DVD Movie Reviews

The Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew have really gone out of their way (well, not really) and put in a big effort to watch (and re-watch in some cases) this week’s best new releases. We enjoyed getting a little Brüno in our lives…

Yep, that crazy Sacha Baron Cohen is back again (you may know him better as Borat) and if you thought he couldn’t get any more outrageous, Brüno will definitely prove you wrong. In true Cohen style, it’s all very controversial as he plays a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion guru who’s as big as it gets in Germany. With his own fashion show called Funkyzeit, it appears he can do no wrong. That’s until he disgraces himself in front of his Funkyzeit fan-base (not hard to believe) but Brüno is determined to succeed and will not be stopped. Leaving the past well and truly behind him, he turns his attention to something he’s wanted his entire life: global fame. Accompanied by his former assistant’s assistant, Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), the two go to Los Angeles where they immediately make a splash. Not hard to imagine given the outrageous stunts they pull such as adopting a baby, stooging a terrorist group leader by the name of Ayman Abu Aita into giving them an interview, trying to get Paula Abdul to eat sushi off someone else’s body and… well, the list just goes on! We loved squirming through Brüno’s many antics so if you’re into something a little ‘out there’, but in a good way, get to know Brüno! Sticking with the comedy vibe, ever wondered what really goes on overnight at your nearest Museum? We know we have and Night at the Museum 2 will have you thinking you can come face-to-face and interact with the greatest historical figures in history such as Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat), Al Capone (Jon Bernthal), Abe Lincoln (Hank Azaria who also plays The Thinker and Kahmunrah) and loads more. The brilliant Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, a night watchman who’s moved on after battling an ancient curse at the Museum of Natural History that made the exhibits spring to life on his watch. Now, Larry’s the head of his own inventions company and making a very different life for himself but when he hears that his old friends Jebediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) are in trouble, Larry can’t turn his back on them. This time all of the wacky action takes place at the Smithsonian Institute but the premise of the film remains the same: the sun sets, the exhibits come to life and pandemonium reigns supreme as a minority band together to achieve world domination. Everything we loved about the original Night at the Museum is still present in its sequel, only bigger and better! Around here, the DDC DVD crew just can’t hide our love for games so when we hear about a movie with an opening scene that’s designed to look like a computer game, we just can’t resist taking a peek. And boy, were we glad we checked out Crank: High Voltage because the pace is simply electrifying as Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) returns after miraculously surviving a fall from the sky. But there’s no happy ending for Chev as he’s immediately kidnapped by a mysterious Chinese mobster. Chev wakes up three months into the future only to discover that his heart has been surgically removed. That sends Chev on a wild goose (or heart) chase to discover who’s to blame for taking what isn’t theirs. Will he get his heart back? This is one flick that just doesn’t give you one moment to breathe and we loved seeing some old favourites return such as Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam)  who provides Chev with some much needed medical advice and Eve (Amy Smart) who’s finally woken up to the fact that her boyfriend isn’t exactly your ‘average Joe’. Crank: High Voltage really is top notch stuff! Well, we’ve come to the end of yet another very exciting week of new releases. On Friday, we’re going to have an in-depth look at End of the World movies in celebration of 2012’s cinema release.

It’s that time of year where we just can’t escape the Christmas buzz (and who wants to?). So given the fact that it’s almost ‘that time of year’ again, the Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew thought it would be cool and very appropriate (others may say ‘very geeky’ but we say ‘cool’) to spend our weekend having a look back at movies and television shows set in a place you’re going to become very familiar with soon (whether you like it or not!): stores (yes, we love a little bit of retail therapy!). There’s nothing we enjoy more than a good flick set in a video rental store like Be Kind Rewind starring one of our favourite actors Jack Black (he proves that a name that rhymes can be awesome!). Jerry (Black) and Mike (Mos Def) are the best of friends. Mike’s workplace, the Be Kind Rewind video rental store run by Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), is their usual ‘hangout’ place. Business is slow and what do bored people do to pass time? They think of wacky ways to make life more interesting of course! So when Mr. Fletcher decides to take advantage of the slow period by taking a short trip, he leaves Mike in charge with just one order: to keep the very accident prone Jerry away! Predictably, this is something that doesn’t happen and Jerry gets caught up in a magnetic field while attempting to sabotage the local power plant because he thinks it’s melting his brain away (at this point, we were questioning if Jerry has a brain). Stumbling, dazed and confused, he enters the video store and accidentally erases all of the videos which doesn’t go down too well with the loyal customers. The crazy duo then decide to combine to remake the movies they’ve erased to keep their customers happy. Surprisingly, this scheme really takes off and the entire neighbourhood finds a new meaning to life! Be Kind Rewind is kinda silly but that’s part of what we love about it. When Kevin Smith released Clerks back in 1994, we’re pretty sure he didn’t expect it to become a cult hit. Not too bad for a film that was shot with an almost non-existent budget featuring a cast that no one knew. Importantly, what Clerks did have was a sharp script and very solid acting despite its inexperienced cast. Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) receives the kind of phone call no one wants on their day off: he’s required at work after all at the local Quick Stop convenience store (we know, bummer!). Unfortunately for Dante, that’s just the beginning of a pretty extraordinary day manning the cash register as he must deal with numerous pesky customers while also keeping his eyes on his ‘oddball’ buddy Randal (Jeff Anderson). And if that wasn’t enough, he also has encounters with his current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend. Clerks is one of those magical movies that works through its brilliant use of humourous dialogue and in a way, by simply not trying to be anything ‘special’. And not to forget television, what about Black Books? This British sitcom starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig is set in a small, independent bookshop called Black Books located in the Bloomsbury area of central London (how posh!). Black Books explores the humour that is the lives of the store’s owner and Irish alcoholic Bernard Black (Moran), his hippy looking but genuine assistant Manny Bianco (Bailey) and their odd friend Fran Katzenjammer (played by Grieg but can we just say, imagine learning how to spell that last name as a child?). To say that Bernard hates everything and anything to do with the world outside his little bookstore, isn’t exactly exaggerating. He even refuses to interact with anyone outside his little store but on the other hand, you wouldn’t exactly call retail ‘his thing’ either. Most of the episodes involve Manny and Fran trying to encourage him to become more of a ‘people person’ and of course, Bernard doesn’t want a bar of this and that’s what makes this show priceless! And can we just say, someone really needs to clean that store (when you watch it, you’ll understand what we mean but for now, we’ll give you a hint about what we’re referring to: dead badger on the floor). Well, we can’t understand why some people (especially guys) think shopping is boring! Maybe after they watch these fun films, they’ll see shopping in a completely different light (a positive one no doubt).

If there’s one actor in particular capable of inspiring the Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew to go to the movies (the one with the big screen that sells the expensive popcorn), it’s Eric Bana. We’re happy to admit that we’re proud as punch of this Aussie who has really hit his strides in Hollywood. His latest film, The Time Traveller’s Wife sees him playing Henry, a time traveler born with a rare genetic anomaly that means he must live his life on a shifting timeline forcing him to skip back and forth in time uncontrollably throughout his lifetime (wow – complicated!). If you think that sucks for Henry, consider Clare’s (Rachel McAdams) position: she’s been in love with Henry her entire life and despite Henry’s little problem (well, okay, big problem!) forcing them apart constantly without any warning, she tries desperately to build her life with the man she loves. The Time Traveller’s Wife may be complex but thanks to the brilliant performances from both Bana and McAdams, it somehow works! Being the crazy kids that we are around here, we got to thinking of our favourite time travel tales and here are three that get our blood racing without fail every time! Way before Spin City, Michael J. Fox established himself in Hollywood in the Back to the Future trilogy as Marty McFly, an intelligent young man who hates school (he’s not alone there!). Before long, Marty is labeled a ‘slacker’ by his disapproving principal Mr. Strickland (James Tolak) thanks to his preference for ‘hangin’ out’ over getting in touch with his academic side. Marty befriends Doctor Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), an eccentric-genius who has built a time machine out of a DeLorean car. The Doc’s elaborate invention transports he and Marty back to the year 1955 after they come under attack from the Libyan’s whose plutonium the Doc has ‘borrowed’ to make his machine work. Marty causes mayhem in a time and place he is unfamiliar with, something he repeats in Back to the Future II and Back to the Future III as he zooms into the future and back to the past. Back to the Future was a stand-out film back in the 1980s but it’s still a favourite today because it has all of the elements that make a great movie. Its director, Robert Zemeckis oozes inventiveness as he jam-packs the flick with everything needed to elevate it to an all-time teen classic. Now that we’ve had our little blast from the past, it’s time to come back to the present day with The Time Machine (granted, it’s based on a 1960s classic) with yet another wonderful Aussie actor, Guy Pearce. Alexander Hartdegan (Pearce) is a phenomenal mathematician at New York’s Columbia University but on the night he chooses to propose to Emma (Sienna Guillory), his life is thrown into chaos when she unexpectedly dies. Using the early theories of Albert Einstein, Alexander spends the next four years building a machine that’ll transport him through time. Hartdegan’s hard work finally pays off when he’s able to successfully travel back to the night of Emma’s death, then to the year 2034 and eventually to 802701. As you can imagine, the world has changed dramatically by this time and in the ruins of what was once New York, he discovers two species: the Eloi, a human-like species and the Morlocks, mutant offspring who detest the Eloi and seek to exterminate them. When the brilliant mathematician befriends Mara (Samantha Mumba), a vulnerable Eloi girl, he must journey underground to rescue her. The Time Machine offers a very creative look into the future and we sure hope it looks nothing like it’s depicted in this flick! The plot is top notch and how can you not embrace a film that lets you escape forwards or backwards in time? You may be used to seeing Ashton Kutcher in comedic roles but here, he explores his more serious acting skills in The Butterfly Effect. Evan Treborn (Kutcher) can’t remember his childhood and for good reason with all the maiming and murder he later finds out dominated his younger years. That’s when Evan discovers that by reading his childhood journals, he can go back in time and rewrite history. Will he be able to make Kayleigh (Amy Smart), the girl he’s loved since his teens love him back? He might even be able to change the horrific encounter he has with her father and avoid his crooked mates, Tommy (William Lee Scott) and Lenny (Elden Henson). The Butterfly Effect is a long way away from Dude, Where’s My Car? but it proves Kutcher is capable of more than making his audiences laugh. There you have it, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could travel forwards or backwards in time? We think it would but for now, that’s something only possible in the wonderful world of movies.

While most people were hooked to their radio or television sets watching or listening to ‘the one race that stops the Nation’, we thought we’d sit back and relax with some exciting new release DVDs (we still had a bet though and what a shock… none of us won a cent!). The Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew loves it when a movie like Transformers really lives up to our expectations. The only problem with a movie as good as Transformers is that its sequel, must be even better to avoid the word ‘flop’ being associated with it. Well, we needn’t have fear because Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is every bit as good as its predecessor (if not better!). The sequel sports even better bots than the original and Michael Bay certainly lives up to his reputation as the king of explosions. For the statisticians among us, Bay takes just three minutes and ten seconds to blow something up in this movie and the action just doesn’t stop from then. Set two years after the original, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) returns to face another battle against the Transformers, alien shape-shifters wanting to add Earth to their collection of inhabited planets. Sam’s team, the Autobots are led by Optimus Prime and must combat the Decepticons who are the baddies. Luckily, Sam is not alone; he’s joined by the very beautiful Megan Fox who returns as Mikaela Banes, Sam’s girlfriend. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen moves at a cracking pace and if that isn’t enough, we even see a little bit of Aussie Isabel Lucas (it’s a long way away from Summer Bay). Yep, that Shia LeBeouf is one spoilt actor! Because we got a little bit excited about all things transformy, we decided to find other objects that would be either really good, or really bad if they transformed. Good iPod - We don't doubt for a second that the boffins at Apple are already well on their way to making the iBot. Sydney Harbour Bridge - Sydney would another instant landmark if they had the Sydney Harbour BattleBot. Uluru - It wouldn't surprise us if it was just a really thick papier-mache cover for a troop of robots. Sam Newman - He no longer looks human, so he's the perfect guinea pig to become a HuBot. Bad Your Toilet - No-one needs to see the resulting mess. Planes - Flying's scary enough without having to battle the Decepticons mid-flight. And it'll ruin the in-flight movie. Pacemaker - Ever seen Alien? Think of a robot version of that. Ouch. DVD Player - How will you watch your movies if your player is suddenly running round the room? Stick around the blog for all your movie goodness, because we’re going to share what we thought of Eric Bana’s new flick, The Time Traveller’s Wife on Friday.

Ever thought to yourself: what would I do without my phone? It’s okay, we have too. But because we’re the kind of movie people that we are, our panic went one step further: what would we do without phones in film? Believe us, phones are like the salt on tomatoes: they’re not quite the main ingredient but they need to be there for us to taste that beautiful vibrant tomatoey goodness (okay… it’s true, we’re a bit mad). Don’t believe us? We took a trip down movie memory lane and found out all about the phone stimulus (Kevin Rudd would be proud!). Let’s begin with one of the most obvious inclusions, Phone Booth. Yes, surprisingly, the plot is all made possible because of a phone (well, a phone booth to be precise!). Stu (Colin Farrell) is married to Kelly (Radha Mitchell) and can be described as nothing else but a slime ball! And that’s being rather generous. Despite being married, he’s got his eyes on waitress Pamela (Katie Holmes) and to avoid his wife finding out about his sleazy calls by using his mobile phone, he uses a phone booth on the corner of 53rd Street and 8th Avenue in Los Angeles. But one day, much to his surprise, the phone rings and he answers it (big mistake!). On the other end is a man (Keifer Sutherland who we know only as The Caller) who knows all about his deceitful ways (more incriminating things than his wandering eyes) and is determined to make Stu confess his sins to the entire world. Oh, and did we forget to mention the fact that The Caller also has a very high powered rifle aimed at Stu’s head? Oops, our mistake… we were too caught-up in the story. What we found amazing about this flick was its capacity to enthrall us for so long given the fact that it’s centered on a single phone booth. The incredible cast does a great job, especially Keifer Sutherland who we’re so used to seeing save the world as Jack Bawer in 24. We thought it was kind of nice to see him as a villain rather than as the perpetual saint (even when we think he’s gone bad!). Moving on, what do you think of when you hear: ‘E.T. phone home’? Yes, it’s that loveable little alien created by Spielberg that the entire world fell in love with so many years ago (can we say, for an alien, he’s given us one of the most memorable pieces of movie dialogue ever. It was even ranked the 15th best movie quote in AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes list). E.T is all about E.T. (amazingly!) enlisting a young boy’s help in building a device to phone home with. The boy, Elliot (Henry Thomas), is like any other 10-year-old who lives with his mother, his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and their younger sister Gertie (some unknown little actress by the name of Drew Barrymore – the name rings a bell, doesn’t it?). Elliot’s a bit of a loner until he and E.T. (an alien for anyone still a little clueless) form a close bond. Even though he has found a friend in Elliot, E.T. still misses his home and with the help of Elliot and his siblings, must avoid snoopy Government officials investigating UFO sightings in order to return home. Who doesn’t love this flick and who hasn’t fallen in love with this loveable little alien? No, he’s not green and icky but worm-like and surprisingly cute (or is it just us?). Still not convinced that movies without phones would be a lot more boring? Written by one of the same writers who wrote Phone Booth (Larry Cohen), Cellular is all about a young irresponsible guy, Ryan (Chris Evans) receiving a phone call from a hysterical woman, Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger). She claims to have been kidnapped from her Los Angeles home and taken to the middle of nowhere. Desperate (as you can imagine), Jessica manages to dial any number she can on an extension phone that despite being smashed, she manages to make work by fiddling with its wires. Scared out of her mind, she finally gets in contact with Ryan (we’re thinking she was wishing for someone else but that’s life!). The movie then moves on from Ryan establishing that the call is not a prank to finding a way to help this woman. His first instinct is to go to the police where his attempts to inform a police officer (William H. Macy) don’t come off; so in a state of utter panic, he takes off to find Jessica’s vulnerable 11-year-old who’s now also in danger. How is Ryan going to combat the culprits, including Jason Statham in a rare bad guy role, who are powerful professionals willing to stop at nothing until they have exactly what they want? If Cellular doesn’t have you on the edge of your seat, no movie will! Well, there you have it! The Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew sure have enjoyed having an in-depth look at how phones have changed film for the better!

Our Done Dirt Cheap DVD team love getting to the cinemas (what could be better than a massive screen, darkness and people rustling their chip packets and choc-top wrappers?) and we’ve already checked-out Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. We all know the tragic circumstances surrounding Ledger’s death so we’re going to skip all of that rather depressing chat and celebrate what he really excelled at: acting! Ledger plays Tony, a rather mysterious Londoner who eventually becomes Dr. Parnassus’ (Christpher Plummer) enemy. Dr. Parnassus runs ‘The Imaginarium’, a remarkable traveling show that allows people to pass through a magical mirror that provides them with a glimpse of their own universe of imagination and wonder. Thousands of years ago, Dr. Parnassus made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) and received the gift of immortality (why is it always immortality?). After meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus makes an exchange with the devil to obtain youth but in return, he agrees to give Mr. Nick his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) when she turns sixteen. Well, guess what? Lily has just turned sixteen and while Mr. Nick is still a threat, Dr. Parnassus must also worry about protecting her from the dangerous Tony who’s now vying for Lily’s affection. With a star-studded cast including Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, all cast to transform into Tony after Ledger’s death, this is one very enjoyable journey. When people speak about Ledger’s impressive body of work, the same titles seem to come up again and again (namely The Dark Knight and Brokeback Mountain just to name a couple). We can’t help but wonder why a few others aren’t mentioned in the same vein. Here are a few titles that the DDC team threw around that we think deserve more attention than they get. Candy saw Ledger return to Australian film after he became a Hollywood star. Here, he stars alongside Abbie Cornish as Dan, an aspiring poet in love with Candy (Cornish). The two share a rather dangerous love for heroin, addicted to the limitless pleasure it provides them with. As their addiction grows stronger, they begin to lose the pure love that they initially had for one another. They’re also prepared to do anything for a fix including stealing money or worse still, paying a visit to Casper (Geoffrey Rush), an experienced user and dealer. Trying to break their addiction, they unsuccessfully seek refuge in the country but when Candy becomes pregnant; their addiction also threatens the health of their child. Eventually, Candy has a breakdown pushing their love even more to the limit. Every single actor in Candy pulls their weight which results in one very touching Australian film. Another great Aussie film starring Heath Ledger snubbed by international audiences (unsurprisingly given the fact they probably don’t know who the lead character is) is Ned Kelly. Okay, so we all know Ned Kelly but do we know how he became an Australian icon? When Ned (Ledger), a poor 16-year-old boy is wrongly accused of stealing a horse, he’s treated harshly and sent to prison for four years. After finally being released, he vows to stay out of trouble but somehow, trouble finds him once again when a policeman becomes a little too forceful for his liking with his sister Kate (Kerry Condon). There’s a confrontation that leads to Ned and his mother being charged with attempted murder (clearly, there was a very harsh legal system in place back then!). While Ned’s mother accepts her prison sentence, he escapes and becomes hell bent on making the unjust criminal system pay. This sees the birth of the Kelly gang made up of his brother Dan (Laurence Kinlan) and their two close friends, Steve Hart (Philip Barantini) and Joe Byrne (Orlando Bloom). As the Kelly gang continues to cause trouble, the reward for Kelly’s capture rises higher and eventually reaches 8000 pounds. That’s when the much-feared Superintendent Hare (Geoffrey Rush) enters the picture and sends a hundred men to track down Kelly who is eventually found at Glenrowan. And as they say, the rest is history… Okay, so let’s go back to a time when Ledger was still establishing his star status. Two Hands is another great little gem of a movie that teams Ledger up with Bryan Brown. Jimmy (Ledger) wants to establish himself as a prominent figure in the underworld so when Pando (Brown) offers him a courier job that will earn him cash fast, he just can’t resist. But Jimmy becomes a little side-tracked by his interest in Alex (Rose Byrne) which eventually results in the money being stolen. As you can imagine, Pando isn’t impressed and wants the money back fast so Jimmy hatches a plan to rob a bank. Of course, things go wrong and Jimmy is left to deal with the consequences. Another Ledger film, another hit! Well, there you have it, Ledger left the world a real star! May he rest in peace.

There’s a smell in the air that tells us it can only be that one very special day of the week: Wednesday. And what does Wednesday mean here at Done Dirt Cheap DVD Towers? Yep, new releases. Woo-hoo! This week we’ve got something that’ll have any decent geek (we can say that because we’re a part of that group) in a spin so let’s get to it! Okay so we’ve openly declared that we’ve got something pretty exciting for you and we really can’t hold it in any longer. That’s right, it’s Star Trek. This is one of the most anticipated films ever and the good news for Star Trek buffs is that it really does do the franchise justice. It’s also great to see an Aussie, Eric Bana in one of the lead roles. He plays the evil Nero (a little too well for comfort may we add). We all know that when there’s a baddy determined to squash all of mankind, there must be a few good guys as well. In Star Trek, the white knights are the young crew aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise as it undertakes its maiden voyage (it’s also the most advanced starship ever… how could we forget to mention that?). To say that not all of the crew is exactly the best of buddies is a bit of an understatement. In fact, if you said they were bitter rivals born worlds apart, you’d actually be closer to the truth. James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine), a farm boy raised in Iowa, is a little bit of a delinquent while Spock (Zachary Quinto) is from the planet Vulcan where he’s an outcast because he’s half-human unlike the other Vulcans. Despite this, Spock is a brilliant student and the first of his kind to be accepted into the Starfleet Academy which is led by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). We’re thrilled to report that Star Trek lives up to every one of our expectations (and there were a lot, around twenty years of them actually!) that we had before seeing the film. It’s been a long wait but Star Trek has been well worth waiting for! Even if you’re not a Trekkie, it has a decent enough plot that’ll make this one enjoyable flick. If you’re into great television with loads of twists and turns, look no further than Bones: Season 4. The first episode pretty much dictates the rest of the season with the usual romantic tension between Bones (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz, otherwise known as the brooding two hundred year old vampire, Angel in Angel funnily enough) thrown in for added spice. Despite still recovering from Zack’s (Eric Millegan) betrayal, Bones must soldier on and replace his position. After accepting the post as head of anthropology at the British Royal Museum in London, Bones immediately locates a set of bones indicating that a serious crime has taken place. Meanwhile, Booth is back in Washington and struggles with life without Brennan. Predictably, the two re-unite in London and face some difficult questions about their relationship. Angela’s (Michaela Conlin) ex-husband is also finally found alive but this only further complicates her relationship with Hodgins (T.J. Thyne). Bones: Season 4 will provide much of the same thrills and enough sexual tension between the relevant cast members to keep you coming back for more. We wish Bones and Booth would finally get together but on the other hand, we can’t help but wonder what then? We can’t see a ‘happily ever after’ for these two (there is still a television show that has to be interesting to watch you know!). We’re not sure about you, but we’re always in the mood for a bit of a laugh around here so when we had copies of How I Met Your Mother: Season 4 delivered to DDC Towers, we couldn’t help ourselves. One thing that is very noticeably different about Season 4 compared to the other How I Met Your Mother series is that there are more stand alone episodes. Not that this is a bad thing because exploring Ted’s (Josh Radnor) love life every episode can get a little repetitive for viewers. The good news is that the show hasn’t become too serious, it still has its silly little storylines such as the gang trying to find the best burger in New York but that’s what makes this show fun: it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Stella (Sarah Chalke) and Ted are planning their future together in New Jersey and their wedding plans are made more interesting given the fact that both of their exes are invited (now that’s a wedding we’d find exciting!). As you’d expect, this injects a lot of comedy into the show. While Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) begins this season believing he’s in love with Robin (Cobie Smulders), he still feels the need to hit on as many other women within his vicinity as he can. Yep, How I Met Your Mother may be into its fourth season but it’s still as hilarious and witty as ever. Well, that’s another exciting week of new releases over. We could launch into a full preview of next week’s new releases but we think we’ll just have to surprise you!

There’s no rest for the wicked (not that we think of ourselves in that way) so even on our weekends (during our play time), the Done Dirt Cheap DVD crew all gather-round for some good old movie viewing fun (you’ll be amazed how many movies you can cram in when you’ve got around six or so hours to spare). Oh, we forgot to mention, we were in the mood for nothing but non-stop action. We all know that Keanu Reeves has become a bit of a pop culture icon thanks to his role as Neo in The Matrix but before all of that, Reeves found success alongside Sandra Bullock in Speed. Los Angeles bomb squad cops Jack Traven (Reeves) and Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) must stop Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper), a madman who’s wired a bomb to a bus. If the bus drops below the speed of 50 mph, the bomb goes off and let’s just say, it won’t be pretty! Jack takes this life and death situation as a chance to showcase some exceptional driving skills through the streets of L.A. while also trying to defuse the escalating hostage crisis brewing (what would they have done without the perfect specimen that is Jack? No, we don’t have an answer either!). Meanwhile, there’s serious sparkage between Jack and Annie (Bullock), a young woman about to get the driving lesson of her life after being forced to take control of the wheel after the bus driver is shot. Speed is one action-packed adventure as all kinds of infrastructure comes under fire as Jack tries to prevent the bus from blowing up. Cars, buses, planes and even subways aren’t spared but we thought it was a little strange that the only major vehicles left in-tact were a couple of water-ski boats and the Disneyland monorail. Maybe we’re just reading a little too much into that one… When Nicolas Cage starred in Bangkok Dangerous we got the feeling that he enjoys his action flicks a little too much for his own good. Before Bangkok Dangerous, Cage was mixing it with John Travolta in Face/Off. Cage turns to the dark side and he looks like he’s having a little too much fun if you ask us! He plays a sadistic criminal mastermind by the name of Castor Troy who is a well-known terrorist-for-hire (for those into that kind of thing of course!). Troy has planted a biological weapon in Los Angeles (L.A. seems to be popular!) and FBI Special Agent Sean Archer (Travolta) is on a personal mission to stop him for good. But Archer has a little more incentive than just wanting to prevent a disaster in L.A. (nope, that’s not good enough for this superhero): Troy is responsible for the death of Archer’s son. Put simply, Archer will go to any lengths to stop Troy including ‘borrowing’ Troy’s face thanks to a very complicated surgical procedure. With his ‘new face’, he’s able to go undercover as Troy but this little plan blows up in his face when Troy takes on Archer’s identity. With two great leading men, this is one action-battle to the death. No action movie marathon is complete without another (yes, we really mean ‘another’) look at Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. For a guy who’s always playing action heroes, we think it’s funny to see him in real-life (if you’ve seen him on David Letterman, you’ll know what we mean!). John McClane is a tough cop who flies out to L.A. (again, location location!) on Christmas Eve in one last ditch effort to reconcile with his estranged corporate executive wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). All is going to plan as he meets up with her on the top floor of the Nakatomi building until the building is taken over by terrorists. The terrorist leader, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and McClane interact in a series of thoroughly enjoyable verbal stouches but there’s one thing that Gruber has over McClane: a group of jittery hostages including Holly. After the plot is set up, the rest of the film is pretty much what you’d expect from a film with Willis cast in this role: lots of huff and puff between McClane and Gruber and enough shoot outs to rival any action flick. A lot of things blow up but in true Hollywood style there aren’t all that many human casualties. Even though it’s a little outdated now, Die Hard is still one decent movie that’ll keep you entertained throughout. Well, there it is. Around six very well-spent hours gone, just like that! Even though we love our films in whatever form they come in (be it horror, thriller, comedy or anything else you can think of), we don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than just chilling out and watching something that doesn’t require all that effort to get into.