Such questions answered include ‘just why, exactly, is sex enjoyable’ – something that is sure to draw large viewing figures, and ‘what really would happen on earth if aliens attacked us’?

While these may be the sorts of questions that get asked down the pub, or asked by students while they sit around their dorms watching ‘Pingu’, the Discovery Channel aims to answer them properly, leaving no stone unturned.

Each episode of Curiosity takes one particular question and examines it thoroughly, looking for the definitive answer. Also, rather than students or blokes down the pub, Curiosity draws on the knowledge and reasoning power of some of the sharpest minds of our age, such as Professor Stephen Hawking, and stars from the world of stage and screen such as Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Other questions answered in this series include ‘Why do we dream?’, ‘Would you want to know how you were going to die?’ and the simple little question of ‘Is there a god?’.

If you’re curious about the way the world works, or if you just want to watch something seriously interesting, then you’ll want to catch Curiosity.

We all have our little eccentricities, our passions, and this short film titled ‘The Keeper’ is a funny little documentary about a man with a passion for collecting. However, unlike most people who ‘collect’ the man doesn’t seek out model trains, coins or even beer mats. No, this collection consists of debit card statements – which makes it the perfect little film for banking giant Santander.

I have to confess that, while I find this behaviour a tad odd, I could do with taking a leaf out of this man’s scrap book and storing all of my debit and credit card statements because, when it comes to doing my self-assessment, I can get into an awful mess trying to track down what payment was for what item. Plus, as someone with many visible obsessions and a passion for collecting, I can see where this collecting habit is coming from.

The short film was the MOFILM winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and was created for Santander by Chris Bailey and Jake Naish. MOFILM gives help to people who want to break into the film business by putting them in contact with some of the world’s biggest brands, who provide the financial backing for projects that would otherwise never have happened. This results in some truly delightful little films from some very talented filmmakers, all with a twist or a point to make.

What is really touching about this short film is that doesn’t attempt to ridicule the subject, or to make him a figure of fun – as so many genuine documentary programs currently airing in TV do so often.

Have a watch and see what you think of The Keeper.

VHSC, for those who are too young to remember, was a smaller version of VHS… VHS, for those who are too young to remember, was a tape based system we used to put in video recorders! The quality of the VHSC camcorder wasn’t great, and when it came to editing films together I was forced to use my parents’ twin deck VHS recorder – the height of technology once upon a time.

The results were fairly varied, as you couldn’t exactly mark-in with frame accuracy, and the start of each cut was greeted with a choppy bit of picture as the VHS rolled into action.

Not so nowadays of course. Now we have CDs, DVD recorders, Blu-Ray and digital editing software such as Avid and Premier. You can make broadcast quality movies from the comfort of your own bedroom with a little imagination, and some high spec kit.

Well, with that in mind my good friend, and co-collaborator on one of more ambitious projects, Eddie Keaton, spent a good many hours locked in his room at his computer mastering a DVD version of our film Cop on the Edge IX: Prelude to Justice. He used DVD authoring software to create the menus, the interactive video sequences and even added some hidden ‘Easter eggs’ for people to find. Then, using CD and DVD replication software he authored the DVDs to the standard that you can see above.

The result was glorious, even complete with a director commentary track which, as with all of the best commentaries, was recorded while drunk. Anyone who’s listened to one involving John Carpenter and Kurt Russell will know what I mean there.

Here’s to Cop on the Edge, and to technology… if only it had been invented 15 years earlier.

This week we at WhatDVD.Net travelled down to London, to the Soho Hotel, for a Q&A with Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais ahead of the DVD and Blu-Ray release of their feature film on August 30th, Cemetery Junction.

As is the case with most film screenings and Q&A sessions, everyone was liberally liquored up before hand to ensure that people were in the right spirits to ask questions, and that any answers given were taken in the right way. Ricky and Stephen even found the time to sign some pictures and DVDs that were left on their table (despite the explicit nature of one of the requests, which you’ll hear in the podcast).

During the Q&A the pair were asked the usual questions of what sorts of films inspired them to make Cemetery Junction and what projects would they be working on again, as well as the not so usual questions of whether Ricky receiving a bike for his birthday as a child was something of an extravagant present for someone living in the part of Reading where he resided. As it turned out it would have been extravagant, had he received one, but the person asking the question was in error.

Have a listen to the podcast where you’ll hear every question and answer, and check back here soon for the review of Cemetery Junction on Blu-Ray.

This is definitely the cheaper of the two past-times but what about those of us who are no longer happy with the humble DVD and who want some quality film excellence in our living rooms? Well for us it can still be a very expensive hobby to enjoy. Since Blu-Rays have appeared on the market, DVDs and DVD players have dropped in price significantly but the cost of Blu-Ray movies and Blu-Ray players have stayed around the same. If this is starting to ruin your movie night fun then here are a few ways to help you save money on Blu-Ray movies;

Ebay and Amazon

At both of these sites you’ll find Blu-Ray movies for a lot less than you will in the high street shops. It has to be remembered that not all movies will be found at a lower price but the majority can be so keep an eye out for those deals.

Start out by searching these websites for the best deals available, remember that there will be more than one seller selling these items so look around and compare the offers before you buy. You can also get great money off Amazon vouchers , as well as Ebay, so always see if you can find a discount before you purchase anything from these sites.

Use websites

Choose from the many free cash back websites out there to help save you money. One of the well known ones is ebates and this can help you to buy an item and then get some cash back a few days later.

Once you’ve looked around and found a great deal on Blu-Rays online it’s a good idea to then search for cash back websites and get an even better deal. You may find that they will offer you a percentage back on one of the websites you come across.

Comparison websites will also prove very successful as well. Sites such as moneysupermarket.com can help save you money and time by comparing a huge list of Blu-Rays at the click of a button and now you can even save money with the many discount codes they have on offer at the site. Make sure you check here before going shopping.

Local pawn shops

Due to Blu-Ray movies only being out for a short period of you may find that some people have decided to sell their and get some of the money back. Get down to your local pawn shop and search for the titles you’re after on Blu-Ray. They may be used but you’ll find that they are a great deal cheaper.

Follow these few ideas and you’ll find your favourite movies on Blu-Ray for a price that will mean you can buy a few for the price of just one in the shops. Just make sure you compare before deciding what to buy.

As some who used to make videos in the mid nineties, and even having the odd one shown on TV on programs such as ‘Takeover TV’, I know how difficult it used to be filming something with the VHS, VHSC and 8mm video cameras of the day. You were either left with the option of editing in camera, which meant you couldn’t do multiple takes and you always ran the risk of recording over the end of the previous scene, or you would have to edit afterwards via a VCR. This had its own pitfalls, as footage would degrade when you copied it to VHS, and the edits were rarely clean.

Of course, if you were lucky enough to have access to two and three machine edit suites (as I did later) you could make a much better job of it, but you still had the same problems of linear editing meaning you couldn’t revisit an edit and make changes. Once it was done, it was done – at least without some serious re-editing.

These days of course all that has changed, with software applications such as Adobe Premier, CD and DVD duplication systems and digital cameras, making home movies is a joy, and a simple one at that. Using DVD authoring software you can also redistribute your movies without any loss in quality too – another issue with using old video cameras.

If only I could convince my mates to dress up as Batman and Robin now!

You see, while the Cannes Film Festival may be a festival of elite filmmaking, it’s also set in Cannes in the South of France, in a place that even the French find tacky. Cannes is glitzy, it’s showbiz and it’s full of posers, as well as actors. You don’t actually have to be in the film business to take part, and you can mix with the celebrities by just showing a little blagging skill.

Here are some ways you can mingle with the Hollywood greats, swap stories with Brad Pitt and live like Jacques D’Azur.

1 – Become a film director
Now, you don’t actually have to make a film, or even write a script. You just need to make out that you have. You can become a film director at Cannes simply by wearing one of the Cannes badges, which you can get from their website by attending the festival. This badge will grant you access to the festival itself, and to the premiers (of which there are many, and they’re always filled with stars).

2 – Never pay for anything
Generally, food and other essentials in life cost money. In Cannes however they don’t have to. The best hotels will put on spreads, drinks and even assistance for film directors in the business – even if you’re not staying at them! With a little silky speech you can take advantage of this and dine in the best star filled hotels for free, every day. It’s not what you know, or who you know, it’s who they think you are!

3 – Keep accommodation costs down
Obviously you can’t be expected to stay in the hotels for free, that requires experienced blagging skills. So instead you can stay in one of the numerous nearby campsites. They’re very cheap, the weather is excellent and the transport service is first class. No one need know that you slept in a tent while you quiz them about their latest film.

4 – See as many films as you can
Incredibly, filmmakers at Cannes want you to see their films. They’re hoping to secure distribution rights, so you could be important. Therefore you should go to as many screenings as you can, meeting with directors and distributors, making contacts. The more people you meet, the better your time will be. Remember, these are the people who throw the parties in the evenings – the real place to meet the A-List stars. Plus, you never know, when you’re at a swanky party you could end up landing a role in a film just like Jacques D’Azur did when he was at the Carlton hotel. His career started in Cannes, purely by chance, yours could too!

5 – Take business cards
This is essential. You will need business cards to pick up your badge, to enter screenings and to chat with contacts. Take as many as you can afford to print, and if possible – take a few different types. You could be a journalist for a well known DVD reviews website (we know from experience), you could be a director or you could be a distributor. The more you have, the better your chances of successfully mingling with the stars.

If you follow these steps you should have a wonderful Cannes Film Festival this year. Maybe we’ll see you there?