"Director: John Sayles"

• Matewan | DVD | (02/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A little-known chapter of American labour history is brought vividly to life in this period drama from writer-director John Sayles. It's a fictional story about labour wars among West Virginia coal miners during the 1920s, but every detail is so right that the film has the unmistakable ring of truth. The tension begins when the Stone Mountain Coal Company of Matewan, West Virginia, announces a lower pay rate for miners, who respond by calling a strike under the leadership of a United Mine Workers representative (Chris Cooper). Proving strength in numbers, the miners are joined by black and Italian miners who initially resist the strike, and a fateful battle ensues when detectives hired by the coal company attempt to evict miners from company housing. Violence erupts in a sequence of astonishing, cathartic intensity, and Matewan achieves a rare degree of moral complexity combined with gut-wrenching tragedy. The film salutes a pacifist ideal while recognising that personal and political convictions often must be defended with violence. To illustrate this point, Sayles enlisted master cinematographer Haskell Wexler, who creates the film's authentic visual texture--a triumph of artistry over limited resources. The result is a milestone of independent filmmaking, and Matewan remains one of Sayles's finest achievements. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Sunshine State | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £13.20   |  Saving you £6.79 (51.44%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This critically acclaimed film from the legendary American director John Sayles is an intelligent and thought provoking drama that follows two women who return to their Florida hometown and are forced to deal with a variety of personal and practical issues...

• The Secret Of Roan Inish | DVD | (05/03/2007) from £16.16   |  Saving you £-6.17 (-61.80%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A gentle charming tale of a girl who is sent to live with her grandparents and discovers the myths and magic that have affected her family. A wonderful gem of a movie from the maestro of the US indie scene John Sayles..

• Eight Men Out | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Director John Sayles's 'Eight Men Out' explores one of the darkest moments in the history of baseball: 1919's infamous Black Sox scandal when eight players on the heavily favored Chicago White Sox agreed to throw the World Series. Based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book of the same name the film investigates why the players including the great 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson who many believe belongs in the Hall of Fame would purposely lose the most important game of their lives...

• Honeydripper | DVD | (22/09/2008) from £8.22   |  Saving you £7.77 (94.53%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It's 1950 and it's a make or break weekend for Tyrone Purvis (Danny Glover), the proprietor of the Honeydripper Lounge. Deep in debt, Tyrone is desperate to bring back the crowds that used to come to his place.

• Silver City | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £7.69   |  Saving you £12.30 (159.95%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An unsolved murder and political intrigue unfurl in a small town in Colorado.

• Limbo | DVD | (10/07/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  There are three unforgettable characters in John Sayles's contemporary adventure-drama set in Alaska. They are never seen but live only in a frontier diary found by teenager Noelle De Angelo (Vanessa Martinez). The life of the diary's narrator is much like everything in this movie: hanging in limbo. The first half of the film focuses on why men and woman turn to Alaska, a land still ripe with opportunity. A small town is at a crossroads, with its pulp mill and canning factory closed and new investors seeing different directions in which to take the area (one even boasts the state is the ultimate theme park). A local (Sayles regular David Strathairn) is just escaping his past, taking up commercial fishing again. He attracts a travelling nightclub singer (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in her best role in years) who struggles daily with her daughter Noelle. Like any good theme park, Limbo presents the threesome with an unexpected adventure. In the wilderness, the three relative strangers learn more about themselves than was ever possible in town. Sayles's usual craftsmanship creates a singular blend of drama and suspense with an ending designed to ruffle feathers. Not as accessible as his breakthrough hit Lone Star, Limbo is nevertheless a hearty film from one of America's best storytellers. --Doug Thomas

• John Sayles Collection | DVD | (23/04/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Lianna: The visionary writer-director behind such films as Passion Fish Lone Star and Sunshine State Oscar nominee John Sayles has been at the forefront of independant cinema for more than twenty years. In this moving and compassionate film Sayles presents a sympathetic realistic portrait of Lianna a young wife and mother who leaves her husband for another woman and embarks on a turbulent journey of self-discovery. Lianna must face the anger and confusion of her husband as well as the raised eyebrows of her community. But when her new lover also rejects her she faces the most difficult task of all: She must learn to love herself. The Return Of The Secaucus Seven: In this his directoria debut John Sayles looks at seven friends who reunite ten years after their radical college days for a dramatic poignant and revelatory weekend. Return of the Secaucus 7 inspired the later hit film The Big Chill and heralded the arrival of a brilliant new force in independant cinema. The Brother From Another Planet: In this offbeat fantasy tale Sayles takes a look through the eyes of a black extraterrestrial (Joe Morton) who crash-lands on Earth - in Harlem - and is taken in by the regulars of a local bar. The alien changes everyone he meets on his journey through the streets of Urban America. But can his message of brotherly love resonate with the intergalactic bounty hunters trying to track him down?

• AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS Volume 1 | DVD | (09/11/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  HALF NELSON (2006) Dir. Ryan Fleck Ryan Gosling (Drive) turns in a stunning, Oscar-nominated performance in the smart, moving and politically engaged HALF NELSON, winner of multiple Independent Spirit Awards and Official Selection at Sundance Film Festival 2006. Special features: Commentary, interview and audience Q&A with the filmmakers, outtakes, deleted & extended scenes. SUGAR (2008) Dir. Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden Boden and Fleck's powerful and ambitious follow-up to their startlingly assured feature debut, Half Nelson, SUGAR is an original and provocative portrait of the modern-day immigrant experience by two of America's most distinctive young filmmakers. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2008. Special features: Interviews with the directors and cast. DARK HORSE (2011) Dir. Todd Solondz Acclaimed writer/director Todd Solondz (Happiness) examines the loss of youth in this darkly hilarious comedy, featuring a cast led by Jordan Gelber (Boardwalk Empire), Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter) and Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby). BALLAST (2008) Dir. Lance Hammer A double prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival, BALLAST is a stunningly evocative story of personal catastrophe and communal redemption. Special features: Ballast Scene Development (36 mins) HONEYDRIPPER (2007) Dir. John Sayles The godfather of American independent cinema, writer/director John Sayles (Lone Star, City of Hope), brings the birth of rock ˜n' roll to life with electrifying effect, with Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) leading a stellar ensemble cast. Special features: Commentary with writer/director John Sayles.

• Silver City | DVD | (19/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  Corruption runs deep. American iconoclastic director John Sayles (Lone Star) takes aim at contemporary politics and corporate influence with more than a vague reference to George W. Bush and Republican politics in this neo-noir detective story. Grammatically challenged ""user friendly"" gubernatorial candidate Dicky Pilager has just launched a campaign for the citizens of the New West. But things take an unexpected turn when the taping of an environmental political advert ends up with Pilager reeling in a long-dead corpse. Enter his ferocious campaign manager Chuck Raven who hires an idealistic journalist turned rumpled private detective Danny O'Brien to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies. In the tradition of Chinatown and the great 'film noirs' Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption involving high-stakes lobbyists media conglomerates environmental plunderers and undocumented migrant workers.

• Silver City | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Vote early. Vote often. American iconoclastic director John Sayles (Lone Star) takes aim at contemporary politics and corporate influence with more than a vague reference to George W. Bush and contemporary Republican politics. Grammatically challenged user friendly gubernatorial candidate Dicky Pilager has just launched a campaign for the citizens of the New West. But things take an unexpected turn when the taping of an environmental political advert ends up with Pilager reeling in a long-dead corpse. Enter his ferocious campaign manager Chuck Raven who hires an idealistic journalist turned rumpled private detective Danny O'Brien to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies. In the tradition of Chinatown Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption involving high-stakes lobbyists media conglomerates environmental plunderers and undocumented migrant workers.

• Matewan | DVD | (11/02/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Sayles' masterpiece is one of the great films of American independent cinema. Oscar-nominated for cinematography the film is staged in the classic western tradition. The story concerns the small mining community of Matewan West Virginia and is set during the 20's. When the Stone Mountain Coal Company announces a cut in wages the miners response is strike action. A train arrives in town bringing black and Italian workers to replace them but on that same train is Joe Kenehan a union organiser whose aim is to unite all the diverse groups of workers to stand together. The bosses next move is to bring in some hired `muscle to keep the peace. As the tension and violence escalates the stage is set for a final showdown.