New documentary releases on dvd and Blu Ray for October 2014

AMERICAN ARTIFACT: THE RISE OF AMERICAN ROCK POSTER ART (E) 2009 BECKER, MERLE £12.99

Film looks at the rise of American rock poster art from its inception in the 1960s, where a poster was used to promote almost every show, to its continual importance and rise to today. Including interviews with over 30 artists talking about their own and others’ seminal work, this documentary tells the story of the underground movement and evolution of this rebellious art form.

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ANIMAL HOUSE OF BLUES (E) 2014 RICHARDSON,J/LEAKE,M £12.99Documentary about the 1978 college comedy ‘Animal House’. Focusing on the contributions of American author and countercultural figure Ken Kesey and blues and soul singer-songwriter Curtis Salgado, the film goes beyond the primary crew to tell a much broader story of the production and details the influences and legends behind it.

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CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE (12A) 2014 RINGEL, G P/SCHMIDT, E £14.99Feature documentary about the history of some of the world’s most famous landmarks. The documentary examines six prominent cultural cathedrals – the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Library of Russia, Halden Prison, the Salk Institute, Oslo Opera House and the Centre Pompidou. Meanwhile, the acclaimed film-makers – Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin and Karim Ainouz – discuss the idea that these buildings are demonstrations of human belief and action and might actually have souls of their own.

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CIRCLE THE WAGEN (E) 2013 GREEN, RYAN STEVEN £12.99Road trip documentary that follows two friends and their journey along Route 66 in a troublesome, deteriorating, 1972 Volkswagen van. Despite facing numerous obstacles on their adventure, the two automotive novices are helped along their way by a team of vintage camper van experts, who battle to save ‘The Croc’ and send their new friends on their voyage to California.

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FILMED IN SUPERMARIONATION (PG) 2014 LA RIVIÈRE, STEPHEN £14.99Documentary about the puppet and animation techniques devised and utilised by husband and wife production duo Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

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FINDING VIVIAN MAIER (12) 2013 SISKEL,C/MALOOF , J

DVD – £17.99 BLU RAY – £21.99

Critically acclaimed documentary about a mysterious nanny who spent all her spare time taking photographs. Decades after her death over 100,000 of her photographs were discovered in storage lockers and she is now being acclaimed as one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers.

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HIT AND STAY (E) 2013 TROPEA,J/CYZYK, S £10.99With contributions from Bill Ayers, Noam Chomsky, Ramsey Clark and Amy Goodmanthe film looks at Catholic activists who took a stand against the Vietnam War.

The film shows how the groups, (The Catonsville Nine and The Baltimore Four), labelled the ‘Catholic Left’, influenced subsequent political protest movements.

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THE LAST IMPRESARIO (E) 2013 OTTO,GRACIE £15.99Documentary about the life of film and theatre producer Michael White. The documentary explores the man behind productions such as ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (1975) and ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ (1975) through archive footage, past performances and interviews with famous friends including Kate Moss and Barry Humphries.

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LIVING WITH CANCER: CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS (E) 2014 £12.99Film focussing on the impact of cancer on the lives of caregivers. The feature documents the social and psychological impact cancer can have on the lives of those caring for sufferers of the disease. As well as offering tales of their experiences, those afflicted also give advice to others in a similar position seeking medical guidance and support.

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SACRO GRA (15) 2013 ITALY ROSI, GIANFRANCO £17.99This documentary tells the story of the Grande Raccordo Anulare. The highway that encompasses the Italian city of Rome. Built in 1948 the GRA was designed to give inhabitants of the region easy access to the city and remains, to this day, one of the busiest roads in Italy being used by around 160,000 vehicles each day.

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TIME IS ILLMATIC (E) 2014 ONE9 £15.99Documentary detailing the creative process and cultural significance of American rapper Nas’s highly-praised and seminal 1994 album ‘Illmatic’. The film includes contributions from Nas himself, as well as Busta Rhymes and Alicia Keys among others, to gain an insight into the album’s creation, its ongoing influence in the rap scene, and its thematic content.

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WATERMARK (E) CANADA BAICHWA,J/BURTYNSKY, E      £22.99Canadian documentary by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky. Recorded in a variety of locations around the world, the film explores the history of water and the varying uses to which mankind have put it over time.