DVD Collectors Online

The Wrecking Crew, a review by Antares

The Wrecking Crew (2015) 75/100 - If you grew up in the sixties the music was unparalleled in history. In 1965 alone, you had three major movements just in Rock & Roll. You had the British Invasion leading the charge, surf music on the West Coast and Berry Gordy forging a musical empire in Detroit with Motown. But along side these three movements was a pop hit making machine in Los Angeles which rivaled the Brill Building in New York City in the early sixties. And at the various producer's disposal was a group of musicians whose abilities were second to none. They were called The Wrecking Crew. Phil Spector wouldn't record without them. All of The Monkees hits were instrumentally done by them. Pet Sounds is virtually a Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew album. The amount of hit records they played on is mind boggling in its scope. Yet, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Osborne, Carol Kaye, Earl Palmer & Bones Howe are names that most music aficionados do not know. A few of the Crew would go on to music careers of their own, with varied success. The most successful was Glen Campbell, who is thought to be by many, one of the greatest studio guitarists of all time. Leon Russell would have a short successful career and Larry Knechtel would become a member of the group Bread in the early seventies. The documentary mainly focuses on the six unknowns I mentioned and while it tells of their history in the recording studio, it offers very little in revelations. And that is why I can only give this documentary a lukewarm rating. It was made by Tommy Tedesco son, and he's really not a filmmaker. He's basically just trying to give his pop some props for what he accomplished while he was in the music business. In a sense, it works, and if you know nothing about this group of extraordinary musicians, you will be entertained and schooled a bit. Though there's one really sad and poignant moment when the Crew's days are long since over and Tommy Tedesco appears on and wins The Gong Show. It brought a tear to my eye to think that Tedesco was desperate for any gig and chose that. He should be remembered, and so should the rest of the Crew. There wouldn't be a sixties without them.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on December 16th, 2019)

Ashanti, a review by Rich

a quick yodel in switzerland...



Dr. David Linderby and his wife Anansa are carrying out an inoculation program in a small African village when Anansa disappears. The police can do nothing to find her and David has almost given up hope when he hears a rumor that Anansa has been kidnapped by a slave trader called Sulelman, to be sold to an Arab prince

How can a director go from Soylent Green to this?    Dire script, poor acting, laughable accent by the normally reliable Ustinov as the Arab slaver, and Caine looking totally uninterested. Only overshadowed by the worst acting ever seen by model Beverly Johnson as the kidnapped wife, and the cheesy cameos by end of career actors Sharif and Harrison. Avoid this unless on pain of death - 2/10

(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on January 7th, 2008)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon, a review by goodguy

2x05 Goodbye to All That
Synopsis: Derek leads John on his first mission in defense of a military school cadet with a vital future role in the Resistance.
My Rating:

That was a rather average episode with some good bits inbetween.

I liked the T1-nod. I really loved the macho scene of Derek and John loading up the truck with weapons and gear, changing first to a sudden shot of Cameron in the foreground, turning her head to look at John and John then looking at Sarah, who is watching from afar. Several shots establishing all three POVs and showing John between those two women. Great stuff.

I won't say anything on how easy Derek and John got into the military school, it just isn't worth it. Some of the scenes there worked pretty well, but overall it was far too simplistic bordering on cheesy. Likewise the scenes with Sarah and the kidnapped kid were hit and miss. The initial video game turning real as they get chased by the Triple-8 certainly was fun.

The Wizard of Oz must be the most used reference in US movies and TV shows. Still, they managed to pick some interesting parts as VO when Derek and John defeat the T-888. I remember complaining about the Sarah VO's in my initial S1 review, but upon rewatching I've gotten rather fond of them, to the point were I actually was starting to miss them in S2.

I also really loved the final scene between Derek and John: We all die for you. It's not about upsetting John as Achim suspects, but about encouraging John to become the man and leader who is worth that kind of sacrifice.

The slowly advancing story of Weaver and Ellison seems to confirm what could be already picked up from the coda of 2x02: Weaver seems to be interested in keeping the power plant operational. BTW, is there any way to make the scene with the plant manager in the alley any worse? Well, I suppose there is, but that was a new low after the men's room scene in 2x01.


(From Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon on February 3rd, 2010)