DVD Collectors Online

Iron Giant, a review by Rich

Iron Giant



Something huge is on the horizon. Hogarth Hughes just rescued an enormous robot that fell from the stars to Earth. Now young Hogarth has one very big friend and an even bigger problem: How do you keep a 50-foot-tall, steal-eating (junkyard cars are especially tasty) giant a secret? It's even harder when a nosy government agent arrives in town to hunt down the "alien invader" and the combined land, sea and air might of the U.S. military is sent to demolish the giant. The result: an incredible adventure that's part metal, part magic, all heart.

Enjoyed this excellent animation, not for any groundbreaking technology but for a thoughtful, fun storyline that you couldn't hate even if you tried. The film has a huge heart and is not sickly sweet like the latest Disneys, it has genuine humour and feeling, adventurous and blessed with a pace that makes the film feel like it has ended too quickly. Congratulations to the director, and the host of voices who bring this movie alive.
Perfect for all ages
 



**Jennifer Aniston mini-marathon


(From Riches Random Reviews on August 30th, 2009)

Casino Royale, a review by Achim

Title: Casino Royale

Year: 2006
Director: Martin Campbell
Rating: PG-13
Length: 144 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: PCM 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai

Stars:
Daniel Craig
Eva Green
Mads Mikkelsen
Judi Dench
Jeffrey Wright

Plot:
CASINO ROYALE introduces JAMES BOND before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission, which takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

Extras:
Scene Access
Featurettes
Music Videos


The first hour reminded me a lot of the older Bond films and provided a lot of good action scenes. The free running looks really cool and the scene at the airport gets the blood pumping. What bothered me the second most anbout the film was how much of a bloody bastard Bond is. I can't really put my finger on it, but e.g. disobeying orders is one thing, but invading M's privacy and stealing her password just didn't seem like the usual Bond. Don't get me wrong though, I thought Daniel Craig played Bond very well and fit the role rather nicely.

However, there is this long stretch after the fight in the Casino which is very slow moving and rather boring. People playing poker has been portrayed in much more interesting ways before and they most certainly don't pull it off here. While it picks up speed a little bit towards the end, once they get to Venice, it's just not quite enough. The concluding action scene is well done and looks awesome, just too little too late, somehow.

While the poker stuff was unnecessarily long and could have been more exciting I guess the boring romance sequence was needed to set up the ending and even more the second film.


The picture quality of the Blu-ray was very good, the extras (an interview, a making of, a Bond girl special) were rather sparse though, considering the subsequent release.

(From James Bond Marathon on June 21st, 2009)

Smallville Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

21. TEMPEST
A reporter closes in on Clark's secret: Chloe may depart Smallville: LuthorCorp is forced to close. At least the school dance will provide carefree moments for Clark and his friends. Then the twister hits.

My Thoughts:
What a great way to end the first season! The twister scene was amazing! And of course it has plenty of cliffhangers leaving you wanting to see what will happen next!



(From Smallville Marathon on August 1st, 2007)