DVD Collectors Online

Holiday Inn, a review by Danae Cassandra

Holiday Inn

Year of Release: 1942
Starring: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale
Directed By: Mark Sandrich
Genre: Romance, Comedy

Overview:
Experience one of the most popular holiday movies of all-time like never before with the 3-disc Holiday Inn Collector's Set featuring a brand-new color version of the film and the complete CD soundtrack!

Screen legends Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star as two talented pals who find themselves competing for the affections of the same lovely lady (Marjorie Reynolds) in this Academy Award®-winning† musical, filled with singing, dancing, comedy and romance. Whether you are watching the original black & white masterpiece, discovering the new color version, or listening to the timeless Irving Berlin soundtrack featuring "White Christmas," the 3-disc Holiday Inn Collector's Set is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday season!

My Thoughts:
We've been trying to watch this for a few days, but life kept getting in the way.  But finally we were able to!  Here we have a couple of old Hollywood greats, Astaire and Crosby, doing what they do best (sing, dance, and romance).  Crosby is in his usual fine form with several excellent songs, and Astaire wows us with his dancing, especially the firecracker number.  Man, he sure could dance! 

I can't really consider it a Yuletide film however.  Sure, part of the film is set at Christmas, but it encompasses many more holidays and doesn't really have the spirit I expect from a Christmas film.  It is, after all, basically about one fellow trying to steal another's gal.

Despite the political incorrectness of it today, I'm glad the blackface number is still included.  We can't learn from the past by erasing it.  If you must apply modern sensibilities to the number, consider that this was a different time and how far we have come from it - and how far we still have to go. 

However it's a great film, really lovely with a great nostalgic feel, warm and romantic.  There's great chemistry among the cast, and you end the film with a smile on your face.  Really, what more does one want from a romance and a musical?  I will be untagging it from the Yuletide group however.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 4/5

(From Danae's Yuletide Marathon on December 30th, 2012)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , a review by Tom

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Walt Disney Home Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: David Hand Writing: Length: 83 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD High Resolution 7.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Dutch: DTS 5.1 Subtitles: Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish

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Stars:


Plot:Awards:
Won:

Academy Award (1938)		Special Award (Walt Disney)
AFI (1937)		100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
AFI (1937)		100 Years... 100 Movies (2007)
AFI (1937)		100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) ("Song": Some Day My Prince Will Come)

Nominated:

Academy Award (1937)		Best Music, Scoring (Leigh Harline (Score), Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Frank Churchill (Score), Paul J. Smith (Score))
AFI (1937)		100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) ("Song": Whistle While You Work)

Extras:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Music Videos
• Scene Access

Disney's first feature film and even after almost 75 years the animation still holds up. It's flawless. The movie isn't much dialog-driven, but by the score which is constantly accompanying the animation.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 11th, 2011)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

21. BROTHERS IN ARMS
Director Shepard finds that meeting an informant alone can be murder. The NCIS team must gather all leads to hunt down the killer.

My Thoughts:
While this one has some good scenes... it was never one of my favorites. And you know... I really don't have a good reason for that. There really wasn't nothing bad about the episode. But I just didn't care for it too much.

My Rating:

22. IN THE DARK
The NCIS team taps into a blind photographer's special insight to investigate a crime.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good episode. I like the idea of a blind photographer and the story is interesting.

My Rating:

23. TROJAN HORSE
While Shepard is abroad, Gibbs is acting director, but he ignores his duties when a murdered man is found in a cab headed to the NCIS headquarters.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun episode. I liked how Gibbs acts about being left in charge of NCIS. That man just needs to stay in the field... running the entire agency is not his thing!

My Rating:

24. ANGEL OF DEATH
The deepest, darkest secrets of each NCIS team member are about to be revealed after they learn they have to take a Homeland Security polygraph test. Meanwhile, a ruthless drug dealer holds Tony and his girlfriend, Jeanne, hostage.

My Thoughts:
This is an enjoyable season finale... but not quite as good as some of the past seasons. It does end on a little bit of a cliffhanger... so I will be looking forward to starting season 5 before too long. Which will be the last season I have to review at this time.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 27th, 2009)