Movies September 2003

MOVIES RELEASED AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2003

4 SEPTEMBER

28 Days Later (MA): National. Horror. Fox. 146 screens. 123 mins. Noah Huntley, Megan Burns, Bindu De Stoppani, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson, Naomie Harris, Jukka Hiltunen, Luke Mably, Cillian Murphy, Ray Panthaki. D: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting). Studio: Fox Searchlight. A virus that locks those infected into a permanent state of killing rage, is accidentally released from a British research facility. Carried by animals and humans, the virus is impossible to contain, and spreads across the entire planet. Twenty-eight days later, a small group of survivors are trapped in London, caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Trivia: The last words said in the film (by the aircraft pilot) are spoken in Finnish. He says, "Would you send a helicopter." Danny Boyle said that he used topless girls to persuade male drivers not to drive on the streets where they were shooting, to keep them free of traffic.

Agent Cody Blanks (PG): Selected, TAS. (Sep 18- QLD/ VIC: 93 screens. Sep 25- NSW/ SA/ WA: 194 screens. Fox (MGM). 102 mins. 7 screens./ Comedy. Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff, Andrew Francis, Angie Harmon, Darrell Hammond. D: Harald Zwart (One Night At McCools). To his family and friends, Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is a typical teen - he loves to skateboard, hates math, and feels like a complete idiot around girls. But Cody's got a secret - he's actually part of a secret teen CIA program. Cody's living every boy's dream life - he can drive like a stuntman, has an incredible arsenal of cool gadgets, and his agency mentor, Ronica Miles (Angie Harmon), is totally hot. But Cody's training is put to the test when he's sent to pose as a prep school student and befriend fellow teen Natalie Connors (Hilary Duff) in order to gain access to her father, a scientist unknowingly developing a fleet of deadly nanobots for the evil organization ERIS. From runaway cars and high-speed snowboard chases to a spectacular final mountaintop showdown, Cody has to use everything he's learned to prove himself as an agent and stop ERIS-and maybe even get the girl.

Freaky Friday (PG): National, TAS. Sep 18 QLD/ VIC: 124 screens. Sep 25 NSW/ SA/ WA: 239 screens. Buena Vista. 7 screens. 97 mins. Family Comedy. Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal, Mark Marmon. D: Mark S. Walters (Head Over Heels). Dr. Tess Colman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan), are not getting along. They don’t see eye-to-eye on clothes, hair, music, and certainly not in each other’s taste in men. One Thursday evening, their disagreements reach a fever pitch – Anna is incensed that her mother doesn’t support her usical aspirations and Tess, a widow about to remarry, can’t see why Anna won’t give her fiancé (Mark Harmon) a break. Everything soon changes when two identical Chinese Fortune Cookies cause a little mystic mayhem. On the next morning, their Friday gets freaky when Tess and Anna find themselves inside the other’s body. As they literally walk a mile in each other’s shoes, they gain a little newfound respect for the other’s point of view. But with Tess’s wedding coming on Saturday, the two have to find a way to switch back (and fast).

Hollywood Homicide (M): National. Columbia. 150 screens. 116 mins. Action-comedy. Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Lolita Davidovich, Percy Miller, Dwight Yoakam, Martin Landau, Keith David, Lou Diamond Phillips, Isaiah Washington. D: Ron Shelton (Tin Cup). Ron Shelton, the writer and director of Bull Durham and White Men Can't Jump, now brings audiences a gritty action-comedy starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, as unconventional L.A. homicide detectives. Joe Gavilan (Ford) is the seasoned veteran charged with showing K.C. Calden (Hartnett) the ropes, while investigating the gangland style murder of a rap group.. The suspect is Sartain (Washington), a rap label boss with a former police officer in charge of security.

Legally Blonde 2 (PG): National, TAS (7 screens). Sep 11 National (253 screens). Fox (MGM). 95 mins. Comedy. Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Bob Newhart, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge, Regina King, Alanna Ubach. D: Charles Herman-Wurmfied (Kissing Jessica Stein). Studio: MGM. Reese Witherspoon is back as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Now Elle is juggling a demanding career as a rising young lawyer as well as preparations for her wedding to the man of her dreams. But when she stands up for the rights of the other guy in her life - Bruiser, her chihuahua - Elle is fired from her job. She's devastated, but you can't keep an optimist down. Ms. Woods goes to Washington to take matters into her own well-manicured hands. Trying to learn the political ropes and win over self-serving politicians, Elle faces a formidable challenge. But with her clever and sassy signature blend of determination and intelligence, she bucks the system the Elle Woods way, inspiring those around her to find a voice of their own.

My Little Eye (MA): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Gold/ Sun/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. UIP (Uni). 40 screens. 95 mins. Thriller. UK. Stephen O’ Reilly, Jennifer Sky, Laura Regan, Sean C W Johnson, Kris Lemche. D: Mark Evans (Resurrection Man). Five young people apply to live in an isolated house together for six months whilst their every move is filmed by numerous cameras. Each has their reason for wanting to be there - fame, money, adventure. The prize - $1 million. The rules - if one person leaves, everyone loses. It becomes the ultimate morality test. When Danny's beloved grandfather dies, does his greed overcome his love? When the skittish Emma finds blood on her pillow why does she still stay behind? And what dark secret does the house harbor that leaves them feeling as though they're being watched by more than just a million pairs of eyes?

Once Upon A Time In The Midlands (M): Selected, Melb/ Perth. Sep 11: Syd. Columbia. 6 screens. 100 mins. Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Kathy Burke, Shirley Henderson, Ricky Tomlinson, Vanessa Feltz, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Finn Atkins, Eliot Otis Brown Walters, Ryan Bruce, Andrew Shim, Kelly Thresher. D: Shane Meadows (twentyfourseven). Dek and Shirley live together with 12 year-old Marlene, her daughter by the sexy, delinquent Jimmy who went off into the badlands of Glasgow years ago and hasn't been heard from since. Decent-but-dull Dek loves Shirley so much that he humiliates her by proposing without warning on national television. Like everyone else Shirley has ever met, Jimmy is watching when she turns Dek down on TV and he returns to town, determined to win her back.

The Rugrats Go Wild (TBA): National, TAS. Sep 18- VIC/ QLD: 171 screens. Sep 25: NSW/ SA/ WA: 214 screens. UIP (Para). 7 screens. Animated. V: Jodi Carlisle, Christine Cavanaugh, Lacey Chabert, Melanie Chartoff, Cheryl Chase, Tim Curry, Elizabeth Daily, Flea, Danielle Harris, Tom Kane, Jack Riley, Kath Soucie, Bruce Willis, LL Cool J, Flea. D: John Eng (TV's Duckman) & Norton Virgien (TV's Rugrats). The Pickles family of RUGRATS decides to take a jungle cruise vacation that ends up in disaster. Shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island, the babies are separated from their parents and must fend for themselves under the leadership of Tommy Pickles (the voice of E.G. Daily). Unbeknownst to Tommy, his idol, naturalist and television explorer Sir Nigel Thornberry (Tim Curry), is also on the island with his family to film a documentary on the rarely seen white leopard, Siri (rocker Chrissie Hynde). Lost in the jungle, the young RUGRATS kids meet the Thornberry daughters, Debbie (Danielle Harris) and Eliza (Lacey Chabert), whose magical ability to talk to animals makes it possible to converse with Spike (Bruce Willis), the Pickles family dog.

Titanic 3D: Ghosts Of The Abyss (PG): Selected, Syd/ Melb. 2 screens. Worlds Biggest Screens (Imax). 45 mins. USA. Bill Paxton, Tava Smiley. D: Jim Cameron (Terminator 2). With a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts and friend Bill Paxton, he embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Using state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew are able to explore virtually all of the wreckage, inside and out, as never before. With the most advanced 3D photography, moviegoers will experience the ship as if they are part of the crew, right inside the dive subs. In this unprecedented motion picture event, made especially for IMAX 3D Theaters and specially outfitted 35mm 3D theaters across the country, Cameron and his team bring audiences to sights not seen since the sinking 90 years ago and explore why the landmark vessel - more than any shipwreck - continues to intrigue and fascinate the public.

Undead (MA): Selected, Syd/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth/ Bris. Imagine Entertainment. 17 screens. 104 mins. Australia. Horror. Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay, Rob Jennings, Lisa Cunningham, Dirk Hunter, Emma Randall. D: Peter & Michael Spierig (debut). Film Fests:- Syd (June), Melb (July), Bris (August). Peaceful, rustic Berkeley is a charming fishing community where life is sweet and the people friendly. All that is about to change. After losing her childhood farm to the bank, local beauty Rene decides to leave town and head for the big city. Suddenly, an avalanche of meteorites races through the sky, bombarding the town and bringing an otherworldly infection. Departing is going to be much more difficult than she had planned. The living dead are awakened and Rene is now caught in a nightmare of zombies hungry for human flesh. She manages to find salvation in a small isolated farm house owned by the town loony, Marion. There she is met with four other desperate survivors. Together they battle their way through a plague of walking dead and discover that there is more transpiring than just an infection.

5 SEPTEMBER

Kuch Naa Kaho (PG): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Hoyts. 2 screens. 170 mins. India. Abhishek Bachchan, Suhasini Muley, Satish Shah, Aishwarya Rai. D: Rohan Sippy. Romance. The film tells the story of an ABCD (American born confused desi) Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) who doesn't belive in marriage and Namrata (Aishwarya Rai) who can't. Raj is setteld in New York and like all doting moms Dr. Malhotra (Suhasini Mulay) wants her son to settle down but Raj won't budge. Raj visits India for his cousin's wedding where his maternal uncle (Satish Shah) has a plan ready to push him into the matrimony. Since Namrata is his confidante, she gets the job of converting the eternal bachelor into a married man. But like all hindi films the duo have their own scores to settle.While going through the rigmarole of meeting girls, the realisation dawns on Raj that he has fallen for the most ineligible of them all, Namrata. Will love find it's way? Apart from the leading artistes the film features Jaspal Bhatti, Himani Shivpuri, Tanaaz Currim, Meghna Malik, Gautami Gadgil, Divya Palat in supporting roles.

11 SEPTEMBER

American Splendor (M): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. Sep 25 Canberra. Rialto. 16 screens. 101 mins. Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Harvey Pekar, Shari Springer Berman, Earl Billings, James Urbaniak, Judah Friedlander, Robert Pulcini, Toby Radloff, Joyce Brabner, Donal Logue, Molly Shannon, James McCaffrey, Madylin Sweeten, Danielle Batone. D: Shari Springer Berman (Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's) & Bob Pulcini (The Young And The Dead). Harvey Pekar is a Cleveland native, V.A. hospital file clerk, and hilariously grumpy observer of life's strange and unpredictable pageant. A comic book writer who writes about his everyday life as an omnivorous reader, jazz lover, obsessive-compulsive collector, and lousy housekeeper. A prickly poet of the mundane who knows that all the strategizing in the world can't save a guy from choosing the wrong supermarket checkout line. A regular Joe who pursues self-expression without self-censorship - and finds a grateful audience, critical admiration, and that most remarkable of happy endings, a loving family.

Asoka (M): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Fairfield Cinemas. 2 screens. 175 mins. C: Chinatown Cinema, Melb. India. Action/ drama. Rahul Dev, Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan. D: Santosh Sivan. In self-imposed exile from the kingdom of Magadha, Prince Asoka is intrigued by an old man who informs him even Emperors are 'ordinary' and that his destiny transcends the crown and the throne. In the 3rd century B.C., the Emperor Asoka ascended the throne of Magadha. To extend the boundaries of his empire, Asoka waged one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighbouring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated. Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest, in which thousands lost their lives, Asoka is overcome by remorse. He renounces the path of war and dedicates his life to spreading the light of Buddhism across the world.

Pirates Of The Carribean: The Curse of The Black Pearl (M): National. Buena Vista. 377 screens. 143 mins. Action. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathon Pryce, Jack Davenport, Keira Knightley. D: Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt). For the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow (DEPP), the crystalline waters of the Caribbean, like the high seas the world over, present a vast playground where adventure and mystery abound. But Jack’s idyllic life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (RUSH), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the Governor’s (PRYCE) beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Swann (KNIGHTLEY). Elizabeth’s childhood friend, Will Turner (BLOOM), joins forces with Jack to commandeer the fastest ship in the British fleet, the HMS Interceptor, in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl. The duo and their motley crew are pursued by Elizabeth’s betrothed, the debonair, ambitious Commodore Norrington (DAVENPORT), aboard the HMS Dauntless. Unbeknownst to Will, there is a curse that has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead, where each moonlight, they are transformed into living skeletons. The curse they carry can be broken only if a once-plundered treasure is restored. Stunning visual effects bring these formidable foes to life as our valiant heroes clash mightily with Barbossa and his invincible pirates of the Caribbean..

Together (PG): Selected, Can/ Syd/ Adel/ Melb. Hopscotch. 15 screens. Drama. (Aka He Ni Zaiyiqi). 108 mins. China. Subtitled- Mandarin. Peiqi Liu, Yun Tang, Hong Chen (I), Kaige Chen, Ru-Yun Tang, Zhiwen Wang. D: Kaige Chen (Killing Me Softly). Directed by legendary Chinese director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) and wearing its heart on its sleeve, Together is a crowd-pleasing drama which will have the same effect on the tear ducts as other blockbusting foreign weepies about kids like Cinema Paradiso, Kolya, and Life Is Beautiful. Together is the story of a doting father and his 13 year old son Xiaochun, a brilliantly gifted violinist, who live in a provincial city far from the sophistication of Beijing. But when the two go to Beijing, so that Xiaochun can audition to enter a prestigious music school, their lives change. At first the boy starts training with a disillusioned and grubby teacher (Wang) and develops a friendship with and a crush on his sexy neighbor Lili.

Traveling Light (M): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. Dendy. 9 screens. 88 mins. Australia. Pia Miranda, Brett Stiller, Sacha Horler, Tim Draxl, Kestie Morassi, Mashall Napier, Simon Burke, Tamblyn Lord. D: Kathryn Millard (Parklands). Adelaide, 1971. Two sisters dream of a better life. Then a brooding beat poet named Lou unexpectedly steps into their world and life will never be the same. From the writer/director of Parklands, comes Traveling Light, starring Pia Miranda and Sacha Horler. Traveling Light is about family, about the time in a young person¹s life when they must decide who they really are, despite whom they are related to and where they come from. When you are young and growing up in Adelaide circa 1971 realizing your dreams isn¹t something you expect to happen amongst the pink flamingos and manicured suburban front yards of Australia’s little-sister city.

12 SEPTEMBER

Dragon Loaded 2003 (M): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Yu Enterprises. 2 screen. 102 mins. Action Comedy. Hong Kong. Ronald Cheng, Law Kar Ying, Eric Tsang, Jackie Cheung. D: Vincent KOK Tat Chiu. "Dragon Loaded 2003" is a movie about a spoilt young master who is lazy but harbours a strong sense of Righteousness. His dad, Dai Seung, secretly asked his friend who is a high ranking police officer, to help him to discipline his son and nurture him into a talent. The movie gets into full swing when guy enrolled into the Police Academy.

Parwana (M): Selected, Syd. Distib: Hoyts. 1 screen. 143 mins. C: Hoyts Merrylands. India. Ajay Devgan, Amisha Patel, Pooja Batra, Ketki Dave, Akhilendra Mishra, Nawab Shah, Pramod Motho. D: Deepak Bahry (Qurban). "Parwana"' is story of an orphan - who lives in a Basti. He has one mission in life to help the poor people of Basti. 'PARWANA' is story of an orphan - who lives in a basti. He has one mission to help the poor people of basti - for that he does odd jobs without harming any body. In a very humours way a girl comes in his life- both like each other & they get married - but the destiny had something else for them, 'PARWANA' falls in to trap of villans who are the Traitors. 'PARWANA' is stamped as a traitor and he is behind the bars - whole mafia wants to kill him in jail. 'PARWANA' has no other way to prove innocent, he escape from jail. Now the mission is to expose those vilians before the country and prove himself innocent. For this -'PARWANA' fights against all odds. 'PARWANA' is for love. 'PARWANA' is for sacrifice. 'PARWANA' is for nation. 'PARWANA' is for action. "PARWANA DARES TO PLAY WITH LIFE"

5 SEPTEMBER
	Kuch Naa Kaho (PG): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Hoyts. 2 screens. 170 mins. India. Abhishek Bachchan, Suhasini Muley, Satish Shah, Aishwarya Rai. D: Rohan Sippy. Romance. The film tells the story of an ABCD (American born confused desi) Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) who doesn't belive in marriage and Namrata (Aishwarya Rai) who can't. Raj is setteld in New York and like all doting moms Dr. Malhotra (Suhasini Mulay) wants her son to settle down but Raj won't budge. Raj visits India for his cousin's wedding where his maternal uncle (Satish Shah) has a plan ready to push him into the matrimony. Since Namrata is his confidante, she gets the job of converting the eternal bachelor into a married man. But like all hindi films the duo have their own scores to settle.While going through the rigmarole of meeting girls, the realisation dawns on Raj that he has fallen for the most ineligible of them all, Namrata. Will love find it's way? Apart from the leading artistes the film features Jaspal Bhatti, Himani Shivpuri, Tanaaz Currim, Meghna Malik, Gautami Gadgil, Divya Palat in supporting roles.

11 SEPTEMBER
	American Splendor (M): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. Sep 25 Canberra. Rialto. 16 screens. 101 mins. Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Harvey Pekar, Shari Springer Berman, Earl Billings, James Urbaniak, Judah Friedlander, Robert Pulcini, Toby Radloff, Joyce Brabner, Donal Logue, Molly Shannon, James McCaffrey, Madylin Sweeten, Danielle Batone. D: Shari Springer Berman (Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's) & Bob Pulcini (The Young And The Dead). Harvey Pekar is a Cleveland native, V.A. hospital file clerk, and hilariously grumpy observer of life's strange and unpredictable pageant. A comic book writer who writes about his everyday life as an omnivorous reader, jazz lover, obsessive-compulsive collector, and lousy housekeeper. A prickly poet of the mundane who knows that all the strategizing in the world can't save a guy from choosing the wrong supermarket checkout line. A regular Joe who pursues self-expression without self-censorship - and finds a grateful audience, critical admiration, and that most remarkable of happy endings, a loving family.
	Asoka (M): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Fairfield Cinemas. 2 screens. 175 mins. C: Chinatown Cinema, Melb. India. Action/ drama. Rahul Dev, Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan. D: Santosh Sivan. In self-imposed exile from the kingdom of Magadha, Prince Asoka is intrigued by an old man who informs him even Emperors are 'ordinary' and that his destiny transcends the crown and the throne. In the 3rd century B.C., the Emperor Asoka ascended the throne of Magadha. To extend the boundaries of his empire, Asoka waged one of the bloodiest wars in history with the neighbouring kingdom of Kalinga, leaving it ravaged and devastated. Confronted by the aftermath of his conquest, in which thousands lost their lives, Asoka is overcome by remorse. He renounces the path of war and dedicates his life to spreading the light of Buddhism across the world.
	Pirates Of The Carribean: The Curse of The Black Pearl (M): National. Buena Vista. 377 screens. 143 mins. Action. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathon Pryce, Jack Davenport, Keira Knightley. D: Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt). For the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow (DEPP), the crystalline waters of the Caribbean, like the high seas the world over, present a vast playground where adventure and mystery abound. But Jack’s idyllic life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (RUSH), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the Governor’s (PRYCE) beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Swann (KNIGHTLEY). Elizabeth’s childhood friend, Will Turner (BLOOM), joins forces with Jack to commandeer the fastest ship in the British fleet, the HMS Interceptor, in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl. The duo and their motley crew are pursued by Elizabeth’s betrothed, the debonair, ambitious Commodore Norrington (DAVENPORT), aboard the HMS Dauntless. Unbeknownst to Will, there is a curse that has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead, where each moonlight, they are transformed into living skeletons. The curse they carry can be broken only if a once-plundered treasure is restored. Stunning visual effects bring these formidable foes to life as our valiant heroes clash mightily with Barbossa and his invincible pirates of the Caribbean..
	Together (PG): Selected, Can/ Syd/ Adel/ Melb. Hopscotch. 15 screens. Drama. (Aka He Ni Zaiyiqi). 108 mins. China. Subtitled- Mandarin. Peiqi Liu, Yun Tang, Hong Chen (I), Kaige Chen, Ru-Yun Tang, Zhiwen Wang. D: Kaige Chen (Killing Me Softly). Directed by legendary Chinese director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) and wearing its heart on its sleeve, Together is a crowd-pleasing drama which will have the same effect on the tear ducts as other blockbusting foreign weepies about kids like Cinema Paradiso, Kolya, and Life Is Beautiful. Together is the story of a doting father and his 13 year old son Xiaochun, a brilliantly gifted violinist, who live in a provincial city far from the sophistication of Beijing. But when the two go to Beijing, so that Xiaochun can audition to enter a prestigious music school, their lives change. At first the boy starts training with a disillusioned and grubby teacher (Wang) and develops a friendship with and a crush on his sexy neighbor Lili.
	Traveling Light (M): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. Dendy. 9 screens. 88 mins. Australia. Pia Miranda, Brett Stiller, Sacha Horler, Tim Draxl, Kestie Morassi, Mashall Napier, Simon Burke, Tamblyn Lord. D: Kathryn Millard (Parklands). Adelaide, 1971. Two sisters dream of a better life. Then a brooding beat poet named Lou unexpectedly steps into their world and life will never be the same. From the writer/director of Parklands, comes Traveling Light, starring Pia Miranda and Sacha Horler. Traveling Light is about family, about the time in a young person¹s life when they must decide who they really are, despite whom they are related to and where they come from. When you are young and growing up in Adelaide circa 1971 realizing your dreams isn¹t something you expect to happen amongst the pink flamingos and manicured suburban front yards of Australia’s little-sister city.

12 SEPTEMBER
	Dragon Loaded 2003 (M): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Dist: Yu Enterprises. 2 screen. 102 mins. Action Comedy. Hong Kong. Ronald Cheng, Law Kar Ying, Eric Tsang, Jackie Cheung. D: Vincent KOK Tat Chiu. "Dragon Loaded 2003" is a movie about a spoilt young master who is lazy but harbours a strong sense of Righteousness. His dad, Dai Seung, secretly asked his friend who is a high ranking police officer, to help him to discipline his son and nurture him into a talent. The movie gets into full swing when guy enrolled into the Police Academy.
	Parwana (M): Selected, Syd. Distib: Hoyts. 1 screen. 143 mins. C: Hoyts Merrylands. India. Ajay Devgan, Amisha Patel, Pooja Batra, Ketki Dave, Akhilendra Mishra, Nawab Shah, Pramod Motho. D: Deepak Bahry (Qurban). "Parwana"' is story of an orphan - who lives in a Basti. He has one mission in life to help the poor people of Basti. 'PARWANA' is story of an orphan - who lives in a basti. He has one mission to help the poor people of basti - for that he does odd jobs without harming any body. In a very humours way a girl comes in his life- both like each other & they get married - but the destiny had something else for them, 'PARWANA' falls in to trap of villans who are the Traitors. 'PARWANA' is stamped as a traitor and he is behind the bars - whole mafia wants to kill him in jail. 'PARWANA' has no other way to prove innocent, he escape from jail. Now the mission is to expose those vilians before the country and prove himself innocent. For this -'PARWANA' fights against all odds. 'PARWANA' is for love. 'PARWANA' is for sacrifice. 'PARWANA' is for nation. 'PARWANA' is for action. "PARWANA DARES TO PLAY WITH LIFE"

14 SEPTEMBER

Bonhoeffer (PG): Selected, Bris (Syd Sep 25: 1 screen, Valhalla Glebe). Ronin. 1 screen (Sconell St Lucia). Doco. 92 mins. USA. D: Martin Doblmeier (debut). A chronicle which charts the dramatic life story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian who offered one of the first clear voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer openly challenged his Church to stand with the Jews in their time of need, and eventually joined his family in the plots to kill Hitler. His three books, Cost of Discipleship, Letters and Papers from Prison, and Ethics, were all written during the struggle, and are considered classics in the world of religion and ethics. The film, shot on location in Germany and the United States, features interviews with family members, friends, students and associates who knew Bonhoeffer personally--including, the last interview given by Bonhoeffer's closest friend and biographer, Eberhard Bethge. As well, there is an interview with Ruth Alice von Bismarck, the sister of Bonhoeffer's fiancée, Maria von Wedemeyer.


18 SEPTEMBER
	Bad Boys II (MA): National. Columbia. 273 screens. 146 mins. Action/ comedy. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano, Henry Rollins, Peter Stormare, Jordi Molla, Theresa Randle. D: Michael Bay (The Rock). Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back - and oh so bad - on the streets of Miami in "Bad Boys II," reuniting them with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) have been assigned to a high-tech task force investigating the flow of designer ecstasy into Miami. Their search leads to a dangerous kingpin, whose plan to control the city's drug traffic has touched off an underground war. Meanwhile, things get sexy between Mike and Syd (Union), Marcus's sister. Trivia: The MacArthur Causeway, the main route to South Beach in Miami, was shut down for several days for filming. This caused literally thousands of people to have to go miles out of their way to get to and from Miami Beach in early August 2002. Budget: US$75 million.


25 SEPTEMBER
	Japanese Story (M): Selected, Can/ Syd/ Bris/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. Palace. 40 screens. Drama. Australia. 106 mins. Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima, Matthew Dyktynski, Lynette Curran, Yumiko Tanaka, Kate Atkinson, John Howard, Bill Young, Reg Evans, Justine Clarke. D: Sue Brooks (Road To Nhil). Sandy (Toni Collette) wants to go places. Fast. And she does, but not exactly the places she intended. She's a geologist and she's started a software company with Baird (Matthew Dyktynski). It takes a long time to develop software and they need a sale. Hiromitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima) just might be it. But Baird decides at the last minute he can't go. Sandy will have to be the one to show Hiromitsu around. There's only one catch. Hiromitsu wants to see quite a lot and a lot of it is a long way away. Hiromitsu has his own reasons for being in Australia. He's happy to talk to them but first he wants to go on a field trip to the steel works and the Pilbara ore fields. It's not Sandy's idea of fun. Start Shoot: 03/07/2002 Wrap: 30/08/2002. Filmed in Western Australia.
	Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life: Tomb Raider 2 (M): National. UIP (Para). 220 screens. 117 mins. Adventure. Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Chris Barrie, Noah Taylor, Ciaran Hinds, Djimon Hounsou, Jon Bennett. D: Jan De Bont (Twister). In this sequel, Lara Croft will have to go up against the brilliant and urbane villain Chen Lo, head of a Chinese crime syndicate. Lo is a savvy businessman and negotiator, and he can also be a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. Butler stars as Terry Sheridan, a former Croft paramour pressed into service on her latest mission despite lingering recriminations from their tumultuous affair. One of Angelina Jolie's stunt doubles was a man. Budget US$90,000,000. Filming Dates 27 August 2002 - 19 March 2003. Filming Studio Location Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Bucks (UK). Quote: African Bushman: 'Ancient legends tell of a place called the Cradle of Life. It is the source of all life and also of death. There lies a power that no man should ever hold.'
	Spring In A Small Town (PG): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Niche. 2 screens (Chauvel, Syd; Lumiere, Melb). China. 116 mins. Wu Jun, Xin Bai Qing, Hu Jingfan, Lu Si Si, Ye Xiao Keng. D: Tian Zhuangzhuang (The Blue Kite). In a small town, housewife Zhou Yuwen (Jingfan Hu) and her husband Dai Liyan (Bai Qing Xin) lived a normal but boring life. Dai Liyan was suffering from severe depression, after the loss of his family's fortune during the war. When a young doctor, Zhang Zhichen (Jun Wu), an old friend of Dai Liyan and ex-lover of Zhou Yuwen, comes to visit them, the young couple's life will never be the same. Meanwhile, Dai Liyan's younger sister Dai Xiu (Si Si Lu) begins to fall in love with the charming doctor. The film is fascinating for its ambiguity; it is utterly contemporary and at the same time antique is a surprisingly modern classic tale that explores an intellectual's ambivalence about the present and his forebodings about China's future.
	The Wannabes (M): National. Hoyts. 147 screens. 94 mins. Australia. Comedy. Nick Giannopoulos, Michael Carman, Isla Fisher, Russell Dykstra, Felix Williamson, Costa. D: Nick Giannopoulos (debut). The worlds worst actor’ is hired by three crooks to join them in creating a children’s singing and dancing group ‘The Wannabes’. However this kids group is not all singing and dancing and in reality it’s a front to case the homes of the rich and famous. Nick Giannopoulos the creator and star of ‘The Wogboy’ stars in this hilarious comedy as Danny -the worlds biggest Wannabe. Danny’s problems escalate when this newly formed kids group ‘The Wannabes’ is suddenly an overnight success, transporting them to the world of fame and celebrity status and the only way out is via a payback - Kidnap Bill Gennaro, the biggest box office star in the world….

4 SEPTEMBER
	28 Days Later (MA): National. Horror. Fox. 146 screens. 123 mins. Noah Huntley, Megan Burns, Bindu De Stoppani, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Gleeson, Naomie Harris, Jukka Hiltunen, Luke Mably, Cillian Murphy, Ray Panthaki. D: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting). Studio: Fox Searchlight. A virus that locks those infected into a permanent state of killing rage, is accidentally released from a British research facility. Carried by animals and humans, the virus is impossible to contain, and spreads across the entire planet. Twenty-eight days later, a small group of survivors are trapped in London, caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Trivia: The last words said in the film (by the aircraft pilot) are spoken in Finnish. He says, "Would you send a helicopter." Danny Boyle said that he used topless girls to persuade male drivers not to drive on the streets where they were shooting, to keep them free of traffic.
	Agent Cody Blanks (PG): Selected, TAS. (Sep 18- QLD/ VIC: 93 screens. Sep 25- NSW/ SA/ WA: 194 screens. Fox (MGM). 102 mins. 7 screens./ Comedy. Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff, Andrew Francis, Angie Harmon, Darrell Hammond. D: Harald Zwart (One Night At McCools). To his family and friends, Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is a typical teen - he loves to skateboard, hates math, and feels like a complete idiot around girls. But Cody's got a secret - he's actually part of a secret teen CIA program. Cody's living every boy's dream life - he can drive like a stuntman, has an incredible arsenal of cool gadgets, and his agency mentor, Ronica Miles (Angie Harmon), is totally hot. But Cody's training is put to the test when he's sent to pose as a prep school student and befriend fellow teen Natalie Connors (Hilary Duff) in order to gain access to her father, a scientist unknowingly developing a fleet of deadly nanobots for the evil organization ERIS. From runaway cars and high-speed snowboard chases to a spectacular final mountaintop showdown, Cody has to use everything he's learned to prove himself as an agent and stop ERIS-and maybe even get the girl.
	Freaky Friday (PG): National, TAS. Sep 18 QLD/ VIC: 124 screens. Sep 25 NSW/ SA/ WA: 239 screens. Buena Vista. 7 screens. 97 mins. Family Comedy. Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal, Mark Marmon. D: Mark S. Walters (Head Over Heels). Dr. Tess Colman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan), are not getting along. They don’t see eye-to-eye on clothes, hair, music, and certainly not in each other’s taste in men. One Thursday evening, their disagreements reach a fever pitch – Anna is incensed that her mother doesn’t support her usical aspirations and Tess, a widow about to remarry, can’t see why Anna won’t give her fiancé (Mark Harmon) a break. Everything soon changes when two identical Chinese Fortune Cookies cause a little mystic mayhem. On the next morning, their Friday gets freaky when Tess and Anna find themselves inside the other’s body. As they literally walk a mile in each other’s shoes, they gain a little newfound respect for the other’s point of view. But with Tess’s wedding coming on Saturday, the two have to find a way to switch back (and fast).
	Hollywood Homicide (M): National. Columbia. 150 screens. 116 mins. Action-comedy. Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Lolita Davidovich, Percy Miller, Dwight Yoakam, Martin Landau, Keith David, Lou Diamond Phillips, Isaiah Washington. D: Ron Shelton (Tin Cup). Ron Shelton, the writer and director of Bull Durham and White Men Can't Jump, now brings audiences a gritty action-comedy starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, as unconventional L.A. homicide detectives. Joe Gavilan (Ford) is the seasoned veteran charged with showing K.C. Calden (Hartnett) the ropes, while investigating the gangland style murder of a rap group.. The suspect is Sartain (Washington), a rap label boss with a former police officer in charge of security.
	Legally Blonde 2 (PG): National, TAS (7 screens). Sep 11 National (253 screens). Fox (MGM). 95 mins. Comedy. Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Bob Newhart, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge, Regina King, Alanna Ubach. D: Charles Herman-Wurmfied (Kissing Jessica Stein). Studio: MGM. Reese Witherspoon is back as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Now Elle is juggling a demanding career as a rising young lawyer as well as preparations for her wedding to the man of her dreams. But when she stands up for the rights of the other guy in her life - Bruiser, her chihuahua - Elle is fired from her job. She's devastated, but you can't keep an optimist down. Ms. Woods goes to Washington to take matters into her own well-manicured hands. Trying to learn the political ropes and win over self-serving politicians, Elle faces a formidable challenge. But with her clever and sassy signature blend of determination and intelligence, she bucks the system the Elle Woods way, inspiring those around her to find a voice of their own.
	My Little Eye (MA): Selected, Syd/ Bris/ Gold/ Sun/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth. UIP (Uni). 40 screens. 95 mins. Thriller. UK. Stephen O’ Reilly, Jennifer Sky, Laura Regan, Sean C W Johnson, Kris Lemche. D: Mark Evans (Resurrection Man). Five young people apply to live in an isolated house together for six months whilst their every move is filmed by numerous cameras. Each has their reason for wanting to be there - fame, money, adventure. The prize - $1 million. The rules - if one person leaves, everyone loses. It becomes the ultimate morality test. When Danny's beloved grandfather dies, does his greed overcome his love? When the skittish Emma finds blood on her pillow why does she still stay behind? And what dark secret does the house harbor that leaves them feeling as though they're being watched by more than just a million pairs of eyes?
	Once Upon A Time In The Midlands (M): Selected, Melb/ Perth. Sep 11: Syd. Columbia. 6 screens. 100 mins. Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Kathy Burke, Shirley Henderson, Ricky Tomlinson, Vanessa Feltz, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Finn Atkins, Eliot Otis Brown Walters, Ryan Bruce, Andrew Shim, Kelly Thresher. D: Shane Meadows (twentyfourseven). Dek and Shirley live together with 12 year-old Marlene, her daughter by the sexy, delinquent Jimmy who went off into the badlands of Glasgow years ago and hasn't been heard from since. Decent-but-dull Dek loves Shirley so much that he humiliates her by proposing without warning on national television. Like everyone else Shirley has ever met, Jimmy is watching when she turns Dek down on TV and he returns to town, determined to win her back.
	The Rugrats Go Wild (TBA): National, TAS. Sep 18- VIC/ QLD: 171 screens. Sep 25: NSW/ SA/ WA: 214 screens. UIP (Para). 7 screens. Animated. V: Jodi Carlisle, Christine Cavanaugh, Lacey Chabert, Melanie Chartoff, Cheryl Chase, Tim Curry, Elizabeth Daily, Flea, Danielle Harris, Tom Kane, Jack Riley, Kath Soucie, Bruce Willis, LL Cool J, Flea. D: John Eng (TV's Duckman) & Norton Virgien (TV's Rugrats). The Pickles family of RUGRATS decides to take a jungle cruise vacation that ends up in disaster. Shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island, the babies are separated from their parents and must fend for themselves under the leadership of Tommy Pickles (the voice of E.G. Daily). Unbeknownst to Tommy, his idol, naturalist and television explorer Sir Nigel Thornberry (Tim Curry), is also on the island with his family to film a documentary on the rarely seen white leopard, Siri (rocker Chrissie Hynde). Lost in the jungle, the young RUGRATS kids meet the Thornberry daughters, Debbie (Danielle Harris) and Eliza (Lacey Chabert), whose magical ability to talk to animals makes it possible to converse with Spike (Bruce Willis), the Pickles family dog.
	Titanic 3D: Ghosts Of The Abyss (PG): Selected, Syd/ Melb. 2 screens. Worlds Biggest Screens (Imax). 45 mins. USA. Bill Paxton, Tava Smiley. D: Jim Cameron (Terminator 2). With a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts and friend Bill Paxton, he embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Using state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew are able to explore virtually all of the wreckage, inside and out, as never before. With the most advanced 3D photography, moviegoers will experience the ship as if they are part of the crew, right inside the dive subs. In this unprecedented motion picture event, made especially for IMAX 3D Theaters and specially outfitted 35mm 3D theaters across the country, Cameron and his team bring audiences to sights not seen since the sinking 90 years ago and explore why the landmark vessel - more than any shipwreck - continues to intrigue and fascinate the public.
	Undead (MA): Selected, Syd/ Adel/ Melb/ Perth/ Bris. Imagine Entertainment. 17 screens. 104 mins. Australia. Horror. Felicity Mason, Mungo McKay, Rob Jennings, Lisa Cunningham, Dirk Hunter, Emma Randall. D: Peter & Michael Spierig (debut). Film Fests:- Syd (June), Melb (July), Bris (August). Peaceful, rustic Berkeley is a charming fishing community where life is sweet and the people friendly. All that is about to change. After losing her childhood farm to the bank, local beauty Rene decides to leave town and head for the big city. Suddenly, an avalanche of meteorites races through the sky, bombarding the town and bringing an otherworldly infection. Departing is going to be much more difficult than she had planned. The living dead are awakened and Rene is now caught in a nightmare of zombies hungry for human flesh. She manages to find salvation in a small isolated farm house owned by the town loony, Marion. There she is met with four other desperate survivors. Together they battle their way through a plague of walking dead and discover that there is more transpiring than just an infection.