If you dont watch many Russian films, this is the one to get. Harsh, stark, gritty, sad and uplifting. For all its bitterness, it retains an innocence.
Lilya 4 Ever
on DVD
(2002) Starring:Liliya Shinkaryova, Lyubov Agapova, Artiom Bogucharski Director:Lukas Moodysson Certificate: Watch now: Unavailable
Controversial drama from director Lukas Moodysson, about a young girl abandoned by her family. Living in the poverty-stricken former Soviet Union, Lilya (Oksana Akinshina) descends into a spiral of drink, drugs and prostitution, befriending suicidal teenagers and falling further into a dark and ..read more »
Five Easy Pieces
on DVD
(1970) Starring:Susan Anspach, Fannie Flagg, Karen Black Director:Bob Rafelson Certificate:
A disaffected man seeks a sense of identity in one of the key films of Hollywood's 1970s New Wave. Once a promising pianist from a family of classical musicians, Bobby Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson, in his first major starring role) leads a blue-collar life as an oil rigger, living with needy ..read more »
Into the Wild
on DVD
(2007) Starring:Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt Director:Sean Penn Certificate:
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Mirror Mask
on DVD
(2005) Starring:Rob Brydon, Gina McKee, Jason Barry Director:Dave McKean Certificate:
Written by acclaimed comic book writer Neil Gaiman and directed by his frequent illustrator Dave McKean, this fantasy adventure follows Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), a 15-year-old girl whose parents are circus performers, and who wishes that she could run away from home to join the real world. When ..read more »
Not a classic, but psychological, well shot, and rewarding. One from left-field.
Plain Dirty
on DVD
(2001) Starring:Arie Verveen, Dominique Swain, Karen Allen Director:Zev Berman Certificate:
A modern thriller from the producers of 'Cabin Fever'. Inez Macbeth (Dominique Swain) is a young girl who struggles to handle a myriad of life issues, including her abusive husband (Henry Thomas), unsolicited passes from an admirer (Arie Verveen) and a fling with the man (James Urbaniak) she thinks ..read more »
Absolutely mesmerising from start to finish. Blatty is a genius!
The Ninth Configuration
on DVD
(1981) Starring:Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller Director:William Peter Blatty Certificate: Watch now: Unavailable
Appointed by the Pentagon to work at a remote military psychiatric hospital known as 'Centre Eighteen', unorthodox psychiatrist Colonel Hudson Kane (Stacy Keach) is faced with a number of patients whose mental breakdowns are seemingly unrelated to their army experiences. Chief among them is ..read more »
Argento... crazy Argento. This film is chaotic brilliance.
Phenomena
on DVD
(1985) Starring:Fiorenza Tessari, Mario Donatone, Francesca Ottaviani Director:Dario Argento Certificate: Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
Un-cut version of Dario Argento's gore-fest, originally released in America as 'Creepers'. Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) is the new girl at school, taunted by her classmates and unnerved both by her stern headmistress and the fact that a series of murders has recently taken place. However, ..read more »
Magnolia
on DVD
(1999) Starring:Philip Baker Hall, April Grace, Phillip Seymour Hoffman Director:Paul Thomas Anderson Certificate: Watch now: Unavailable
Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed ensemble drama starring, among many others, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The lives of various inhabitants of Los Angeles and San Fernando valley intersect when dying television producer Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) seeks a reconciliation ..read more »