Cemetary Junction

Creators of the hit UK TV shows The Office and Extras, Golden Globe winning comedian Ricky Gervais and writing partner Stephen Merchant created their first feature-film together with Cemetery Junction, a coming-of-age tale set in 1970’s Reading. The film, available August 17 on DVD, follows three high school friends who are coming to terms with the way the world works. This includes quarrels with their parents, conflicting attitudes about leaving their hometown, and a burgeoning curiosity for alcohol and girls. The film stars newcomers Tom Hughes, Christian Cooke, and Tom Doolan as teenagers struggling with their goals and identities, while being coaxed by their parents and other adults to grow up and become more responsible.

It is a classic plot that boasts a familiar coming-of-age story, but the 1970’s backdrop and the warm attachment to the characters give it a refreshing quality. This humorous drama showcases the writing of Gervais and Merchant which made The Office so funny, but it also captures other emotions that make it both witty and uplifting. It also possesses hints of an autobiographical narrative, both with the incorporation of the 1970’s timeline and the setting taking place in Gervais’s hometown.

Dorian Gray

Two talented British actors, Ben Barnes and Colin Firth, bring to life the dark tale of Dorian Gray, on DVD August 24. Director Oliver Parker (The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband) takes on his third adaptation of an Oscar Wilde novel with Dorian Gray. Many scenes from the film were shot on location around London. The plot follows a handsome young man named Dorian played by Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) who arrives in London during the Victorian Era. Dorian comes to London after inheriting the estate of a deceased grandparent, and possessing both good looks and money, he is recruited by painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) to sit for a portrait. Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), an extremely influential and hedonistic man who runs in upper society circles sees the portrait and is entranced by young Dorian’s beauty. He takes Dorian under his wing and teaches him that beauty and pleasure are the most valuable pursuits.

The classic struggle between virtue and vice riddles the story, as Dorian becomes increasingly interested in maintaining his physical appearance, even at the expense of his soul. He continues to engage in debauchery, plunging deeper and deeper into patterns that he cannot reverse. While he commits unthinkable acts, Dorian's beautiful exterior remains untainted. It is instead his portrait which shows the signs of corruption and greed that mimic his behavior.

The backdrop of London in the Victorian era fuels Dorian’s pursuits, as it is a bustling metropolis in the age of industrialization which brings easy access to drink, prostitutes and drugs. As Dorian becomes frustrated with the portrait’s changing exterior and even more troubled by his own paranoia, he attempts to undo the damage he has inflicted on his soul throughout his life. He soon realizes that an indulgent lifestyle has left him in a circumstance he wants nothing but to escape