DVD Collectors Online

Vertigo, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Vertigo
Year: 1958
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: PG
Length: 128 Min.


Stars:
James Stewart
Kim Novak
Barbara Bel Geddes
Tom Helmore
Henry Jones

Plot:
A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

My Thoughts:
This one I watch off On-Demand. One of the On-Demand channels is having a Hitchcock month of sorts and has a folder with a few of his most popular movies. I went to watch this and what happens?... I fell asleep! No... I didn't find it that boring. I just was up late last night and then woke early this morning. I just needed an extra hour I guess. Plus the fact that I think I am getting sick over here.

I think I may have messed myself up a little on this one. While I tried not to I was really hyped up to watch this one as I always heard it was a great one. So while I enjoyed it very much... I was kind of expecting more from it. So while it was very enjoyable... at the same time I was kind of thinking... ok... that's it? All THAT hype for this? I don't want you to get the wrong idea here... this is one I definitely want to add to my collection!

Both James Stewert and Kim Novak were wonderful in this movie. The story kept my interest... and the suspense was definitely there.



(From My Alphabet Marathon Reviews on July 10th, 2010)

My Neighbour Totoro, a review by dfmorgan

Title: My Neighbour Totoro
Original Title: Tonari no Totoro
Year: 1988
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: G
Length: 88 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Noriko Hidaka
Chika Sakamoto
Shigesato Itoi
Sumi Shimamoto
Hitoshi Takagi

Plot:
Critically acclaimed as one of the most delightful and charming family films ever, My Neighbor Totoro is a stunning animated treat full of magical adventure from Hayao Miyazaki.

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro, who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters -- including a cat that doubles as a bus! -- and takes them on an incredible journey.

Full of wonder and heart, this spectacular film features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning. My Neighbor Totoro is a magical experience for the whole family!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Multi-angle
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned


OK I won't beat about the bush here this is my favourite Miyazaki film. I first saw it in 1995 on the Fox laserdisc release. This was a Pan & Scan release and was also dubbed, I'm not too sure but it may also have been slightly cut, but even with that hardship I fell in love with the film. I managed to tape a version that Sky Movies showed, still dubbed but now in widescreen. Finally Disney released a proper DVD in 2006 which was widescreen and subbed. Apparently Disney had their own dub created and the only components to remain from the Fox release was the opening and closing songs.

Satsuki and Mei, two young girls, move to the country with their father to be nearer to the hospital where their mother is recovering from an undisclosed illness. The first magic occurs when the girls open various rooms and we see dustbunnies, also known as soot spirits, leaving the rooms from the light in the trademark way that Miyazaki has with small creatures and insects. That evening we see another of the Miyazaki trademarks with the wind blowing the fields and trees. This leads to what I understand was a slightly contentious scene with Disney. We see Mei and her father in the bath and Satsuki beside the bath washing herself and then after completing her washing she jumps in the bath with Mei and her father. The wind is still blowing so they laugh to show that they are not scared. My understanding is that Disney, as a "family" company, didn't like the idea of young children sharing a bath with adults, let alone just their father. However, when they asked Studio Ghibli if they could remove that scene, Disney were reminded that one of the clauses in the contract they had signed was that Disney could not cut any of the films that they agreed to distribute for Studio Ghibli. As an aside there is one film from that original agreement that Disney still hasn't released Only Yesterday, I will cover my understanding of the reason for that when I reach that film in this marathon. When Satsuki is at school Mei wanders off following a couple of small creatures eventually finishing up in the nearby forest under a tall camphor tree with a giant creature Mei calls a Totoro, the Studio Ghibli logo.

There is more in the film but if I carry on as I was above then I would be writing the complete story so I'll stop here. It is magical and even has pathos when they receive some news from the hospital.

This is a magical and wonderful film a double 5 .

Dave

ETA original title

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on June 23rd, 2010)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

9. FRAME-UP
Tony is accused of murder and the NCIS team must rally to clear his name.

My Thoughts:
This is an excellent episode. One of my favorites of the entire series. They really had Tony framed good... and I love who it was that was doing the framing.

My Rating:

10. PROBIE
While on assignment, McGee kills an undercover police officer. Shepard allows the police to run their own investigation, which pushes Gibbs' relationship with his former girlfriend to the limit.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode. This time it is McGee that is in trouble.

My Rating:

11. MODEL BEHAVIOR
A supermodel is murdered while filming a reality TV show, and now Gibbs and his team must separate fact from fiction.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun episode. I really got a kick out of Gibbs trying to handle the press. He is good with cases.... but definitely not good with public relations!

My Rating:


12. BOXED IN
Tony and Ziva disappear while investigating a shipyard for smuggled weapons and it's up to NCIS to find them.

My Thoughts:
Another one that I enjoyed.  As I said before... Tony and Ziva has such good chemestry together. So them two trapped in a shipping container together for pretty much the entire episode was a lot of fun to watch. And I had to laugh at Ziva having to rush off to the ladies room once released.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 13th, 2009)