DVD Collectors Online

36 Hours, a review by Antares

36 Hours (1965) 76/100 - I had never heard of this film and caught it on TCM about a week ago. At first I thought it was going to play out a little like The Americanization of Emily, another war film starring James Garner. But then I was quite surprised when it turned out to be a rather exciting tale of espionage and intrigue which used the D-Day invasion as a backdrop. James Garner plays an OAS operative who is kidnapped in Lisbon by the Nazis, just days before the invasion. He is taken to a special encampment near the Swiss border which is fabricated to look like an American military hospital. Here, he is made to look a few years older by some temporary kind of plastic surgery, in order to create the ruse that he has suffered from amnesia for the last 6 years and that the war is over and the Allies have won. By convincing him of this scenario, they hope by treating him for the amnesia, that he will communicate the actual invasion plans to his physicians. All in all, this film kept me engaged throughout, and the ending of the film is quite satisfactory.

What the color coding means...

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 October 12th, 2013)

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, a review by Tom

Title: Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
Year: 1977
Director: George Lucas
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround EX , German: Dolby Digital Surround EX , Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Commentary, English, German, Turkish

Stars:
Mark Hamill
Harrison Ford
Carrie Fisher
Peter Cushing
Alec Guinness


Extras:
Commentary
DVD-ROM Content
Scene Access
THX certified

The original trilogy is always a pleasure to watch. This first movie has had great impact on popular culture and that deservingly so. It still holds up even 30 years later.
By the way: I have been to the Mos Eisley set in Tunisia

Rating:

Now some remarks to the changes done for the 1997 and 2004 re-releases. Although I am opposed in general to changes done many years later to old movies, I can still enjoy them sometimes. I have mixed feelings about the Star Wars changes. On one hand I enjoy some, on the other hand I loath some of them. Especially those which are done only to match better with the inferior prequel trilogy.

Changes I enjoy:
- Replaced static dewbacks in the background with moving CGI dewbacks.
- blur under the landspeeder removed
- Improved take-off of the Falcon in the Mos Eisley docks
- improved Death Star docking bay
- changed writing on the Death Star tractor beam control
- added sound effect when the stormtrooper hits his head. I like it, that they did not try to get rid of this blooper
- Improved corridor depth perception over the original matte paintings
- improved take off of the Rebel fighters


Changes I can tolarate:
- New exterior of Ben's hut
- CGI Jabba scene. Although not quite the Jaba we know from Return of the Jedi, it is interesting to see, how they integrated a previously deleted scene, which was shot with a human Jabba at the time. Also the 2004 version improves the texture of Jabba.
- Greedo and Han shoot simultanously. Although I like it better, when Han shots first, we have now a compromise between what George Lucas wants and what the fans want.
- Han Solo chasing stormtroopers does not result in a dead-end with few stormtroopers

Changes I hate:
- Additional dewbacks in the scene where the storm troopers search for the droids
- additional joke characters added in the Mos Eisley arrival scene
- Not as much as hate, but I enjoyed the original explosions of Alderaan and the Death Star more, than the new ones with the "Praxis" effect.
- Unnecessary change of the sound Ben Kenobi makes to chase the sand people away

Overall, the changes for the first movie do not offend as much as the ones for the other movies (especially the third).

(From Tom's Star Wars marathon on December 7th, 2008)

Dark Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

19. Hit a Sista Back
When fellow X5 escapee Tinga returns to town to save the family she left behind, Max, with the help of Zack, once again places herself in danger to battle Manticore, Lydecker, newly turned X5 Bryn, and an increasingly power-hungry Madame X.

My Thoughts:
This was a really good episode.. yes... it is another episode that brings a couple of her brothers and sisters back. I always liked those episodes when she gets to work with her siblings. To me... they have been some of the best episodes of the series.

20. Meow
Max starts to feel the stress of being controlled by her genetic urges when she goes into her bi-annual feline DNA sexual urges. She jumps one of the first available guys she sees. After a hot, random sexual encounter, she becomes more distraught over her situation. She finally realizes she's in love with Logan.

My Thoughts:
Now this one... being a straight male... I must say I love this episode!  Lets face it... Jessica Alba is just HOT! And I tell you... I love the looks on her face when she is playing that she is in heat. They need more episodes like these! This episode also does a good job leading into the season finale... so don't think it is just an episode of Jessica Alba being hot.. that is a big part of it.. but far from all of it!

21. And Jesus Brought a Casserole


My Thoughts:
This was a great episode... Max and some of her brothers and sisters going up against Manticore... the only way they could end the season in my opinion. It has been a good 3 or 4 years since I saw this series... so I have to admit.... I forgot how this season ended! Now I am even more excited about starting the season 2 set!  Though I do think I will take a short break and do another movie marathon first.

(From Dark Angel Marathon on September 8th, 2007)