DVD Collectors Online

Under Siege , a review by Dragonfire

Under Siege It's not a job. It's an adventure! Steven Seagal comes aboard and comes on strong in a fireball of a movie from the director of "The Fugitive." When the USS Missouri welcomes aboard entertainers for the battleship's last voyage, the visitors throw a party. A war party. Led by a rogue CIA operative (Tommy Lee Jones) and a turncoat officer (Gary Busey), they're killer-elite commandos out to hijack the ship's nuclear arsenal. They overpower the crew. Except one man. "I'm just a cook," that man says. But he's a cook with a recipe for action. He's ex-Navy SEAL and decorated combat operative Casey Ryback (Seagal). All hands on deck, action fans! My Thoughts I've seen several of Steven Segal's movies.  I've usually enjoyed them, though the man really isn't that talented of an actor.  This one is my favorite of his movies..and I think the best. The plot is entertaining even though it isn't the most original.  It is a bit like Die Hard, but that didn't bother me.  There is enough explanation in the movie for why Strannix and Krill are doing what they are doing..and for why Casey is able to deal with the situation almost completely alone.  Things do start off a little slower while everything is set up.  Once Strannix puts his plan in motion, the pace picks up a lot.  There is a lot of action in the movie, including a few well done fights with Segal.  The violence is a little graphic in a few scenes, but it isn't that bad overall.  There does seem to be an attempt to add a bit of romance between Casey and Jordan that really goes no where..though there is one kiss late in the movie.  I don't think there is chemistry between them, but I'm not really bothered by it either.  Jordan doesn't add a lot to the movie other than sex appeal.  She does get almost naked briefly - probably too briefly for some people Strannix and Krill are a bit over the top, but they work great as villains.  Strannix is complicated and perhaps a bit unbalanced.  There is an intensity to the character that makes it clear he is willing to do anything to achieve his goal.  He also calls himself RoadRunner and talks about other Looney Tunes characters, almost like he idolizes them or something.  Tommy Lee Jones is wonderful in the part.  I really don't think the character, and as a result the movie, would have worked as well if someone else played Strannix.  Krill is definitely unbalanced and more than likely willing to kill his own mother if it will serve his needs.  Gary Busey plays unhinged really well. I've lost track of how many times I've seen this one over the years.  It works well as an action movie and I still enjoy it.  It is definitely worth watching. I did get a review posted on Epinions. Under Siege

(From Under Siege on September 26th, 2010)

Namastey London, a review by dfmorgan

Namastey London

Year: 2007
Director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor
Overview: What happens when you transplant an English rose to a countryside in Punjab and expect her to thrive in an alien environment? The rose will either die or rebel. That's exactly what Jazz, rather Jasmeet, does when her father brings her to India and marries her to a rough and tough farmer who can barely speak English. But Jazz is determined to marry Charlie Brown, her British boyfriend. Caught in this emotional tug of war between father and daughter, is poor Arjun, who is helplessly and hopelessly in love with his beautiful but unyielding wife.

Namastey London will determine whether love is more about giving or taking, whether Indian values must surrender to western culture and whether Jazz will win or Jasmeet!

Watched: 4th. Jun 2011
My Thoughts: I decided that I wanted something fairly light but entertaining tonight so went for a slice of Bollywood. A quite enjoyable film with no real surprises. As you watch this film you know where it is heading and what the final outcome will be with just a couple of minor diversions along the way.

My Rating: A quite enjoyable 3


(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on June 5th, 2011)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Buffy's 17th birthday is coming up and the gang has planned a surprise party. But Drusilla and Spike have also something planned: They want to reassemble the Judge, a demon who could bring forth Armageddon and destroy the Human race. And Angel and Buffy are getting closer and closer but the Gypsies who once cursed him will not allow that he is happy and they have an "agent" right in the gang's midst.

My Opinion: Maybe it's due to his frustration of sitting in a wheel chair, but reassembling the Judge contradicts Spike's statement in the season finale that he likes the world as it is ("Millions of 'Happy Meals' on legs."). But I liked this (and the following) episode very much and I really liked Vincent Schiavelli's appearance as Gypsy elder even though it was short. This episode also starts the tradition that Buffy's birthdays will always be terrible.

Synopsis: When Buffy and Angel have slept together, Angel experienced a "moment of true happiness" and subsequently lost his soul again because the curse was lifted. He's now Angelus again and teams up with Dru, Spike and the Judge. Buffy is crushed and has to deal with it, but she also has to stop the Judge of whom is said that he can't be destroyed by any weapon forged by men.

My Opinion: Angelus is back! I love David as Angelus. He's cruel, he's an asshole and he's still obsessed with Buffy. And he plays it very well. I'd say he plays the soulless Big Bad better than the tormented ensouled Vampire. I also love the idea to recruit the Big Bad from the good guys. It was also a great idea to kill a demon with some modern day weaponry instead of trying to slice and dice him with swords and the like. And I thought it was a great idea that Xander retained some of the memories from when he was a "real" soldier in Halloween.

Synopsis: When Cordy and Xander make out in Lover's Lane they are attacked by a Werewolf but they can escape. Since a Werewolf is a normal human being at day and only a Werewolf three nights a month there's only a short time for Buffy and other hunters to get him before he attacks more people and then goes dormant for a month. And Willow is frustrated that Oz won't make a move on her.

My Opinion: So, Oz is a Werewolf. Our trio seems to fancy more extravagant partners. I really like it how people - who are way different - are accepted by the gang as long as they don't do evil. This kind of acceptance and (later) alliance will help them to survive and defeat the true evil. The Werewolf costume didn't look really convincing but I assume it's hard to create a realistic one. It doesn't even always work when you use CGI. For example, Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was also not a convincing CGI-Werewolf. But I really liked the Werewolf-CGIs of Underworld.
The growling contest between Angelus and Oz was also great.

Synopsis: After their relationship has become public knowledge, Cordy dumps Xander Valentine's Day, even though she (secretly) still has feelings for him. Xander is crushed, laughed at and furious. After he's witnessed Amy using a spell on one of their teachers he blackmails her to cast a love spell on Cordelia for that she may feel as tormented as he does. But the spell seriously backfires.

My Opinion: This episode managed to keep the balance between comedy and drama. The scenes between Xander and (all) the girls were hilarious but Giles managed to point out the seriousness of that whole affair. This also starts the tradition that using magic for one's selfish purposes will ultimately backfire and that magic is always to be handled with care.

(From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on April 25th, 2009)