DVD Collectors Online

The Getaway, a review by Jon

The Getaway ****
4 out of 5

Political manoeuvring gets Doc (Steve McQueen) out of prison even when a parole board said no. Now he has a bank to rob for benefactor Benyon (Ben Johnson) with the help of his wife (Ali MacGraw) and Rudy (Al Lettieri). The job goes wrong and now Doc and his wife are on the run from Benyon's enforcers and Rudi, looking for the $500,000.

Five years after Bonnie and Clyde re-wrote the rulebook and one year after the enigmatic Vanishing Point and Two-Lane Blacktop, we're well into America's New Wave cinema and Sam Peckinpah doesn't disappoint with a typical example of how to mix thriller and art-house. The first 10 minutes is like a European short film; Bonnie and Clyde ruffled a few feathers with abstract editing, against the Hollywood idea of invisible cuts, but Peckinpah goes one better to show Doc's frustration at prison. It's a powerful, almost wordless sequence and forever separates the director from modern pretenders.

Don't be put off by the prospect of contemplative arty stuff like that though. This is as tough a thriller as any and the King of Cool McQueen was never cooler, channelling Bogart to deliver one of his best characters as Doc. He is utterly fantastic. Just look at the scene where he calmly buys a shotgun to immediately use on the police car that's pulled up outside. Or his memorable one-liners ("How ya doin', Slim?" ) and the way he deals with MacGraw! I mean, she's not a great actress, but she does convince, so she hardly deserved getting slapped around!

There's another example of how Hollywood had changed, allowing women to be slapped. Peckinpah really out-does himself though with the injured Rudy, taking a vet and his wife hostage, they end up cuckolding "poor little Harold"! Al Lettieri is great as Rudy, always menacing even when he's playing games. He was supposed to star in Rabid Dogs for Bava two years later and that film does owe a lot to this in many ways. Interesting how that happens. That European cinema should influence a shift-change in America, a change that Europe itself picks up on.

Certainly The Getaway revels in violence enough to be honourary Giallo. Revels may be the wrong word though, because this is another intelligent and accountable commentary on a violent society (see how the kids wander over to look at a recent corpse, similar to how children tease the scorpion in The Wild Bunch). Peckinpah's set-pieces are incredible, reminding one of Leone's spaghetti westerns, especially with the bizarre Morricone influenced score. And he was the best at slow-motion photography since Kurosawa. Certainly John Woo could take a few lessons.

Walter Hill's (The Driver) screenplay is tough, but a lot of fun, with terse to-the-point dialogue. Scenes like Doc retrieving the lost bag of money was indulgent, but I wouldn't miss it for anything ("when you work a lock, don't leave scratches"). Overall, a very watchable, powerful action-thriller, the like of which is sorely missed and probably makes Michael Bay cry. All the CGI flashy shit that passes for action movies these days can't recreate a partnership like McQueen, Hill and Peckinpah.

(From Stop Thief! The Robbing Bastard Marathon on August 16th, 2009)

Saving Mr. Banks, a review by GSyren

Title	Saving Mr. Banks (8-717418-419080)
Director	John Lee Hancock
Actors	Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson
Produced	2013 in United States
Runtime	125 minutes
Audio	English
Subtitles	Danish, English, Norwegian, Swedish
Overview	Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers' (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the incompromising Travers won't budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, they set Mary Poppins free!
My thoughts	When I first heard of Saving Mr. Banks I thought it sounded mildly interesting. And since I loved Mary Poppins (the movie, that is) I felt I should see Saving Mr. Banks. Well, I have to admit that it turned out to be a lot better than I expected. From what I have heard, it seems that the filmmakers have used artistic license quite a lot. So maybe Walt Disney wasn't  quite as lovable as this film makes him out to be. And perhaps Mrs. Travers wasn't as pleased with the finished product as is implied here. But the fact that the film is fictional to some degree doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The film is full of great performances. Emma Thompson is great in what must have been a very difficult role. Tom Hanks is good as usual. Annie Rose Buckley is wonderful as young Helen Goff (P. L. Travers' real name), nicknamed Ginty, and Colin Farrell is a truly positive surprise as her father. In order to hold my attention for over two hours, a film has to be really good. This one clocks in at 2:05, and it never felt long at all for me. Very highly recommended!
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on April 14th, 2014)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. SHALOM
Gibbs is retired in Mexico and the NCIS team must somehow learn to live without him when Ziva becomes the FBI's prime suspect in an assassination attempt. Now she turns to the one person she can trust.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good start to the season. I did like how they made you think in the very beginning of the episode that Gibbs was on his way back... when in reality it was another main cast member they were expecting. But they did a pretty good job to make it so Gibbs felt he had to come back... at least temporarily.

My Rating:

2. ESCAPED
After a friend's life is threatened by an escaped convict, Gibbs comes out of retirement and re-opens the convicts armed robber case.

My Thoughts:
a good episode... but not quite as good as the previous one. Gibbs leaving is delayed once again... this time to help he friend in the FBI. Gibbs also finds out he has the opportunity to stay permanently if he wants... but only has about a week to decide.

My Rating:

3. SINGLED OUT
A Navy lieutenant's bloody, abandoned care brings the NCIS team in to investigate a singles' seminar with the hope that one of the male attendees will lead them to the missing lieutenant.

My Thoughts:
not bad... but not a favorite either. I did like seeing Ziva made out to be a geek. And the look on her face when that guy grabbed her ass was hilarious.

My Rating:

4. FAKING IT
A Petty Officer who was working undercover as part of an arms operation is found murdered.

My Thoughts:
This one is ok... but once again not a favorite. Mostly a filler episode. And I must admit... even after several viewings of these episodes... I still not used to seeing Gibbs with a mustache.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 20th, 2009)