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Friday, September 03, 2010 - 3:13 PM
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Competitions from the DVD Bits Blog - One week left! (DVD Bits Competition)
 One week to enter our three wonderful competitions! To celebrate the recent launch of the DVD Bits Blog, our cinema and pop-culture arm, Roadshow Entertainment has given us a selection of titles to give away. Yes, just give away to you good people. Yes, we are willing to buy your love.
The three exciting giveaways are Doctor Who - The Complete Specials and Doctor Who - Series 5 Volume 1 on Blu-ray!, Underbelly - UNCUT on Blu-ray and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Complete First Season on DVD.
To win, all you have to do is visit the links above at the DVD Bits Blog. You gotta be in it to win it!
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Friday, September 03, 2010 - 9:13 AM
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ReelAnime now on nationally (Cinema Reviews)
 We know our readers have a fondness for anime, and we do too. ReelAnime has now launched around Australia and New Zealand, and is on until 15 September. Showcasing some of the best Japanese animation of the last few years, anime fans can't miss this opportunity to see some of the hotest titles on the big screen.
We have already reviewed two of the films showing - Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone and Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance - but we went along to two more yesterday that will no doubt be two of the biggest anime titles of 2010: King of Thorn and Redline. Both are amazing and visually arresting films, with Redline possibly "like nothing you have ever experienced". They are both reviewed on the Blog.
We caught Summer Wars back at the Sydney Film Festival where we described it as being "Full of comedy, action and surprisingly rousing moments"
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Wednesday, September 01, 2010 - 1:50 PM
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Blood: The Last Vampire (Blu-ray Review)
 To celebrate the Reel Anime Festival kicking off nationally this week, we are taking a look at some of the best anime in the business.
Blood: The Last Vampire has been since made into a manga, anime series and even live action film, but this first visceral effort remains a true example of shock and awe. Combining traditional 2D animation with 3D techniques in a way that had never previously been seen, before sticking it in and breaking it off.
Hack and slash your way through my review here.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010 - 9:08 PM
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I Rock: The Complete First Series (DVD Review)
An ABC production akin to an Australian version of Flight Of The Conchords with a side order of Spaced, I Rock: The Complete First Series is a local comedy that charts the rise to fame (or attempts, at least) of fictional rock band Boy Crazy Stacey.
An amusing homegrown effort with plenty of charm and lashings of cool, it features a soundtrack littered with guitar-fuelled tunes, and cameos by anyone and everyone in the Aussie music scene from You Am I frontman Tim Rogers to Frenzal Rhomb singer Jason Whalley.
Starting rocking here.
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Monday, August 30, 2010 - 9:13 PM
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Elena And Her Men (DVD Review)
French master director Jean Renoir and Swedish siren Ingrid Bergman team up for Elena And Her Men, a music-infused romance about meeting and ignoring societal expectations.
One of Renoir's final works, and Bergman's first film after the demise of her marriage to Roberto Rossellini, it is a cheerful and comedic farce marked by its whimsy and winning disposition amidst a pithy socio-political premise.
The merriment begins here.
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Monday, August 30, 2010 - 8:52 PM
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The Last Battle (Blu-ray Review)
 Luc Besson is known for his big-budget action pieces such as The Fifth Element, or his production work on the equally explosive Taxi and Transporter series of films. Yet it all began with this black and white film about life at the end of the world.
Featuring Besson regular Jean Reno and Paris as a wasteland, The Last Battle (Le Dernier Combat) shows the steady early hand of a director who would go on to define excellence across several genres in the decades to follow.
Start a fight here.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010 - 8:07 PM
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The Rhinemann Exchange (DVD Review)
 Over two-and-a-half decades before Matt Damon's Bourne series reinvented the spy film genre, this 1977 miniseries emerged as the first screen adaptation of a Robert Ludlum novel.
A tale of dirty deals and double-crosses at the height of World War IIThe Rhinemann Exchange boasts a strong cast including Stephen Collins (yes, Seventh Heaven's Reverend Camden), Lauren Hutton, Roddy McDowall, Larry Hagman, Rene Auberjonois and John Huston. But is that enough to make you part with four hours of your time?
Take a couple of minutes to find out with my review here.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010 - 12:07 PM
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Dead Man Running (DVD Review)
Bad boy Danny Dyer, his frequent co-star Tamer Hassan, and Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson star in Dead Man Running, a British crime flick from writer / director Alex De Rakoff (The Calcium Kid) and executive producer Ashley Cole (yes, that's the soccer player for all the sports fans out there).
A Guy Ritchie-style caper heavily reminiscent of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla, it combines a basic gangster premise with the expected action-based antics, but is the film a worthy competitor or just a pale imitation?
Run with the complete review here.
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Friday, August 27, 2010 - 10:11 AM
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The Box (Blu-ray Review)
 DVD Bits would like to welcome Jack Reed aboard! Here's looking forward to a fresh new look at our little corner of the world!
The Box is the third film from writer-director Richard Kelly, following the acclaimed cult favourite Donnie Darko and the widely-loathed and overambitious Southland Tales. Based on a Richard Matheson short story, Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are a struggling married couple in 1970s Virginia presented with a choice by a charming stranger (Frank Langella): press the button on an ornate box, receive $1 million, and someone they don't know will die.
Does The Box live up to Donnie Darko's promise? Or does it follow Southland Tales into creative oblivion? Find out here.
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Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 12:16 PM
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North Face (DVD Review)
North Face is a German film, set in Switzerland, about mountaineering in pursuit of Nazi glory, however don't let that meagre description deter you.
An energetic, emotional, effective and at times downright inspirational feature based on the true story of mountaineers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser, it offers an enjoyable adventure from start to finish under the competent direction of sophmore helmer and noted music video master Philipp Stölzl.
Face up to the complete review here.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 12:49 PM
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What's happening on DVD Bits - The Official Blog? (DVD Bits News)
 Have you checked in with the DVD Bits Blog lately? If not, you aren't just missing out on the latest cream of the cinema crop, but three brand new giveaways as well!
Recent cinema reviews include The Girl Who Played with Fire, Father of My Children, The Expendables (or at least some reflections from outside the target audience, and the surprise hit from New Zealand, Boy.
The giveaways, in which you can win some great TV on DVD and Blu-ray including the latest Doctor Who, Underbelly UNCUT and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, run through until Friday 10 September 2010. Enter here!
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 9:49 PM
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Extract (Blu-ray Review)
 Mike Judge cemented his legendary status forever with the creation of Beavis & Butt-Head, but he will revered by cubicle workers all over the world for his anarchistic take on business life in Office Space.
Returning to semi-familiar ground with Extract, Judge brings with him a terrific cast including Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig and Ben Affleck. Does this reach the same cult status as Judge's previous works, or does it simply have the same flavour?
Extract what you will from my review right here.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 6:03 AM
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Solitary Man (DVD Review)
Soon to be seen on the big screen reprising the infamous character of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - the sequel to Oliver Stone's 1987 greed chronicle Wall Street - Michael Douglas first graces our small screens in the contemplative drama Solitary Man.
Co-starring Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Olivia Thirlby, Imogen Poots, Susan Sarandon and Danny DeVito, it is a serious and soulful reflection upon the plans we have for life, and the plans life has for us, seen through the filter of a sixty year old man with trouble brewing on the personal and professional fronts.
Enjoy the solitude of the complete review here.
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Monday, August 23, 2010 - 8:15 AM
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After.Life (DVD Review)
From first time feature writer and director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, After.Life is a provocative psychological horror film that explores the oft-filmed concept of life after death... or does it?
With a high profile cast including Christina Ricci, Justin Long and Liam Neeson, the direct to DVD offering is a not for the faint hearted supernatural piece that straddles the line between frightening, familiar, and just a little freaky.
The After.Life starts here.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010 - 6:09 PM
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Shoot 'Em Up (Blu-ray Review)
Bullets fly, hookers lactate and blood makes the tiles slippery in the blu-ray release of Shoot 'Em Up, an R18+ quasi-satirical action flick with badarse Brit Clive Owen.
When a poor chap with a preternatural skill dealing death with a gun saves a baby's life, he's forced to protect the kid with the help of Monica Bellucci, a prostitute with a rather unique kink. Paul Giamatti emerges as an unlikely but pleasantly surprising bad guy desperate to kill the lot of 'em.
Check out the mayhem and good intentions here.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010 - 8:18 AM
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Humpday (DVD Review)
College roommates reunite for a foray into the adult entertainment industry in Humpday, a crass comedy about the things friends do together, and the things they perhaps shouldn't.
Winner of a Special Jury Prize "for the spirit of independence" at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, it takes improvisation to the next level in an indie mumblecore offering characterised by verbose dialogue, complex male relationships, and shifting boundaries of sexual identity.
A new day dawns here.
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Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 2:51 PM
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The Crazies (DVD Review)
It's horror remake time, with the 2010 do-over of George A. Romero's 1973 effort The Crazies bypassing Australian cinemas in favour of a direct to DVD release.
Starring Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant and The Waiting City's Radha Mitchell as a sheriff and doctor at the centre of a town gone - you guessed it - crazy amidst contamination by an unknown source, it offers the blood, gore and violence expected of a remake of Romero's work, but can it match the cult quality?
The crazy starts here.
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Friday, August 20, 2010 - 6:33 PM
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Five Minutes Of Heaven (DVD Review)
Undercurrents of vengeance and vindication form the thematic basis of Five Minutes Of Heaven, an IRA drama originally filmed for television that steps away from pure politics to deal with the actions of and consequences upon those involved in the events.
Directed by Downfall helmer Oliver Hirschbiegel, and starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt as two real life parties on either side of the conflict, it is an intimate, character-driven affair that adds distinction and poignancy to the crowded but important genre of similarly themed features.
The heavenly full review can be found here.
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Friday, August 20, 2010 - 7:54 AM
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New Competitions from the DVD Bits Blog (DVD Bits Competition)
 It's competition time! To celebrate the recent launch of the DVD Bits Blog, our cinema and pop-culture arm, Roadshow Entertainment has given us a selection of titles to give away. Yes, just give away to you good people. Yes, we are willing to buy your love.
The three exciting giveaways are Doctor Who - The Complete Specials and Doctor Who - Series 5 Volume 1 on Blu-ray!, Underbelly - UNCUT on Blu-ray and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Complete First Season on DVD.
To win, all you have to do is visit the links above at the DVD Bits Blog.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 10:41 PM
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Doctor Who - Series 5: Volume 2 (Blu-ray Review)
 The Doctor and Amy return for another set of adventures through time and space, and this time they come face-to-face with vampires in Venice and mark the return of the popular Weeping Angels. Don't blink...again!
This collection of three episodes from the most recent season of the long-running Doctor Who will keep fans waiting on the box set at bay for a few more months, and give us the chance to revist the hi-def wonders of this fabulous season.
Read the review that is bigger on the inside here.
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Monday, August 16, 2010 - 2:37 PM
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Youth in Revolt (DVD Review)
 With Michael Cera currently setting box offices on fire in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, it is a perfect opportunity to look at his second most recent film, where he simply sets towns on fire.
Bypassing cinemas in Australia and heading straight to DVD and Blu-ray, Michael Cera plays that character he usually does, along with bad-boy doppelgänger called Francois Dillinger. Between the two of them, they hope to win the affections of a young lady that has caught their eye and permanently shake the wuss of an imagine he has grown attached to. Does the film do the same for Michael Cera's career?
Start the revolution here.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 5:02 PM
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Daybreakers (DVD Review)
 You don't seem to be able to throw a stake these days without hitting a vampire film or television show. The Australian Spierig Brothers (Undead) have tackled the genre with a unique twist in which vampires are now the norm, and humans are the dying species.
With more than just one token overseas actor to boost a strong Australian cast, Daybreakers comes complete with Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke to bring weight to this interesting take on a well-worn genre.
Take a bite out of my review here.
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Sunday, August 15, 2010 - 11:40 AM
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Paris 1919 (DVD Review)
 Paris 1919 is a two-part documentary exploring the Paris Peace Conference, which attempted to draw some closure in the aftermath of the devastation of World War One. With competing political interests, new territorial borders being drawn up, and a pervasive mood of distrust, these six months would reshape the world. However, the consequences of the conference would also arguably plunge the world back into war two decades later.
Skillfully combining reenactments and fascinating - if often sobering - archive footage, this is an engrossing history lesson, and well worth your time.
Take a look at one of history's great turning points by clicking here.
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Saturday, August 14, 2010 - 8:45 PM
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The Book of Eli (Blu-ray Review)
 The world has ended so many times that it seems to have lost meaning. It is no wonder why people are walking around a dusty wasteland with nothing to do but collect bottle-caps and fend off zombies. Is there a way out of this madness? A higher calling perhaps?
The Hughes Brothers (From Hell, Menace II Society) tackle the impact that one of the most sacred books in the world may have in a land devoid of any memory of the text. No, we aren't talking about Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, either.
Flip open my review here.
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