DVD Collectors Online

Deadline at Dawn, a review by Antares

Deadline at Dawn (1946) 68/100 - Agatha Christie meets Raymond Chandler. For the first 45 minutes or so of this film, I watched in stunned silence as I couldn't believe what was going on in the screenplay. this has to be one of the strangest stories I've ever seen put on celluloid. Unreal coincidences and contrivances come at you like a punch drunk prizefighter's last gasps of energy. But then, after the introduction of the murder victim's brother, the film starts to take off. His dialog has some of the best lines I've ever heard in a noir. Little one line gems like... If she cut off her head, she'd be very pretty., People with wax heads should keep out of the sun., and probably the best line in the whole film... She was no lullaby but she had the brains like a man. It's pearls like these that keep this movie fun and help you to get by the ridiculous premise of the story. It also helps that Susan Hayward and Paul Lukas are excellent in their roles. The only weak spot in the cast is Bill Williams as the naive sailor who starts the ball rolling when he blacks out in the murder victim's apartment. He lays on the Golly gee, Oh shucks stuff pretty thick. A mild recommendation from me.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on November 24th, 2014)

The Benchwarmers, a review by addicted2comics

The Plot: A trio of guys try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard little league squads.

My Thoughts:

Pretty good, kinda funny. Nice story about the underdogs coming up from behind. Really not much to say about this movie that hasn't already been said, I mean, I think it was pretty popular. Although with that rich baseball manager guy, I gotta say one thing: to me, K.I.T.T. looked a lot like the Batmobile during that one scene. 



(From Addicted2comics(:P)'s Official Review Thread!!! on September 12th, 2010)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Once and Again: Season One (1999/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Canada) Length: 990 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

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Plot:Once And Again explored brave new territory with the compelling story of two families blending at the seams. The second marriage of Lily Manning (Ward) to Rick Sammler (Campbell) pushes both to the limit as they try for domestic normalcy while navigating divorce, parenting, financial hardship and many other life lessons.

From the creators of thirtysomething and My So-Called Life comes the complete first season DVD Collection. Enjoy all the moving moments and memorable performances of a brilliant supporting cast, including Shane West (A Walk To Remember) and Evan Rachel Wood (Practical Magic) once and again.


Once & Again
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Marshall Herskovitz (Story By), Edward Zwick (Story By)
Director: Marshall Herskovitz
Cast: Sela Ward (Lily Manning), Billy Campbell (Rick Sammler), Jeffrey Nordling (Jake Manning), Susanna Thompson (Karen Sammler), Shane West (Eli Sammler), Julia Whelan (Grace Manning), Evan Rachel Wood (Jessie Sammler), Meredith Deane (Zoe Manning), Todd Field (David Cassilli), Marin Hinkle (Judy Brooks), Kelly Coffield (Naomi), Kimberly McCullough (Jennifer), LaTanya Richardson (Counselor), Vanessa Lee Chester (Friend #1), Julie Marie Berman (Friend #2), Anna Mathias (Secretary), Suzanne Lanza (Assistant), Nicola Theodoropoulos (Soccer Coach), Jourdan Fremin (Laughing Mom)

I am still waiting for the third and last season of this great series to be released on DVD. The pilot is really good. I like how the two families are coming together and I think it is handled rather realistically. The two failed marriages are not necessarily one person's fault. Also the reaction of the children about this new relationship is handled well. I like all the actors here. All did a great job. Especially the child actors. Even the youngest (Meredith Deane) does a great job.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 17th, 2012)