Happily Never After

Powerful performances punctuate the misery of a bad marriage and lost dreams. Revolutionary Road Directed by Sam Mendes Screenplay by Justin Haythe, from the novel by Richard Yates Rated M Opens Thursday Running time 119 minutes Cinemas Everywhere Rating: 3.5/5

Grappling With Life

Mickey Rourke's comeback to the big screen is a testament to determination. The Wrestler Directed by Darren Aronofsky Screenplay by Robert D. Siegel Rated MA 15+ Running time 107 minutes Showing Now Cinemas Everywhere Rating: 4.5/5

Editor's Letter

WE'RE a cultured lot, us Melburnians. Increasingly we're expanding our areas of artistic interest beyond our comfort zones, whether they be sticky-carpeted bandrooms, floorboarded galleries, cinemas, concert halls or theatres. And the people that bring us our entertainment are doing the same; while "multimedia" has been around a long time, the phrase is now as good as the new black. See a Chunky Move dance show and you'll likely also get some film, some theatre and lighting effects that would ...

Twisted Sister Is Heaven Sent

Doubt Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley from his play Rated M Running time 104 minutes Showing Now Cinemas Everywhere Rating: 4/5 Superb acting and skilled direction fuel this fine melodrama.

Australia Has A Slow Start At The Box Office

THE outback epic Australia has had a rocky start in North American cinemas.

Aice Israeli Film Festival

AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL At the Como and Brighton Bay cinemas from tomorrow until September 7

Fire Risk For Years

FROM when it was built 11 years ago, the Showcase City Cinemas had been certified as meeting fire safety standards, but a report to Newcastle City Council says it now appears "such certification is not reliable".

Masonic Shift Sees City Lose Lodge

NEWCASTLE Masonic Centre, which adjoins the now closed Showcase City Cinemas, may also soon have to shut its doors.

Film Festival Hits Town

THIS weekend the Sydney Film Festival will roll into town with a series of screenings at the Greater Union Cinemas in King Street, Newcastle.

Star Saddened By Screen Scene

NEWCASTLE-born actress Susie Porter has expressed concern for the Australian and independent film industry with the closure of the city's Showcase Cinemas.

French Film Festival

At the Como, Balwyn & Westgarth cinemas, from Thursday to March 19

Gibson Back In Hunt For Trendy Dendy Screens

MEL GIBSON is back in the race for the trendy art house cinema chain Dendy. The Hollywood star's film distribution company, Icon, is one of several interested parties, including US cinema chain Reading and the new buyout owners of Hoyts Cinemas, sources close to the process said. Dendy is owned by Paul Ramsay's Prime Media, which acquired the five cinemas and Moonlight Cinema when it took control of the Becker Group entertainment company in July.

Prime Tipped To Sell Dendy Chain

PAUL RAMSAY'S Prime Television is looking to sell its art-house cinema chain, Dendy, in the next three months, just weeks after it pulled out of the race to buy Hoyts Cinemas.

Film's Frontiersman Goes Back To Basics On The Wild Web

FOR the director Brad Silberling the decision last year to release his independent film on the internet while it was still in cinemas was akin to a shoot-out in the Wild West.

Her Life As A Fake Revealed Layer By Layer

FORBIDDEN LIE$ Rating 4/5 Written and directed by Anna Broinowski Rated M, 106 minutes Palace Verona and Norton St; Cinemas Collaroy, Greater Union Castle Hill; Cremorne Orpheum; Roseville Cinemas

Tinseltown Meets Henson Park

A former league player excels off the field with his own script. The Final Winter Directed by Jane Forrest and Brian Andrews Written by Matt Nable Rated M Running time 96 minutes Cinemas George Street, Dendy Newtown, Hoyts Broadway and suburbs, Greater Union suburbs 3.5/5

Indian Company Keen For Role In Hoyts Sale

SYDNEY could be in for a slice of Bollywood on George Street. James Packer's sale of Hoyts Cinemas has attracted interest from the Indian film industry, with reports that the nation's biggest cinema operator, Pyramid Saimira Theatre, is bidding for the cinema chain.

Taboos Tamed By Time

Once considered pornographic, Lawrence's Lady has finally gained respectability. Lady Chatterley Directed by Pascale Ferran Screenplay by Pascale Ferran and Roger Bohbot from the novel John Thomas and Lady Jane by D.H. Lawrence Rated M Running time 168 minutes Cinemas Palace Academy and Norton Street, Hoyts Cinema Paris, Dendy Opera Quays, Cremorne Orpheum Screening From Thursday 3/5

Blast From Past Gets The Silent Treatment

DR PLONK (G) 3/5 Selected cinemas

Slapstick Comedy Finds The Right Formula

DR PLONK Rating: 3.5/5 Written and directed by Rolf de Heer Rated G, 84 minutes Palace Verona and Norton Street; Greater Union Castle Hill; United Cinemas Collaroy I SUSPECT the Australian writer-director Rolf de Heer thinks a film is worth making only if it involves a high degree of difficulty. Played by Nigel Lunghi, a juggler whom de Heer found busking in Adelaide's Rundle Mall, Dr Plonk is a scientist convinced he has discovered the world is going to end in 2008. No one will believe him so he ...