DVD & Blu-ray: Ken Loach's THE OLD OAK (2023)

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Product Description: The final film from British master Ken Loach (Sorry We Missed You, Kes), The Old Oak is a deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope. The Old Oak is the last pub standing in a once thriving mining village in northern England, a gathering space for a community that has fallen on hard times. There is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope among the residents, but the pub and its proprietor TJ are a fond presence to their customers. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, a decisive rift fueled by prejudices develops between the community and its newest inhabitants. The formation of an unexpected friendship between TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara opens up new possibilities for the divided village.

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New on Blu-ray: THE SPIRIT OF '45 (2013) - Documentary

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Product Description: ”A powerful, unabashedly pro-socialist documentary of England’s postwar transformation from a working-class hellscape in the 1930s. Endemic poverty and Dickensian squalor are upended by Clement Attlee’s 1945 Labour Party landslide over the patrician Winston Churchill. What follows is the nationalization of the mines, railways, postal service — and the jewel in the crown, the National Health Service, which made medical care free of charge. THE SPIRIT OF ‘45 masterfully collages first-person accounts of prewar England with archival footage that exposes the disparity between everyday reality and the myth of the Greatest Empire on Earth.” –Karen Cooper, Director, Film Forum

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New on Blu-ray: Ken Loach's SORRY WE MISSED YOU (2019)

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Product Description: The British working class is once again the empathetic subject of Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, a wrenching, intimate family drama that exposes the dark side of the so-called “gig economy.” Ricky, a former laborer, and his home-attendant wife Abby—who lost their home in the 2008 financial crash—are desperate to get out of their economic distress. When an opportunity comes up for Ricky to work as his own boss as a delivery driver, they trade in their only asset, Abby’s car, for a shiny new white van and the dream that Ricky can work his way up to someday owning his own delivery franchise. But the couple find their lives are quickly pushed further to the edge by an unrelenting work schedule, a ruthless supervisor and the needs of their two teenage children. Capturing the sacred moments that make a family as well as the acts of desperation they need to undertake to make it through each day, this universal story is skillfully and indelibly told with unforgettable performances and a searing script by Loach’s long-time collaborator Paul Laverty.

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New on DVD and Blu-ray: I, DANIEL BLAKE (2016) - Criterion Collection

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Product Description: An urgent response to the political realities of contemporary Britain, this bracing drama from celebrated filmmaker Ken Loach takes a hard look at bureaucratic injustice and ineptitude through the eyes of an unassuming working-class hero. After a heart attack leaves him unable to hold a job, the widowed carpenter Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) begins a long, lonely journey through the Kafka-esque labyrinth of the local welfare state. Along the way, he strikes up a friendship with a single mother (Hayley Squires) and her two children, at the mercy of the same system after being evicted from their home. Imbued with gentle humor and quiet rage and conceived for maximum real-world impact, the Palme d Or winning I, Daniel Blake is a testament to Loach s tireless commitment to a cinema of social engagement.

Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

I, DANIEL BLAKE Trailers, Clips, Images and Posters

Directed by Ken Loach ("The Wind That Shakes the Barley"), the drama "I, Daniel Blake" tells the story of widower Daniel Blake (Dave Johns), a 59-year-old carpenter who lives according to his own common sense moral code. After a heart attack leaves him unable to work, he stubbornly decides to stand up and fight against the bureaucratic forces of the system that has failed him when he needed it most. Through his crusade he also transforms the lives of a struggling single mother (Hayley Squires) and her two children.

The cast also includes Dylan McKiernan, Briana Shann, Kate Rutter, Kema Sikazwe, Steven Richens and Gavin Webster. The film was a hit with the critics and won several awards including a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film of the Year, the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and the César for Best Foreign Film. It was also Loach's biggest success at the UK box-office as it sparked a heated social debate in the country.

The film opened in select theaters in the U.S. and via streaming platforms on June 2nd.

Find out more about the movie after the jump.

2016 Cannes Film Festival Winners

The winners of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival have been announced during the closing ceremony which provided plenty of surprises. Kirsten Dunst, Arnaud Desplechin, Katayoon Shahadi, Mads Mikkelsen, Laszlo Nemes, Vanessa Paradis, Valeria Golino and Donald Sutherland were part of the jury led by "Mad Max: Fury Road" director George Miller, and the process of selecting the winners was reportedly "exhausting". So, here are the winners:

• Palme d'Or: I, Daniel Blake by Ken Loach
• Grand Prize: It’s Only the End of the World by Xavier Dolan
• Best Direction: Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper) & Cristian Mungiu (Graduation)
• Best Screenplay: The Salesman by Asghar Farhadi
• Best Actress: Jaclyn Jose in Ma'Rosa by Brillante Mendoza
• Jury Prize: American Honey by Andrea Arnold
• Best Actor: Shahab Hosseini in The Salesman by Asghar Farhadi
• Honorary Palme: Jean-Pierre Léaud
• Caméra d'Or: Divines by Houda Benyamina
• Palme d'Or Short Film: Timecode By Juanjo Gimenez
• Short Film Special Distinction: The Girl Who Danced With The Devil by João Paolo Miranda Maria

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DVD & Blu-Ray: JIMMY'S HALL (2015)

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Product Description: In 1921, Jimmy Gralton's sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in an Ireland on the brink of Civil War. The Pearse-Connolly Hall was a place where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream….but above all to dance and have fun. As the hall grew in popularity its socialist and free-spirited reputation brought it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close.

A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns to Co. Leitrim from the US to look after his mother and vows to live the quiet life. The hall stands abandoned and empty, and despite the pleas of the local youngsters, remains shut. However Jimmy reintegrates into the community and sees the poverty, and growing cultural oppression, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He makes the decision to reopen the hall in the face of what they may bring….

Find out more about this product after the jump (order links, extras, trailer etc.)

In Theaters: TERMINATOR GENISYS, MAGIC MIKE XXL, FAITH OF OUR FATHERS, JIMMY'S HALL

This week, two new releases will battle for supremacy as the Independence Day weekend approaches. Both of them are sequels. Well, "Terminator: Genisys" is actually a sequel/reboot, while the other one, "Magic Mike XXL" is just a regular sequel. One must carefuly observe these details when talking about the complicated franchise business in Hollywood. Among the limited releases we have the faith-based drama "Faith of Our Fathers" and Ken Loach's Palme d'Or nominated film "Jimmy's Hall". Find out more about each movie after the jump.

Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.

JIMMY'S HALL Trailer, Clips, Images and Poster

Ken Loach's Palme d'Or nominated drama "Jimmy's Hall" makes its U.S. debut today, so here are the official trailer, clips, images and poster for the film. Barry Ward stars as Jimmy Gralton, a man who returns home to Ireland after ten years of exile in America. Witnessing the poverty and oppression endured by his countrymen, he decides to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation. The film also stars Simone Kirby, Francis Magee, Aileen Henry and Stella McGirl.

Check out the trailer, clips, images and poster after the jump.