Weekend Planner

Newcastle Herald

Saturday December 20, 2008

GR

Events

* Maitland Markets Sunday, Pick

up a last minute gift at the Christmas

Fiesta-themed markets. 8am to 2pm.

Free entry. Maitland Showground.

* Newcastle Live Sites Saturday,

Sing your favourite Christmas carols

with the Waratah Girls Choir at a

family night under the stars. 7pm.

Free. Harbour Square, Honeysuckle.

* Twilight Markets and Carols in the

Park Sunday, A variety of guest artists lead

the carols and Santa makes an appearance.

Starts 5pm. Free. McNamara Park, Broke.

* Carols at Gregson Park Saturday, Entertainment by

Carpe Idiotus, BYO picnic and enjoy free fairy floss. Starts

7pm. Free. Gregson Park, Hamilton (wet weather venue:

Hamilton RSL).

* Southlake Christmas Spectacular Saturday,

Entertainment includes amusement rides, carols,

fireworks and a visit from Santa. 4pm to 9pm. Tickets at

gate. Morisset Showground.

* Computer Fair Sunday, Thousands of hardware at

bargain prices. 10am to 2.30pm. Entry $3. Newcastle

Basketball Stadium, Broadmeadow.

Environment

* Spotlight Prowl Saturday, Join experienced

guides on an easy paced walk discovering creatures

of the night. Starts at sunset. Costs $10 adults, $15

children. Hunter Wetlands Centre, Shortland. Bookings

essential 49516466.

Theatre

* Bat Boy: The Musical A moving musical about a

farming town divided over the fate of a boy found living

in a cave with bats. Saturday 2pm and 7.30pm, Sunday

5pm. Hunter TAFE Institute Faculty of Arts and Media, at

The Playhouse, Newcastle. 49291977.

Music

* Belmont 16ft Sailing Club Saturday, Scoota Boi.

Sunday, Steve Gillespie, Brendan Murphy.

* Belmore Hotel Saturday, DJ Sonic, DV8. Sunday,

The Rehab Brass Band.

* The Brewery Saturday, Peta Evans-Taylor, Hey

Poncho, The Minpins. Sunday, Rubber Bullet, Matt

Saxon, Absolute Groove Therapy.

* Cambridge Hotel Saturday, Newcastle Funk

Collective featuring DJ Mark Walton.

* The Mark Hotel

Saturday, Two Good

Reasons. Sunday, The

Rapture.

* Oriental Hotel

Sunday, Giuseppe Zangari

(3.30pm).

* The View Factory

Saturday, Buddy Knox.

Sunday, Decs and Ollie.

* Tempus Two Winery

Saturday, Pugsley Buzzard.

* Warners at the Bay

Saturday, Gas. Sunday,

Kate Ballantyne.

Movies with

James Joyce

Australia (M) Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in

the movie so epic they named an entire country after it.

Baz Luhrmanns lavish outback romance is like a pavlova:

sweet, soggy and crumbling under

the weight of too much fruit and

cream. * * *

City of Ember (G) Two teenagers

battle to save their subterranean

city from doomsday darkness.

Stars Bill Murray and Atonements

Saoirse Ronan. * *1/2

Four Holidays (M) Reese

Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn

spend one disastrous day making

Christmas visits to each of their

divorced parents. * * *

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (G)

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens play all-singing, alldancing

high school sweethearts in Disneys cheesy but

exuberant teen musical. * * * *

Hunger (MA) Grim but gripping drama about hunger

striker Bobby Sands and other defi ant IRA inmates at

Belfasts notorious Maze prison. One of the films of the

year. * * * * *

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG) Sacha Baron

Cohen (aka Borat) provides the zaniest laughs as loopy

lemur King Julien in the lively sequel to the animated

romp about pampered New York Zoo animals on the

lam in the wild. * * *

Twilight (M) Intoxicating teen romance fantasy about a

17-year-old girl, new in town, falling helplessly in love with

her impossibly handsome classmate, who happens to

be a brooding vampire. * * * *

Quantum of Solace (M)

Daniel Craigs second mission

as 007 is more Jason Bourne

than James Bond. * * * *

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

(M) Greater Union Newcastle

screens previews today and

tomorrow of Woody Allens

love triangle comedy starring

Scarlett Johansson, Penelope

Cruz and Javier Bardem.

Cinemas and session times, Page 18

PICKS OF THE WEEK

CD

* High School Musical 3:

Senior Year - Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the third

instalment of Disneys High

School Musical phenomenon

includes songs by the original

songwriters and cast members

Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens

and Ashley Tisdale.

DVD

Tropic Thunder (MA)

This take-no-prisoners satire of

Hollywood stars Ben Stiller, Jack

Black and Robert Downey jnr as

pampered actors making a bigbudget

Vietnam war movie in the

jungle who take a wrong turn and

wind up fighting real-life baddies.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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