The Month’s Top UK Releases: June 2011

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Released 6th June:

127 Hours:

Format: Blu-ray (Double Play)/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: James Franco (Spider-Man), Kate Mara (Shooter), Amber Tamblyn (The Ring)

Based upon the true story of Aron Ralston, 127 Hours tells the tale of one mans epic struggle to survive; when he found himself trapped in a remote Utah canyon for over five days, with only the memory of loved ones for company.

Read our review of 127 Hours here. Or Watch the official trailer for 127 Hours here.

The Mechanic:

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Classification: R

Stars: Jason Statham (The Expendables), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma), Tony Goldwyn (Ghost), Donald Sutherland (The Eagle)

Arthur Bishop is an assassin; the best in his business; and begins to train the son of his latest victim out of guilt for having killed his father (Arthur’s best friend), but will the student find out? And was the cost of murdering a friend more than Arthur can bare?

Read our review of The Mechanic here, or find our interview with star Donald Sutherland here.

Taxi Driver:

Format: Blu-ray Classification:18

Stars: Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), Cybill Shepherd (Moonlighting)

Delivering the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence, Taxi Driver follows an ex-marine cab driver who becomes a self-appointed vigilante; viewing the world and an intolerable cesspool, and becoming the guardian of a local prostitute.

Gnomeo & Juliet:

Format: 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray (Double Play/DVD Classification:U

Stars: James McAvoy (Wanted), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Jason Statham (The Expendables), Michael Caine (The Italian Job), Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave), Julie Walters (Dinnerladies), Ashley Jensen (Extras)

An unusual yet inspired adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic love story Romeo and Juliet; following two garden gnomes from rival backyards, who fall deeply in love, and have to hide their forbidden affections from their feuding families.

The Fifth Element:

Format: Blu-ray Classification: PG

Stars: Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Chris Tucker (Rush Hour)

5,000 years in the future, with the Earth facing imminent destruction, a New York cabbie goes on an action-packed interstellar journey with the perfect woman, in order to find a set of stones representing the four prime elements, and activate a one-of-a-kind weapon to save all humanity.

Released 13th June:

True Grit:

Format: Blu-ray (Triple Play)/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: Jeff Bridges (Tron: Legacy), Hailee Steinfeld (She’s a Fox), Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men)

A Coen brothers’ remake of the 1969 John Wayne classic western, about a young girl (Steinfeld) who hires a surly drunken US Marshall (Bridges), and a hardened Texas Ranger (Damon), to help her track down her father’s killer (Brolin) in order to finally avenge his murder.

Paul:

Format: Blu-ray Steelbook (Triple Play)/Blu-ray (Triple Play)/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet), Jason Bateman (The Switch)

Two sci-fi super-nerds play a dream vacation that includes a trip to Comic-Con, UFO spotting, and a drive to Area 51, where they meet an escaped alien named Paul; a 4 foot tall, diamond eyed, large headed, surly, foul-mouthed alien; who’s trying to get home, and help him on his way.

Apocalypse Now:

Format: Blu-ray Classification: 15

Stars: Martin Sheen (The Way), Marlon Brando (The Godfather), Robert Duvall (Deep Impact), Dennis Hopper (Waterworld)

Often hailed as the greatest war movie ever made, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now showcases the horrors of the Vietnam War, as a Captain is sent on a dangerous and secretive mission to kill a renegade Colonel who has reverted to a state of murderous insanity.

Released 20th June:

The Fighter:

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: Mark Wahlberg (The Other Guys), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Amy Adams (Enchanted), Melissa Leo (21 Grams), Jack McGee (Rescue Me)

Based upon the incredible true story of boxer ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, The Fighter tells the tale behind the historic fights; with family turmoil often overshadowing the grueling bouts and hardship Micky endured; in a movie that we referred to as the best film of the year in 2010.

Read our review of The Fighter here. Or Watch the official trailer for The Fighter here.

Released 27th June:

No Strings Attached:

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Ashton Kutcher (What Happens in Vegas), Kevin Kline (Wild Wild West), Cary Elwes (Saw)

From the director of Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman), No Strings Attached follows two plutonic friends who enter into a purely sexual relationship; with rules in place to ensure that they never grow too romantically attached; but asks the question, can sex friends stay best friends?

Watch the Red Band trailer for No Strings Attached here.

Season of the Witch:

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Classification: 15

Stars: Nicholas Cage (National Treasure, Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Claire Foy (Going Postal), Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire)

A group of 14th century crusading knights are tasked with transporting a girl who is suspected of being a witch to a monastery, where the monks deduce that her destructive powers could be the cause of the black plague that has been ravaging the country.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – The Extended Edition:

Format: Blu-ray Classification: 12

Stars: Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence), Elijah Wood (Flipper), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean), Ian McKellen (X-Men)

Relive the epic fantasy tale of Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the rest of the fellowship of the ring, with the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which are being released for the first time on Blu-ray ; with a newly designed slipcase, superb quality remasters of each film, and over 26 hours of extras.


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Matt Wheeldon is the Founder, and Editor in Chief of Good Film Guide. He still refers to the cinema as "the pictures", and has what some would describe as a misguided appreciation for Waterworld.