I don’t really talk about imports at Amazon USA very often, since usually you can get a better deal buying them from the Amazon in the country of origin.

When it comes to Australia though, there is no Amazon there to make life easy for us.

It appears that some upcoming Australian releases from Icon have been listed at Amazon, due roughly a week after the Australian release.

The titles cover both international art house titles and New Zealand / Australian titles, all of which seem unlikely to get a US release soon, if ever.

Down under movies include The Piano, Once Were Warriors and Eagle vs. Shark, while Amelie, Emma, Scoop, The Motorcycle Diaries and Rules of Attraction add international flavour.

I am hoping that Amelie will finally be a good quality release with English subtitles!

The prices range from $23.99 to $27.99, so while they are not cheap, they are still in line with new US releases - not too bad for import titles.

I see at Amazon UK that Optimum Entertainment has just listed dozens of new titles, including many Luc Besson titles and other art house films.

From Luc Besson, watch for Subway, The Big Blue, Atlantis, Nikita, Leon, Le Dernier Combat and Angel-A from Optimum on September 14th, 2009.

Other French classics in the list include La Haine on August 17th, Belle De Jour on September 28th and Le Mepris also on September 28th, 2009.

I am also excited to see listings for The Dam Busters on July 20th, Angel Heart on August 17th, This Is Spinal Tap on September 7th, and both The Elephant Man  and Ran  on September 28th.

I have no idea what the quality of these titles will be like or what the Region Coding will be, but needless to say, Optimum is heavily investing into their Blu-ray catalogue this year and I for one am excited!

I have good news for fans of the documentaries made by German director Werner Herzog.

Revolver Entertainment has scheduled Werner Herzog - Encounters in the Natural World Boxset for Blu-ray release on August 31st, 2009.

This will be a 5 movie set that includes the films Encounters at the End of the World, Grizzly Man, White Diamond, La Soufriere & Flying Doctors of East Africa.

The Amazon UK price of £40.39 makes this an excellent deal - just over £8 per movie.

Animation fans will be pleased to hear that DreamWorks Animation’s latest theatrical release Monsters vs. Aliens has been slated for Blu-ray release in Germany.

Expect Monsters vs. Aliens from Paramount Home Entertainment on November 19th, 2009 - just in time for the holiday season.

Naturally we can expect there to be a US release in the same time frame…

Ok, this is one I have been really waiting for!

Watch for Hot Fuzz from Universal Pictures UK on July 27th, 2009.

No word on Shaun of the Dead yet but I have my fingers crossed.

I will certainly be importing these if Universal Studios does not release them locally…

I see a few interesting new listings for the UK.

Watch for Ghostbusters from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on June 15th, 2009.

Van Helsing has been listed by Universal Pictures UK, scheduled for April 7th.

Also watch for Revolutionary Road from Paramount Home Entertainment on June 29th.

South Pacific has a different distributor in the UK - watch for this from 2 Entertain Video on June 15th.

Just a personal aside - I am sure that some have noticed a posting slow down this week.

Those who follow me on Twitter will be aware that my previous day job evaporated and I have been seeking new employment, since sadly the website far from covers the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The good news is that I secured a new job today with a nice increase to boot - however I expect this will mess with my routine somewhat.

So the erratic posting may continue until I am settled in my new schedule.

I am also working on a new version of the site code and am considering making this public early for the keen folks amongst you to beta test.

If there is enough interest in comments, I will put a pointer to the new site version on the forum and open a discussion there.

Have a great weekend!

I see a number of interesting European releases listed recently.

Look out for Time Bandits in Germany from Koch Media GmbH on May 29th, 2009.

In France there are a number of new alternate offerings.

Expect Luc Besson movies Nikita, The Fifth Element and Leon from Paramount Home Entertainment on June 11th, 2009.

Not sure about English language support on Nikita, though Leon (known in the US as The Professional) is likely to be a all region alternative to the Region B German release.

Expect Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla from Universal Studio Canal Video on May 26th, 2009.

This could be an improvement over the local Warner release which was squeezed onto a BD25, though it is hard to say for sure…

Also,  Traffaut’s Les 400 coups is being released by TF1 Video on May 7th, 2009.

This title is getting a Criterion release in the USA, which is likely to be the best choice for locals.

In the UK watch for North Face from Metrodome Video on April 27th, 2009.

Good news for Terminator fans, especially those not afraid of importing.

Watch out for Terminator 3 - Rise Of The Machines from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on May 25th, 2009.

Of course this already has a US release from Warner (pictured), though the Sony release will likely feature lossless audio and higher bitrate video.

It will also most likely be coded for all regions, making it potentially a great choice for the true fan.

Sony UK also has The Da Vinci Code from on May 4th, and Seven Pounds and Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist on May 25th, 2009.

It looks like May 25th will be a popular day, with Primitive London, London In The Raw and The Bed Sitting Room from BFI Video on May 25th, 2009.

Other titles of interest recently listed include Frost/Nixon from Universal Pictures UK on May 18th, Valkyrie from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on June 9th, and Junebug from Eureka Entertainment on June 22nd, 2009.

Fans of art house movies and imports will be happy to see some of these new listings for the UK, coming from distributors 4DVD and Momentum Pictures.

Watch for Blu-ray releases of  East Is East, Touching The Void, Sexy Beast and The Motorcycle Diaries from 4DVD on June 16th, 2009.

Also expect The Promise on April 27th and Defiance  on May 18th from Momentum Pictures.

Not sure about the region coding for these, hopefully they will be compatible with Region A.

Many people had never heard of the Wachowski brothers before The Matrix was released, but some may remember the movie they did prior to that called Bound.

Excellent news to see that Bound is now coming to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video, scheduled for May 27th, 2009 in France.

No idea about a US release yet, but since Warner never uses region coding, this seems like a no brainer import if there is no US release.

Also watch for the French movie Vilaine from Warner Home Video on May 27th, 2009.

Another interesting title that has recently shown up for pre-order -  watch for Van Helsing from Universal Studio Canal Video on April 15th, 2009.

It would surprise me if this announcement doesn’t foretell of a US release for this action title.

French movie fans should also watch for the 1996 Patrice Leconte movie Ridicule from Universal Studio Canal Video on April 15th.