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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
AFL-Biffs, Bumps and Brawlers: Footy's Wildest Moments-Volume 2 (2002)

AFL-Biffs, Bumps and Brawlers: Footy's Wildest Moments-Volume 2 (2002)

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Released 28-Nov-2002

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Sports Main Menu Audio & Animation
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 2002
Running Time 81:08 (Case: 90)
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By None Given
Studio
Distributor
Aust. Football Video
Visual Entertainment Group
Starring Rex Hunt
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI $34.95 Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    This programme is a follow-up to Bumps, Biffs and Brawlers, and was first broadcast in 2002. Like the previous entry, there seems to be an identity crisis, as the programme is actually titled Biffs, Bumps and Brawlers 2, though even Rex Hunt gets the name wrong in his introduction.

    As you would expect, this show contains more VFL/AFL violence culled from the archives of Channel Seven. After starting inauspiciously with a five minute recap of material shown in the first instalment, we get some extended highlights of various random acts of thuggery from the last 40 years. The oldest piece of footage is from 1963, with John Peck being kicked in the backside and retaliating, in an interesting segment from World of Sport voiced by the late Ron Casey and featuring Lou Richards interviewing Bob Davis and Bob Skilton. The Neil Sachse incident from the early 70s, which resulted in him being paralysed, is shown twice but no mention is made of the extent of his injury.

    The material is categorised into various types of footbrawl, with coathangers, elbows, kicking, eye-gouging and biting all getting their own segments. There are also "tributes" to various players, such as Mark Maclure, Dale Weightman, Lazar Vidovic and Chris Lewis. There is an air of barrel scraping with two segments: umpires getting knocked over, and painful injuries. The latter is a little disturbing, with knee injuries and dislocations. Did we really need to see the footage of a Collingwood player with a dislocated elbow?

    Rex Hunt hosts again, with the usual banal script delivered in a manner only Hunt could muster. Rather too much of Hunt is shown in this show, probably in order to pad the TV show out to two hours, though there must have been forty minutes of commercials in there. As with the first show, Hunt signs off by asserting that the programme does not glorify the contents, just shows how the game used to be. Sure, we believe you, Rex.

    If you enjoyed the first disc in this series, you will probably enjoy this one.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is quite good.

    Presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, this material is not 16x9 enhanced.

    The footage is sharp and clear for the most part, though some of the earlier footage can be blurry or fuzzy. Shadow detail is never a problem. Colour is good, though some of the 1970s footage looks washed out, as though the colour was turned down. The black and white footage is again low on contrast.

    There is some minor aliasing from time to time as well as cross-colouration. Pixelization is less of an issue with this release than its predecessor. There are some analogue tape tracking errors in the form of horizontal black or white lines that flash across the screen briefly.

    Film artefacts crop up in the 1963 footage, with scratches and dirt making it look as though it was filmed during a torrential downpour.

    There are no subtitles on this single layered disc.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The single audio track is Dolby Digital 2.0, and appears to contain no surround information, so the rear channels and subwoofer can have a rest.

    Dialogue is generally easy to understand, though the commentary on the older footage is necessarily not as clear as more recent video recordings.

    There is some awful music played when the footage has no commentary, but there is no composer credited.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    No extras are provided. The main menu is static with some background audio.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This material has only been released in Region 4, so the choice is easy.

Summary

    More violence and cowardly acts in this overlong sequel to the original programme. You can buy this disc separately, or as part of a double-pack with volume 1. Recommended only if you enjoy watching people hurting others and themselves.

    The video and audio quality are quite good.

    There are no extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Philip Sawyer (Bio available.)
Friday, March 05, 2004
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-S733A, using Component output
DisplaySony 86CM Trinitron Wega KVHR36M31. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to DVD player, Dolby Digital, dts and DVD-Audio. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationYamaha RX-V596 for surround channels; Yamaha AX-590 as power amp for mains
SpeakersMain: Tannoy Revolution R3; Centre: Richter Harlequin; Rear: Pioneer S-R9; Subwoofer: JBL SUB175

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