DVD Collectors Online

Get Low, a review by Eric

Get Low.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194263/



What they say: A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive.

What I think:  Nobody would claim, nor expect, this to be among the greatest movies of all but it is nonetheless and interesting one that is worth watching.  As Jon commented on my Google+ post, "Merely having those actors in the same room with what is clearly a nostalgic story should be enough to guarantee a very satisfying film".  And this is exactly what is is, a very satisfying film.  The tale part of the movie slowly unfolds before you as you are wondering where and how that is gonna end.  The viewer is lead believing that Felix Bush (the man on which the story is based), while organizing is own funeral party, has some hidden agenda which is revealed later while keeping the motives hidden for another while.

I enjoyed watching this movie, it all comes together pretty well and it's always a pleasure for the eyes and ears to watch Robert Duvall.  The only thing that bothered me a little is Bill Murray, not that he is not good, he actually gives a good performance but seeing in a dramatic role was a first for me and I found it a bit not to think of all his comedies everytime he had a scene.  That of course is not his fault and I'm not holding a grudge as I did like his performance nonetheless.

The right stuff: It would be impossible to talk about the real story vs the movie without spoling the movie.  I think anyone who's interested in seeing the movie should do so before reading anything about the real Felix Bush.  If you have already seen the movie or are not interested but want to know more about the man then you can check out this page.

http://www.clanbreazeale.com/UncleBush/index.htm

(From Eric's DVD watching. on July 30th, 2011)

Silverado, a review by Rogmeister

Silverado: 2-Disc Gift Set
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan
Music by Bruce Broughton
Cast: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette

This edition of Silverado is one I probably got a year or two ago...and was my third copy of the movie on DVD.  The first copy I got they goofed up on and put it out in the wrong aspect ratio...1.85:1 (or what I call moderate widescreen).  I got another copy of the movie later in it's proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio (a more pronounced widescreen).  Then, when this 2-disc gift set came out I picked it up.  It came with a Silverado deck of cards inserted into the center where "saloon doors" open up to reveal it.  It also came with a nice booklet with an article inside titled "Silverado and the American Western" by Frank Thompson and it also includes many nice color photos from the movie.  I think you can still get this as a 2-disc set but probably not in the gift set packaging anymore.  The 2-disc set alone was re-issued at the beginning of this year.

The movie itself is in a case holding two discs.  Disc 1, of course, holds the movie in "Superbit" presentation...this was a technique where they used all a disc's memory for the movie itself to give you the highest quality image and sound (this has now been pretty much replaced by the newer Blu-Ray systerm).  Along with the movie, Disc 1 also holds an audio commentary by 3 western writers and historians and this is an interesting discussion.  I'll have to watch the movie again soon so I can listen to this in it's entirety.  Disc 2 has some extras...not a lot...a couple items there are basically promos for other westerns from Columbia...The Quick and The Dead, Hangman's Knot and some others.  Then there is "A Return to Silverado with Kevin Costner" which is Costner sitting and discussing the film and his involvement with it.  There's also a nice piece on the making of the movie featuring interviews with the other stars and such filmmakers as director Lawrence Kasdan, his co-writer and brother Mark Kasdan and composer Bruce Broughton.  I liked Broughton's score to this movie a great deal and am surprised I haven't seen his name on more movies.

Regarding the movie itself, it deals with four men (two brothers, played by Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner, plus Kevin Kline and Danny Glover) who wind up working together to take on the criminal element in the town of Silverado.  There's lots of action, though I wonder if they couldn't have edited the film just a bit more...this is still one of my very favorite PJW westerns (Post John Wayne) but at 132 minutes, it is just a little long.  You have everything in here you could want in a western...jailbreaks, saloon brawls, showdowns, a cattle stampede...about the only thing missing are Indians.  This might be considered the last of the classic westerns in that while there's lots of action and shooting, you don't get people spurting blood in slow-motion as in The Wild Bunch or anything else too objectionable.  The film garnered an appropriate PG-13 rating.  As the movie ends and the two brothers ride off, Jake yells back "We'll be back!" which was a teaser that a sequel might happen but unfortunately the movie didn't make enough money to warrant one so this wound up the one and only Silverado adventure.  Dust off your chaps, strap on your gunbelt and enjoy this one, pards...it garners a full 5 yee-haws from this ol' westerner.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on October 6th, 2009)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

17. AN EYE FOR AN EYE
A petty officer commits suicide after the N.C.I.S. team investigates him, which leads the team to one of the officer's lecturers who works for the CIA.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good episode. But not really one of my favorites. I liked the parts towards the beginning... but it kinda lost me when Tony and Kate left the country... as the story really slowed down for me.

My Rating:

18. BIKINI WAX
The N.C.I.S. team suspects a possible stalker when a pregnant female petty officer is murdered backstage at a bikini contest.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun episode. I got a kick at the look on Tony's face when he realized the crime scene was at a bikini contest.

My Rating:

19. CONSPIRACY THEORY
Ducky believes love triangles can be murder, at least in the case of the petty officer who was thought to have committed suicide after suffering a supposed "nervous breakdown."

My Thoughts:
Another one I enjoyed quite a bit. I liked how they showed the cause of the nervcous breakdown. It shows in this day and age just because something sounds crazy... that isn't always the case.

My Rating:

20. RED CELL
A Marine in an ROTC program is murdered and Gibbs and his team suspect the soldier was involved in a game with deadly consequences.

My Thoughts:
This is a good... but really standard episode. Nothing really special to talk about.

My Rating:



21. HOMETOWN HERO
A heroic Navy medic killed in Iraq is the prime suspect in a murder in his hometown and Gibbs and his team work to clear his name.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. I liked how hard the team fought to to clear the medic's name.

My Rating:

22. SWAK
Tony opens a letter only to release a mysterious powder into the N.C.I.S. squad room. Now the team must work to discover an antidote before it's too late.

My Thoughts:
This is such an excellent episode. When you first watch this episode you get the feeling we are about to loose one of the regular characters of the series. I liked how this episode showed no matter how much they argue Kate really does care about Tony... and will go through much to help him.

My Rating:

23. TWILIGHT
Attempting to thwart an assassination attempt on Gibbs, the N.C.I.S. team pays the ultimate price with the death of a team member.

My Thoughts:
Another just excellent episode. And this time we actually do see the end of one of our favorite characters. And it happens so all the sudden and so in your face graphically that to this day... after seeing this episode at least 5 times... it still gets a reaction out of me. Very well done... very strong episode.

My Rating:



(From NCIS Marathon on December 8th, 2009)