Father Geek here with our Aussie Tag Team Editors (the seductive Ms. Tamsin and the ever more creepy Norman), and their informative AICN-Downunder Column for this week... Check it all out below...

DOWNUNDER REPORT # 11

AUSSIE BOX OFFICE NEWS

THE MAN WHO SUED GOD, directed by Mark Joffe and starring Billy Connelly and Judy Davis has taken the top spot at the Australian box office. The comedy is playing on 226 screens across the country and, after Moulin Rouge, is the second Australian film this year to debut at number one. THE MAN WHO SUED GOD beat the new release of the Michael Douglas thriller DON'T SAY A WORD.

WAKE IN FRIGHT PRINT DISCOVERED

The print from a classic Australian masterpiece, WAKE IN FRIGHT (titled OUTBACK in the US), was discovered in a vault in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after a five year search by its editor Tony Buckley. The intense psychological thriller, starring Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Donald Pleasance and Jack Thompson, explores the bullying mentality of inhabitants in a small outback town, in a similar fashion to Sam Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS. The negative is being restored by the National Archives for release next year. However, an original technicolour print, discovered in London as part of the same search, will have its public screening tonight in Sydney. Screensound Australia, our national film and sound archive, will restore and re-release 50 classic Australian films over the next five years, including BREAKER MORANT, DON'S PARTY, ALVIN PURPLE and NEWSFRONT.

LORD OF THE RINGS PREVIEW

Wellingtonians were given a sneak peek of exclusive footage from LOTR last Thurday 24th for a fundraising event at the Embassy Theatre. More than 1,200 people attended the event and the general word was the footage looked, "awesome, just awesome" and "absolutely amazing". The actual intention of the fundraising event was to help fund the Embassy Theatre's lavish restoration in time for the December 19th Australian and New Zealand premiere.

MORE RINGS NEWS

A GROUP of New Zealanders has started a tourism venture to take fans of LOTR to places in New Zealand where the film was made. Auckland travel operators have formed a travel company, Red Carpet Tours, to cater solely to fans of LOTR, once the film is released. Its chief executive Vic James says the company wants to take people to the sites where filming took place. Apparently some of the locals who provided their land for the movie aren't pleased about the touring company's proposal.

AFI Award Nominations Announced

Lantana heads the list as the most nominated film at this year's Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards. MOULIN ROUGE, THE BANK, THE DISH join LANTANA as nominations in the Best Film Category. You can check out the AFI Awards website for more info" www.afi.org.au/awards/index.html

MOULIN ROUGE to be re-released in the US

Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE will be re-released in the US next month. Though earning $US56.7 million in the US and $US71.4 million overseas in ticket sales so far, Fox believes that there is a demand for its return. The president of Fox distribution, Bruce Snyder said, "People seem to still be clamouring for it in ways that none of us at Fox could have predicted." Fox will reopen Moulin Rouge in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago on November 21.

NICOLE NEWS

Nicole Kidman has pulled out of working with George Clooney on CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, and will instead join Anthony Hopkins in THE HUMAN STAIN.

CRACKERJACK

Pre-production has started on CRACKERJACK (written by Richard and Mick Molloy - TACKLE HAPPY). Production is set to begin next month and will be mainly in Melbourne and regional Australia. Confirmed cast members include Bill Hunter, Frank Wilson, Lois Ramsay, Judith Lucy, John Clarke and Monica Maughan, as well as Molloy, who will also coproduce the film. Paul Maloney will direct, and Roadshow will distribute the film in Australia.

MATRIX SEQUEL NAME

Producer Joel Silver has revealed that the title of the second MATRIX sequel will be THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. The film, now expected to be released in 2004, will follow THE MATRIX RELOADED, due in 2003.

Speaking of THE MATRIX Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Mosss are fast becoming part of the furniture around Sydney. Moss is often spotted taking her dog for a walk along Campbell Pde (see photo) and Keanu spent his Saturday night seeing the film at the top of the Australian Box Office, THE MAN WHO SUED GOD at Double Bay.

Until next week... Tamsin

tamsin@aintitcoolmail.com

Father Geek back... Now here's Norman with his section of our Wednesday DOWNUNDER report...

LOCAL FILMS HIT BOX OFFICE

Over the last couple of months Australian audiences seem to have received exactly what they've been crying out for: good commercial cinema. Topping box offices and receiving amazing per-screen averages are LANTANA and Mark Joffe's THE MAN WHO SUED GOD (looking for an overlooked Australian bittersweet comic gem? Joffe's earlier film SPOTSWOOD, starring a top-form Anthony Hopkins immediately post-Lector, should fit your bill). THE MAN WHO SUED GOD was part penned by Don Watson, who is also known for some of the more memorable speeches delivered by former Australian prime minister Paul Keating; "In both, they're sort of collaborations, even though you might write all the words yourself. In a speech, you do need the person who's going to perform it to be moving in the same direction as you. And you can't afford to be too precious.

"You're also trying to produce something that will move people, whether it moves a bit of plaque on their brains or something in their hearts and souls. You're doing the same thing. You're in the business of manipulation, up to a point."

DIRTY DEEDS

Only last week I was reporting on a magazine feature marking the first day of shooting on DIRTY DEEDS, director/writer David Caesar's Ozcrime flick wh

stars Toni Collette, Bryan Brown, Sam Neill, and John Goodman. It's now wrapped shooting and we hope to bring you further information as it barrels through post.

MIRAMAX STRENGTHENS TIES

Lured by what they see as "one of the highest per-capita movie attendance average[s] of any country", Miramax International has established a Sydney office to help more closely control distribution and marketing within Australia and New Zealand. Ole Harv Weinstein said... "The Australians and New Zealanders not only make great movies; they also love great movies. This population has one of the highest per-capita movie attendance average of any country in the world, so it's natural that we would focus special attention here."

RINGS AROUND THE WORLD

Minister for Titanic? Lord "Croc" Dundee? Don't laugh, in New Zealand a ministerial position has been designated for exploitation of the publicity value the Lord of the Rings trilogy could reap for the rainy isle. The first "Lord and Minister of Rings" is Energy Minister Pete Hodgson. Let us hope he wields this power wisely...

COLD SEALE

A friend recently attended a lecture by legendary Australian cinematographer John Seales. Asked whether he considered himself an artist, Seales - who has shot the ravishing TALENTED MR RIPLEY among others - directed a withering glare at the interrogator and replied that he is a technician. After performing what will surely be a mundane technical job on HARRY POTTER..., Seales is due to shoot another Anthony Minghella film, the war drama COLD MOUNTAIN.

See you next week kiddies - Norman Gunston out.