DVD

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Team HCC  |  Feb 26, 2019  |  0 comments
Award-winning Spider-Man animated smash swings onto 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD in April, courtesy of Sony Pictures UK.
Anton van Beek  |  Oct 04, 2016  |  0 comments

Hard as it may be to believe, it's been 35 years since Ashley J. Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his four doomed friends first journeyed to that isolated cabin in the woods in Sam Raimi's gore-splattered 1981 shocker The Evil Dead, and unwittingly unleashed an ancient evil on the world. Since then the character of Ash has developed a cult fanbase that has followed him through two equally iconic sequels (1987's Evil Dead II and 1992's Army of Darkness) and a host of comic book adventures (which continue to this day).

Anton van Beek  |  Dec 22, 2014  |  0 comments

The fact that more than half of the episodes produced for this BBC sci-fi anthology series were wiped hasn't stopped the BFI from putting together a seven-disc boxset worthy of such a landmark in TV drama. The 20 surviving episodes give a fascinating taste of the show's ambitions and have been digitally restored to the best possible condition. These are joined by reconstructions (full soundtracks with stills) for four of the missing eps and an incomplete version of yet another. Further goodies include commentaries on 11 episodes, extensive stills galleries and a 42-minute retrospective documentary.

Richard Holliss  |  Dec 18, 2014  |  0 comments

Not only have science fiction writers and filmmakers adopted the word ‘robot’ from Czech playwright Karel Capek’s 1920s play R.U.R, they’ve also ‘borrowed’ on numerous occasions’ science fiction writer Issac Asimov’s ingenious ‘Three Laws of Robotics’. First appearing in his 1942 story Runaround, the laws are as follows: (1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; (2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law, and (3), A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Richard Holliss  |  Nov 13, 2014  |  0 comments

One-off dramas were a popular source of TV entertainment during the 1960s and 1970s. Arguably some were worthier than others and surprisingly there was also a large number of fantasy related subjects broadcast. Quite a few of these can be seen again as part of the British Film Institute’s Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder season. 

Anton van Beek  |  Oct 28, 2014  |  0 comments

Following a rather hit-or-miss fourth season (or the 'gas-leak year' as it's referred to here), show creator Dan Harmon returned to the fold for this latest batch of 13 episodes, and in the process brought Community back to its geek-friendly best.

Anton van Beek  |  Oct 06, 2014  |  0 comments

The brainchild of the same people responsible for the US version of The Office, Parks and Recreation takes a similar faux-documentary sitcom approach to another work environment. Only this time the focus is the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee.

Richard Holliss  |  Sep 12, 2014  |  0 comments

Thanks to interest in the Apollo missions and the success of long running series like Doctor Who, ‘science’, both fact and fantasy, had become a popular subject with TV audiences during the late sixties and early seventies. Actor turned writer Richard Carpenter saw the possibilities with the genre, firstly with his highly successful ‘time travel’ series Catweazle and later with The Boy from Space, a serial he penned for the BBC Schools department.

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 29, 2014  |  0 comments

A must for any movie buff who grew up during the moral panic surrounding violence in films in the '80s and early '90s, this triple-disc set is packed with all manner of treats. First up is Jake West's excellent new documentary Draconian Days, which puts the James Ferman-era BBFC under the microscope. The other two discs are given over to more than nine hours of trailers and expert discussion relating to the 83 films that appeared on the Director of Public Prosecutions' 'Section 3' list. Fascinating stuff.

Anton van Beek  |  May 16, 2014  |  0 comments

Stan Winston’s 1988 creature-feature Pumpkinhead (aka Vengeance the Demon) remains a personal favourite of this reviewer - and inot just because it gave us a fantastically realized monster. I also admire it’s inventive new twist on the ‘teens in peril‘ story and the authentic sense of place the film creates.

Anton van Beek  |  May 15, 2014  |  0 comments

It may have only lasted three seasons, but fans of Rob Thomas’ cult TV series about the student sleuth has lived on in the hearts of its fans. Indeed, their love for the show was so strong that when Thomas and star Kristen Bell took it upon themselves to seek funding for a follow-up movie via crowdfunding site Kickstarter, donations reached the $2million target in less than ten hours (the total raised was up to $5,702,153 by the time the campaign ended).

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 30, 2014  |  0 comments

Unless another cache of missing episodes turns up we're now in the home stretch of classic Doctor Who DVDs. This Patrick Troughton four-parter from 1967 marked the second appearance of the Cybermen and helped cement the 'base under siege' style of production. The two surviving episodes have been lovingly restored for this DVD and joined by two gorgeous new animated reconstructions of the missing episodes. The typically superb collection of extras include commentaries, info-text on the two surviving episodes, a half-hour Making of… doc and a photo gallery.

Anton van Beek  |  Jan 29, 2014  |  0 comments

Mark Gatiss' one-off drama about the creation of Doctor Who is a poignant and charming companion to the show's 50th anniversary episode. While the anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer on this DVD holds up rather well, it's a shame that there's no Blu-ray on the cards as a production this handsome is crying out to be seen in hi-def. Among the extras you'll find a touching tribute to William Hartnell, an 11-minute Making of… featurette, two deleted scenes and four reconstruction clips (including a fun cameo from Gatiss).

Anton van Beek  |  Dec 19, 2013  |  0 comments

A companion piece of sorts to The Wicker Man, this provocative 1970 BBC Play for Today production is a creepy piece of English Gothic focusing on folk rituals in an insular village. While it was originally shot in colour, the only surviving print is an off-air black-and-white 16mm telerecording, which served as the basis for this DVD release. Regardless of this the 1.33:1 transfer seems fine on a technical basis and the lack of colour isn't really that much of an issue. Extras take the form of an interview with screenwriter James Bowen, the 1937 archival short Around the Village Green and a booklet containing essays about the main feature and the accompanying short.

Anton van Beek  |  Dec 19, 2013  |  0 comments

It seems rather ironic that just as one label is giving Brian De Palma's early films the deluxe treatment on Blu-ray, another is unceremoniously dumping his latest film on DVD. Based on the 2010 French thriller Crime d'amour, Passion finds the filmmaker channelling his early stylistic ticks through an enjoyably twisty tale of corporate intrigue that plays out in the boardroom and the bedroom. Metrodome's DVD offers absolutely nada in the way of extras as well as a modest anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer and DD5.1 audio – so fans may want to import the French Blu-ray release instead.

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