1. Mambo Italiano (M): Officially opening this week after advance screenings last weekend. An Italian, little more adult version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (G). It won't change your life, but it's a big, fun comedy that will give you a good old laugh.

2. Kill Bill: Volume One (R): Required: a sense of adventure and a strong stomach. The fourth directorial outing for Quentin Tarantino is big, bold and filled with lots of red stuff (and I mean LOTS). Has an old-style Asian action flick feeling and stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu and Daryl Hannah.

3. Calendar Girls (PG): A group of mature ladies from a British women's league strip off for a calendar to raise money for a local hospital. Top notch, laugh-a-minute movie for people of all ages. Based on a true story.

4. Matchstick Men (M): Nicolas Cage and Alison Lohman (last seen as Michelle Pfeiffer's little girl in White Oleander(M)) shine as father and daughter in this fabulous con-man style drama, with a surprise twist at the end.

5. The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (M): Number two at the Australian box office this week behind Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (M). An unusual superhero tale starring Sean Connery and Australia's Richard Roxburgh.

Movie news

• It's a case of serial matrimony and divorce when Hollywood superstars George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones team up in the new romantic comedy Intolerable Cruelty (M), which is officially releasing in cinemas this week.

A host of others also make an appearance in this fun new flick, including Australia's own Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton.

• If you like being amongst the first to see the new movies, be prepared to stay up very late (or should I say get up very early?) for the opening of the final instalment of The Matrix trilogy. With Matrix Revolutions (Rating TBA) opening at exactly the same time all around the world, the first screenings in our area will be at Greater Union Glendale, Newcastle and Tuggerah at 1am on Thursday, November 6.

If you're up to the challenge, tickets for these sessions plus all screenings during the first week of the film, are now on sale at box offices.

• Greater Union Newcastle has secured another exclusive, quality release. From October 30, catch Japanese Story; set in the Australian desert and with a stunning performance from Toni Collette.

For more movie news and the latest on what's happening in cinemas, check out the website www.greaterunion.com.au