THE BEST QUEST EVER

This laugh-out-loud-comedy is available to rent or buy on Blu-ray™ and DVD from September 8, 2011

From the director of Pineapple Express David Gordon Green, comes Your Highness – an epic, comedy-adventure set in a fantastical world. The impressive cast features Oscar-winning Natalie Portman, as well as Danny McBride, James Franco, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux. Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be Belladonna (Deschanel) gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Theroux), the king gives his son an ultimatum: man up and help rescue her or be cut off.

Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Portman), an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own, the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna.

If Thadeous can find his inner hero, he can help his brother prevent the destruction of his land. Stay a slacker, and not only does he die a coward, he gets front row seats to the dawn of an all-new Dark Ages.

DVD Special Features:
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Perverted Visions

Blu-ray and Digital Copy Special Features:
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Perverted Visions

Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Danny McBride (Due Date, Pineapple Express, Up in the Air)
James Franco (127 Hours, Pineapple Express)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan, No Strings Attached)
Zooey Deschanel (My Idiot Brother, 500 Days of Summer)
Justin Theroux (American Psycho, Megamind)
Price: Single disc DVD SRP: $39.95
Blu-Ray and digital copy SRP: $44.95
Rating: MA15+
Genre: Comedy-adventure
Duration: 102 minutes

What happens when ‘the family’ meets the family?

“TWIST after twist after twist. Small Time Gangster has been great fun.” – Sydney Morning Herald

The highly acclaimed Australian TV drama Small Time Gangster will be available to own and rent on DVD from September 29, 2011.
The series has a strong Australian cast, including Steve Le Marquand, Sacha Horler, Geoff Morell, Gia Carides, Gary Sweet and Australian acting legend Bill Hunter, in his last-ever Australian television role. Unbeknown to his wife and kids (who think he’s a carpet cleaner), Tony Piccolo (Le Marquand) is an underworld enforcer, a veteran standover man and the best in the business.
His problems begin when he accidentally kills a friend from his criminal family. He suffers a major identity-crisis and if word hits the street, he’s a dead man.

Tony decides he needs to get out. But it’s not that easy. When you literally know where the bodies are buried, upper management doesn’t take kindly to early retirement…They favour a more permanent redundancy package. To survive in this criminal world, Tony’s going to have to be very careful – and he’s going to need more bullets.

DVD Special Features:
• Making of Small Time Gangster
• Cast and Crew interviews
• On the Set

Director: Jeffrey Walker
Cast: Steve Le Marquand (Underbelly RAZOR, Beneath Hill 60, KoKoda)
Sacha Horler (Beaconsfield, Offspring, Love My Way)
Gia Carodes (Strictly Ballroom, My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
Geoff Morell (Cloudstreet, Winners and Losers)
Gary Sweet (Police Rescue, Stingers, The Pacific)
Bill Hunter (Gallipolli, Muriel’s Wedding)
Price: Double disc DVD SRP: $29.95
Rating: MA15+ – Strong violence, coarse language, sex scenes, drug use and nudity
Genre: Drama / Comedy
Episodes: 8 x episodes (25 mins in length)

The series that poses the question: Do you know who is watching you?

“…a powerful and disturbing new drama” – USA Today

Available to own & rent on DVD from September 29, 2011

The post 9/11 world has forever changed the notion of privacy. In the United States alone, there are now approximately 30 million surveillance cameras generating more than four billion hours of footage every week. The average person is captured on camera more than 200 times a day – in department stores, gas stations, changing rooms and even public bathrooms! From that comes LOOK – a gripping TV series that will make you think twice before stepping outside your front door. Based on the critically acclaimed movie of the same name, LOOK examines the things people do when they don’t know they’re being watched.

Directed by Adam Rifkin, the series is shot entirely from the point of view of security cameras and follows several storylines during any given week in America. It is based on the premise that everyone has secrets and no-one is spared from the unblinking eye of the cameras that are hidden amongst our day-to-day lives.

Follow the antics of Willie, a budding musician who works at the mini-mart, his slacker pal Carl, and a mute homeless man, Ron, who frequents the store. There’s high school bad girl, Hannah, who talks Molly into dangerous games, and Stella, the frustrated housewife with a secret coke addiction. TV producer, Andy, stops at a local strip club to forget the tensions of the day and security guards turn the mall into a skate-park, before taking a second look at the change rooms. LOOK weaves their adventures and more into a voyeur’s dream TV series.

Do you know who is watching you?

Director: Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City, Small Soldiers)
Producer: Brad Wyman (Monster, Blitz)
Cast: Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, The Gates, CSI: Miami)
Ali Cobrin (American Reunion, The Hole)
Giuseppe Andrews (Independence Day, American History X,
Pleasantville)
Price: Double disc DVD SRP: $29.95
Rating: R18
Genre: Drama
Episodes: 11 x episodes (25 mins in length)

Grimlands – gamescom trailer offers first peek at ingame footage!

Hamburg, August 15, 2011 – Desolate landscapes. Crumbling buildings. Deadly fights against roving bands of marauders. The world in gamigo’s shooter MMORPG Grimlands has been transformed into a nightmarish setting by a series of devastating earthquakes. Those who survived lead a precarious existence and the fight for survival starts anew each day.

The trailer released today captures this post-apocalyptic setting perfectly. For the first time, gamigo is presenting video material from the current game version. The scenes shown are taken directly from the game, which is currently in a pre-alpha stage of development.

The gamescom trailer for Grimlands can be seen on YouTube.

Camera, Lens and Digital Video Camera wins cement digital imaging leadership Canon EOS 600D 

Sydney, 15 August, 2011 – Canon Australia has announced more prestigious product awards for the year with the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) today naming the Canon EOS 600D and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM European Camera of the Year 2011-2012 and Professional Lens of the Year 2011-2012, respectively. 

“Winning these prestigious awards is a strong endorsement of the Canon EOS system and something that we are very proud of as the market leader*¹,” said General Manager Product Marketing, Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “The digital SLR market segment has grown strongly*² as Australian consumers look to satisfy their quality and creative expectations, and with more than one in every two DSLR cameras purchased being a Canon EOS, we are the overwhelming brand of choice.”

“With good supply of award-winning product from Japan, we’re focused on extending our lead in 2011 through campaigns and trade partnerships that attract consumers’ attention to Canon, offer great value and help them achieve their creative outcomes.”

Additionally, the European-model LEGRIA HF M41E was awarded European Camcorder of the Year 2011-2012 (LEGRIA HF M40 model is sold in Australia).

EUROPEAN CAMERA OF THE YEAR 2011-2012

Canon EOS 600D digital SLR camera

According to the EISA Jury: “The Canon EOS 600D is a good-value camera that has a very strong set of features and customisable functions. The excellent resolution and its low-noise characteristics even at high ISO settings make it an extremely desirable model to amateur photographers. This new EOS generation offers Full HD video, a larger, more comfortable grip, an external microphone socket, wireless flash control, good dynamic range, an articulated LCD screen and a host of beginner-friendly features that make advanced picture quality easier to achieve.”

EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL LENS OF THE YEAR 2011-2012

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

According to the EISA Jury: “The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM is an amazing telephoto zoom lens that combines high image quality with an extremely durable construction and a surprisingly compact design. It sets a new standard for this popular zoom range with its professional autofocus performance and the latest generation of Image Stabilization, but is still affordable for the enthusiast. Throughout the zoom range the lens shows optical qualities that are in line with fixed focal length lenses – it performs very well even at its widest aperture, and the environmental shield protects it from moisture and dust.”

EUROPEAN CAMCORDER OF THE YEAR 2011-2012

Canon LEGRIA HF M41E (Not sold in Australia)

(Note: The sister-model LEGRIA HF M40 is sold in Australia, featuring 16GB internal memory instead of 32GB)

According to the EISA Jury: “The Canon LEGRIA HF M41E high-end video camera is conveniently compact making it useful for shooting high quality videos under practically all conditions. The camera has a LCD screen and a traditional viewfinder. It is equipped with an easy to use menu system with as many automatic and manual functions you could wish for – including full manual sound recording and the ability to connect an external stereo microphone. Auto focus is extremely fast due to an external “distance eye”. With no less than two SD card slots complementing the built-in 32 GB flash memory, you should never run out of recording space. Picture quality is extremely good with an exceptionally low level of noise, even in poor light.”

About EISA

EISA is the largest editorial multimedia organisation in Europe, with a membership of 50 special interests magazines from 19 countries focusing on photograph, A/V products, home theatres, and mobile devices. EISA awards are presented to products released in Europe within the past 12 months and deemed representative of their product category by a judging panel composed of editors from EISA-affiliated magazines specialising in that respective product division.

Other 2011 awards for Canon

Earlier this year, four Canon products – including the EOS 600D – were selected for “Best Product 2011” awards in Europe by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). The other products were the PowerShot SX230 HS compact digital camera, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens, and the PIXMA MG8150 multifunction inkjet printer.

*1 Canon 52% Unit Share/53% Value Share Source: GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, – DSLR Retail Sales Volume/Value Jan to Jun 2011 (excludes internet and online channels)

*2 Market Volume up 18% Source: GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, – DSLR Retail Sales Volume Jan to Jun 2011 vs Jan to Jun 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

Related links:

–        Read more about the 2011 TIPA awards

–        Visit Canon World of EOS

–        Canon Australia Awards and Reviews page

Today Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment unveil an all-new trailer for the upcoming download-only multiplayer first-person shooter, Gotham City Impostors.  Featuring a look at the target-neutralizing Hatchet and the enemy-battering Bear Trap, this trailer showcases just a few of the games’ customization options and gives a glimpse at how crazy players can make their Jokerz and how buff they can make their Bats. Also, this week marks the reveal of the newly redesigned Gotham City Impostors website at www.gothamcityimpostors.com .

Gotham City Impostors, a multiplayer game unlike any other, gives players the opportunity to rebel against conformity as they customize their own Impostor. Fighting for justice or creating chaos, gamers will create their very own Bats or the Jokerz characters using unprecedented customization options including insane costumes, homemade gadgets and a wide range of traditional and imagined weapons – some of which will appear in this new trailer.

Gotham City Impostors is scheduled for release early 2012 and will be available on Xbox LIVE™ Arcade and PlayStation®Network.  The game will also be available for download for PC.  The expected price is $17.95 /1200 Microsoft Points.

??Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Snowblind Studios release a new interactive trailer inviting viewers to navigate the past and future of each of the three heroes featured in The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, releasing November 2 (in Australia) on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows.

Choose your character and journey down the roads of Middle-earth; which will you choose to enter the War in the North?

The path of the Dwarf – masters of the battle-axe, ferocious in melee combat, few in Middle-earth possess their courage.

The path of the Human Ranger – wielding dual swords, firing arrows at those who serve Sauron – the strength of kings flow in their veins.

The path of the Elf, of the House of Elrond – even within the darkness Mirkwood, Elven kind has the power to restore the light.

Specially crafted vignettes feature a glimpse at each of the three heroes, chosen at the viewer’s whim. Acting as an interactive guide, viewers can delve deeper into the characteristics of each hero and their surroundings by clicking on the symbols that appear below.

Triggering these symbols launches new video scenes, providing further explanation of key topics. Explore the components of each hero’s history – the sacred locations, loathsome enemies, and age old legends that pre-destined their journey – and the weapons, skills and powers that will lead them to victory.

The third age draws to an end. In the frozen North, a mighty army assembles to destroy all in its path. We invite you to join the ultimate battle against the great evil.

To view this multi-path interactive trailer, visit http://www.warinthenorth.com/champions/

Sydney, Australia, 15 August 2011 – Research In Motion (RIM) is excited to announce the release of an enhanced version of the Official Rugby World Cup 2011 App for BlackBerry available from the 24th of August. Rugby fans can keep up to date with Rugby World Cup 2011 action in New Zealand as it happens with information pushed to their BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook in real time.

The app will feature live match text commentary and score updates, half time and full time video highlights, tournament news, statistics and much more with support for English, French and Spanish languages.

BlackBerry users will be able to access features such as native calendar and messaging integration which provides automatic match reminders and the ability to forward reminders to friends.

The app will be available on BlackBerry App World from the 24th of August at http://au.blackberry.com/services/appworld/

To download a screenshot of the app, please click here

15 August 2011
Bluemouth Interactive offers all health conscious gamers the perfect way to indulge their hobby while keeping trim at the same time with the upcoming Cyberbike™ Cycling Sports 2 fitness bundle for PS3™.

The Cyberbike Cycling Sports 2 bundle will provide a fun fitness programme for the whole family once released to PS3 in late October.

Hardware:
The Cyberbike Magnetic Edition introduces a brand new way to exercise in the living room. The Cyberbike gaming accessory is a functional, slim and compact magnetic exercise bike, making it a practical fitness option for any space. The powerful magnet-based resistance chassis offers a scalable challenge that can be altered to suit rider’s strengths and height. The Cyberbike connects to PS3 console’s via Bluetooth.

The Cyberbike Cycling Sports 2 game for PS3™ – included with the bundle – features several modes, 8 levels, 4 environments and challenges.

In Story Mode, players ride pedal-powered vehicles to navigate fantastic worlds. Paths must be cleared of pollution as players cycle on some of the most improbable vehicles ever imagined.

To appreciate the Cyberbike Cycling Sports 2 graphics, watch videoclips of players riding each of the four pedal-powered vehicles in the various Cyberbike universes: CycloBooster, CycloGlider, CycloCopter, and CycloRail.

In Fitness mode, gamers are set challenges based on distance, time or calories burnt to offer an alternative fitness regime. Users can keep fit on a daily basis and improve their sports skills with free programs or sessions with a virtual coach. The virtual coach has programs that can train users to boost real-world fitness, endurance, muscle-mass or muscle strength. Gamers are provided personal statistics outlining kilometres covered and calories burnt.

In On-line multiplayer mode confront players from all over the world.

In making the announcement, Bluemouth Interactive Marketing Manager – David Tipton said, “The Cyberbike Cycling Sports 2 bundle is an amazing product. This bundle offers health conscious gamers a fun and engaging way to mix game play in glorious HD graphics, whilst working up a sweat at the same time. It affords buyers an opportunity to get a solid work-out without leaving the comforts of home. Lastly the Bluetooth connectivity allows a convenient, wireless interface between Cyberbike and PS3 console.”

He concluded by saying “This accessory, along with the many other accessories in our broad range, enhances the video-gaming experience for game-players. Never before has anything like this been available on the PlayStation3 format. This bundle is also a perfect and unique gift for Mums and families this Christmas”.

RRP in Australia of $229.95. Available through Big W and WOW.

About Bluemouth Interactive
Bluemouth Interactive is the #1 supplier of video gaming accessories throughout Australia and New Zealand. Bluemouth is at the forefront of enhancing, improving and personalising the video-gaming experience and lifestyle. Bluemouth holds preferred partner status within the video game licensed accessory category with major retailers: Big-W, EB Games, Kmart, Target, JB Hi-Fi, and GAME stores. Bluemouth’s range includes officially licensed Nintendo® 3DS, DS and Wii™ products, Playseat® Racing seats and officially licensed Prima® strategy guides.
For the full range visit www.bluemouth.com.au

UBISOFT^® & SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT DEBUT GAME DETAILS FOR PLAYSTATION^®3 VERSION OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED CHILD OF EDEN^TM  

PlayStation 3 Version to Support PlayStation Move Controller and Offer the Experience in Full Stereoscopic 3D 

Sydney, Australia – August 15, 2011 – Today Ubisoft & Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled the game details for Child of Eden™ on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system. Developed by Q? Entertainment  Inc. under the direction of the renowned game creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the PS3 version of Child of Eden will launch on September 27th and will feature Move compatibility and stereoscopic 3D support. Child of Eden™ is a multi-sensory shooter that sends players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronised music and mind-blowing visuals that will usher forth a landmark game experience.

“We’re excited to be bringing the critically acclaimed Child of Eden experience to PS3,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales & marketing for Ubisoft North America. “This is one of those special, rare games that belong in every gamer’s library, and the PlayStation®Move integration coupled with the ability to play the game in 3D make for an even more unique experience on PlayStation 3.”

Child of Eden thrusts the player into the centre of a battle to save Project Lumi, a mission to reproduce a human personality inside Eden, the archive of all human memories. As the project nears completion, the archive is invaded by an unknown virus. The player’s mission is to save Eden from the virus, restoring hope and peace.

Key features of Child of Eden (PlayStation 3):

• Multi-sensory effect: A visionary entertainment experience that synchronises stunning graphics and innovative sound design to electrify the senses. By bringing physics in synergy with spectacular visuals and audio, Child of Eden is the next-generation sensory experience. The PlayStation 3 version goes even further by offering the experience in full stereoscopic 3D.

• The world of Eden: Coming straight from Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s creative mind: a unique, surprising, rich and beautiful world.

• Controls: Simple and natural. Designed for standard controllers and the PlayStation Move for the PS3. The PlayStation Move captures a full range of motion giving you ultimate control over how you play the game. There are other added bonuses, like the ability to hook up multiple controllers for added sensory effects.

For more information on Child of Eden, please visit: www.child-of-eden.com