British Purchasing Guide May-September 2008

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Echo Bridge

Telling Lies A seemingly innocent co-ed under suspicion for murder tries to convince her father and the authorities that she isn’t guilty in this DVD premiere starring The Spice Girls’ Melanie Brown. Street June 24, prebook May 27; DVD $14.99

Genius

The Deal This film follows the friendship that formed in the House of Commons between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and the decisions they made that determined the future of Britain. Street July 29, prebook June 17; DVD $22.95

Kultur

Churchill: The Life and the Speeches This documentary covers Sir Winston Churchill’s life and turbulent years through the words of the man himself. Street May 27, prebook now; DVD $19.99

Microcinema

Architects Herzog and de Meuron: Alchemy of Building & Tate Modern Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, who have been involved in architectural solutions for a diverse range of projects, helped turn London’s Bankside power station into the Tate Modern art gallery. Street July 29, prebook June 24; DVD $24.95

MPI

The Vice: The Complete Second Season British actor Ken Stott stars in the BBC America drama series about the vice unit of the Metropolitan Police, based in the heart of London’s West End. Street June 24, prebook now; three-disc set $39.98

Classic British Thrillers The British Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 was passed to give motion pictures made in the U.K. an edge over Hollywood imports, resulting in technically crude, low-budget “quota quickies,” including The Phantom Light, Red Ensign and The Upturned Glass. Street July 29, prebook June 23; DVD $24.98

MTI

The Planet Mercenaries forced to evacuate their dying planet find themselves on a barren world where they are not alone and have to fight not only for their survival, but also for the future of the universe. Street June 10, prebook now; DVD $24.95

MVD

Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal In 1976, few knew there was an old wave of British heavy metal, but within two years, Iron Maiden had spearheaded a new generation of rock musicians; The Smiths: The Queen is Dead—A Classic Album Under Review A look at the Manchester band’s third album and how the writing, recording and production all came together. Both street June 10, prebook now; DVD $19.95 each

Strand

Irina Palm British actress and chanteuse Marianne Faithfull stars as a widowed grandmother who must take a hostess job in a sex club to pay for her desperately ill grandson’s medical treatment. Street Aug. 12, prebook July 17; DVD $27.99

York

Hell to Pay A street-tough British gangster is set up by his brother to murder a rival crime boss. Street June 24, prebook May 28; DVD $19.99

Zeitgeist

Glitterbox: Derek Jarman This set features four films from queer cinema maverick Derek Jarman: Caravaggio, Wittgenstein (DVD $29.99 each) and Blue, all starring Tilda Swinton, and The Angelic Conversation, with loads of supplemental extras. Street June 24, prebook now; four-disc set $79.99

Swapping gender roles

Elton John and his civil partner, David Furnish, produced It’s a Boy Girl Thing, which comes to DVD in June from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The romantic comedy is about two high school enemies, a football player and a girl, who switch bodies. The soundtrack features recognizable songs such as “Let’s Get it Started” from the Black Eyed Peas and John’s “Candle in the Wind.” Bonus material includes a behind-the-scenes featurette, interviews with John and the stars, an interactive quiz and more. —Cindy Spielvogel

Anchor Bay

It’s a Boy Girl Thing Next-door neighbors and sworn enemies Nell Bedworth (Samaire Armstrong) and Woody Deanne (Kevin Zegers) wake up to find they have swapped bodies. Street June 17, prebook now; DVD $26.97

More releases fall from Acorn

British programming specialist Acorn Media continues to release a large slate of TV series and more from the U.K., with more than a dozen titles scheduled for the summer months. Among the highlights are Rebus: Set 3, Beau Brummell: This Charming Man, Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Collection, Foyle’s War: Set 5, Blue Murder: Set 3, The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game and Alfresco. —C.S.

Acorn

Rebus: Set 3 Maverick Scottish detective John Rebus plays by his own rules as he hunts down murderers in modern-day Edinburgh. Street July 1, prebook June 3; four-disc set $49.99

Beau Brummell: This Charming Man In an age when men powdered, perfumed and wore finery, Brummell advocated simplicity, elegance and above all, washing. Street July 15, prebook June 17; DVD $24.99

Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Collection Fans are offered a bit of sorcery and mysticism with the swordplay and social justice that has made the Robin Hood legend endure. Street July 29, prebook July 1; 10-disc set $99.99

Foyle’s War: Set 5 The U.K. editions of the final three episodes in the mystery series are being released to coincide with the PBS TV broadcast in July. Street Aug. 5, prebook July 8; three-disc set $49.99

Blue Murder: Set 3 Janine Lewis (Caroline Quentin) juggles her responsibilities as a single mom as she works for Manchester’s police force; The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game Best-selling author and ex-jockey Francis continues his crime thrillers in the world of racing. Both street Aug. 12, prebook July 15; two-disc sets $39.99 each

Alfresco In the tradition of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Saturday Night Live comes this British sketch series that showcases the talents of Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry and others. Street Aug. 26, prebook July 29; two-disc set $39.99

Ballet Shoes dances to DVD

Koch Vision is bringing the U.K. family feature Ballet Shoes to DVD. The film stars Emma Watson (“Hermione” from the Harry Potter series) and is being targeted to mothers and their daughters. Koch will support the release with an advertising and publicity campaign aimed at that demographic via print, radio and TV. Also coming from Koch are two more releases from the Wire in the Blood British detective series, Season Five and Prayer of the Bone. —C.S.

Koch Vision

Wire in the Blood: The Complete Fifth Season Clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) has an extraordinary understanding of the criminal mind that enables him to empathize with both the victim and murderer. Street July 8, prebook June 10; four-disc set $56.98

Wire in the Blood: Prayer of the Bone After an accused rapist confesses to brutally slaughtering his family in a small Texas town, Dr. Tony Hill is called in as an expert witness. Street Aug. 5, prebook July 8; DVD $22.98

Ballet Shoes Emma Watson stars in this 2007 family film based on the novel by Noel Streatfeild about three orphans adopted by an eccentric explorer. Street Sept. 2, prebook Aug. 5; DVD $24.98

BBC orbits Earth programming

One of the biggest trends in releases from the U.K. right now is programming about the planet. “We’ve seen a surge in natural history,” says Burton Cromer, executive VP of consumer products for BBC Worldwide Americas. Besides being topical in that it supports taking responsibility for the health of the planet, such programming lends itself to the high-definition format. BBC Video’s next such release will be Earth: The Biography, which was shot in high-definition and will be released on Blu-ray as well as standard-definition DVD. BBC also has more releases coming from the comedy and action genres, including the comedy series Spaced: The Complete Series, for which Fox has a pilot in development, and Sensitive Skin: Complete First and Second Seasons, along with the next season of the top-rated BBC America action/adventure series Robin Hood. —C.S.

BBC/Warner

Earth: The Biography (DVD $29.98, BD $39.99) This series reveals how the volcanoes, ocean, atmosphere and ice have shaped the landscape, climate and history of our planet; Spaced: The Complete Series (three-disc set $49.98) Starring Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead, Son of Rambow), this edgy comedy show is a cross between The Simpsons, The X-Files and Northern Exposure and features commentary from Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone and others. Both street July 22, prebook June 17

Robin Hood: Season Two The legend of Nottingham is back for a second season in the series starring Jonas Armstrong, Lucy Griffiths, Sam Troughton and others. Street July 29, prebook June 23; five-disc set $79.98

Sensitive Skin: Complete First and Second Seasons Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) stars as a 60-year-old woman who struggles with sexual temptation, jealousy and a fear of the future in this dark comedy series. Street Aug. 5, prebook July 1; two-disc set $29.98

British Purchasing Guide May-September 2008

Swapping gender roles

More releases fall from Acorn

Ballet Shoes dances to DVD

BBC orbits Earth programming

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