DVD Collectors Online

El Dorado, a review by Antares

El Dorado (1966) 78/100 - Sometimes a film can be just like an old coat that you've worn for years and brings such warmth that you always feel comfortable when your wearing it. The Shootist is my favorite John Wayne movie, but El Dorado is the film that I return to at least three or four times a year. It's jut like that comfortable old coat, in that it always entertains me and never lets me down. But just as you spot little tears and loose seams in that coat over the course of time, with repeated viewings, you start to notice flaws you never saw before in cherished films. This time, I seemed like certain musical passages in the soundtrack sounded eerily like music I'd heard in Batman episodes on TV. And lo and behold, Nelson Riddle, who scored this film, also scored an episode of that program and the music for the Batman film made in 1966. There were a couple of moments when I was waiting for William Dozier to break in to the action with, "Meanwhile, back at the Penguin's secret hideout"... Something else I noticed this time too, is that Ed Asner is horribly miscast as Bart Jason, the money man behind the guns in the range war. Every time he was onscreen, he reminded me of George Costanza from Seinfeld. Another goof is having Bull say that he'll play Marchin' through Georgia on his bugle to warn Cole and J.P. about the three gunman their trying to apprehend at the mission. Bull is obviously from the deep South with his thick Arkansas accent, so he definitely would have fought for the Confederacy. And no southern rebel would be caught dead playing a Union song on a bugle. But even with these little ticks and tremors, I still love this film. I know that I'll return to it every few months or so, probably until the day I die. It's what a western should be. Good storytelling, mixed with just the right amount of action and of course, some great looking sixties eye candy, Michele Carey and Charlene Holt...Meow!!!

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 March 14th, 2015)

Gone Baby Gone, a review by Jon

Gone Baby Gone
4 out of 5



In Ben Affleck's superb directorial debut, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are private investigators asked to help search for a missing girl by her uncle. Working with two detectives (John Ashton and Ed Harris), Patrick and Angie discover everyone seems to have something to hide, not least the mother (Amy Ryan).

This is a powerful and frequently dark story that asks some difficult moral questions that will leave you thinking for days to come. It's based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, another challenging story. It starts straightforward enough; a young girl is missing, suspected kidnapped and the local community is united around the family. But the mother is completely unhelpful and soon it's revealed she's a drug runner, mixed up with some very dangerous characters. Patrick and Angie have slightly better prospects interviewing the locals because they're locals too, so they start digging through Boston's underbelly.

Later there is a shift in tone and it's no longer a simple race-against-time thriller. It has much deeper ambitions. To be honest another viewing may be in order to really appreciate it. The first half is powerful because it's all too real; the second is more specific and asks us to accept more than one contrivance, but while this may feel a little awkward, it's a means to an end. I don't want to reveal more than necessary, but it's an excruciating dilemma that will reverberate through many characters lives. Is Helene a fit mother and who, if anyone, has the right to interfere? How often does society turn a blind eye, building itself a dysfunctional future?

To really drive the point home it needs a top drawer cast and this is one of the best in recent years. Cynics may suggest Affleck has picked such a cast -including his own brother- to make it easy, but actually he's obviously inspired them to pull out all the stops. There is no showboating and they all work very well together. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are especially noteworthy because both of them have fallen into the trap of playing themselves in recent years, especially Freeman. Here he gives one of his best performances, capturing the conflicting emotions of a legendary police captain with a personal tragedy that is painfully reflected in this case. It's great to see John Ashton (Beverley Hills Cop, Midnight Run) as Harris' partner in a serious and substantial role that he obviously relishes too. And finally, something that the gorgeous Michelle Monaghan deserves! She's excellent in a very important role; the film could live or die on that performance, especially in the final act and she handles it brilliantly.

But the central character and the films driving force is Affleck the younger. Baby-face Casey more than holds his own with the heavyweights, just like his character. He's tough, direct, but calm and focused, while hiding deep emotional turmoil. A fantastic performance, possibly his best and that's a big statement considering his Robert Ford.

The other big character in this film is Boston, home town for the Afflecks and it shows. Ben does a fantastic job of evoking the city and it's inhabitants, frequently using locals in scenes. Environment is usually undervalued in stories like this, but gives the film huge substance and sets it apart (and better)from similar urban dramas like Training Day and Copland. In fact, it makes even Scorcese's The Departed look lazy in comparison. I really look forward to Ben Afflecks next film. I keep using the word substance and I can't think of a better description. It's a relevant and rich piece of work, that may suffer from a confused middle act, but ultimately delivers its message with assured confidence. Hell of a debut.

Just as a final note, this film was delayed in the UK due to similarities with the Madeleine McGann case. At the time I thought that was an over-reaction, but it is very close to the bone not least because Amanda (played by Madeline O'Brien) looks very similar.

(From Gone Baby Gone **** on January 22nd, 2009)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: There's a series of break-ins and no one can explain how the thieves did it. But they run into Clark and Chloe when they try to rob Lex. Clark can't prevent that Chloe falls out of a window and gets seriously hurt. Now Clark does anything in his power to find and stop these guys and he has help from the inside.

My Opinion: I am sure that there are people asking and complaining that Clark didn't save the bad guy, too. From the looks of it it would have been possible to pull both of them out. But from my POV there is s strict order: Good guys first, bad guys later if there's time. And maybe Clark didn't know that the tattoo had worn off. After all he was standing there on his own free will, so: Shit happens.

Synopsis: Lex's past catches up to him: Three years ago there was an incident at the Club Zero in Metropolis. A man was killed and now this man wants to find out what really happened. But he also endangers the people around Lex. Meanwhile there's a school project going on and this project threatens the secret of the Kent family.

My Opinion: Now Chloe has begun to research Clark's past, that makes the second person around him. I liked this episode because it showed pieces of Lex's past and it didn't reveal too soon the secret of this dead guy. With Chloe's digging another side-story has started which means the stories will become more and more arc-y and less FotW-y. I don't know if it was planned from the beginning but over the last episodes they have scattered a few bread crumps like the mystery of his adoption that will become relevant in later episodes. I like that.

Synopsis: A man smashes into Jonathan's car and then overturns his own. When Jonathan tries to rescue him he comes in contact with a flower that makes him act out of character. But then he slips into a coma. When Clark, Chloe, Lana and Pete investigate the case, Lana and Pete get also infected and they are going to die if a cure isn't found.

My Opinion: Two words: Lana. Hot. *must concentrate now* I believe that was the first time that Lex lied directly into Clark's faces because he has secrets of his own. I don't count Zero because he bluntly told Clark to stay out of it but here he held back informations because this doctor secretly works for him. It's a long road he has started to go down.

Synopsis: A young boy called Ryan jumps in front of Martha's car in the middle of the night. When he wakes up he claims to have amnesia. But he has also a secret: He can read minds and that's the reason he is hunted by his stepparents who use him for robberies. But for a while he is save on the Kent farm and he bonds with Clark and through his ability he learns about Clark's secret.

My Opinion: I found it funny to see super-hero comics in a series based on a super-hero comic. I liked this episode because I liked Ryan. I think it would be hard to hear other peoples thoughts. It might sound cool in the beginning but I think one can handle only so much honesty and I think such a person would eventually leave all the people to give the mind some rest.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on May 23rd, 2008)