After months of rumour, tantalising tit-bits and many respective fingers crossed, it has been confirmed today that cult British film director Shane Meadows, will be making his first foray TV drama, with a drama series continuing of the story begun in his award winning and critically acclaimed film 'This Is England'.

The drama, to be called We Were Faces , which will pick up the story in 1987, some four years after the end of the story in the film, will be screened on Channel 4 in 2010 as part of a shake up of their schedules in the wake of the cancellation of the ratings free faller Big Brother.

We for one already can't wait to see it, and we commend Channel 4 for having the nouse to commission this work in what promises to be one of the TV highlights of 2010.

Labels: Big Brother, Shane Meadows, This Is England, We Were Faces

Sifting through this weeks crop of contemporary DVD releases, we've come up with some recommendations for you.

In the UK, our pick of the DVD releases on 20th October 2008 :



Smalltime. Shane Meadows' debut feature (56 mins). This DVD has been promised for a long time but previously unavailable due to wrangling over the rights to its release, and was only briefly released on VHS. The film itself shows plenty of Meadows' loose directing style and even looser acting alongside some a similarly relaxed cast. This is a genuinely odd little film which has odd elements akin to a student project, alongside some shocks with Meadows customary bite.

Update: Smalltime has been taken off the release schedules again. More news when we have it.

Killer Of Sheep. Charles Burnett's film that chronicles the life of a slaughterhouse worker. BFI have thankfully given this landmark film a release for a new generation to witness. Also released this week is his later film My Brother's Wedding, another film we'd highly recommend.

The Short Films Of David Lynch. Without doubt one of the greatest talents in modern cinema. These short films ranging from 1967 to 1995 really underline both the diversity and downright strangeness taking place in his art.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the UK include: Band Of Thieves; Orphee; Season Of The Witch; Eraserhead; Leaving Las Vegas; Complete History Of My Sexual Failures; What?; The Joseph Losey Collection; The Horses Mouth; My Brother Wedding and Sisters.

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the UK include: Lost Series 4; Pride and Predjudice; Casino Royale (Deluxe Edition); James Bond Blu-Ray Collection Vol.1; Reservoir Dogs; The Red Desert; 28 Days Later; 28 Weeks Later; The Omen Trilogy; Alien Vs Predator; Aliens Vs Predator - The Requiem; The Hills Have Eyes; and The Hills Have Eyes 2.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the UK include: The Dangerous Brothers; The Unit Series 3; My Name Is Earl Series 3; Dirty Sexy Money Season 1; Dear Ladies (Hinge & Bracket) Complete Series 2; London's Burning Series 9; That Mitchell And Webb Look Series 2; Follyfoot Series 3; The Passion; Rumpole Of The Bailey Series 1-7 Complete and V The Complete Series.

A full list with further details and an exclusive store for October 2008 releases can be found at the alt-flix October 2008 releases site .

In the USA, the pick of the DVD releases on 21st October 2008 are:



Flight of the Red Balloon Inspired by Albert Lamorisse's classic beautiful 1956 Oscar Winning extended short The Red Balloon about a boy and his balloon. Director Hou Hsiao Hsien expands the main elements of the original to include the child's mother, Suzanne (Juliette Binoche) and Song (a Tawainese student) who is hired to help care for the boy.


Six in Paris. In 1965 six new wave directors were asked to submit short films about Paris for a new project, this magnificent collection was the result. Includes films by Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Goddard, Claude Chabrol, Jean Douchet, Jean Rouch and Jean-Daniel Pollet.

Eclipse Series 13-Kenji Mizoguchi's Fallen Women . Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi's (Sansho the Bailiff) four film collection themed around the plight of women in the male dominated Japanese society. Includes Osaka Elegy, Sisters of the Gion, Women of the Night and Street of Shame. Each of them are amazing films and way ahead of the times.

The best of the rest of DVDs released this week in the USA include: The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition); Mondays in the Sun; Casino Royale (40th Anniversary Edition); The Strangers; Missing; The Lazarus Project; The Last Man on Earth - In COLOR; Up in the World and Casino Royale (Three-Disc Collector's Edition).

The recommended Blu-ray releases this week in the USA include:Incredible Hulk; Sweeney Todd; Halloween; Casino Royale (Collector's Edition, 2 discs); Kiss of the Spider Woman; Red Desert; The Breed; James Bond Blu-ray Collection Six-Pack and The Strangers.

The recommended TV releases (all formats) this week in the USA include:Family Guy, Vol. 6; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series; Family Guy - The Complete Collection; Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith; Route 66 - The Complete Second Season; Knight Rider: The Complete Series; The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 BBC TV Version) and
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series.

Other recommended new DVD releases can be found on our site at alt-flix.co.uk DVD releases.

Labels: David Lynch short films, Shane Meadows, Smalltime

The official site for Somers Town Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, which is due for release in the UK on 22nd August, has now got its own official site at www.somers-town.com.

The official Somers Town site includes the film trailer, a synopsis of the film, news and reviews of the film, some beautiful stills from the movie and also some equally beautiful music from the forthcoming soundtrack CD by longtime Meadows contributor Gavin Clark.

It looks for all the world to be another excellent movie by Shane Meadows and certainly we can't wait for it's release on 22nd August (actually we'll have to wait until 5th September till it reaches us out in the sticks).

To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs and soundtrack CD) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to the Shane Meadows official site.

Labels: Shane Meadows, Somers Town

The trailer for Somers Town Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, has just been made available on Shane Meadows official site. The film is due for limited release in the UK on 26th August, and has already picked up the prestigious Michael Powell award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film stars young actor Thomas Turgoose, the brilliant young actor who made such an impact in Meadows' film This Is England. Judging by the trailer it looks like another Meadows masterpiece and we here at alt-flix can't wait to see the film, in fact it will be the highlight of our summer.

Check out the trailer below and see if you agree.



To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to Shane Meadows offical site, which is still a very, very nice place indeed.

Labels: Shane Meadows, Somers Town

You wait all summer for a decent movie then two come along at once.

First up is the Coen brothers first movie since the success of the Oscar-laden No Country For Old Men. The new movie is called Burn After Reading, and it has been announced that the film will released in the cinemas on 12th September (in the USA) and 17th October (in the UK). The Burn After Reading trailer has been released over the net and can be seen here on the ToxicShock website.
From the trailer it looks reminiscent of the Coen brothers Fargo, which is one of our favourite Coen brothers films. All the signs are that the film will carry on the good work of No Country For Old Men, which was released after a run of three movies which seemed below the Coen's usual very high standard.

For more info on the Coen brothers (ot to buy their DVDs), go to our alt-flix Coen brothers guide.


A UK cinematic release for Shane Meadows' first film since This Is England, which is called Somers Town has just been announced as the 26th August. The film has already been a hit with the critics, and only a couple of weeks ago Somers Town picked up the prestigious Michael Powell award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The film stars young actor Thomas Turgoose, the brilliant young actor who was such a revelation in Meadows' This Is England, and it looks set to further establish Meadows as one of cinemas brightest and freshest directing talents (he's already our favourite).

To find out more about Shane Meadows (or buy some of his DVDs) go to our Shane Meadows guide, or to Shane Meadows offical homepage, which is a very nice place indeed.

Labels: Burn After Reading, Coen brothers, Shane Meadows, Somers Town