DVD Collectors Online

Iron Man, a review by DJ Doena

Robert Downey Jr.    ...    Tony Stark
Terrence Howard   ...    Rhodey
Jeff Bridges   ...    Obadiah Stane
Gwyneth Paltrow   ...    Pepper Potts
Leslie Bibb   ...    Christine Everhart
Shaun Toub   ...    Yinsen

Synopsis: Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries. They manufacture and sell the most advanced weapons technology in the world. One day Stark is kidnapped and is forced to build a new weapons system for a group of terrorists. But Stark builds something else: an armored suit that he wears to break out of his prison. When he returns to the civilized world he reflects what he has seen on the other side of the world and he decides that weapons production isn't a good idea after all. But he can help people if he would wear that new suit of his more often...

My Opinion: This was a blind buy for me. Tony Stark's character is very two-dimensional, even after his change of heart. I would put it closer to Underworld than to The Incredible Hulk, more visuals than actual story or profundity. What bothered me, was the fact that they invented a superhero that has no actual superpowers and yet he survives the most absurds stunts as if he had superpowers. First when he crashed into the desert and again when he tested his rocket-boots and crashed without armor into a concrete wall. It may have looked funny but it didn't help with the character's credibility.
I find it interesting that movies about a teenager who has been bitten by a spider or about people who are born differently are more serious than a movie about a guy who's inventing the newest weapons.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on March 8th, 2009)

U-571, a review by Tom

U-571 (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Highlight Communications (Germany) Director: Jonathan Mostow Writing: Jonathan Mostow (Original Material By), Jonathan Mostow (Screenwriter), Sam Montgomery (Screenwriter), David Ayer (Screenwriter) Length: 111 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, German

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Stars:
Matthew McConaughey as Tyler
Bill Paxton as Dahlgren
Harvey Keitel as Chief
Jon Bon Jovi as Emmett
David Keith as Coonan

Plot:
A U.S. Navy Captain and his crew are just beginning to enjoy 48 hours of leave when they receive word to immediately return to duty. On a top-secret assignment, they must disguise themselves as Nazis and infiltrate a severely damaged Nazi U-boat. Once on board, they are to steal the Nazi's top-secret decoding device and sink the sub before the Germans catch on to what's really happening. Their mission is more dangerous and frightening than anything they could have ever imagined, but one which has the power to turn the tide of battle.

Awards:
Won:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound Editing (Jon Johnson)
BMI Film & TV Music Awards (2001)		BMI Film Music Award (Richard Marvin)

Nominated:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Actor - Action (Mathew McConaughey)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actor - Action (Harvey Keitel)
Cinema Audio Society Awards (2001)		Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Taurus Award (2001)		Best Fire Work (Robert Lahoda, Jaroslav Psenicka)

Extras:

• Booklet
• Commentary
• DVD-ROM Content
• Featurettes
• Interactive Game
• Interviews
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Trailers

I know there are some hard feelings about this movie in this forum, because of the Americanization of true events. Personally I had more problems of how stereotypical evil the German sailors were portrayed. First they shoot survivors in cold blood. Then when one of them is captured himself (the US sailors are of course much more civil and take him in), he tries to take over the ship all by himself.
As an action movie it is decent. It doesn't come close to "Das Boot" though. What I always liked about this one is, that they chose to use real German actors talking real German for the German U-Boot crew. Usually in Hollywood movies we see American actors trying to talk German (like here the one on the US side who is supposed to be half-German).

Rating:

(From Tom's Alphabet Marathon Reviews on July 18th, 2010)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

13. SHARIF RETURNS
Gibbs and the NCIS team scramble to locate 10 kilograms of highly toxic chemical weapons only to discover that they're in the possession of wanted terrorist Mamoun Sharif.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. Along with Sharif, Colonel Mann is back. This episode keeps your attention throughout the entire episode. Entertaining from beginning to the end.

My Rating:

14. BLOWBACK
Ducky goes undercover as a buyer of illegal weapons. Jenny appears to have a personal vendetta against the arms dealer known as "La Grenouille."

My Thoughts:
This one is pretty good... but not a favorite. I really found it to be more on the slow side then anything else.

My Rating:

15. FRIENDS & LOVERS
The NCIS team believes that a sailor found in an abandoned building was the victim of a drug overdose until they discover an ominous message written in blood.

My Thoughts:
This is a good... but a pretty standard episode. Pretty much a filler episode. Though I do like how they used McGee's new found fame to help them with a case. And the storyline of Tony's girlfriend moves along further as well.

My Rating:

16. DEAD MAN WALKING
A Navy lieutenant, the victim of radiation poisoning, wants the NCIS team to solve a murder - his own.

My Thoughts:
This episode is very good... Even after seeing this episode 4 times before... I still found myself glued to the TV watching this one. It is one of my favorites. It shows a softer side of Ziva.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 25th, 2009)