DVD Collectors Online

Hellboy II: The Golden Army, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Hellboy II: The Golden Army: Widescreen
Year: 2008
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Rating: PG-13
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Ron Perlman
Selma Blair
Doug Jones
John Alexander
James Dodd

Plot:
The fate of mankind hangs in the balance when a ruthless prince awakens an unstoppable army of creatures and wages war with the human world. It's up to Hellboy and his team of paranormal outcasts to face off with the forces of darkness in the ultimate battle of good versus evil!

From the visionary director of Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army takes you into fantastical worlds with imaginative creatures and thrilling fight sequences unlike anything you've ever seen before!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Animated Comic

My Thoughts:
I been looking forward to watching this one since I recently watched and enjoyed the first one. And I enjoyed this one just as much... like the first one it is just a lot of fun. I really got a kick out of Hellboy and Abe drinking together. And of course they get attacked while they are drunk. I am glad I got this sequel in my collection. It is enough like the first one to pay it homage... while at the same time it is unique enough to give you a whole new story so that you don't feel like it is nothing more then more of the same thing. Though I must admit I didn't care too much for the character of Johann Krauss. But then again... he didn't bother me enough to lower my enjoyment of the movie.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs on December 19th, 2009)

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert, a review by Antares

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965) 76/100 - After watching eleven films in this series, the one thing I'm definitely looking for is the name of director Kenji Misumi in the opening title credits. Misumi was one of the more talented and prolific directors on the Daiei lot, and sadly, hasn't been given his due when lists of good Japanese directors are compiled. What I like most about his Zatoichi films is that he takes an "Action be damned, I'm going to tell you a story too" stance, that makes his Zatoichi films the best of the series. Now he doesn't eschew the swordplay that makes a Zatoichi film fun to watch, but his philosophy tends to be that he's going to give the viewer the necessary action, but it will be done with more creativity and only when the situation calls for it. Misumi is like a baker, kneading the dough that is his screenplay, with the right amount of character development, comedy and action set pieces required to make a well rounded film. Once again, this is one of the better films in the series as Misumi starts to peel away some of the layers of the man that has become almost mythical in this series. Twice, Ichi is almost captured and his skill with dice, his sole means of support, fails him in a key moment. By highlighting Ichi's weaknesses, he makes his strengths all the more dazzling and believable, thus making Misumi's films more credible and definitely more entertaining.

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 April 17th, 2014)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The 4400: Season One (2004/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Paramount Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 217 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles:

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Plot:
Over the last century, thousands of people have gone missing. Suddenly and inexplicably, 4400 missing people are returned all at once, as they were on the day they vanished. Unclear what this world-altering event means, the government investigates the 4400 to piece together where they've been and why they've been returned. It quickly becomes apparent that their presence will change the human race in ways no one could have ever foreseen.

The 4400
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Scott Peters (Writer), René Echevarria (Writer)
Director: Yves Simoneau
Cast: Joel Gretsch (Tom Baldwin), Jacqueline McKenzie (Diana Skouris), Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (Richard Tyler), Laura Allen (Lily Moore Tyler), Patrick Flueger (Shawn Farrell), Chad Faust (Kyle Baldwin), Kaj-Erik Eriksen (Danny Farrell), Brooke Nevin (Nikki Hudson), Peter Coyote (Dennis Ryland), Michael Moriarty (Orson Bailey), Conchita Campbell (Maia Rutledge), Lori Triolo (Linda Baldwin), Chilton Crane (Susan Farrell), Andrew Airlie (Brian Moore), Garwin Sanford (Adam Kensington), Jason Low (Sid Stradner), Terry Chen (Colin Chen), Jesse Hutch (Brad Rossi), Ross Douglas (Gregory Kensington), Sheila Paterson (Elizabeth Bailey), Eric Breker (Kenneth Griffin), Eileen Pedde (Patty Griffin), Genevieve Buechner (Heidi Moore), Adrian Holmes (Lt. Payton), Roger Haskett (Maia's Father), Carrie Ann Fleming (Mary Rutledge), Keith Martin Gordey (Alan Kushner), Pamela Hart (ACLU Lawyer), Patti Allan (Barbara Yates), Link Baker (Air Force Officer), Karin Konoval (Dr. Emily Sanford), John Destry (Homeless Man), Cameron Cronin (Process Server), Jan Bos (Quarantine Official), Jocelyne Loewen (Secretary), Daryl Shuttleworth (Announcer One), Nicolas von Zill (Middle-Aged Man), Gabriel Patrich (Older Man), Julius Chapple (Young Man), Christina Jastrzembska (Older Woman), Layla Alizada (Young Woman), Calvin Lee (Newscaster - China), Nimet Kanji (Newscaster - Africa), Parm Soor (Newscaster - India), Manami Hara (Newscaster - Japan), Nicola Crosbie (Announcer Two), Chris Kalhoon (Reporter)

The first season actually started out as a five episode mini-series. It wasn't originally planned to continue. This is very noticable after the first season. They had to find some new storylines to be able to do a TV series.
I enjoyed the complete series, but the first season is the best for that reason. This pilot episode is a great introduction and am already tempted to continue. If you do not know it, you should at least check out the first season.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on March 24th, 2011)