DVD Collectors Online

So Close, a review by Tom

So Close (2002/Hong Kong) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Cory Yuen Writing: Jeff Lau (Writer) Length: 106 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 Audio: Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch, English, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish

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Stars:
Shu Qi as Lynn
Zhao Wei as Sue
Karen Mok as Kong Yat-hung
Song Seung Hun as Yen
Michael Wai as Ma Siu Ma

Plot:
GET READY FOR ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC, ACTION-PACKED FILMS OF THE YEAR!

Directed by famed action choreographer Cory Yuen (The Transporter, Jet Li's The Enforcer) SO CLOSE is a thrill-a-minute shootout, with lightning-quick action sequences and great performances by Qi Shu (The Transporter), Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer) and Karen Mok (Black Mask).

A crooked businessman brings in a pair of high-tech assassin sisters to murder his elder brother so he can take over the family's business empire. When a determined policewoman starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the businessman realizes that he must destroy all evidence... including the assassins and the cop! The three women are left to fight for their lives, while helping each other along the way.

With some of the best action scenes to appear on film this year, SO CLOSE is a high-octane blockbuster hit!

Awards:
Nominated:

Love Hong Kong Film Awards (2002)

Best Action

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Scene Access
• Trailers

A fun movie. Great fight choreograpy and a story which is not as silly as I have expected. This movie also put much effort on cinematogrophy. The one thing which would have made it more enjoyable would have been, if they would have talked in the more pleasing (to my ears) Korean or Japanese instead of Cantonese .

Rating:

(From 2010 December Marathon - Discussion thread on December 5th, 2010)

Blade, a review by RossRoy

Original Title: Blade Year: 1998 Country: United States Director: Stephen Norrington Rating: R Length: 120 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo Subtitles: English

What they say
Wesley Snipes stars as the tortured soul Blade - half man, half immortal. Blade sharpens his lethal skills under the guidance of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), his mentor, guardian and fellow hunter of the night. When the bloodthirsty Immortals' lord, Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), declares war on the human race, Blade is humanity's last hope for survival.

My Thoughts
I always liked vampire movies. Coat it with a hefty dose of action, and you've definitely got my attention. In that regard, Blade doesn't disappoint me. I like the concept of the Daywalker, being a half transformation with the strengths of the vampires, without the weaknesses. The movie itself is rather standard action movie run of the mill fair, but I don't know. There's still something interesting in there that I like. Can't wait to watch part 2!

Rating:

(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on October 5th, 2008)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Ghost Whisperer: The Complete First Season

Pilot
Melinda Gordon just got married. During the wedding she sees something being drawn on the window and she knows it's a ghost. But for the first time, the ghost comes inside her house and that unsettles her. Despite being afraid, she tries to help him reunite with his family and pass along the message he needs her to say.



Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is a young newlywed with the unique gift to communicate with spirits of people who have died - a talent that was inherited from her grandmother.
The dead seek out Melinda's ability to help them relay significant messages and information to the living. Despite her fear, compassion compels her to help these earthbound spirits cross over by completing their unfinished business with the living.

A series that makes even a skeptic like myself think about the possibility of spirits etc. Tastefully written with a nice blend of reality and fantasy, this pilot was a good introduction to a popular series, with a solid and dependable cast. There are no real scary moments in the whole series, more focus is given to each story and the human side of it, and little is spent on any special effects.
As a criticism the series is rather slow paced, and there is a distinct lack of twists or subplots. But for easy viewing and general entertainment you can't go far wrong.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 23rd, 2009)