DVD Collectors Online

The Times of Harvey Milk, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Times of Harvey Milk
Year of Release: 1984
Directed By: Robert Epstein
Starring: Harvey Fierstein (narrator)
Genre: Documentary

Overview:
A true twentieth-century trailblazer, Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world. The Oscar-winning The Times of Harvey Milk, directed by Robert Epstein and produced by Richard Schmiechen, was as groundbreaking as its subject. One of the first feature documentaries to address gay life in America, it's a work of advocacy itself, bringing Milk's message of hope and equality to a wider audience. This exhilarating trove of original documentary material and archival footage is as much a vivid portrait of a time and place (San Francisco's historic Castro District in the seventies) as a testament to the legacy of a political visionary.

My Thoughts:
This excellent documentary about a courageous pioneer in human rights ought to be required viewing. If for no other reason than people need to hear about real heroes, true heroes, people who stand for something, and admire people for their character and their actions, rather than admire their fame. Milk did what he believed was right, even in the face of knowing he would be hated, knowing he might be assassinated. He still stood for something greater.

It's also a very well-constructed documentary, very informative and enlightening. I'm knocking the 1/2 star off for getting one detail about Milk's assassination wrong, but other than that, stellar film and highly, highly recommended.

Bechdel Test: N/A

Overall: 4.5/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on June 12th, 2015)

Ghajini, a review by Tom

Title: Ghajini
Year: 2007
Director: A.R. Murugadoss
Rating: 15
Length: 183 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Stars:
Asin Thottumkal
Aamir Khan
Pradeep Rawat
Jiah Khan
Riyaz Khan

Plot:
Ghajini is the largest grossing Hindi film of all time. It is the only Indian film to earn one billion rupees at the box office across India and it grossed 4 million US dollars overseas within a week of its release.

A film about a man with only 15 minutes of memory recall. A man who was once suave, successful and had everything a man could desire. A man who had everything he loved snatched away from him, including his identity by brutal senseless violence. A human being who is forced to become something close to inhuman. A story about his wounded, savage quest for revenge. Driven by the pain of what he once was and had...

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	2009	Won	Best Action Award	Peter Hein
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Actor Award	Aamir Khan
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Actress Award	Asin Thottumkal
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Director Award	A. R. Murugadoss
Filmfare Awards	2009	Won	Best Female Debut Award	Asin Thottumkal
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Music Director Award	A. R. Rahman

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Scene Access
Trailers

The screenplay was written after the author first heard about Memento. After the screenplay was finished, he watched Memento, and he decided that his screenplay is different enough to Memento to warrant an own movie.
And he is right. Except the fact that the main protagonist has short-term memory loss because of an attack in which is fiancé was killed and he badly wounded, and the fact that he takes polaroids to remember stuff and tattoo his body, this movie takes a different take on the premise.
Like I had expected, it did not switch the scenes around like in Memento. Instead we only get flashbacks which tell the story before the accident. The present day shows us how he is going after the murder of his fiancé with a vengeance.
The flashback story is a fun romantic comedy type story of how he met his fiancé. And it shows the happenings which lead to the attack.
The present day is a much more violent movie than Memento. For some reason these two greatly different styles work very well together in this movie. Also Aamir Khan did a great job potraying both incarnations of his character.



Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on August 1st, 2009)

Blood Ties Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1.-2.Blood Prince Parts 1 & 2
Part 1
When ex-cop turned private investigator, Vicki Nelson, happens upon the scene of a terrifying murder, she's hired by the victim's girlfriend to prove that her boyfriend was killed by a vampire. As Vicki pursues the investigation further, she crosses paths with someone else investigating the case fir his own reasons.

Part 2
Vicki finds that her most dangerous mission might be to sort out her romantic feelings for her ex-partner on the force, Mike Celluci, and for her new partner, the dashing vampire, Henry Fitzroy.

My Thoughts:
This is a show I bought blind this past month for my horror marathon. This is the first chance I got to watch any of it. I enjoyed the 2 part pilot... I am just trying to decide how much. It definitely could be better... but at the same time it is a pretty good introduction to the characters. I have a feeling it will grow on me more as I watch the episodes.

My Rating:

(From Blood Ties Marathon on December 21st, 2009)