Roadshow - April 2011 Releases

A PERSONAL WAR

STUDIO:                  TVNZ
RELEASE DATE:       6 April 2011
CATEGORY:            Television
RRP DVD:               $29.99

Three Extraordinary True Stories of ordinary New Zealanders At War: The Kiwi Who Saved Britain, A Soldiers Tale, Till Death Us Do Part.

The Kiwi Who Saved Britain is a fully dramatized account of how, in the summer of 1940, New Zealander Keith Park lead the aerial defence of Britain against the Germans – and won.

Hitler’s aim was to knock out the RAF to clear the way for his armies to cross the channel unchallenged from the air. But while Keith Park was fighting a battle in the skies over Britain, there was another battle looming within the ranks of the Air Ministry.

Keith Park is one of the greatest war heroes New Zealand has ever produced and this TV ONE documentary brings to life the incredible role that Keith Park played in the Battle of Britain.

A Soldier’s Tale – An unopened bottle of beer, probably one of the most unusual memorials in New Zealand, waits at a country pub for soldier Ted D’Auvergne who left for World War II in 1939. A poignant story of the last wish of a dying Kiwi soldier in Crete.

Til Death Us Do Part - A love that crossed the divide of country, war and Maori tradition, this is the incredible true story of two coins, a soldier’s passion and one woman’s faith and belief in the man she would always love.

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CHARLES DICKINS: PREMIER COLLECTION

RELEASE DATE:       6 April 2011
NUMBER OF DISCS:   8
RRP DVD:                $79.99

No author presents the grotesque comedy and dark tragedy of Victorian England like Charles Dickens.

His works have inspired countless adaptations, some springing to life before the original serial publication of the novels had even finished! Now, the BBC presents three stunning new adaptations of Dickens’ best loved stories, transforming literature into art. Presented in a stunning collectors boxset.

Bleak House (2005) - Always recognised as one of Dickens’ literary masterworks, this Bleak House, starring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), is fast-moving, daring gripping television and was adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Little Dorrit). Here is the murder mystery, the love story, the comic genius and the tantalising scandal of the novel, but stripped of its sentimentality, we find ourselves swept along by a pulsating and edgy drama.

Oliver Twist (2007) - Timothy Spall (Harry Potter) stars as Fagin in this gripping, powerful adaptation of Dickens’ dark and enchanting tale about the poor orphan boy who dared to ask for more. This adaptation remains faithful to the spirit of the novel while delivering a modern, thrilling, tragic and occasionally comic edge.

Little Dorrit (2008) - Acclaimed screenwriter Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bleak House) crafts an all-new Dickens adaptation. Filled with humorous yet tragic characters, Little Dorrit is a stirring rags to riches story, exposing the underbelly of 19th century British society as only Charles Dickens can.

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LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS

STUDIO:                  Roadshow
RELEASE DATE:       20 April 2011
DIRECTOR:              Don Roos
STARRING:              Natalie Portman, Lisa Judrow
CATEGORY:            Drama
RRP DVD:               $39.99

A young woman finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson.

Emilia is a Harvard law school graduate and a newlywed, having just married Jack, a high-powered New York lawyer, who was her boss and married when she began working at his law firm. Unfortunately, her life takes an unexpected turn when Jack and Emilia lose their newborn daughter. Emilia struggles through her grief to connect with her new stepson William, but is finding it hard to connect with this precocious child. Perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all for Emilia is trying to cope with the constant interferences of her husband’s angry, jealous ex-wife, Carolyn.

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LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

STUDIO:                  Roadshow
RELEASE DATE:       6 April 2011
DIRECTOR:              Greg Berlanti
STARRING:              Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel
CATEGORY:            Comedy
RRP DVD:               $39.99
RRP BR:                  $39.99

Do opposites really attract?

After a disastrous first date for caterer Holly (Katherine Heigl) and network sports director Messer (Josh Duhamel), all they have in common is a dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling careers and social calendars, they’ll have to find common ground while living under the same roof.

Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur and Jean Smart co-star in this tart and tender romantic comedy directed by Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Everwood).

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CRACKS

STUDIO:                  Roadshow
RELEASE DATE:       20 April 2011
DIRECTOR:              Jordon Scott
STARRING:              Eva Green, Juno Temple
CATEGORY:            Drama
RRP DVD:               $39.99

The dazzling debut from Jordan Scott (daughter of legendary director Ridley Scott), and starring Eva Green as the mesmerizing Miss G, a liberating force in a staid but idyllic British boarding school.

The story follows a clique of six girls whose dynamic is thrown off kilter by the arrival of a beautiful new Spanish student Fiamma. The hazy summer days by the lake provide the perfect setting for Fiamma's wild and intriguing tales of her travels in India with her father. Miss G is captivated but it's not long before ripples appear on the surface and the cracks beneath emerge in the relationship between teacher and pupil.


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THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

STUDIO:                  Hopscotch
RELEASE DATE:       27 April 2011
DIRECTOR:              Lisa Cholodenko
STARRING:             Julianne Moore, Annette Bening
CATEGORY:            Comedy
RATING:                 R16 Offensive language and sex scenes
RRP DVD:               $39.99

A sexy comedy of errors about a very modern family.

The Allgoods are a close family experiencing life's typical ups and downs: 18-year old daughter Joni (Wasikowska) is heading off to Stanford University and starting to distance herself from her parents; 14-year-old Laser is hanging out with a deadbeat friend who constantly leads him into trouble. The only difference is that this family has two mums. Jules (Moore) and Nic (Bening) have been together for years, deeply in love, and had both children through artificial insemination.

This loving but strained home life is thrown into comic disarray when the kids track down their biological donor – Dad, Paul (Ruffalo), and invite him home for dinner. Paul is a bachelor whose sudden longing for a family introduces an interesting sexual dynamic to the not-quite-ordinary equation of the Allgoods. At first Joni is so happy to have a cool, handsome dad like Paul. But soon enough she comes to realise that Paul is fun-loving but lacks self-control: and chaos reigns.

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Published 3rd May 2011

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