It's November this week – can you believe it? To distract you from how quickly the end of the year is approaching there’s plenty of great viewing coming your way on Rialto Channel. This month the director featured in the Directors Series is celebrated Serbian filmmaker and actor Emir Kusturica. You’ll be able to catch his classic films, such as Life is a Miracle, Time of the Gypsies, Underground and Black Cat, White Cat. They’ll screen on Sunday evenings after The Story of Film: An Odyssey. 

We’re still celebrating the Aussies on Rialto Channel this week, with a premiering of black comedy The King is Dead! on Friday. Cleaver Greene’s adventures also continue with Rake on Wednesday evenings, and there’s even a trip for two to Australia to be won - just head to the competition page for details. Also this week, we head to Norway where we get to admire some stunning architecture in Headhunters, and the US in director Oren Moverman’s full-on cop drama Rampart. It’s a week filled with dark humour and some grisly action!

Well, who would have thought the singing, passionate community crusader and recently re-elected Mayor of Auckland Len Brown would have had such an interesting first week of his second term. I’m more interested in Len Brown’s politics than his private life, but it got me thinking about films on a similar theme that he may ponder.

Here are my top five recent adultery related films...

This month we are focusing on our neighbours across the ditch, premiering Aussie films every Friday night with the occasional headliner on Saturday evenings, and premiering the brand new series of Rake every Wednesday at 8.30pm.

My highlights this week feature one of my favourite Australian actresses, Toni Collette. I just love watching this woman – she can make me laugh and cry and is totally believable whether she’s playing it straight, quirky or mentally ill. Regardless of whether she takes on a leading or supporting role (often as a mother - The Sixth Sense, About a Boy, The Way Way Back, Little Miss Sunshine…) she always makes her presence felt. And as far as movie stars go - there’s something down to earth and genuine about Toni Collette.

Needless to say, she takes centre stage in my first highlight of the week.

In 1969, a film about a couple of counterculture pothead hippies travelling across America on motorcycles changed the landscape of filmmaking in America. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider captured the tension between the establishment and counterculture and gave young audiences a film they could relate to; it also proved that low budget, independently made, gritty looking films could be both critically and commercially successful.

Toni Collette stars alongside Adrienne Pickering in tonight's premiere of the second series of Rake. James Croot nips in before the expected long queue of admirers forms. Take a look at James' chat with Adrienne from this week's TV Week in the Dominion Post here.

As much as we pretend we’re not fond of those loud mouthed larrikin Aussies across the ditch, the truth is we are. When it comes to the entertainment industry, Australia has opened its arms to Kiwis, welcoming our directors, actors and musicians, and providing for some a stepping-stone to United States success.

On the channel this month you can catch the best of Aussie film and TV, and you could win a luxury trip to Australia to see real Australians in their natural environment. For more information, head to the competitions page here on the website. 

Grammys and Academy Award winner Paul Williams may not have looked like a superstar, but in the 70s he ruled the airwaves with hits such as Barbara Streisand's Evergreen and the Carpenter's We've Only Just Begun, not to mention Kermit the Frog's biggest hit, The Rainbow Connection.

One day though, he went from being everywhere to nowhere, and filmmaker and fan Stephen Kessler presumed he had died. When he discovered recently Paul was alive and well he convinced Paul to let him make a documentary, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Stephen kindly took the time to have a quick chat about the challenges of making a film about a man who doesn’t want to be filmed.

As one stylish series comes to an end this week, Rebound, another beauty kicks off, series 2 of Aussie comedy Rake. As I’ve written before about Rake, this brilliantly written satire about witty, self-destructive and politically incorrect barrister Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) is hilarious, a little bit naughty and superbly acted. If you missed series one you can catch up on all of Cleaver Greene’s antics by watching Rake: The Box Set on Sunday 6^th October from 8.20am.

My highlights for the week...

If, like me, you’re finding Emirates Team New Zealand’s quest to bring home the America’s Cup rather stressful, distract yourself with some of the fabulous entertainment on Rialto Channel this week.

Here are a few picks for the week.