The Story of Film: An Odyssey

Raucous, DVD, DV, 5027626373344

$68.14 ex $74.95 inc

Documentary series, from director and film expert Mark Cousins, which takes an in-depth look at the evolution of movies, from their tentative first steps to the multi-million dollar bluster of modern blockbusters. Cousins' research takes him from Hollywood to Mumbai, with a brief detour through the remnants of Hitchcock's London, and includes interviews with a number of top directors and actors. Among those in the industry offering their thoughts on the history of film are: Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus van Sant, Lars von Trier, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale.

Patience: After Sebald

SODA, DVD, DV, 5060238030779

$29.95 ex $32.95 inc

Documentary about the life and work of the late author W.G. Sebald, directed by Grant Gee. Though born and raised in Germany, Sebald relocated to Britain in the 1970s to work at the University of East Anglia and a number of his books display the influence British life and the English countryside had upon him. The documentary draws on one of Sebald's most celebrated works, 'The Rings of Saturn', in which he describes at length a journey along the East Anglian coast, the people he meets and the memories it provokes. The film recreates elements of the walk and also talks to fellow artists who were influenced by Sebald, including Robert Macfarlane, Rick Moody and Tacita Dean.

Treme: Season 2

DAVID SIMON

ROAD SHOW, DVD, DV, 9325336131541

$36.32 ex $39.95 inc

Fourteen months have passed since Hurricane Katrina, but residents of the Crescent City are finding it harder than ever to rebuild their lives, much less hold on to their unique cultural identity. Some have become expatriates in distant cities. The insurance checks that never arrived for homeowners were followed by the bureaucratic nightmare that was the Road Home program, and a land-grab is underway as developers and disaster capitalists press their advantage. Crime and drug use are up, and corruption and graft are endemic, with civic institutions unable to counter any of it. And yet the culture of New Orleans somehow endures.

Bobby Fischer Against the World: Region 4

Madman Entertainment, DVD, DV, 9322225093706

$29.95 ex $32.95 inc

Genius. Recluse. Cold War Icon. Chess master Bobby Fischer was all this and more. The drama of Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable, from his troubled childhood to his rock star status as World Champion and Cold War poster child, to his life as a fugitive on the run. BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD explores one of the most infamous and mysterious characters of the 20th century.

The King's Speech: Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush - Region 4

TOM HOOPER

All Interactive, DVD, DV, 9324915087842

$27.23 ex $29.95 inc

Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

Woody Allen Collection: Region 4

REEL DVD, DVD, DV, 9397911253191

$95.45 ex $105.00 inc

Woody Allen is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. He has won three Academy Awards and been nominated a total of 21 times. Now, for the first time in New Zealand, all of Woody Allen's full-length theatrical features from 1994-2002 have been gathered to bring together The Woody Allen Collection. Featuring amongst others Bullets Over Broadway (1994) which garnered an Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for Dianne Weist and Mighty Aphrodite (1996) for which Mira Sorvino took home the same award.

Also included in this collection is Barbara Kopple's (direct of Shut Up & Sing) 1997 documentary Wild Man Blues shot during his '96 European Tour in which Allen and his jazz band played 18 concerts in 23 days.

Stars in the collection include: Woody Allen, John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Mira Sorvino, Helena Bohnam Carter, Edward Norton, Drew Barrymore, Billy Crystal, Judy Davis, Robin Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Jon Lovitz, Hugh Grant, Tracey Ullman, Tea Leoni, Debra Messing

FULL TITLE LISTING: Hollywood Ending Bullets Over Broadway Sweet and Lowdown Celebrity The Curse of The Jade Scorpion Deconstructing Harry Everyone Says I Love You Small Time Crooks Mighty Aphrodite Wild Man Blues

Babette's Feast: Region 4

Axel Gabriel

Kaleidoscope Film, DVD, DV, 5021456184835

$27.23 ex $29.95 inc

Artistic, sensual and sacred passions unite in Babettes Feast. On the desolate coast of Denmark live two sisters of a devout clergyman who preaches salvation through self-denial. Both girls sacrifice youthful passion to faith and duty, and even after their fathers death, they keep his austere teachings alive among the townspeople. But with the arrival of Babette, a mysterious refugee from Frances civil war, life for the sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Soon, Babette has convinced them to try something truly outrageous - a French feast! Babettes extraordinary gifts as a chef de cuisine and a true connoisseur, so characteristically French, breaks the towns distrust and superstitions, elevating them not only physically but spiritually. Old wrongs are forgotten, ancient loves are rekindled, and a mystical redemption of the human spirit settles over the dinner table.

Into the Abyss

Werner Herzog

Revolver Entertainment, DVD, DV, 5060018492971

$36.32 ex $39.95 inc

Werner Herzog's typically probing documentary examines the case of two death row inmates accused of murdering three people in order to steal their car. The film is based around extensive interviews with the two men convicted of the crime: Jason Burkett, who will be eligible for parole in 2041, and Michael Perry, who was executed by lethal injection eight days after Herzog interviewed him. Herzog also talks to friends and family of both the accused and the victims of the crime, as well as prison officials, the death row chaplain and the head of the team of law enforcement officers responsible for preparing prisoners to be executed.

Fantastic Mr Fox: Region 4

Wes Anderson

Twentieth Century Fox, DVD, DV, 9321337113043

$18.14 ex $19.95 inc

It is the story of one Mr. Fox and his wild-ways of hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try "just one more raid" on the three nastiest, meanest farmers that are Boggis, Bunce and Bean. It is a tale of crossing the line of family responsibilities and midnight adventure and the friendships and awakenings of this country life that is inhabited by Fantastic Mr. Fox and his friends.

Braquo: The Complete Season One - Region 2

Dir Olivier Marchal

ENTERTAINMENT ONE, DVD, DV, 5027035007755

$36.32 ex $39.95 inc

All eight episodes from the first season of Olivier Marchal's French police thriller series. The series follows a group of police led by Eddy Caplan (Jean-Hugues Anglade) who use violent and unorthodox methods in their criminal investigations. When this is brought to the attention of Internal Affairs, the department is faced with the difficult and dangerous task of exposing the group's methods and putting a stop to them. Meanwhile, Caplan and his colleagues attempt to discover who is responsible for smearing the reputation of their former leader who has committed suicide following spurious allegations of corruption. The episodes are: 'Max', 'La Ligne Jaune', 'La Tête Dans le Sac', 'L'Autre Rive', 'Loin Derrière la Nuit', 'Tarif de Groupe', 'Tangente' and 'Eddy'.

Howard's End: Region ALL

Dir James Ivory

Shock, DVD, DV, 5021456181575

$22.68 ex $24.95 inc

The dying Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave) wishes to leave her country home Howards End to Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson in an Academy Award-winning role) a modest woman of little means who will soon be forced out of her own home in London. But Ruth's husband Henry (Anthony Hopkins) an upper middle class businessman keeps secret her desire even after he and Margaret become friends. However after Henry and Margaret marry their class differences and philosophies threaten to cause them unhappiness.

Freud: 1962 - Region 2

Dir John Huston

Transition Digital Media, DVD, DV, 5030697020949

$27.23 ex $29.95 inc

Dramatisation of five years in the life of the vastly influential psychologist and inventor of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. The film follows Freud (Montgomery Clift) as he attempts to make his mark as a psychologist. Unusually for someone in his field at the time, Freud is prepared to try and treat hysterics and it is in dealing with such patients at his Vienna office that he begins to form the basis of his psychoanalytic theories. Using hypnosis in an attempt to get to the bottom of their affliction, Freud discovers a number of fixations in patients, including Cecily Koertner (Susannah York), which relate to sex and youthful memories. Freud duly begins to present his theories in an attempt to establish a new discipline of psychological care, but faces many detractors, not least his friend turned fiercest critic, Dr. Joseph Breuer (Larry Parks).

The Devils

Ken Russell, Ted Morley

BFI, DVD, DV, 5035673009406

$36.32 ex $39.95 inc

Ken Russell helms this graphic 1971 adaptation of a documented witchcraft case, which took place in France in 1634. Outspoken priest Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) finds himself accused of seducing a group of hysterical nuns while in demon form by Mother Superior Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave), who is obsessed with Grandier and driven into a fit of envy when he marries another woman. With the involvement of charismatic exorcist Father Barre (Michael Gothard), the affair turns into a sordid mass exorcism of the tainted convent. With much controversy surrounding its subject matter of religion combined with violence and sex, many cuts were made to the film in order for it to attain certification.

Oscar Wilde Collection: Region 2

Dirs Stuart Burge, John Gorrie, Rudolph Cartier, Tony Smith

, DVD, DV, 5014138301422

$45.41 ex $49.95 inc

BBC television adaptation of four Oscar Wilde dramas. Paul McGann stars in 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1986) about true love being derailed by mistaken identity. 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' (1976) sees Peter Firth play the eponymous dandy, whose portrait is ravaged by his degraded, sordid lifestyle, while he escapes without a mark. 'An Ideal Husband' (1969) stars Jeremy Brett as Lord Goring, an dillettante aristocrat who may be able to help a friend out of a crisis. Finally, 'Lady Windermere's Fan' (1985) stars Kenneth Cranham in a story of jealousy and infidelity in the upper strata of Edwardian society.

Minuscule: The Private Life Of Insects - The Complete Collection Region 4

Beyond Home Entertainment, DVD, DV, 9318500040404

$39.05 ex $42.95 inc

Come with us on a journey into the secret and magical world of insects. The bright and colourful characters will delight you as they go about their eccentric adventures. Mixing 3D animated characters with stunning real life locations, Minuscule is a series that children will enjoy again and again.