DECEMBER 2010

THE PRESS ROOM BULLETIN – DECEMBER 2010

The season kicks off with the sexy (!?) sci-fi thrills of SPLICE and the star-studded romantic, dramatic delights of ME & ORSON WELLES. Plus, Adrian Grenier takes off his lens cap (literally) and turns the camera back onto the ‘Paps’ in TEENAGE PAPARAZZO.

We also get a front row seat to cricket legend Matthew Hayden’s ‘Farmchange’ as he starts a new self-sufficient, sustainable life for his family in the country in MATTHEW HAYDEN’S HOME GROUND; National Geographic take us on an historical, awe-inspiring chronicle of migrating lifeforms across 20 different countries in GREAT MIGRATIONS; and the world’s favourite death metal band – Dethklok, also the world’s seventh largest economy, return for METALOCALYPSE SEASON 3.

SPLICE

From the director of the 1997 existential classic CUBE, and in the tradition of tackling the tricky subject of ‘inter-special’ relations ala SPECIES – a sexy new sci-fi chiller is born in SPLICE.

Clive (ADRIEN BRODY) and Elsa (SARAH POLLEY) are scientist superstars – famous for splicing DNA from different animals to create bizarre hybrids. Partners in work and in life, they decide to take the next step and attempt the forbidden – to splice animal and human DNA. But when their corporate financiers ethically refuse their project, they decide to proceed with the experiment in secret. The result is ‘Dren’ – an amazing creature whose rapid life cycle takes her from baby to adult in a matter of months. As Clive and Elsa struggle to keep Dren a secret, their connection to their creation evolves from scientific to personal, and ultimately, Dren exceeds the couple’s wildest dreams – and their most terrifying nightmares.

Release Date: 15th December, 2010

ME AND ORSON WELLES

Fresh from its critically-acclaimed Australian theatrical run comes ME AND ORSON WELLES, which unites heartthrob Zac Efron, the lovely Claire Danes and BAFTA-nominated newcomer Christian McKay with director Richard Linklater (DAZED AND CONFUSED).

New York, 1937: Richard (Zac Efron) is a reluctant high school student with his starry eyes set on a Broadway career. One fateful day, while passing the famous Mercury Theatre, he is spotted by none other than Orson Welles, who offers him a part in his now-historic production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. While trying to juggle school, rehearsals and Welles’ exacting standards, Richard falls for assistant producer Sonja (Claire Danes). But soon, Welles finds himself noticing Sonja’s charms, and Richard learns a harsh lesson about life, love and the nature of celebrity.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

TEENAGE PAPARAZZO

Adrian Grenier, star of HBO’s much-loved ENTOURAGE, heads behind the camera, as well as in front for TEENAGE PAPARAZZO, a documentary that examines the culture of society versus celebrity, and vice-versa!

Notorious for his frank behavior in front of flashing bulbs, whilst making his way through a pack of paparazzi one evening, Grenier spies a kid with a camera who, at first he assumes is a fan. But when the kid starts snapping pics, he realises that this 13 year-old, Austin, is a paparazzo.

By interviewing Austin, his parents and his colleagues, Grenier attempts to gain insight into the closeted and reviled world of tabloid photography, and just how a 13-year-old becomes one of the best paps in town! Through interviews with famous friends, such as Alec Baldwin, Paris Hilton and Matt Damon, Grenier hopes to point out the ramifications that our celebrity-obsessed culture can have on those in the spotlight, but also how mundane much of that obsession truly is.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

THE ECLIPSE

Following the passing of his wife, Michael, a teacher living in Cork, Ireland, has been left to raise his two children as a single. He lives a lonely life, but lately he has been hearing and seeing strange things late at night in his house, leaving him to question whether he is simply having nightmares or if his house is actually haunted.

To distract himself from these frightening occurrences, Michael takes a volunteer position at the annual writer’s festival, where he is given the task of taking care of Lena, an author who writes about the supernatural. As the two become close, Michael tells her about the bizarre things he has been experiencing, relieved to finally have somebody in whom he can confide. But when Lena’s volatile ex comes to town, the trajectories of the three people draw them in to a life-altering collision.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

DEADLIER THAN THE MALE / SOME GIRLS DO

This double-slice of late ’60s British-made, Bond-inspired, politically incorrect action films will get your eyes popping, your pulse racing and your laughing gear chortling!

In DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, a pair of buxom beauties, in the form of Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina are working for a powerful crime syndicate as very attractive, very deadly assassins who kill not only for profit, but also for sport. When detective Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond (Richard Johnson) is deployed to investigate the organisation, his professionalism is compromised by his attraction to the women. Will he be able to resist their charms?

Agent Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond returns in SOME GIRLS DO, as he pitches his wits against his arch-enemy Carl Peterson, who has set up residence on a Mediterranean island. Guarding him, however, are a group of bikini-clad women trained to kill. The twist – Peterson has developed a number of robots (in the form of beautiful girls with electronic brains) to help him achieve is nefarious goals.

Keep your eyes peeled for Joanna Lumley (ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS) as one of Peterson’s beautiful robot femme fatales!

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

CRONOS

The directorial debut from Guillermo Del Toro (PAN’S LABYRINTH), CRONOS combines a surreal and distinctive take on the classic vampire yarn with an allegory about US/Mexican relations.

When an elderly antique dealer, Jesus Gris, and his eight-year-old granddaughter Aurora, discover an ancient artifact that once belonged to a 16th century alchemist, he thinks of it simply as a strangely beautiful piece of history. However, unbeknownst to Gris, the piece, which resembles an ornate mechanical beetle, houses an immortal parasite that will grant eternal life to its host. The cost? An extreme aversion to daylight and an agonising thirst for human blood.

Available for the first time on DVD in Australia, CRONOS is a cult classic from Mexico’s master of the macabre!

Release Date: 15th December, 2010

RAGING PHOENIX

Asian action cinema’s first lady, Jija Yanin (CHOCOLATE) plays Neu, a wandering musician who, having been abandoned by her family, knows only shame and rejection. Her life changes when she partners with a group of mysterious strangers who train her in a devastating new form of combat that combines Muay Thai, Drunken Boxing and explosive techniques derived from hip-hop dance moves. When her training is complete, she leaps into a spectacular adventure to bring down an infamous human trafficking ring that is terrorising her nation, and very soon a new hero is born.

Release Date: 15th December, 2010

OFFSPRING

Nina Proudman (Asher Keddie) has a simple quest – to deal with her fabulously messy family, her ex-husband, the intensity of a job delivering babies, and the hunt for a decent love life – whilst also handling her tendency to over-think, fantasise, and wonder about life’s other little mysteries. Created by Debra Oswald (with John Edwards and Imogen Banks), OFFSPRING boasts a stellar Australian cast including Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart, Don Hany, Eddie Perfect, Deborah Mailman and John Waters.

Shot in the vibrant world of Fitzroy, Melbourne, OFFSPRING is a stylistically fresh and visually exciting new series from the award-winning producers of LOVE MY WAY, THE SECRET LIFE OF US, TANGLE and RUSH. The series’ prime time Sunday night timeslot on Channel Ten has achieved weekly average audience of over 1 million viewers.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

MATTHEW HAYDEN’S HOME GROUND

In this intimate six-part series, we join cricket legend Matthew Hayden as he starts a new life for himself in the country.

Passionate about his family, the outdoors and food – this is Matthew Hayden’s journey back to his roots in his rural home town, on a quest to achieve a more self-sufficient, sustainable and enriched lifestyle for his family. For Hayden, the farmer in him is itching to get his hands dirty; the cook wants to grow his own produce and the father longs to teach his children about where their food is coming from.

From this country’s cricket hero, to a life in the country with the crickets, MATTHEW HAYDEN’S HOME GROUND is the story of one man’s determination to provide a self-sufficient, sustainable life for himself and his family.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST

From tiny bamboo walkways spanning streams to super long suspension bridges connecting islands – just how did bridges evolve in size? How did buildings surge in stature from ground hogging bungalows to cloud busting skyscrapers? In this four-part CGI-driven series, BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST reveals the inventions that enabled structures to grow in size and scale.

Combining filmed footage and innovative CGI animation, each hour-long episode unpicks the engineering evolution of a different iconic structure – from skyscrapers to bridges, aircraft carriers to airports – and asks the question, how did it get so big?

Then, by rolling back the clock and winding down the scale, the series reveals the seven inventions that allowed these structures to gradually become supersized, along with the seven historic buildings they first appeared in.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: GREAT MIGRATIONS

This ground-breaking National Geographic high-definition miniseries chronicles the inspirational and often harrowing journeys undertaken by creatures great and small all over the world.

Through GREAT MIGRATONS we can start to appreciate the unforgiving odds stacked against so many animals, and what it means to move like your life depends on it! Wildebeests, zebras, red crabs, elephants, kob, walruses, monarch butterflies, jellyfish and whale sharks are all the focus of a crew that travelled some 670,000 kilometres to every continent, filming hundreds of stories in more than 20 different countries.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

BEN 10 ULTIMATE ALIEN VOLUME 1

With the Alien Force saga now wrapped up – it’s time to join Ben Tennyson and friends on their latest alien-filled adventures!

Ben is now 16, and with his secret identity now revealed, he has become an international megastar. But although Ben is beloved by kids the world over, he is not trusted by the adults. Armed with a mysterious new Omnitrix – dubbed the Ultimatrix – Ben is able to transform into newer, ‘ultimate’ versions of his alien forms and will see action in places he’s never been. But in spite of his fame, fortune and flocks of fans, there are still plenty of bad guys set to cause trouble, and Ben is just the guy for the job!

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

GORMITI COLLECTION 1

The latest animated kids’ adventure to take the world by storm is now available on DVD!

The magnificent island of Gorm was once inhabited by peaceful, nature-loving people. They lived peacefully under the guidance of The Old Sage, keeper of secrets and magic, in their village at the foot of Fire Mountain, a massive, dormant volcano that had never threatened the peaceful island… until now.

One day, Fire Mountain showed its fierce nature by exploding through the earth and into the air. The once green and lush land transformed into a black, burnt desolate waste area. From the ashes rose strange creatures called the Lords of Magma – and from them, came a race of small, defenceless beings called the Gormiti.

Also available in December: GORMITI COLLECTION 2.

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (BLU-RAY)

The predecessor to Reel Anime 2010’s SUMMER WARS, and the breakaway hit of the Reel Anime 2008 festival – this modern classic finally leaps into High-Definition!

With her newly discovered ability to literally leap backwards in time, Makoto finds that tests become a piece of cake, embarrassing situations are corrected, and she can have her favorite food anytime she wants. Unfortunately, her carefree time traveling has adverse effects on the people she cares for.

With every successful leap Makoto somehow alters the fate of those around her. This wasn’t supposed to happen and as she races back in time to fix everything, she notices that her abilities are not limitless but with every successful jump she’s one step closer to discovering the most wonderful secret in her young adult life.

Release Date: 15th December, 2010

METALOCALYPSE SEASON 3

Dethklok are back for another face-murdering session.

In the third and most brutal season of METALOCALYPSE, Dethklok find themselves in a precarious position – sans management after a violent attack on Mordhaus, the band is left questioning how they, as the biggest entertainment act in the universe, will deal with the brutality of a troubled music industry, a declining economy and their own unbridled narcissism. And how will the band deal with getting too big and losing touch with their roots? How? By joining their own tribute band!

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

BRO’TOWN SERIES 4

A modern day fairytale about five Auckland teenagers growing up in the big bad city, BRO’TOWN chronicles the schoolboy misadventures of Vale, Valea, Sione, Mack and Jeff da Maori in all its proudly suburban, non-pc glory.

Based on the fearless comic genius of the multi-talented Naked Samoans theatre group, New Zealand’s first animated adult sitcom, BRO’TOWN premiered to outstanding ratings, rave reviews and was heralded as “The Simpsons of the South Pacific.”

Release Date: 1st December, 2010

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