“This is Fast and the Furious with machine guns” – aintitcool.com

Get ready for a serious testosterone fuelled injection as Death Race launches on DVD and Bluray
from March 4 – in an extended version unseen in cinemas.

It’s the near future and the American economy is a disaster. As a result major privatecorporations now run the country’s prisons for profit. To ensure these financial benchmarks are met, prisons are using inmates to participate in the most popular sport on earth, Death Race: a brutal adrenalin-fuelled game of carnage in which monster cars fully equipped with machine guns, flame-throwers and rocket launchers are pitted against each other.

Former racing champion and inmate Jensen Ames (Statham) is selected by ‘the Corporation’ to participate in the biggest event of the season, the Death Race. Facing a gauntlet where he will compete with the most vicious criminals on the planet, he must kill or be killed in a brutal three-day challenge for the ultimate prize: freedom.

Pumping on all cylinders, Death Race is the perfect bloke’s night in: action; death-defying stunts; seriously pimped out cars; ultraviolence and sexy girls.

For the wannabe racecar driver or the quintessential action fan, Death Race is the ultimate in fast-paced entertainment and the must-have addition to every DVD or Blu-ray collection this year.

DEATH RACE DVD BONUS MATERIAL INCLUDES:

• Start You Engines: Making a Death Race
• Behind The Wheel: Dissecting the stunts
• Feature commentary with director Paul W.S Anderson and Producer and Jeremy Bolt

Cast: Jason Statham (The Transporter, The Bank Job)
Joan Allen (The Bourne Ultimatum)
Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious, Transformers)
Natalie Martinez (Fashion House)
Director: Paul Anderson (Alien vs Predator, Event Horizon, Resident Evil)
Price: Single – $39.95
Blu-ray – $44.95
Classification: MA15+
Duration: 106 mins
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 17TH December – Today Ubisoft announces that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Square Enix Ltd. to release CHRONO TRIGGER® in Australia and New Zealand on the 5th of February, 2009 exclusively on the Nintendo DS™ system.

They say that “time is money” but for our hero, Crono it is much more than that! Get ready to travel through time to avoid the destruction of the world as we know it. With CHRONO TRIGGER, your notion of time will be turned upside down as you race against it like you’ve never done before, while all the decisions you make along the way will affect past, present and future!

Originally released in 1995 for the Super NES® CHRONO TRIGGER is regarded as a classic that was sadly never released in the PAL territories. We may not have a time machine to rectify the past, but thankfully CHRONO TRIGGER is about to change history. This all-new edition of CHRONO TRIGGER contains all the classic essence of the original while introducing the portability, dual screen presentation and Touch Screen functionality of the Nintendo DS.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “CHRONO TRIGGER is one of the most anticipated Square Enix titles of 2009 and we hope for all Nintendo DS owners to experience this charismatic time travelling adventure. And with CHRONO TRIGGER’s multiple endings, there will be no end to the amount of times players can enjoy the classic story of Crono and his friends”.

About CHRONO TRIGGER

Story

When a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, young Crono must travel through time to rescue his misfortunate companion from an intricate web of past and present perils. The swashbuckling adventure that ensues soon unveils an evil force set to destroy the world, triggering Crono’s race against time to change the course of history and bring about a brighter future.

Features

• A masterpiece with an engaging and unparalleled storyline, leading to the discovery of multiple epic conclusions to a journey that transcends time.
• An unprecedented and inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda.
• Intriguing battle system made possible by the unique combination of the Active Time Battle system and Tech skills.
• Famed character designer Akira Toriyama lends his signature art style to create the vibrant world that has captivated gamers around the world.
• Taking advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware, CHRONO TRIGGER makes its way onto the portable platform with all-new dual screen presentation and Touch Screen functionality.
• A brand new dungeon and DS Wireless Communications add exciting new dimensions to this timeless classic.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY AT THE 2008 L’ORÉAL PARIS AFI AWARDS

MELBOURNE, Wednesday 17 December, 2008. NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD – Mark Hartley’s rip roaring documentary on maverick Australian genre film making of the 70’s and 80’s – triumphed in the Best Documentary category at this year’s prestigious 50th annual L’Oréal Paris AFI Awards, held at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre on Saturday 06 December.

Producers Michael Lynch and Craig Griffin were on hand to accept the gong and Director Mark Hartley was also honoured with the inaugural AFI Documentary Trailblazer award at this, the industry’s night of nights. The 2008 awards marked the 50th anniversary of the AFIs and the evening’s theme was a celebration of 50 years of pride and passion in Australian film and television making, so it’s fitting that NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD – a film that lovingly and energetically documented a great unsung story in Australian film history – was recognised by the voting audience.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD is the fast and furious story of “Ozploitation” – an eye-popping celebration of Australian cult films of the ‘70s and early ‘80s (including STONE, MAD MAX and TURKEY SHOOT). Exploding with adrenaline-pumping clips and outrageous anecdotes from a smorgasbord of local and international names (including Quentin Tarantino, Dennis Hopper, Jamie Lee Curtis and Barry Humphries) this is the wild, untold story of an era when Aussie cinema showed the world a full-frontal explosion of boobs, pubes, tubes… and even a little kung-fu!

Universally acclaimed by critics upon its local theatrical release, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD has enjoyed rave reviews on the international festival circuit and now promises to be a must-own DVD that is heading straight to the pool room of every self-respecting film lover.

“The best documentary ever! Run to see it!” Edgar Wright, director of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ!

We can confirm that Empire: Total War’s release date has been moved to March 2009.  

“The extra development time will allow us to finalise and polish Empire, making it the most accomplished and epic of the Total War series.” said Kieran Brigden, Studio Communications Manager at The Creative Assembly. “There is a great deal of anticipation around Empire Total War and we want to ensure that it is the benchmark for strategy games upon its release.”

Significantly the additional time will also allow Creative Assembly to implement the underlying technology for a much desired feature; a multiplayer campaign mode. An opportunity to participate in the 1 versus 1 multiplayer campaign mode beta will be made available to all Empire Total War buyers post release.

INTELLIGENCE IS RELATIVE

“If they gave out Oscars for bouncy airheads in gym shorts, Brad Pitt would be a shoo-in.”
– Jim Schembri, The Age Oscar winners, Joel and Ethan Coen have returned to the screen with their most commercially entertaining film yet! Burn After Reading is an original and witty black comedy that has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek. It’s a clever take on American consumerist society and the public’s fascination with government organizations along with the ironic indifference shown, in return makes for highly compelling watching.

Boasting an impressive cast including George Clooney, Francis McDormand, John Mallkovich, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading is available to own on DVD February 18th. Based in Washington DC, Burn After Reading tells the story of Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), a veteran CIA operative who gets dismissed from his post due to a drinking problem. Bent on revenge he begins to write a tell-all book. Meanwhile, Osbourne’s wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is planning on leaving him for her lover, Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a serial sex-maniac.

After leaving Osbourne, Katie steals a disc containing his memoirs, accidentally leaving the disc at her local gym Hard Bodies where it is picked up by hapless gym employees, Chad (Brad Pitt) – a dim-witted moron, and Linda Litzke (Francis McDormand) – a woman obsessed with aging, who are both intent on exploiting the ‘secret shit’ on the disc.

What follows is a well-scripted, intertwined story of outlandish blackmail, jealousy and murder involving not only the CIA but also the Russians as Linda and Chad embark on a hilarious, idiotic journey for money and plastic surgery!

True to the Coen Brothers form, Burn After Reading promises a barrage of memorable characters who do a spectacular amount of absurd things that they almost always pay the ultimate price for. From Chad who believes he can blackmail the CIA in between workouts to Linda Litzke who thinks plastic surgery will save her love life, Burn After Reading will have you shocked after this journey into the character’s lives and their idiosyncrasies.

For more information & images please visit www.universalpictures.com.au

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin has been officially classified as MA15+ by the Australian Classification Board.

This is great news for all F.E.A.R. fans, as it remains unedited and is the same as the international release.  

F.E.A.R 2 Project Origin is due for release on 11th February and is sure to be the hit of 2009.

Sydney, Australia – December 12, 2008 – Increasing its library of local music from around the world this month, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour – which features on-disc songs from top global acts such as Tokio Hotel, Hushpuppies and Radio Futura – is offering new three-song Track Packs of downloadable content from popular European bands including Germany’s Sportfreunde Stiller, France’s BB Brunes and Spain’s Fito Y Fitipaldis.

Following their home country’s disappointing 2006 World Cup elimination, German rock band Sportfreunde Stiller re-wrote their chart-topping hit “’54, ’74, ’90, 2006” in anticipation of a 2010 championship, re-titled it “’54, ’74, ’90, 2010” and are bringing it to Guitar Hero World Tour as part of a three-song Track Pack available today.  Also included in the pack and further expanding the global audience are Italian rock band Negrita with “Mama Mae” and French rock sensation BB Brunes with “Dis Moi.”

Swedish rock icons the Backyard Babies, whose Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock on-disc track “Minus Celsius” saw an increase in digital audio downloads after appearing in the game, are building on the success for an encore with “Degenerated” off their 2008 self-titled album.  Joining the Backyard Babies in the second three-song Track Pack to be released later this month are Spanish rockers Fito Y Fitipaldis with “Por La Boca Vive El Pez” and Netherlands’ beloved Di-Rect with “Johnny.”

The two Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for $9.95.  The songs in each Track Pack will be released as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $3.45 and Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection for Wii™ for 200 Wii Points.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online.  The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems.  Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes^SM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.  The game is rated “PG” (Mild themes and Violence, Sexual references and mild coarse language) by the Classification Board.  For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.

Friday, 12^th December 2008:  Atari, one of Australia’s leading sources of interactive entertainment and Codemasters® today announced today that Rise of the Argonauts™, an epic action RPG developed by Liquid Entertainment and published by Codemasters, is now available to buy from retail stores in Australia for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the PC.  To see the new “Allies” launch trailer and for more information about the game, visit www.rise-of-the-argonauts.com.

Rise of the Argonauts immerses players in a gladiatorial adventure set in a wondrously imagined vision of ancient Greece. Taking the role of Jason, a hero and expert warrior, players will battle alongside Hercules, Achilles, Atalanta and other Argonauts as they engage in brutal combat against formidable beasts and enemies, in a vast world alive with fickle gods, jaw-dropping panoramas, deep exploration and epic quests.  The search for the Golden Fleece is not only one of exploration, but of transformation: from warrior king to exalted hero touched by the gods.

Atari Australia is the exclusive distributor for Codemasters, for more information about Atari’s entire product line up, visit www.atari.com.au and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers, and online screenshots.

Camille

“A delightfully twisted take on a ‘love story’… Both Miller and Franco turn in excellent performances.” FlickClick.com

Camille is an enchanting tale of love and a woman’s unconditional belief in it, starring Sienna Miller and James Franco, directed by Gregory Mackenzie and produced by Al Ruddy (Million Dollar Baby). Camille is available to own on DVD from January 8th.

Sienna Miller stars as Camille, a luminous character who is unconditionally in love with an ex-con, Silas Parker (James Franco) and fervently believes that love; marriage and their honeymoon trip will make him change his inconsiderate and selfish ways.

But when the two embark on the bride’s fantasy honeymoon, a trip to Niagara Falls, tragedy strikes. In an unsuspecting series of events the lovelorn couple discover that true love can salvage even the most seemingly ill fated of relationships.

In this heartfelt tale of undying love, Camille follows the journey of two lost souls who learn the true meaning of love under the most unlikely of circumstances. With stunning cinematography and an incredible wardrobe showcase, including a one-off Georgio Armani wedding dress, Sienna Miller shines as Camille in this delightfully twisted story about love, life and unexpected occurrences.

Cast: Sienna Miller (Factory Girl, Alfie)
James Franco (Spiderman 1,2 & 3)
David Carradine (Kill Bill: Vol.1 and 1)
Writer: Nick Pustay
Producer: Al Ruddy (Million Dollar Baby, The Godfather)
Price: $34.95
Duration: 87 minutes
Classification: M
Genre: Romantic Comedy

AVAILABLE TO OWN ON DVD January 8th 2009

Sydney, 10 December 2008 – Sound Alliance, the largest independent online entertainment publisher in Australia today outlined record growth during November for its youth-focused web communities. The Sound Alliance network of sites, including inthemix, FasterLouder, Mess+Noise and SameSame produced the most successful month of online advertising sales in the company’s eight year history. 

Neil Ackland, Managing Director for Sound Alliance commented, “Online advertising for the entertainment sector still remains buoyant. We have achieved a 101 per cent increase in revenue for November 2008 when compared to November 2007. This roughly translates into three times the growth rate on average for the industry. These are strong results for our web communities and we expect the growth to continue as advertisers shift their marketing budgets to targeted and effective online channels.”

The future of online advertising for the youth-oriented entertainment publisher is looking extremely positive.  “The inthemix and FasterLouder sites are both entirely sold out for December,” concluded Ackland.

Ackland further attributed the company’s recent acquisition of the former Destra-owned site, Mess+Noise towards the revenue growth. 

“We have had a lot of early success in attracting advertisers to Mess + Noise almost immediately following the acquisition. Our existing client base has reacted very positively to the site,” he continued.

The Sound Alliance network of sites produced the highest level of unique browser visits for a month with over 560,000* monthly unique browsers and 28, 454* average daily unique browsers.  The sites combined generated over 7.7* million page impressions. 

*Netratings, Market Intelligence – Total Traffic – November 2008