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The Crazies, a review by addicted2dvd

The Crazies (2010/United States) Trailer |IMDb |Wikipedia | Anchor Bay Home Entertainment Director: Breck Eisner Writing: Scott Kosar (Screenwriter), Ray Wright (Screenwriter) Length: 101 min. Rating: Rated R : Bloody Violence and Language Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: PCM: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Timothy Olyphant as David
Radha Mitchell as Judy
Joe Anderson as Russell
Danielle Panabaker as Becca
Christie Lynn Smith as Deardra Farnum
Brett Rickaby as Bill Farnum

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Digital Copy
• The Crazies Motion Comic Episodes 1 + 2

I been wanting to check this one out for a while now. I must say... I enjoyed it quite a bit. It kept my interest from the start. It has a good story and likable characters. I know this is a remake of an older film... and I have heard that it isn't really that similar... but I must admit... despite that I am curious about the original after seeing this one. If for no other reason then to see just how much it differs. This is worth checking out if you haven't yet.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: The Blu-ray Experience on July 6th, 2013)

Identity, a review by Danae Cassandra

Identity
Year of Release: 2003
Directed By: James Mangold
Starring: John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes
Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Overview:
What if there really were no coincidences in life and our destinies were already predetermined?

Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver (John Cusack), an '80s TV star (Rebecca DeMornay), a cop (Ray Liotta) who is transporting a killer (Jake Busey), a call girl (Amanda Peet), a pair of newlyweds (Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) and a family in crisis (John C. McGinley, Leila Kenzle, Bret Loehr), all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager (John Hawkes). Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the secret that has brought them all together.

My Thoughts:
I found this to be a really entertaining, suspenseful film.  Looking at things from the end, I can see how clues were set up, but watching the film I didn't have it fully figured out until the reveal.  Yes, early on the film does let you know that there is more to this than the obvious (escape from the motel only bringing one character back to the motel) and it gives it this Twilight Zone-esque feel at that point, but I was still wondering exactly what was going on and exactly who was the culprit.  Yes, I did have suspicions towards the correct answer, but I also thought the film did a good job misdirecting the viewer.  The performances are all good, though Cusack was the standout for me.  All in all, very good film, solid recommendation for just about anyone.

Bechdel Test:

Overall: 4/5

(From Off Day Alphabet Marathon on November 9th, 2014)

Death Note anime/manga/movies comparison, a review by Tom

10. Doubt

L and Light play tennis and try to size up each other. Light tries to find a way to get onto the investigation team without rising the suspicion that he might be Kira. But L beats him in this regard and plainly tells him that he suspects him, but wants him on the team nonetheless. If he isn't Kira, he would be a great help on the investigation. If he is Kira, he might trip up and reveal himself.
Light's father has a conversation with the chief of the police, where the chief wants to know the identity of L and Light's father refuses to tell him.
Light's father gets an heart attack but it turns out to be only fatigue.
At the end a television studio gets some tapes which are asked to be played on the air.

This episode covers the manga chapters 20-22. Essentially the same things happen except that the manga elaborates more.

In the movies, the tennis match was replaced by a chess game where both size up each other. The heart attack of the father probably inspired the ending of the second movie. The way that Light gets on the team is also much different. Essentially the whole ending of the first movie is an elaborate plan by Light to defuse the suspicion from him by letting his girlfriend be killed by Kira. He also uses it as reasoning to get on the team to "find" the killer of his girlfriend. L reveals to Light non-verbally that he suspects him being Kira by eating a special brand of chips in front of him. The same kind of chips Light used to hide the Death Note while writing down names while he was being survaillanced.
Also in the movies Light's father visits the chief of police and also a television studio gets tapes to play.

(From Death Note anime/manga/movies comparison on January 17th, 2012)