DVD Collectors Online

Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, a review by Antares

Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman (1971) 77/100 - Well I guess that old saying that Third time's a charm is adequate for this installment in the Zatoichi series. Toho, in the first two films they produced, seemed unable to grasp what it was that made the series so spectacular for Daiei. They'd try all of the motifs that had been used, but never quite got it to gel. But with Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman they finally find the correct balance of action, comedy and pathos that make this film a real treat for Ichi fans. Another interesting idea, but I hope it's just used this one time, is the crossover with the successful Hong Kong film star Yu Wang. I've never been a big fan of chop-socky films, but here in tandem with the Zatoichi character, it makes for a fun romp. The story also throws a bit of ambiguity into the mix as the two main stars can't communicate with each other, due to their language barrier. Is Ichi responsible for ratting out the one armed swordsman for a reward? Of course, if you've watched any of the previous films, you know that's not the case, but it's addition into the screenplay makes for a nice diversion to the usual plot lines in the series. If you're a fan of Shaws Brother's films, then this may be a good starting point for you if you're thinking about delving into this wonderful series of films. The only disappointment for me is that I wish Criterion would have secured the rights for the Hong Kong release of this film, as it was released with a different ending. It would have been interesting to see Ichi meet his demise in that film, and there definitely was plenty of room on the Blu-Ray to fit it in.

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 November 14th, 2014)

Love Me Tender, a review by GSyren

Love me tender (7-340112-705220)

United States 1956 | Released 2013-10-23 on Bluray from Fox-Paramount Home Entertainment

90 minutes | Aspect ratio 2.35:1 | Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, Polish Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary Dolby Digital Mono

Directed by Robert Webb and starring Elvis Presley, Richard Egan, Debra Paget, Robert Middleton, William Campbell

Moviegoers were introduced to Elvis Presley in this film set during the dying hours of the Civil War. Elvis sings four songs, including the title song. The year is 1865, and the three Confederate Reno brothers don't know the war has ended. They manage to steal a Union Army payroll, and head for home with the money. While Vance (Richard Egan) can think only of the love of his life, Cathy (Debra Paget), it turns out that the brothers have been reported dead, and Cathy has married their youngest brother Clint (Elvis Presley). Vance accepts this until he learns that Cathy still loves him. To complicate things, the U.S. Army knows of the brothers' theft and is hunting them down.

My thoughts about Love me tender:

Love Me Tender was a blind buy for me. I did not know what to expect, but I did not expect this. Love Me Tender feels a bit like it's suffering from split personality. On the one hand it's a fairly good B-movie western. On the other hand it is an Elvis movie. Or perhaps I should say "an Elvis movie wannabe". Anyway, the two does not mix very well. Elvis' routines seem very anachronistic in an 1865 setting. Love Me Tender is the one and only Elvis movie where Elvis does not receive top billing. And it is probably also the only Elvis movie where Elvis was an afterthought. And that explains the duality of the movie. There are no real big names in the cast, but many competent actors like Richard Egan, Debra Paget and Neville Brand. And in uncredited small roles actors like L. Q. Jones and Dick Sargent. If you're expecting a "regular" Elvis movie, then you probably will be disappointed. If you watch it as just another B-movie western, you'll be OK if you can disregard the rather uncalled for musical numbers. I had no problems with that, so I thought it was fine enough.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on March 21st, 2015)

"Big Bang Theory" Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

15. The Pork Chop Indeterminacy
Sheldon's twin Missy is nothing like Sheldon... which makes her the other guys' newest dream girl.

My Thoughts:
After a couple OK episodes.. this one was much better. I enjoyed every second of it. It was hilarious seeing the guys going after Sheldon's sister.... as it was to see Rajesh on that experimental medication for his shyness.

16. The Peanut Reaction
Leonard's birthday finds Wolowitz and Leonard in the ER and Penny and Sheldon sharing a shopping trip from hell.

My Thoughts:
This is another one I enjoyed. Liked seeing Penny and Sheldon shopping together... and Wolowitz after eating peanuts was fun as well.

17. The Tangerine Factor
Nervous about their first date, Leonard and Penny seek advice from the same romance-savvy sage: Sheldon.

My Thoughts:
Well... that's it... the final episode of the season. It is such a shame the first season was so short (Damn Writer's Strike!)  but at least we got 17 episodes of this hilarious series. I really enjoyed this episode as well. There was several good laughs... though nothing that stands out that much for me. Just a really good episode.

(From "Big Bang Theory" Marathon on October 9th, 2008)