Coming Soon Trailer • Digitally remastered picture and sound quality Extra material from the But First This interviews with Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford (Mel) and Ken Dodd (Tollmaster) • Wales Today A BBC Wales news report on the making of the programme • Part One: First edit The original half-hour edit • Hugh and Us An interview with from Delta and the Bannermen • Stripped for Action A look at the comic strip adventures of this story presented in a PDF file [DVD-ROM – PC/Mac] • Production Information Subtitles

Doctor Who: Delta And The Bannermen is out now on DVD (£12.98) and.

Moving On.

Jimmy McGovern, the force behind the BBC’s critically-acclaimed ensemble piece, The Street, oversees this ambitious drama series. Moving On consists of five stand-alone stories, written by a mix of experienced and up-and-coming talents. The unifying theme of the dramas lies in the characters’ choice, desire or inability to ‘move on’; resulting in a major turning point in their lives. A hugely impressive line-up of British acting talent feature in the five episodes:

Episodes:

• The Rain Has Stopped
• Bully
• Drowning Not Waving
• Dress To Impress
• Butterfly Effect

Moving On is out now on Blu-ray (£11.98).

The Unborn.

College student Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman, CLOVERFIELD) begins having dreams about a spooky little boy with bright blue eyes. She thinks nothing of it as first, but when the image becomes a recurring motif and the boy she babysits for hits her in the face and tells her ‘Jumby wants to be born now’, she begins to get frightened. After learning that she had a twin brother who died in utero, she finds a photo of her late mother with the same ghostly child looming in the background.

A newspaper clipping then leads Casey to visit an elderly Holocaust survivor (Jane Alexander) in a nursing home. The woman clues her in to a dark family secret extending back to WWII, which prompts her to employ the services of Rabbi Sendak (Gary Oldman), whose scepticism about evil spirits is vanquished when he sees what he is up against.

The Unborn is out now on DVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£16.98).

June 19th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• After Henry Series 4 on DVD
• And Mother Makes Three Series 3 on DVD
• Brief Encounter (1974) on DVD
• Campbell’s Kingdom on DVD
• Des O’Connor Vol.1 on DVD
• Just William Series 1 on DVD
• Shelley Series 4 on DVD
• Shut That Door: Larry Grayson At ITV on DVD
• Fireball XL5: The Complete Series Special Edition on DVD
• London’s Burning Series 11 on DVD
• Magpie on DVD
• Prison Break Season 4 on DVD
• Goal 3: Taking On The World on DVD and Blu-ray
• Stoic on DVD
• Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse Season One and Sealab 2021 Season One on DVD
• S.Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale on DVD and Blu-ray
• Red Mist on DVD and Blu-ray
• Insatiable: Diary Of A Sex Addict on DVD
• American Teen on DVD

The latest press releasesare online now.

The Broken Family Band see if it’s better fifth time around on CD…

Yes, their fifth album but, according toDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsit’s just not working out for them the way that it should and while it’s not all bad news, he does state thatyou could put this CD on once and forget about it, as much of it is quite forgettable.

The Broken Family Band: Please And Thank Youis online and out on CD from Monday.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

June 18th :CHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Pixie Lott – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until mid-August.

June 17th :Gory action with The Machine Girl on Blu-ray…

Out now:

With her parents having committed suicide, her brother murdered by bullies and her arm sliced off by a Hanzo Hattorisword, Ami is just not having a good day, so it’s time for revenge, and it’ll be as bloody as possible once she attachesthe machine gun to her stump and blasts the baddies back to meet their maker!

The Machine Girlis online and out now on Blu-ray.

The Hay Festival 2009…

Recently,DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Helen Jeromeattended the Hay Festival 2009 and had a fantastic time. Find out how it all went in this review.

Hay Festival 2009is online now.

Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani head the Chickenfoot charge on CD…

Along with Michael Anthony and Chad Smith,DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertstook a listen to this album that brings together 11 tracks from four individual powerhouses. How does it all mixtogether?

Chickenfoot: Chickenfootis online and out on CD now.

Kirsty’s pussy inspected by Joe Inglis on The Wright Stuff…

Well, he’s the pet doctor and she’s the babe in the booth who’s cat was getting the once over 🙂

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray
• Damnation on Xbox 360

CHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Pixie Lott – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Bolt (18.99 DVD, 23.99 Blu-ray, Walt Disney)
• He’s Just Not That Into You (19.99 DVD, 24.99, EIV)
• Red Dwarf: Back To Earth Director’s Cut (19.99, DVD, BBC)
• Eurovision Song Contest 2009 (19.99 DVD, EMI)
• South Pacific (25.99 DVD, 29.99 Blu-ray, BBC)
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil (17.99 DVD, 24.99 DVD/CD, 24.99 Blu-ray)
• Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 (39.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• The Ultimate Bourne Collection (44.99 Blu-ray, Universal)
• Columbo Season 10 Volume 1 (29.99 DVD, Universal)
• Medium Season 4 (34.99 DVD, Paramount)
• The Class (19.99 DVD, Artificial Eye)
• Kingdom Series 2 (19.99 DVD, Acorn Media)
• The Italian Job 40th Anniversary Edition (19.99 Blu-ray, Paramount)
• Woodstock (19.99 DVD, 22.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition (59.99 DVD, BBC)
• The Good, The Bad And The Weird (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Icon)
• Goal 3 – Taking On The World (15.99 DVD, 19.99 Blu Ray, Metrodome)

Bolt:

From the creator of Cars and Finding Nemo, meet Disney’s newest hero, Bolt and his faithful hamster sidekick Rhino, in the fully awesome comedy adventure event of the year. As the star of the biggest TV show in Hollywood, Bolt’s life is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue. So when the super pup is accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penney, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt immediately springs into action to save her from the forces of evil.

But he’s not alone. With the help of Rhino, his number one fan and loyal partner, and a crafty alley cat named Mittens, they embark on an extraordinary mission filled with high flying, action-packed stunts. Showcasing the vocal talents of John Travolta and teen sensation Miley Cyrus, this movie will have your whole family cheering for the good guys.

Bolt is out now onDVD (£13.58) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Red Dwarf: Back To Earth Director’s Cut.

Back to Earth takes place after ‘series ten’. Kochanski is dead and the crew are hurled through a portal and discover they are just characters from a TV series. Knowing they will die in the final episode the Dwarfers, in best Blade Runner traditions, decide to track down their creators to discover how long they have left to live. First the crew attempt to track down the actors who play them in the series and their metaphysical odyssey begins…

• Bonus Features
• Cast Commentary
• Director Commentary
• All-New Exclusive Documentary
• The Making of Back to Earth
• Deleted Scenes
• Smeg Ups
• Featurettes
• Trailers
• Web Videos
• Photo Gallery
• Easter Egg
• Features both a Director’s Cut version of Back to Earth and the original televised version.

Red Dwarf: Back To Earth Director’s Cut is out now on DVD (£9.98) and.

The Italian Job 40th Anniversary Edition.

In this classic crime film, small-time crook Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) organizes a motley group of thieves to steal four million worth of gold bullion from an armoured car in Turin, Italy. The mastermind of the heist is Mr. Bridger (Noel Coward), an experienced convict who has come up with the idea, but can’t take part in its execution because he’s in jail. To pull off the plan, the gang must tie up traffic in the center of the city to divert attention from the robbery, and ultimately make off with their booty undetected. The caper leads to one of the most exciting automobile chases ever filmed.

The Italian Job 40th Anniversary Edition is out now on Blu-ray (£12.98).

Woodstock.

The best rock stars of the sixties captured in some of their most brilliant moments during the communal experience called Woodstock, the most celebrated rock concert of all time. The film version, which runs over three hours, manages to capture the unique spirit of the once-in-a-lifetime event, and in turn, captured the mood of an entire era. Includes amazingly volatile performances by Richie Havens, Joan Baez, The Who, Sha Na Na, Joe Cocker, Country Joe and The Fish, Arlo Guthrie, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Ten Years After, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, John Sebastian, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin.

Woodstock is out now on DVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£13.98).

June 12th :Will Jessica Clemmons find a Permanent place in your CD collection?…

With influences including Shania Twain, this new release from the Texas-bornsinger has some worth to it, butDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsconfirms it lacks the WOW factor.

Jessica Clemmons: Permanentis online and out now on CD.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Looking for Eric, Doghouse, The Hangover, Red Cliff and Last House on the Left.

June 10th :Rising Canadian star Catherine McLellan releases a new CD…

And DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertscompares her to Fairground Attraction’s Eddi Reader, even though she’s not quite in the same league, but she’scertainly got a versatile voice.

Catherine McLellan: Water In The Groundis online and out now on CD.

New DVD and game comps online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Max Manus: Man of War on DVD and Blu-ray
• Damnation on Xbox 360

June 9th :CHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

New game comp online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• Damnation on Xbox 360

June 8th :Tom Cruise puts Operation Valkyrie into effect on Blu-ray…

Released today:

Like The Hunt for Red October, this film doesn’t go for realistic, or otherwise, accents and instead concentrateson the story, as Cruise and a cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Eddie Izzard and Tom Wilkinson, attempt toassassinate Hitler. Will they succeed? Well, it’s based on a true story, so what do you think? It’s a damn goodfilm though, so find out why in this review.

Valkyrieis online and out now on Blu-ray from today.

Mary Hopkin checks out her archive on CD…

Those were the days for Mary Hopkin and still they continue as she releases more from her back catalogue withthis 14-track collection.DVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertstakes a listen.

Mary Hopkin: Now and Thenis online and out on CD now.

Can Michael rescue Sara in Prison Break in this final episode…

Well, we now know what happened to Michael in the end, but it wasn’t all plain sailing after they were exonerated fromthe Scylla problems as Sara was arrested for the murder of Michael’s mother. Now in a female prison, can Michaelget her out of there?

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review ofPrison Break: The Final Breakis online now.

Boris Johnson falls in the water!…

Splashy! Splashy!

DVD comp answers…

More comps will be coming shortly, but the ER Season 14 on DVD comp has now ended and the answer is thatKevin Moretti had a brief affair with Abby Lockhart.

CHARTS: Black Eyed Peas vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• At Last Smith And Jones Vol.1 (19.99 DVD, Fremantle)
• The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (19.99 DVD, 27.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Dead Girl (19.99 DVD, Metrodome)
• Dirty Harry Collection (29.99 DVD, Warner)
• Milk (17.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Momentum)
• My Bloody Valentine (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Lions Gate)
• Neil Young: Archives, Vol. 1: 1963-1972 [10 DVD Box Set + Book] (210.99, Warner)
• Paul Weller: Just A Dream (20.99 DVD, Universal)
• The Shield Season 7 (34.99 DVD, 129.99 Boxset)
• Valkyrie (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Fox)

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button:

“I was born under unusual circumstances”. And so begins The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any mans life can be.

Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, Benjamin Button is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is out now onDVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Milk.

MILK is director Gus Van Sant’s riveting biopic about slain gay rights activist and San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk. Based on the politically resonant and thoroughly timely screenplay of documentarian Dustin Lance Black, Van Sant follows the arc of Milk’s political awakening, from closeted Brooklyn insurance executive to doyen of San Francisco’s Castro district’s burgeoning gay Mecca in the 1970s. Sean Penn portrays the film’s hero, melting into the role with an affable flamboyance that is both spirited and eminently engaging. James Franco plays opposite Penn as Milk’s supportive and easygoing boyfriend, Scott Smith.

The couple’s cheerful and loving rapport lends buoyancy to the film’s overall message of hope as Milk ascends from grassroots community organiser to a galvanising figurehead in the push for gay civil liberties. When Moral Majority crusader Anita Bryant forms an initiative to root out gay teachers and their supporters from public schools (Proposition 6), Milk is pitted in a bitter battle against fellow City Hall supervisor Dan White, played by Josh Brolin. While Van Sant does not deviate from the expository conventions that have defined other biopics, MILK sticks to biographically pertinent details that serve the film’s underlying message of one man’s idealism and conviction in the face of repression and bigotry.

Milk is out now on DVD (£9.98) andBlu-ray (£15.98).

The Shield Season 7.

It might not have enjoyed the fanfare of some, but across seven seasons, The Shield has emerged as one of the finest cop dramas that US TV has produced. It’s not quite The Wire, but it’s got plenty of its own to recommend it anyway.

This boxset features the seventh and final season of The Shield, and it once more has as its centrepiece Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey. Mackey is a brilliant creation, a hard-edged cop who, you could politely say, works in the grey areas to get the job done. Naturally, there are consequences to this, and season seven has the impact of Mackey’s ways spread right across it.

It all particularly comes to a head in the episodes that bring The Shield to a close, and these prove to be the highlight of a very strong final season. There’s no chance it’s going to be spoiled here, but believe what people have been saying: the ending to The Shield is flat-out brilliant, and a fitting testament to the quality of what’s gone before. It’s three-dimensional drama of real substance.

The Shield Season 7 is out now on DVD (£25.69) andSeason 1-7 Boxset (£93.98).

My Bloody Valentine.

Bloodthirsty fans of the classic slashers of yesteryear should be sated by MY BLOODY VALENTINE (2009), a gory trip that’s not just a remake but a retro-amalgam of the greatest hits from the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. The HALLOWEEN-influenced, eerily Canadian 1981 original holds a modest place in many horror hearts despite its notoriously trimmed violence. But even those who haven’t seen it will get the feeling that this VALENTINE sports an amplified blood-and-guts factor, one that brings with it the distinctly outlandish brutality and hulking-masked-killer archetype of a FRIDAY THE 13th instalment combined with the polished chase scenes of post-SCREAM teen horror.

As if this gore-ucopia didn’t have enough spices already, its premise and structure are also indebted to such cheeky mystery-slashers as HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and APRIL FOOL’S DAY. A decade after traumatized miner Harry Warden goes on a pickaxe massacre, guilt-stricken Tom (Jensen Ackles) returns to his quaint hometown only to find that a string of similar murders has started up. With Warden believed to be long dead, Sheriff Axel casts suspicion on Tom. It seems his old flame, Sarah, is the only one who truly believes he’s innocent.

The movie’s horror-expert filmmakers imbue VALENTINE with the reliably enjoyable entertainment-trumps-logic of slasher films, especially in the way everyone in town–including the police–seems way more interested in proving or disproving Harry Warden’s involvement than actually stopping the in-progress murder spree. Similarly, beloved genre vet Tom Atkins (NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) is on hand to deliver a coolly understated retired-cop performance. But peppered in are some nifty subliminal visual flourishes and at least one off-the-wall sequence (think fully naked, fleeing little people, and a box-spring-as-cage). The 3-D version is uncommonly well-integrated, subjecting viewers not only to hair-raising projectiles, but an effective immersion into the mise-en-scene.

My Bloody Valentine is out now on DVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£15.88).

June 5th :Press releases for new games and DVDs…

New press releases are online now for the following:

• World’s Strongest Man: Thirty Years of Pain on DVD
• Columbo Season 10 Vol.1 on DVD
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil on DVD and Blu-ray
• The Good, The Bad and The Weird on DVD and Blu-ray

The latest press releasesare online now.

Sam Isaac releases his debut album on CD…

Hailing from Worcester, Sam Isaac brings his blend of indie-folk to CD for the first time andDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsfinds it’s not perfect, but there’s certainly a lot to recommend here.

Sam Isaac: Bearsis online and out on CD from Monday.

New films at this cinema this weekend…

Stuck for something to do this weekend? The list of films showing atManchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page, and won’t differmuch from what’s on in the rest of the country.

The new films out include: Terminator Salvation and Last Chance Harvey.

June 3rd :CHARTS: Little Boots vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the No.1…?

Check out themusic chart analysis pagewhich is online now.

The release dates for singles and albums go up until early July.

June 2nd :A Tomb Raider double bill on Sony PSP…

Out now:

A few years ago, the Tomb Raider franchise was reborn on the consoles we knowand love today and attempted to put right what went wrong with 2003’s Angelof Darkness. They succeeded in the main, but how do two of these titles -Legend & Anniversary – fare on the Sony PSP?

Tomb Raider: Double Billis online and out now on Sony PSP.

June 1st :The ultimate Terminator 2 release: Skynet Edition on Blu-ray…

Released today:

You know the film, but you may not have realised that there are actually three versions of this film out there, andthis release contains them all as well as an outstanding set of extras. If you’ve got a Blu-ray player, you need thisdisc!

Terminator 2: Skynet Editionis online and out now on Blu-ray from today.

Putuyamo presents Italia on CD…

Contemporary Italians reflect the globalisation of their country, through music, is howDVDfever.co.uk reviewer Elly Robertsbegins his review of another collection of class tunes from the Putuyamo catalogue, this one featuring 11 tracks.

Putuyamo presents Italiais online and out on CD now.

Can Jack save the day as the 7th Season of 24 concludes…

Having dealt with one last threat, what’s left to sort out? Oh, Jack himself has traces of the pathogen within him andTony’s buddies want to cut him open. Whoops!

Find out whatDVDfever.co.uk reviewer, Dan Owen made of this episode in this new review, which premiered on his site, Dan’s Media Digest.

A review of24 Season 7: Episodes 23 & 24is online now.

Susan Boyle – who’s to blame if she breaks down?…

That was the topic of the discussion on The Wright Stuff. Check it out now online.

New DVD comp online…

Please enter the competition listed below by clicking on the packshot on the right.

• ER Season 14 on DVD

The following competitions have now finished, with the answers as follows:
Lost and Found on DVD: Jim Broadbent plays Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter series.
Shuttle on DVD: Tony Curran played The Invisible Man in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

CHARTS: Little Boots vs Dizzee Rascal – who got the new No.1…?

Check back shortly for the latest charts on themusic chart analysis page.

New DVD highlights out this week…

Once again, we look at a few titles in more detail.

The titles of note are the following, but read on for further details about the highlights:

• Battlestar Galactica: The Final Season (34.99 DVD, Universal)
• The Best of Hammer Collection (34.99 DVD, Optimum)
• Falling Down (19.99 Blu-ray, Warner)
• Primeval Series 3 (29.99 DVD, 2 Entertain)
• Prisoner Cell Block H Vol.2 (34.99 DVD, Fremantle)
• Slumdog Millionaire (19.99 DVD, 28.99 Blu-ray, Fox)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Skynet Edition Steel Tin (24.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• Trainspotting: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (15.99 DVD, 21.99 Blu-ray, 4DVD)
• The Wrestler (19.99 DVD, 24.99 Blu-ray, Optimum)
• WWE No Way Out 2009 (17.99 DVD, Silver Vision)

Slumdog Millionaire:

Danny Boyle (Sunshine) directed this wildly energetic, Dickensian drama about the desultory life and times of an Indian boy whose bleak, formative experiences lead to an appearance on his country’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Jamal (played as a young man by Dev Patel) and his brother are orphaned as children, raising themselves in various slums and crime-ridden neighorhoods and falling in, for a while, with a monstrous gang exploiting children as beggars and prostitutes. Driven by his love for Latika (Freida Pinto), Jamal, while a teen, later goes on a journey to rescue her from the gang’s clutches, only to lose her again to another oppressive fate as the lover of a notorious gangster.

Running parallel with this dark yet irresistible adventure, told in flashback vignettes, is the almost inexplicable sight of Jamal winning every challenge on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” a strong showing that leads to a vicious police interrogation. As Jamal explains how he knows the answer to every question on the show as the result of harsh events in his knockabout life, the chaos of his existence gains shape, perspective and soulfulness. The film’s violence is offset by a mesmerizing exotica shot and edited with a great whoosh of vitality. Boyle successfully sells the story’s most unlikely elements with nods to literary and cinematic conventions that touch an audience’s heart more than its head.

Slumdog Millionaire is out now onDVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£17.88).

Primeval Series 3.

The Primeval team are back and Nick Cutter is fighting to re-focus his embattled team who are still reeling from Stephen’s death and the scale of Helen’s betrayal. Cutter’s crew are joined by some new recruits in the form of maverick policeman Danny Quinn, sparky Egyptologist Sarah Page, and the new leader of the ARC’s security forces Captain Becker. But as the anomalies continue to present an unrelenting series of threats, the task in hand seems almost impossible. With events getting even wilder, creatures steeped in ancient folklore begin to make an appearance and it becomes clear that the origins of myths and legends are linked with the mysterious anomalies.

But it’s not just deadly creatures the team has to contend with; the cloak of secrecy behind which they have been working is beginning to slip and questions are being asked as the conspiracy spreads its net wide. And as deadlier creatures continue to rampage through the anomalies – the team faces a threat to the future of not just the ARC but of mankind itself..

DVD EXTRAS: Cutter’s Odyssey, Genesis of a Creature, Audio Commentaries

Primeval Series 3 is out now on DVD (£17.88) andSeries 1-3 Boxset (£32.99).

The Wrestler.

Darren Aronofsky directs this searing drama about a past-his-prime wrestler who tries to regain his earlier fame. Mickey Rourke (ANGEL HEART, SIN CITY) continues a career revival of his own as the fighter, while Oscar winner Marisa Tomei (IN THE BEDROOM, MY COUSIN VINNY) and Evan Rachel Wood (THIRTEEN, DOWN IN THE VALLEY) co-star. Rourke is Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, a one-time superstar of professional wrestling who’s down on his luck, estranged from his teenage daughter (Wood) and clinging onto the remains of his career by appearing in brutally violent bouts that barely pay him enough to make the rent on his trailer park home. It soon becomes clear that his broken body is incapable of following through the determination of his plucky spirit and when he succumbs to a heart attack he finds himself at a crossroads where he must decide whether or not to continue his futile pursuit of celebrity or make amends with those that he has alienated.

After his somewhat ambitious flirtation with the science fiction genre in THE FOUNTAIN, director Aronofsky returns to Earth and back to the emotional human drama of his earlier REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Having fallen from grace in his own professional life, Rourke delivers a towering performance as Robinson; a man whose career trajectory is so close to the actor’s own, the film is given a staggering level of poignancy.

The Wrestler is out now on DVD (£11.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

Trainspotting: Ultimate Collector’s Edition.

The film that effectively launched the star careers of Robert Carlyle, Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller is a hard, barbed picaresque, culled from the bestseller by Irvine Welsh and thrown down against the heroin hinterlands of Edinburgh. Directed with abandon by Danny Boyle, Trainspotting conspires to be at once a hip youth flick and a grim cautionary fable. Released on an unsuspecting public in 1996, the picture struck a chord with audiences worldwide and became adopted as an instant symbol of a booming British rave culture (an irony, given the characters’ main drug of choice is heroin not ecstasy).

McGregor, Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner play a slouching trio of Scottish junkies; Carlyle their narcotic-eschewing but hard-drinking and generally psychotic mate Begbie. In Boyle’s hands, their lives unfold in a rush of euphoric highs, blow-out overdoses and agonising withdrawals (all cued to a vogueish pop soundtrack). Throughout it all, John Hodge’s screenplay strikes a delicate balance between acknowledging the inherent pleasures of drug use and spotlighting its eventual consequences. In Trainspotting’s world view, it all comes down to a question of choices–between the dangerous Day-Glo highs of the addict and the grey, grinding consumerism of the everyday Joe.

“Choose life”, quips the film’s narrator (McGregor) in a monologue that was to become a mantra. “Choose a job, choose a starter home… But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?” Ultimately, Trainspotting’s wised-up, dead-beat inhabitants reject mainstream society in favour of a headlong rush to destruction. It makes for an exhilarating, energised and frequently terrifying trip that blazes with more energy and passion than a thousand more ostensibly life-embracing movies. –Xan Brooks

Special Features – Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray includes:

• 40 min feature ‘Memories of Trainspotting’ with Danny Boyle, Andrew Macdonald, John Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Kelly Macdonald and Robert Carlyle.
• Deleted scenes with commentary
• The Look of the Film – Then and Now
• The Sound of the Film – Then and Now
• The Beginning
• Archive Interview with Irvine Welsh
• Behind The Needle
• Danny Boyle on Trainspotting
• Ewan McGregor on Trainspotting
• Cannes Snapshot
• Cannes Vox Pops
• Trailers
• Gallery
• Feature commentary

Trainspotting: Ultimate Collector’s Edition is out now on DVD (£12.98) andBlu-ray (£16.68).

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