NOVEMBER 2010

THE PRESS ROOM BULLETIN – NOVEMBER 2010

HAPPY SPRING!

As we kiss goodbye to a bitterly cold winter (at least, here in Melbourne) we welcome a slate of impressive films, TV shows, animation and more to the Madman catalogue.

In November, Tony Jaa once again kicks all manner of arse in ONG BAK 3, whilst Tilda Swinton bones up on her I-talee-an for I AM LOVE and Stephen Fry follows in the footsteps of the inimitable Douglas Adam to document some of the world’s rarest endangered species in LAST CHANCE TO SEE.

So without further ado, let’s see what else November has in store for us…

ONG BAK 3

The third installment in Tony Jaa’s groundbreaking martial arts epic, ONG BAK 3 is destined to spill more blood and knock out more teeth than the first two combined!

The legend continues with Tien (Tony Jaa), defeated and captured by the enemy, he is brought back to life in Kana Khone Village. Through meditation, Tien recovers and attains ‘Nathayut’ – the ancient martial art. Tien must now put all of his skill to the test to take on the entire Golden-Armoured King’s army at once, the mysterious killers in black and ultimately, the evil sorcerer, The Crow.

Release Date: 3rd November, 2010

I AM LOVE

Oscar® winner Tilda Swinton produces and stars in the romantic drama I AM LOVE, a work with sumptuous production values, reminiscent of the lavish films of Luchino Visconti.

The matriarch of a wealthy Italian dynasty, Emma Recchi’s life consists of hosting extravagant dinner parties, shopping for exclusive designer labels and being a doting wife and mother to her grown-up family. But when her son, Edo, introduces her to his enchanting chef friend Antonio, sparks fly. Their undeniable attraction is destined to leave its mark on Emma’s family forever…

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

GLORIOUS 39

In the glorious summer of 1939, the dark clouds of war are gathering over Europe. But His Majesty’s Government is torn between opposing Hitler’s immoral saber-rattling or forming an alliance with him. When Anne discovers recordings of secret meetings at her MP father’s country house, she begins to worry. When her friend, anti-Nazi MP Hector Haldane, winds up dead, she really has cause for concern. Can one woman stop these sinister forces?

Featuring a star-studded cast of British acting talent, including Jeremy Northam (GOSFORD PARK), David Tennant (DR WHO), Bill Nighy (LOVE ACTUALLY) Christopher Lee (LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy), Ramola Garai (ATONEMENT), Hugh Bonneville (NOTTING HILL) and Julie Christie (DR ZHIVAGO) – GLORIOUS 39 is a gripping thriller set in Britain in the paranoia-ridden pre-World War II period.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

THE HEDGEHOG

Based on the best-selling novel by Muriel Barbery, THE HEDGEHOG focuses on Paloma, a precocious eleven-year-old who lives in Paris in a fancy apartment block.

Determined to avoid the pampered “fishbowl” life that seems laid out before her, Paloma – in an effort to show how absurd her life is – takes up an old camera to film the people around her, including her parents, her teenage sister and even their building’s grumpy concierge, Renée.

Reliable, gruff and seemingly uncultured, Renée’s stereotypical outward appearance hides a secret, burning passion for the arts – with the soul of a poet and a mind far more cultured than the wealthy yet vapid residents that occupy the rest of the building. But when a mysterious new resident, in the form of Mr. Ozu moves into the building, he sees beyond her gruff exterior, and attempts to embrace the refined soul within.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

GRACE

One of the most hotly-anticipated horror films to hit our DVD players this year, GRACE is a terrifying journey into the supernatural.

Eight months into her pregnancy, Madeleine’s dreams of a bouncing newborn baby are shattered when a horrific car accident kills her unborn baby. Mad with grief, Madeleine is determined to carry her baby to term and, armed with the services of a trusted midwife, she miraculously succeeds in giving birth to baby Grace. But gradually Madeleine realises that there is something very wrong with Grace and, in order to keep her child alive, Madeline is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice.

Release Date: 3rd November, 2010

THE LOST THING

From world renowned, multi award-winning author and illustrator Shaun Tan comes a new short film, based on the internationally acclaimed book of the same name.

When a boy discovers a bizarre looking creature while out collecting bottle tops at the beach, he guesses that it is lost. He tries to find its owner or where it belongs, but is met with mute indifference from everyone else, who barely notice its presence, each unwilling to entertain this interruption to their daily lives. For reasons he does not explain, the boy empathises with the strange creature, and sets out to find a ‘place’ for it.

Winner of the Short Film Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival and The Annecy Cristal (2010), amongst many others, THE LOST THING is a charming, funny and touching tale of an unexpected but very welcome friendship – featuring narration by award-winning comedian, Tim Minchin.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

SOUL KITCHEN

Fatih Akin (HEAD ON, THE EDGE OF HEAVEN) returns to the screens with SOUL KITCHEN, a riotous comedy imbued with rockin’ tunes, a little romance and a visit from the tax office…

When failing restaurateur, Zinos, hires a fancy new chef in order to add some flair to his grotty locals-only restaurant, the results are not as spectacular as he’d hoped, Fed up with the new menu, the regulars leave in droves; the health department stages an impromptu call in, necessitating a complete renovation of the kitchen (which results in poor Zinos slipping a disc) and the tax office is poised to just shut the whole place down. And just to make matters more complicated, Zinos’ brother has just been released from prison and needs employment. It seems that Zinos is going to need to conjure some kind of miracle to keep his Soul Kitchen afloat!

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

LAST CHANCE TO SEE (DVD and BLU-RAY)

In the 1980s celebrated writer Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine, travelling the globe in search of the world’s endangered animals. Now, twenty years later, Stephen Fry returns with Mark to see if the species still exist, with their journey uncovering some of the weirdest, most remarkable and most troubled creatures on earth.

Presented on both DVD and Blu-Ray, LAST CHANCE TO SEE is a unique insight into the disappearing world around us, and an entertaining, hilarious, informative and thought-provoking adventure that only Stephen Fry (via Douglas Adams) could deliver.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

IT TAKES A THIEF

He’s the ultimate smooth operator – handsome, debonair and charming enough to melt your heart while relieving your bank account of its very last cent. He’s Alexander Mundy, cat burglar by trade and now ex-con, pardoned by the government on one condition: that he put his extraordinary procurement talents to work as a secret agent for the U.S.A. Spying is a decisively deceptive business and Mundy is top notch, traipsing across Europe disguised as a millionaire playboy, seducing beautiful women and embezzling diamonds – and all while enjoying a government paycheck!

Robert Wagner shines on the title role and is joined by guest stars Raymond Burr, Susan Saint James, Gavin MacLeod, Tina Louise and Bill Bixby.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

FAMILY CONFIDENTIAL

From the makes of the award-winning series DYNASTIES comes FAMILY CONFIDENTIAL, which offers a peek inside the lounge rooms of some of Australia’s most influential families.

In a series of candid interviews, we hear about the profound repercussions of the public and private events that have marked each family’s extraordinary trajectory. FAMILY CONFIDENTIAL features interviews with Australian rock-and-roll royalty, the Barnes; the country’s most controversial racing clan, the Waterhouses; the family behind Australia’s leading rev-head and motoring brand, Bob Jane; leading glamour lights, the Hemmes; the great fighting clan, the Mundines; crash-and-burn winemakers, the Garretts; and Australia’s wealthiest and arguably most influential family of all, the Lowys.

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: INSIDE TALIBANISTAN

For almost a decade the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have bogged down US and NATO troops in Afghanistan – all the while seizing territory and creating chaos in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

National Geographic documents the fight on the ground and in the skies above these border regions controlled by the Taliban, known as ‘Talibanistan’. Inside this de facto country is a small sliver of land, the Federally Administered Tribal Area, where bin Laden and the Taliban leadership are thought to be hiding. Under pressure from the US, Pakistan announced that it would launch a military campaign to destroy the Taliban. The Taliban responded with a series of brazen attacks against the Pakistani Army, police, and civilians, leaving the US in doubt over Pakistan’s ability to secure its nuclear weapons, and its own ability to fight the agile Taliban in Afghanistan. Is this the equivalent of the Vietnam War for Obama, or will he be the first to pacify Afghanistan?

Release Date: 10th November, 2010

BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE VOL 10 (SEASON FINALE)

The conclusion of Ben 10’s Alien Force adventures is a heart-thumping adventure of epic proportions!

When a deadly criminal known as ‘Ragnarok’ breaks out of the Null Void intent on causing destruction and pursuing Kevin Levin for some reason. This arouses Ben and Gwen’s curiosity and Grandpa Max reveals to them the reason for Ragnarok’s interest in Kevin. Later, in final episodes of BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE, Ben confronts Vilgax in an effort to stop him attacking earth. In the process a new ‘Omnitrix’ turns up…

Release Date: 3rd November, 2010

NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND – BLU-RAY

Miyazaki’s glorious and timeless NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND makes a terrific edition to the Blu-Ray collection of any true cinephile.

A thousand years after a great war, a seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind is one of the only areas that remains populated. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called ohmu, who guard a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. Nausicaä and her brave companions, together with the people of the Valley, strive to restore the bond between humanity and the earth.

Release Date: 3rd November, 2010

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