DVD Collectors Online

The Dark Knight, a review by Rich

27/11

dark knIght



The follow-up to the action hit "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime.

With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") stars as arch-villain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast in the role of Rachel Dawes. Returning from "Batman Begins" are Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Oscar winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") as Lucius Fox.

Went with friends to watch a special one-off showing at local cinema, and very impressed with what I believe is the best batman movie so far.
Needless to say, Ledgers Joker, a much more sinister, cruel and disturbed character, far outweighs Nicholsons attempt some years ago. The cast as a whole are excellent, not 'carried' as I had read before, and the best batman toys are on show in all their glory. The scene with the batbike through the tunnels chasing and then wrangling the lorry was breath-taking.
The pace of the film leaves you reeling, the scope of the storyline mature, complex and edgy, and the improvement over the self loving Batman Begins immense. This is as close to perfect for a superhero movie as I've seen so far, it is 2 1/2 hours long but you don't notice, and I whole-heartedly recommend this to your library.
 




(From November Alphabet Marathon - Discussion/Review Thread on November 28th, 2008)

Bad News Bears, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Bad News Bears: Special Collector's Edition
Year: 2005
Director: Richard Linklater
Rating: PG-13
Length: 113 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Billy Bob Thornton
Greg Kinnear
Marcia Gay Harden
Sammi Kane Kraft
Ridge Canipe
Brandon Craggs

Plot:
Billy Bob Thornton delivers a wickedly funny performance in this hilarious hit from the director of School of Rock. Morris Buttermaker (Thornton), former pro ballplayer-turned-exterminator, expects to make some easy money coaching a struggling Little League team called the Bears. What he gets is a ragtag group of inept players who transform the field of dreams into the stuff of nightmares! Taunted by an arrogant rival coach (Greg Kinnear), pressured by his new employer (Marcia Gay Harden), and challenged by the Bears, Buttermaker must somehow step up to the plate and help his players become something they never imagined they could be: a team.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Production Notes
Outtakes/Bloopers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
It has been years since I saw the original Bad News Bears... so I really can't compare this one with that. But I enjoyed watching this one. I thought Billy Bob Thornton was perfect for their coach. I wouldn't say this movie is hilarious... but it had some funny parts. Though for the most part it was more of a smile on your face while watching fun movie.



(From Unwatched Comedies Marathon on March 13th, 2011)

"Due South" marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

They Eat Horses, Don't They?

Another good episode. I would still rate it at a 4... but it is ever so slightly down from the previous episodes in my opinion. I guess it was just the storyline for this particular episode that I didn't care as much for. But the characters were still all good.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on June 29th, 2009)