Out on18th March on DVD and Blu-ray: the fifth season from Downtown Abbey

Downton Abbey Season 5 features returning stars Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Robert James-Collier, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Lily James, Brendan Coyle, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera, Samantha Bond, Ed Speleers, Kevin Doyle, Raquel Cassidy, Davd Robb, Tom Cullen, Julian Ovenden, Daisy Lewis, Douglas Reith, Jeremy Swift, and Andrew Scarborough.

This acclaimed ensemble is joined by guest stars Harriet Walter (Atonement), reprising her role as Lady Shackleton, and Peter Egan (Death at a Funeral), who returns as Lord Flintshire, together with completely new characters played by Richard E. Grant (Girls), Anna Chancellor (The Hour), and Rade Sherbedgia (24).

Set in 1924, the fifth series sees the return of our much loved characters in the sumptuous setting of Downton Abbey. As they face new challenges, the Crawley family and the servants who work for them remain inseparably interlinked. A new Labour government heralds changes that are being felt throughout the land, and life at Downton is not untouched. Robert, Mary and Branson together must navigate these shifting sands to ensure the future of the estate for generations to come. As Branson finds himself playing a more crucial role at Downton than ever before, he can’t help questioning his place in this world. Mary is finally coming to accept that she would like to marry again, but will she ever be able to find the same happiness that she had with Matthew? Meanwhile with still no news of her beloved Gregson, Edith suffers under the burden of her terrible secret.

Downstairs, the servants are starting to consider what effect social changes may have on their working lives. While Daisy’s mind is opened to new possibilities, Mrs Patmore views such new and uncertain paths with trepidation. Anna and Bates have weathered many storms and are finally starting to plan their future. But with so much painful history, will they ever be able to completely move on, or will past secrets once again threaten their chance of ever finding happiness?

Milla Jovovich is in final negotiations to star in In the Lost Lands, a fantasy-adventure project based on short stories by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.

Shameless actor Justin Chatwin is also on board the feature, which is to be directed by German director Constantin Werner (The Pagan Queen), who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. 

The film will be a Germany-Canada co-production and is planning to begin shooting in Germany in the last quarter of 2015.

Myriad will handle worldwide sales on the film, and will introduce the project to buyers at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin. Steve Hoban (Splice, Ginger Snaps), Oliver Luer (The Pianist, Valkyrie) and Nico Bruinsma (Cult Epics) are producing. Myriad’s Kirk D’Amico will serve as an executive producer on the film.

Lost Lands interconnects three female-centric Martin short stories, according to Myriad: In one thread, the desperate queen of a city built into a towering mountain hires the sorceress Gray Alys (Jovovich) to travel into the ghostly wasteland called the Lost Lands, to obtain the gift of shape-shifting into a werewolf, but she doesn’t realize that the fulfillment of her wish will come at a terrible price.

Meanwhile, warrior girl Sharra must fight a dragon that serves as the gatekeeper of seven worlds to reunite with her lost lover Kaydar. During this quest she meets the mysterious lord of a deserted castle, Laren Dorr, who seduces her so completely that she forgets her quest and stays with him, unaware that he is the real gatekeeper.

And in the futuristic tale Bitterblooms, a young barbarian girl gets spellbound by a lonely witch in a spacecraft, who shows her beauty and love, which turns out to be a net of lies and deceit.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The fourth season from Rizzoli & Isles is out on Warner on 4th March.

A drama that zeros in on two disparate gal-pal crimefighters from Boston, assertive detective Jane Rizzoli and steady medical examiner Maura Isles. Hailing from very different economic backgrounds, the strong, competent women effectively work together to solve the city's most puzzling crimes.

Deep in the eerie forest lies a mysterious entity waiting to defy nature in a beguiling new psychological sci-fi thriller. Exposing its sinister purpose, the deadly alien invasion on humanity is born in The Device, coming to DVD from Image Entertainment on 23 March 2015. 

Inspired by classic abduction cases writer and producer John Portanova (The Invoking) skillfully plays on the intrigue of the unknown. Starring Angela DiMarco (Trauma), David S. Hogan (Shadowed) and Kate Alden (The Right Place), The Device DVD features an audio commentary by the screenwriter of Fire in the Sky and Intruders, two of the most popular alien abduction films ever. 

When two sisters find a harmless looking object in the woods, they cannot know to what extent it will change their world – and ours – forever. The small, sphere – mysterious, seductive, enticing – conveys a message, a deep, profound biological message, that will reshape our world, recasting relationships with the universe beyond our wildest dreams and worst nightmares. 

t’s been a long, strange trip for Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya, the Swedish-Malawian duo behind The Very Best’s exuberant global pop. One which crosses continents as well as musical genres. It’s also a trip, according to Johan, with no end in sight. “We’re constantly evolving,” he says with a laugh. “Not just in the sense that we’re trying to change our sound. But we're constantly on a new journey which colours the music we make.”

This particular journey began in October 2013, following a performance at Malawi’s Lake of Stars festival when Johan stayed on in the capital Lilongwe to record some demos. Initial sessions were promising, but to really move ahead Johan felt they needed a change of scene. “When we were ready to get into writing and production we wanted to get away from Lilongwe and city life,” he says. “We found a house about five hours drive from the capital in a village called M'dala Chikowa. It was an amazing experience recording there, especially because the community is half Christian, half Muslim. In a world often divided between the West and the ‘other’ it was amazing to see people living in peace and harmony despite differences in religion and culture.”

Living and working in M'dala Chikowa also fed into the new record. Hearing that they were in town, local choirs and musicians would often turn up and perform for them, intrusions welcomed by the band who were keen to incorporate a new variety of acoustic and live instruments into their sound.

“This time we really wanted to make a record that could be played by a band,” says Johan. “Something really organic, so there’s not as many electronic instruments on Makes A King. 

 As well as the sounds of the lake, Johan and Esau again drew on a wide circle of contributors and guest artists. Local Malawian band Jerere can be heard sharing a joke with Esau on the infectious “Bilimankhwe” while anthemic single “Hear Me” is anchored by bass from Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio and Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal adds his trademark vocal power to “Umasiye”. Yet whether tapping into a vibrant house groove (“Sweka”) or summoning lilting pop harmonies (“Mwana Wanga”), Makes A King remains a southern African album at its heart, with Esau not afraid to reference Malawi’s recent issues with endemic poverty and political corruption.

“The songs are pretty diverse in terms of what’s being said,” admits Johan. “But it does get harder to ignore problems in the world. ‘Hear Me’ was a very personal song for Esau and he wanted to express his frustrations about the lack of progress in Malawi since independence. We’ve always felt our purpose in music is to be a positive force and Esau's voice touches people without going too deep into political issues. So Makes A King is about celebrating the positive and the negative in life – and striving to stay happy through it all.”

With Esau’s visa issues now resolved, The Very Best should at last be able to play live dates in the UK. “It feels amazing to think about playing UK shows after so many years of Esau not being able to tour here,” says Johan. “After all, our whole project began in east London. Hopefully 2015 will see us come full circle – back home to where it all started!”

Makes A King will be released 6th April on Moshi Moshi Records

soundcloud.com/theverybest/the-very-best-let-go