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The Great Consoler (Hyperkino Edition) - a moving, innovative Russian drama

Addressing the role a creative person should play in society, Kuleshov's drama is based on the jailing of American writer O. Henry. This Hyperkino edition adds copious background material.

 

Sherlock: Series 2 - the BBC's outstanding drama continues, just £12.99 on DVD

Series 2 of Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century sees a brilliant rejigging of two of his nemeses: Irene Adler and a gleefully lunatic Moriarty. Bendict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star.

It was a high-risk strategy, updating Sherlock Holmes to the 21st century. Principal objections? That a fog-bound 19th century London is crucial to the Holmes ethos, and the fact that a new Holmes franchise (with ...

 

Afterschool - a poised and unnerving school voyeurism drama, just £7.99 on DVD

Ezra Miller (a demonic presence in We Need to Talk About Kevin) stars in this provocative tale of teenage alienation that places age-old adolescent anxieties in a disorienting digital age.

 

Podcast: This is the Turksib crossing the border...

Graeme revisits a standout release of 2011 from the BFI - The Soviet Influence: From Turksib to Night Mail, which presents the Russian film Turksib next to five British documentaries that it influenced, including the evergreen Night Mail.

In this podcast Graeme looks at the fascinating recent BFI release, 'The Soviet Influence: From Turksib to Night Mail', which allies Viktor Turin's mighty 1929 film, Turksib, with a number of British documentaries...

 

This Land is Mine - Jean Renoir's film of life in occupied Europe, just £8.99

Charles Laughton gives one of the finest performances of his distinguished career in this powerful wartime story of a small town under Nazi occupation, says James Oliver.

As the second world war raged, Hollywood fought the good fight with a series of artful movies dramatising life in occupied Europe. This Land is Mine was Jean Renoir's contribution to the cycle: it's one of the bes...

 

Borgen - a gripping political thriller from the producers of The Killing

Described as 'the Danish West Wing' and featuring strong female characters, this is a compelling series about power, political intrigue and the media that fills the gap left by the Killing.

 

Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen's romantic homage to 1920s Paris, just 12.99

A magical romantic comedy starring Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris pays nostalgic tribute to the city of love. Happily, it's Woody without a foot placed wrong, says Peter Wild.

It’s refreshing that after a great many years, during which Woody Allen fans had to sometimes work quite hard to defend the reputation of the great man (Cassandra’s Dream had … uhm … a good performance from Tom Wi...

 

Happiness - surreal, silent Russian cinema in Hyperkino format

A cinematic folktale in which a poor peasant is sent out by his wife to find happiness. Exuding a spirit of continual cinematic invention, this is a rare treat of Russian silent cinema says Graeme Hobbs.

Released in 1935, described two years later in a regional newspaper as 'pernicious' and 'a libel against the Russian peasantry', forcing its withdrawal from circulation for more than 20 years, Aleksandr Medvedkin'...

 

By the Bluest of Seas - classic Russian cinema in Hyperkino format

This cinematic fairytale from 1936 finds two sailors shipwrecked on an island in the Caspian where both fall for the same girl. Graeme Hobbs is entranced.

'It's an amazing film. A salty, windy, sunny film. You don't seem to watch it or listen to it, you're simply absorbing it, like the blue sea air, gulp after gulp,' said film scholar Mark Kushnirov of Boris Barnet'...

 

Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine's powerful award-winning debut, just £10.99

Triple prize winner at the British Independent Film Awards, this hard-bitten directorial debut features amazing performances from Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman. See it, says Mike McCahill.

Dog-lovers be warned: actor Paddy Considine’s directorial debut opens with a man ferociously kicking his pet pooch to death. Astonishingly, this is Tyrannosaur’s idea of a hero. Alcoholic loner Joseph (Peter Mulla...

 

Theo Angelopoulos - An overlooked master of cinema dies aged 76

Theo Angelopoulos was sadly killed in a road accident whilst shooting his new film, The Other Sea. He leaves behind a highly impressive and individual body of work, examining the history of modern Greece.

Theo Angelopoulos, who sadly died in 2012, was one of the overlooked masters of modern cinema. A former critic, he trained at the famous IDHEC school in Paris, where he was profoundly influenced by the great film ...

 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - a masterful film of le Carré's novel, just £11.99 on DVD

This triumphant remake of le Carré's cold war tale sees Gary Oldman as Smiley leading an exemplary cast. Elegant cinematic solutions to complexity make this a must-see, says Milo Wakelin.

There can be few drama series more revered than John Irvin’s 1979 BBC adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and few actors more beloved than Alec Guinness, who delivered a career-crowning performance as the ...