DVD Collectors Online

Batman: Gotham Knight, a review by Tom

Title: Batman: Gotham Knight
Year: 2008
Director: Have I Got a Story For You, Shojiro Nishimi, Crossfire, Futoshi Higashide, Field Test, Hiroshi Morioka, In Darkness Dwells, Yasuhiro Aoki, Working Through Pain, Toshiyki Kubooka, Deadshot, Jong-Sik Nam
Rating: 15
Length: 76 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital Stereo, German: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, German, Spanish

Stars:
Kevin Conroy
Jason Marsden
Scott Menville
George Newbern
Corey Padnos

Plot:
Acclaimed screenwriters including David Goyer (Batman Begins), Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Alan Burnett (Batman The Animated Series) join forces with revered animation filmmakers on six spellbinding chapters chronicling Batman's transition from novice crimefighter to The Dark Knight. These globe-spanning adventures pit Batman against the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unerring marksman Deadshot. From some of the world's most visionary animators comes a thrilling depiction of Batman as man, myth and legend.

Extras:
Commentary
Exclusive DC Comics Character Guide
Featurettes
Scene Access

I did not buy this release until now, because of what I have read about it, it didn't seem that I would enjoy it. But then I saw the trailer for it on the Wonder Woman Blu-ray I watched recently, and I thought it could be something I will enjoy. But sadly, it didn't quite work out this way. The animation quality varies, but all stories were rather boring. Batman done by anime directors may sound fitting, but I think they didn't quite catch the character. Though I never was a big fan of animated Batman.
This Blu-ray contains four episodes of the 90's Batman animation series. I will watch those next. The first one I already watched. The story there is similar to the one in the first segment of the main feature. Of what I have read so far, one of the others is about Freeze. Another about Batgirl, where Commissionar Gordon, her father, finds out about her nightly activities (I am curious about that episode).

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 27th, 2009)

Cabin in the Woods, a review by addicted2dvd

The Cabin in the Woods (2012/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Lions Gate Entertainment Director: Drew Goddard Writing: Joss Whedon (Writer), Drew Goddard (Writer) Length: 95 min. Rating: Rated R : Strong Bloody Horror Violence and Gore, Language, Drug Use and Some Sexuality/Nudity Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Sigourney Weaver as The Director
Kristen Connolly as Dana
Chris Hemsworth as Curt
Anna Hutchison as Jules
Fran Kranz as Marty
Jesse Williams as Holden

Plot:
A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of endless terror and bloodshed. Sound familiar? Just wait. As the teens begin to exhibit standard horror-movie behavior, a group of technicians in a control room are scrutinizing, and sometimes even controlling, every move the terrified kids make! With their efforts continually thwarted by an all-powerful "eye in the sky," do they have any chance of escape?

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Digital Copy
• BonusView Mode

Watched this one today... I seen this once before during last year's Ocober marathon. I enjoyed it just as much this time as I did last time. I found it to just be a fun film with a nice amount of gore and lots of creatures. Definitely worth the time put in to watch it.



Scorecard:
TV Eps: 6
Movies: 4

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 3rd, 2014)

The IT Crowd: Version 3.0 - (mini) marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Jen has a builder in her home and Roy is quite sure (99% ... 60/40) that he's seen him on "Builders from Hell". Now Jen can't let him out of her eyesight. Meanwhile Moss is bullied by some guys in the park and Douglas shoots himself in the leg with his father's service revolver.

My Opinion: A great start to the new season. Love to see Jen getting more and more paranoid and Roy re-evaluating his surety. And I loved Moss' role-playing and trying to find a snappy comeback. I never cared much for Douglas though. I liked his father better.

Synopsis: Moss has found a website that allows him to use the right sentences about last night's football game. Roy tries it, too and gets them both to hang out with a bunch of real men. But these new friends are not what they appear to be. Meanwhile Jen is dating a guy that looks like a stage magician.

My Opinion: I am a German and I never cared much for football either. This week a player returned from FC Barcelona to the VfB Stuttgart and a friend of mine couldn't be happier about it - I couldn't care less, the only thing I found interesting was that the player's name is "Hleb" which is a transcription of the russian хлеб* and means "bread". Back to topic. I enjoyed to watch Roy panicking in the car after the robbery and also in their hideout. And I found it hilarious that Moss took the money just to count it.

* Remember when Christopher Plummer said "to be or not to be" in klingon? The "Х" letter sounds pretty much like the "H" in taH pagh taHbe'.

Synopsis: Jen is applying for a new job in a different company but fails to explain what "IT" stands for. Meanwhile Roy crashes a minute of silence for a dead colleague and lands himself on the streets not even having a shirt anymore. And Moss is in his "happy place" while Douglas gets tasered every time he gets aroused.

My Opinion: What I liked about this episode was Roy's "walkabout" in the streets and Jen's attempts at not having to say what "IT" actually stands for . But I didn't really like the entire harassment storyline and Moss' part in it.

Synopsis: Jen was awarded with the "Employee of the Month". But now she has to give a speech to the shareholders. And the speech is about her area of expertise - meaning IT. Roy and Moss are so generous and lend her "the internet", a black box (wireless of course, everything is wireless nowadays) that what demagnetized by Stephen Hawking himself.

My Opinion: One of my favourite episodes of the show. I simply love the entire scene when they let Jen borrow "the internet" (Youtube). And I love it when their prank totally backfires on the shareholder assembly.

Synopsis: Jen has joined Friendface, a social networking site where you find all the people you never wanted to see again. Roy and Moss join also and soon Roy has to face a woman he dumped because she looks like Batman's Joker. And Jen is invited to a class reunion where she can't show up without her husband - Moss.

My Opinion: An obvious pun on Facebook which I really liked, especially the part about persons you'd rather not see again. Especially the "Joker" and Roy's attempts at "winning over" Jen made me laugh so hard.

Synopsis: In order to organize a charity fundraiser the girls of the seventh floor want to make a nude calendar and Roy gets to photograph them. But Jen sabotages it and convinces the girls that it would be a far better idea to photograph their grannies - until she becomes responsible for the success of that calendar.

My Opinion: The Geek Calendar shooting was so funny, how Roy had to convince Moss and the others to get into certain poses was so hilarious.

The Season - My Opinion: Too bad that UK seasons are always this short, I am quite certain that the writers would have no problem to come up with more ideas. But it is as it is.

(From The IT Crowd: Version 3.0 - (mini) marathon on July 31st, 2009)