A powerful drama about the importance and meaning of family, starring Academy Award Winning actress Charlize Theron, Dennis Hopper and Woody Harrelson.

Sleepwalking is a powerful human drama about James, a 30-year-old man (Nick Stahl) and his 12 year-old-niece (AnnaSophia Robb) after she is abandoned by her mother (Charlize Theorn).

Ill equipped for parenthood, James is forced to confront the demons of his past and finds a true purpose in life as she strides to recover the childhoods they have both been denined.

Available to rent or buy on Blu-ray & DVD, April 2, 2010

Enter the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons this Easter school holidays in the magical new film How to Train Your Dragon, screening in stunning IMAX 3D at IMAX Melbourne Museum from 25 March, 2010. 

From the studio that brought you all-time favourites Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda comes How to Train Your Dragon: An IMAX 3D Experience, the exciting new animated action comedy based on the book by Cressida Cowell. 

How to Train Your Dragon: An IMAX 3D Experience tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges Hiccup and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. 

The cast includes Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. 

Other must-see IMAX 3D movies to catch this Easter school holiday on the world’s third largest screen include Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and the big wave surfing adventure, Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D. 

To view the trailer go to http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

I wanted to quickly let you know that we’ve begun posting short zone spotlights on the official Perfect World blog for our upcoming MMO, Battle of the Immortals. The first zone spotlight is on Egypt, where players can visit the pyramids and venture into ancient crypts. You can read more about it here: http://www.perfectworld.com/blog/?p=11111

London (25^th February 2010) – Wargaming.net, a strategy game specialist, announces a new release date for its World War II Real-Time Strategy game ORDER OF WAR: Challenge – March 12^th.

Two additional weeks will be used for optimizing game performance and tense QA work, allowing the company to deliver a more polished product.

“We are committed to delivering quality products,” says Victor Kislyi, chief executive officer of Wargamig.net”, that’s why we decided to give Order of War: Challenge some more time that will be spent on enhancing and polishing certain areas of the game. That is the only reason for the delay”.

About Order of War: Challenge:

ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE is a multiplayer stand-alone game in the world of ORDER OF WAR™, published by Wargaming.net, packing even more intense World War II real-time strategy action. With 6 extended modes, 12 unique maps, and hundreds of units under player control ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE gives players a battlefield experience of epic scale. With a focus on fast-action gameplay, and featuring exclusive bonus content, ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE is the ultimate way to experience online RTS gaming. With a new advanced gameplay system and including fog of war, ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE redefines combat mechanics and gives players a tense battlefield experience with plenty of room for wide-ranging tactics. For more information on ORDER OF WAR: CHALLENGE, visit http://www.wargaming.net/challenge

Key Features:

• 12 Unique Maps – Each map features different types of cross-country terrain and urban areas to provide great replayability.
• 6 New Multiplayer Modes – With these new modes you have the opportunity to prove you are the best commander on the online battlefield in a variety of ways.
• Command troops of the USA, Germany or the Soviet Union – Grasp your units by knowing their strengths, weaknesses and discover how to exercise their power to defeat your enemies.
• 4 Co-op Survival Missions – Play shoulder to shoulder with your comrades-in-arms to defend your headquarters from enemy attacks of increasing intensity. To get extra income and new reinforcement types, capture control points that appear randomly throughout the map but only stay for a short time.

SYDNEY, Australia, February 25, 2010 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced today the acquisition of a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, a privately held developer of interactive entertainment targeted at teens and adults, continuing Warner Bros.’ pattern as one of the industry’s fastest growing games publishers.

“Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism and extraordinary development abilities with Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team.”

Founded in 2004 in London, England, Rocksteady specializes in developing action-adventure video games, including Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2009. The title has enjoyed robust sales, shipping over three million units worldwide, and has garnered numerous industry awards.

“We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Jamie Walker, studio director, Rocksteady Studios. Sefton Hill, games director, added, “The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman.”

Warner Bros. continues to grow its games business through key acquisitions, building internal development capabilities, leveraging its global video distribution infrastructure, and focusing on developing major games franchises such as Batman, Mortal Kombat, The Lord of the Rings and LEGO.

“With the successful release of Batman: Arkham Asylum, a franchise that is a key focus for Warner Bros., Rocksteady has proven that they have the expertise to create hit games with mass appeal,” said Martin Tremblay, president, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are currently working with Rocksteady on the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum and look forward to bringing the continuation of the franchise to fans worldwide.”

“We are delighted to be deepening our relationship with London-based Rocksteady Studios, one of the UK’s most respected games developers and 2009 recipient of the VGA’s coveted ‘studio of the year’ award,” said Josh Berger, president and managing director, Warner Bros. UK. “Rocksteady clearly has the talent, expertise and technology to make great games and we are fortunate to continue working closely with them as we further expand our games portfolio.”

In 2007, Warner Bros. acquired TT Games, developer of the hit LEGO-based game franchises, including LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman, which have wide appeal with players of all ages. In early 2009, Warner Bros. acquired Snowblind Studios to develop its The Lord of the Rings games franchise, with the first title expected to be released in 2011. Most recently, Warner Bros. purchased the primary assets of Midway Games. Midway published the Mortal Kombat franchise, which has sold over 26 million units worldwide, and owned a robust IP catalogue and broadly applicable game engine technology. As part of the transaction, Warner Bros. acquired two talented development studios to focus on the Mortal Kombat franchise as well as other key properties.

View it online here.  

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 will give gamers the chance to experience the magic and adventure of Harry Potter in a uniquely LEGO way. Playing as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley™ and Hermione Granger™, as well as more than 100 other favorite characters, gamers will have the opportunity to attend lessons, cast spells, mix potions, fly on broomsticks and complete tasks to earn rewards.  Throughout the game, players will also have the freedom to explore iconic settings from the wizarding world including Hogwarts™ castle, Diagon Alley™, the Forbidden Forest and the village of Hogsmeade™. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, and I look forward to working with you on your posting of this new video.

Pilot an airship through sky hoops, ride the hovercraft and land a plane on the flight simulator. Find out how travel has shaped society and put yourself to the test with a multitude of transport challenges. With more than 20

hands-on exhibits, Going Places is a wild ride. This unique exhibition explores the way mankind has developed new transport technology to overcome gravity, distance and the division of continents to move us around the globe.

Developed by Scitech, Perth

Date: Until 17 October 2010

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Toys: Science at Play 

What makes a spinning top stay upright? Why do magnets attract iron? How does a doll talk? This popular interactive exhibition returns to Scienceworks and includes robots, dolls, hula hoops, building blocks, toy timelines and kaleidoscopes. Toys provides plenty of opportunities for all ages with enquiring minds to tinker with toys. 

Developed by Scienceworks and Scitech, Perth

Date: Until 18 July 2010

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Discover the Night Sky – Evening Planetarium Program

The Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks presents special after-dark sessions Thursday evenings in March. All evenings include complimentary wine and cheese, the opportunity to chat to the Planetarium’s Astronomer and be immersed in a Planetarium experience. The evening will finish with stargazing through telescopes (weather permitting). Each evening will showcase a different aspect of the night sky:

Thursday 4 March:      Backyard Astronomy

It’s not just stars you can see in the night sky – planets, comets, shooting stars and satellites are all there if you know when and where to look.

Thursday 11 March:    Travel the Universe

We invite you on a tour of the Universe that will take you from Spotswood to the far reaches of space.

Thursday 18 March:    Deep Sky Wonders

Explore magnificent galaxies, sparkling star clusters, mysterious gas clouds and much more. 

Thursday 25 March:    Our Solar System

Journey through planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets. Marvel at the beauty of each unique world and the stories they tell.

Session times: Commence 7pm.

Cost: $26 per person, MV members $21, Season pass $89.

Bookings essential: Call 03 9392 4819 Monday to Friday 9.00am – 4.30pm

Wright Engine – Centenary of flight in Australia display

See the engine from the first powered aeroplane to fly in Australia. The plane was a Wright Model A, designed by Orville Wright of the Wright brothers. Piloted by English racing driver Colin Defries and named ‘The Stella’ after Defries’ wife, the plane flew about 100 yards (91m) on 9 December 1909. The flight was witnessed and reported by several reliable sources, but was not officially recognized and the first flight trophy was awarded to Harry Houdini (Ehrich Weiss) in 1910. This engine is one of the most significant aeronautical artefacts in Museum Victoria’s collection.

Date: From 18 March 2010

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Autumn Holidays

Spin out this autumn at Scienceworks and explore the science of toys that turn and tumble.  Make your very own toy to take home and view a dynamic science show featuring things that spin.

Date: 27 March to 11 April 2010

Machines in Action Day

Take a ride on a model steam train and check out historic vehicles in action as they parade around the arena. Items on display include the Cowley Steam Roller, Cowley Steam Traction Engine – the only working Australian made traction engine in the world – along with the Super Sentinel Steam Wagon, the K.L. Bulldog Tractor and many others.

Date: Sunday 28 March 2010

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Winning Sky Photos: the David Malin Awards

A display of spectacular images of the sky from the annual photography competition named after the world-renowned astrophotography and competition judge, Professor David Malin.

Exhibition developed by the Central West Astronomical Society and toured by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Date: Untill 11 April 2010

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Harrison Refrigerator Model

Come and see a model of the first successful industrial refrigerator (1857) developed by James Harrison of Geelong. An internationally significant invention, the refrigerator was used in breweries, hotels and distilleries throughout Britain, Europe, South America and Australia. This model was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States of America, from 1964 to 2002 and is now on show at Scienceworks.

Cost: Included with Scienceworks admission

Scienceworks, 2 Booker St, Spotswood. (Melway 56, B1). Open daily 10.00am – 4.30pm. Admission: Adults $8, Children and Concession FREE. For further details ph 03 9392 4800 or visit museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks