Australian label Madman Television have three DVD sets which might interest UK-based customers next month.

The first is the Midsomer Murders - Season 6 set, which features the five feature-length episodes (A Talent For Life, Death and Dreams, Painted in Blood, A Tale of Two Hamlets and Birds of Prey) on a three disc set, which will also feature textless titles and photo' galleries. Release date is 7th February, with am SRP of AU$59.95.

The second, which was released in October last year, contains the first season (thirty episodes) of the Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning sitcom That Girl. The episodes, which include the original un-aired Pilot, have been digitally re-mastered. Four episodes will feature commentary by star Marlo Thomas, and series creator Bill Persky. The set will also feature rare promo's, original location footage; a featurette "and more". The five-disc set has an SRP of AU$49.95.

The That Girl - Season 2 set will be released on March the 7th. The four-disc set will feature thirty episodes, with bonus features including four episodes with commentary by Thomas and Persky; the original un-aired pilot for Thomas' un-sold sitcom Two's Company, and a new featurette about the making of the series. The SRP is AU$39.95.

Sleeve art for the forthcoming releases:

Full details of the Borat: Cultural Leanings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan DVD have been added to the disc's Incoming entry.

Anchor Bay will release the recent animated Hellboy film, Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (a sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2004 film) on DVD on March the 5th.

The film, which features several members of the 2004 movie's cast, including Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones, will be supplemented on disc by an audio commentary (by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, supervising producer / director Tad Stones and director Phil Weinstein);

The disc will also feature several behind-the-scenes featurettes: To Hell And Back (how Mike Mignola created Hellboy), A New Breed (creating the new Hellboy), Conquering Hellboy (the actor's role), A View From The Top (the "Heads" sequence), Keepers of Hellboy (Comic Con 2006 Panel Discussion), Hellboy Goes East (a look at many of the inspirations, back-stories and secrets of Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms). There is also DVD-Rom content, including weblinks, storyboards and more.

The disc will also be accompanied by a thirty-two-page limited edition Hellboy comic book, by Mignola, in the "deluxe limited edition" slipcase. The RRP is £14.99.

Metrodome will release Wim Wenders' cyberpunk road movie Until The End of the World (Bis ans Ende der Welt) on DVD on February the 26th.

The film, which stars Wings of Desire's Solveig Donmartin, William Hurt, Max Von Sydow and Sam Neil, featured an iconic soundtrack, featuring new material from artists including U2, R.E.M, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Depeche Mode and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (who were asked to imagine the kind of songs they'd be producing eight years hence).

The disc will include a theatrical trailer, and an essay on Wenders from film scholar Jason Wood. No technical details were announced. The running time is quoted as 155m, suggesting that this is the shortest version of the film (not the three-hour edit, or - as claimed by an earlier press release - the 280m Director's Cut). The RRP is £19.99.

IMAX NEWS

A new 3D film made by Tim Liversedge for National Geographic, Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari, makes its debut at the Waterloo IMAX theatre on February the 9th. Here's the full press release...

Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari, a compelling giant-screen 3D film by Tim Liversedge for National Geographic, opens at the BFI IMAX on 9 February. Filmed entirely in the wild and made possible in part by the support of the Republic of Botswana, Lions 3D carries the audience deep into the stark expanse of Botswana's Kalahari Desert where the life-and-death struggle between a real lion king and a fierce, young contender determined to oust him from his throne unfolds. Viewers will be shaken in their seats by one of nature's loudest sounds - the roars of duelling lions - delivered by the most powerful cinema sound system in the world.

The drama poignantly weaves together the day-to-day life of lions with the suspense of rivalry in an epic story of power and dominance, success and failure. Here, one of the largest lions to walk the arid lands of the Kalahari - a 10-foot giant - reigns with his lionesses and cubs. A nomad comes to claim the territory for his own, gradually encroaching until an ultimate battle between the two determines the fate of all.

More than 40 years of experience in the region allowed filmmaker Tim Liversedge to capture in unparalleled detail the natural behaviour of lions, their prey and the incredible profusion of life congregated at a single water source for 100 miles around.

“Lions 3D is set around an isolated watering hole teaming with wildlife” says Liversedge. “Powerful, close-up images and a complex sound design put the audience right there at the site. Zebra herds trot by close enough to touch. An elephant trumpets thunderously from the screen. A soaring flight is taken over vast and harsh landscapes.

My aim was to give audiences the experience of what it is like to be gazing up at the star-filled skies over the Kalahari, to have the thrill of hearing two lions engaged in a roaring duel, or to sit at the edge of a water hole a few feet from elephants bathing in the moonlight. ”

Liversedge had to contend with relentless dust storms and surface temperatures that soared to 130˚F. “Filming Lions 3D was one of the most challenging and exciting times of my life,” he said. “The lions were so close at times that they brushed my tripod and used me and my camera as cover to hide behind to try and get closer to their prey. Perhaps the most spectacular shot I got was captured when a springbok leapt 10 feet straight up into the air to be brought down by a lioness right in front of my 70mm camera. They both crashed to the ground a few feet in front of me.”

The BFI IMAX is located at South Bank, London SE1. Nearest tube/railway is Waterloo. Tickets can be bought in advance from the ticket desk or by telephone on 0870 787 2525 or online from www.bfi.org.uk/imax. Tickets for Lions 3D are priced as follows: Adults £8.50, Children (up to and including age 14) £6.25, Concessions £6.25. The reduced rate for groups of 10 people or more is £700 for adults and £5.25 for concessions. Tickets will be on sale shortly.

15th January 2007