DVD Collectors Online

Gran Torino, a review by addicted2dvd

Gran Torino
Korean War vet and retired autoworker Walt Kowalski doesn't much like how his life or his neighborhood has turned out. He especially doesn't like the people next door, Hmong immigrants from Southeast Asia. But events force Walt to defend those neighbors against a local gang that feeds on violence and fear. For the first time since Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood works on both sides of the camera, winning the National Board of Review Award as Best Actor for his bone-deep playing of Kowalski, burnished with experience, grace and gravitas into a "prime vintage Eastwood performance" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).

My Thoughts:
I been looking forward to watching this movie since the first time I saw the trailer. And I will admit... going by the trailer I was expecting something slightly different then what I actually got. That isn't a bad thing mind you... as I thought the movie itself was very good. Clint Eastwood played a grumpy old man... but one that you couldn't help but to like. He could say some hateful things... but it didn't take long for his neighbors to see through that. Trying not to give too much away... the ending while was expected... didn't come to be in the way you would expect it to. I definitely recommend this movie highly if you haven't seen it yet. It is worth the time you need to put into it.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 8/07 - 8/09 on August 8th, 2009)

30 Days of Night , a review by Dragonfire

30 Days of Night My Thoughts This one is based on a comic book that I haven't read.  Since I haven't read it, I have no clue how close to the source material the movie stays.  The idea of vampires attacking during 30 days of darkness is interesting and it seems like something they might do.  The plot really isn't that complicated since it is just about the vampires attacking and people trying to survive until daylight returns.  Much of what happens is predictable, though one major thing happens that I didn't expect.  Unfortunately, some of what happens doesn't make much sense.  Once the darkness sets in, the vampires move in and they kill almost everyone in what seems like minutes.  The vampires attack and kill everyone they find, leaving bodies everywhere.  A handful of people, including the sheriff, his estranged wife, and younger brother, manage to survive the attack and they find a somewhat decent hiding place.  All that happens fairly early in the movie.  After that, the rest of the movie is basically the survivors trying to stay hidden until the darkness ends.  The survivors are able to peek out and see that the vampires are systemically going through houses and buildings, seeming to be searching for anyone who may be hiding.  Yet someone the survivors manage to stay hidden, even as some fighting happens between them.  Huge chunks of time in the 30 days of night are skipped over, and then, very late in the movie, a few more survivors turn up without any explanations for how they have survived.  That doesn't work for me.  Too much time in the movie passes without much of anything happening, and that does make several scenes drag.  The movie is fairly violent and a lot of blood is shown, though it doesn't get really gory.  In several scenes, the violence happens off camera, and just the after math is seen.  That is gory enough most of the time.  These vampires are very savage and vicious with how they kill.  They basically rip out the throats of their victims instead of just sucking blood.  Blood is everywhere, even all over the vampires.  That was probably meant to make them look and seem scarier, but that effect doesn't last that long.  The vampires in this movie are a bit bizarre.  None of them are identified by name during the movie, though they have names in the credits.  Marlow seems to be in charge. He is the only one who talks and the others just screech and yell.  The screeching does sound creepy, but it is a bit weird.  When Marlow talks, it is in some other language and subtitles aren't provided.  The vampires have a mouth full of sharp pointy teeth that are almost shark like instead of just 2 fangs.  The face and eye shapes of a few of the vampires do make them look somewhat like a shark as well.  That is something else that is odd.  These differences do make the vampires more unique, but it also makes them a bit weird.  There isn't much character development for anyone, and basically none for the vampires.  Eben, the sheriff, does have a few issues to deal with and he probably has the most development.  Most of the characters seem nice enough, but I never felt that connected to any of them.  The cast all does fine with their parts. I did watch the extras on the making of the movie and they are interesting.  The extras mostly feature the crew and director talking.  A few cast members only briefly appear.  Overall, this is an entertaining vampire movie, though it isn't my favorite. I did get a review posted at Epinions. 30 Days of Night

(From Dragonfire88's Alphabet Marathon on July 30th, 2010)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

6.14 Older and Far Away
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Drew Z. Greenberg (Writer), Joss Whedon (Writer)
Director: Michael Gershman
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Kali Rocha (Halfrek), Ryan Browning (Richard), Amber Benson (Tara Maclay), Elizabeth Cazenave (Teacher), James C. Leary (Clem), Laura Roth (Sophie)

An average episode. Dawn behaves too childishly though.

Rating:



6.15 As You Were
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Douglas Petrie (Writer), Joss Whedon (Writer)
Director: Douglas Petrie
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Ivana Milicevic (Sam Finn), Marilyn Brett (Lady), Alice Dinnean Vernon (Baby Demon Puppeteer), Adam Paul (Skanky Vamp), Ryan Raddatz (Todd)

This episode is fanservice to the one Riley fan. Nothing special, but also nothing bad.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on December 19th, 2010)