Madman April DVD Releases

It’s April! And what better ways are there to spend the cooler nights, than getting cosy with some fantastic Madman DVD giveaways! We three TV packs to giveaway this month.  Get excited cause it’s a real gem.

Everyone loves Offspring

The search for love, fulfilment and balance in the chaos of modern life. Nina Proudman 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.

“After the drought in good drama, this warm-hearted, witty and wise Australian offering could be exactly what the doctor ordered.” – NZ Stuff

Fancy a bit of crime, thriller and mystery with your drama?

Well the deadliest county in England, just got deadlier....  Midsomer Murders Season 13 – Part 1. John Nettles returns to investigate deadly deeds and gruesome goings-on in the first four episodes from Season 13, his final season of the top rating mystery series. Unflappable detectives DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Ben Jones uncover affairs, tragedy and long-held family secrets as mystery; murder and mayhem shatter the peaceful and picturesque surroundings of the Midsomer villages once again.

Something to make you smile.....

The love story between William and the girl who is to become his Queen – A Royal Love Story: William & Kate. This new documentary unveils the royal couple’s intriguing courtship and discovers the real Kate Middleton. Where did it all begin? Will their relationship survive? And, most importantly, what would she wear to the wedding?

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Don’t forget Easter this April, perfect time for some classic movies over a long weekend.

Get stuck into Madman classics such as The Lady Vanishes - A film by Alfred Hitchcock. The perfect Hitchcockian combination of intrigue, suspense and droll humour, The Lady Vanishes is one of the finest films from the great director's British period.

Iris Henderson is a rich playgirl who has spent her summer holidaying on the continent with her girlfriends. On the rail journey home, Iris is mildly peeved that one of her carriage-mates is the cocky Gilbert, a smart-aleck lad's lad she met on her trip. Luckily, she also meets the charming Miss. Froy, and the two quickly become firm friends. But when Miss Froy goes missing and nobody in the cabin confirms they saw her, Iris and Gilbert must work together to find her. Where did Miss Froy go? And what sinister forces are at work to prevent her from being found?

More brilliant Hitchock - Secret Agent.

Adapted from the Ashenden stories by Somerset Maugham, Secret Agent is one of Alfred Hitchcock's more comedic thrillers. Reunited with the talented team of screenwriter Charles Bennett and actress Madeleine Carroll from his earlier success, The 39 Steps, the Master of Suspense creates a gripping espionage adventure liberally laced with his trademark gallows humour.

Celebrated writer and war hero Edgar Brodie (John Gielgud) is approached by British Intelligence to eliminate an enemy agent on the Continent. His death falsified, Brodie takes the alias 'Ashenden' and arrives in Switzerland furnished with a wife, Elsa (Carroll), and a bizarre accomplice known as The General (Peter Lorre). But when Brodie mistakes an innocent man for his target, he begins to question whether he is entirely suitable for the mission...

AND Young and Innocent.  Hitchcock's oft-overlooked thriller Young and Innocent is a strikingly photographed and tautly-plotted thriller which pre-empts later hits The Birds and North by Northwest both narratively and visually. Following the story of Hitchcock's favourite character archetype, the innocent man accused, the great director creates a high-stakes thriller imbued with humour, romance and—of course—suspense.

When Robert Tisdall notices the body of a young woman washed up on a beach, he rushes to get help. Tragically, his benevolent act is misconstrued by two sunbathers, who take his speedy exit as a sign of his guilt and accuse him of murder. Now on a run from the law, Tisdall seeks the help of Erica, daughter of the local police chief, who agrees to help him clear his name. As the two close in on the real killer, their relationship starts to blossom...

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Welcome to Gasland

Theatre director and part-time banjo player Josh Fox received an unexpected letter: a natural gas company offering him $100,000 for permission to explore his family’s upstate New York property, in the lush Delaware River Basin area. Rather than simply signing on the dotted line, Josh’s curiosity saw him asking questions. After some investigation, he discovered that the method for extracting the valuable resource from the "Saudi Arabia" of reserves, hydraulic fracturing, is exempt from several important pieces of federal legislation, including the clean water act.

As Josh sets out on a journey across America’s heartland, his personal concerns quickly uncover global ones: the multi-million dollar business of fracking has contaminated the water supply, the corporate giants are in cover-up mode, and the PR-spun government has not only turned a blind eye, but has regulated itself out of the picture…

Rough-hewn yet poetic, the film is a desperate plea for scrutiny of a powerful industry that has now turned its eyes on a new, massive and (for now) largely unexplored territory: NEW ZEALAND!

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An April giveaway especially for the kids!

Based On The Classic Children's Books From Enid Blyton – Noddy in Toyland (Volume 1). Join everyone’s favourite little boy in a series of brand new preschool adventures. Along with Bumpy, Car and friends old and new, Noddy embarks on fun and exciting adventures all over Toyland. Taking on Wobbly mishaps, goblin gizmos and inept pirates, our hero is ready to save the day with good humour and boundless enthusiasm.

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All it takes to keep the whole family entertainment is a little bit of National Geographic – and you’ re in luck with three super titles from them this month

King Tut’s Curse. It is perhaps the most intriguing story to have ever emerged from ancient Egypt - the mystery behind the famed boy-king Tutankhamun. Why did he die so young? Was he murdered? And is there an explanation for the legendary curse said to follow those who found his tomb centuries later? Now, for the first time, an international team of scientists is using state-of-the-art CT-scan technology to unveil the truth of what really happened 3000 years ago and unravel the mystery of King Tut's Curse. It's an unprecedented look into Tut's life and death that will reveal answers about the man behind the golden mask.

Kingdom of the Blue Whale. Blue whales are the largest animals to ever live on earth, yet they are difficult to find or track. Even some of the locations where they birth their young are great secrets. Join some of the world's eminent blue whale scientists as they embark on a revolutionary mission to identify and tag California blue whales as they migrate to a spot known as the Costa Rica Dome. This incredible voyage yields unforgettable new footage and insight into these amazing creatures' lives.

Surviving 9/11. Revisit that tragic day in 2001 with a collection of powerful, immersive stories of people who were intricately associated with and impacted by the event: people in the highest echelons attempting to prevent and stop the attacks; ordinary people caught in the middle, like the window washer cleaning the windows of the 93rd floor of the World Trade Centre just moments before the attack; and people who still cannot shake how the events of that morning altered their worlds forever.

WOW what a month! Enjoy the autumn splendour.

 

Published 30th Mar 2011

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