DVD Collectors Online

Clay Pigeons, a review by Rich

Clay Pigeons



He has a firm handshake, and a ready smile, and some strange ideas about friendship. His name is Lester Long and when the bodies start piling up he generously decides to share the blame. Now the F.B.I. has got the whole town under observation, and Lester has put his new friend Clay over a Barrel. The only way for Clay to set things straight is to beat one twisted individual at his own game of deciet and double-crossing.

Enjoyable blind buy Ridley Scott produced black comedy, quadruple cross storyline that keeps you watching. Despite a slow start, this movie draws you in with it's well selected casting, and the empathy you feel for the unlucky lead character as he stumbles from one piece of bad luck to another, all leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Vince Vaughan as the murdorous cowboy steals the show, with a part seemingly made for him. Superb soundtrack and wonderful cinematography (Montana I think?), this film could never be classified as a classic, but is well recommended for something slightly quirky and different.
Reminded me of a Coen movie??
 


(From Riches Random Reviews on March 26th, 2009)

Silverado, a review by Rogmeister

Silverado: 2-Disc Gift Set
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan
Music by Bruce Broughton
Cast: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette

This edition of Silverado is one I probably got a year or two ago...and was my third copy of the movie on DVD.  The first copy I got they goofed up on and put it out in the wrong aspect ratio...1.85:1 (or what I call moderate widescreen).  I got another copy of the movie later in it's proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio (a more pronounced widescreen).  Then, when this 2-disc gift set came out I picked it up.  It came with a Silverado deck of cards inserted into the center where "saloon doors" open up to reveal it.  It also came with a nice booklet with an article inside titled "Silverado and the American Western" by Frank Thompson and it also includes many nice color photos from the movie.  I think you can still get this as a 2-disc set but probably not in the gift set packaging anymore.  The 2-disc set alone was re-issued at the beginning of this year.

The movie itself is in a case holding two discs.  Disc 1, of course, holds the movie in "Superbit" presentation...this was a technique where they used all a disc's memory for the movie itself to give you the highest quality image and sound (this has now been pretty much replaced by the newer Blu-Ray systerm).  Along with the movie, Disc 1 also holds an audio commentary by 3 western writers and historians and this is an interesting discussion.  I'll have to watch the movie again soon so I can listen to this in it's entirety.  Disc 2 has some extras...not a lot...a couple items there are basically promos for other westerns from Columbia...The Quick and The Dead, Hangman's Knot and some others.  Then there is "A Return to Silverado with Kevin Costner" which is Costner sitting and discussing the film and his involvement with it.  There's also a nice piece on the making of the movie featuring interviews with the other stars and such filmmakers as director Lawrence Kasdan, his co-writer and brother Mark Kasdan and composer Bruce Broughton.  I liked Broughton's score to this movie a great deal and am surprised I haven't seen his name on more movies.

Regarding the movie itself, it deals with four men (two brothers, played by Scott Glenn and Kevin Costner, plus Kevin Kline and Danny Glover) who wind up working together to take on the criminal element in the town of Silverado.  There's lots of action, though I wonder if they couldn't have edited the film just a bit more...this is still one of my very favorite PJW westerns (Post John Wayne) but at 132 minutes, it is just a little long.  You have everything in here you could want in a western...jailbreaks, saloon brawls, showdowns, a cattle stampede...about the only thing missing are Indians.  This might be considered the last of the classic westerns in that while there's lots of action and shooting, you don't get people spurting blood in slow-motion as in The Wild Bunch or anything else too objectionable.  The film garnered an appropriate PG-13 rating.  As the movie ends and the two brothers ride off, Jake yells back "We'll be back!" which was a teaser that a sequel might happen but unfortunately the movie didn't make enough money to warrant one so this wound up the one and only Silverado adventure.  Dust off your chaps, strap on your gunbelt and enjoy this one, pards...it garners a full 5 yee-haws from this ol' westerner.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on October 6th, 2009)

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

07. The Initiative (1999-11-16)
Writer: Douglas Petrie (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Adam Kaufman (Parker Abrams), Bailey Chase (Graham Miller), Leonard Roberts (Forest Gates), Lindsay Crouse (Maggie Walsh), Mace Lombard (Tom), Scott Becker (Lost Freshman)

A very fun episode. We are introduced to the initiative. We have a very fun "fight" between Xander and Harmony. And the best thing is Willow trying to cheer up Spike after his "under-performance".

Rating:



08. Pangs (1999-11-23)
Writer: Jane Espenson (Writer)
Director: Michael Lange
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Marc Blucas (Riley Finn), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates), Bailey Chase (Graham Miller), Tod Thawley (Houss, Chumash Spirit), David Boreanaz (Angel), Margaret Easley (Curator), William Vogt (Jamie), Mark Ankeny (Dean Guerrero)

A episode I never really liked. Though it has some fun stuff in it. I love all the scenes with Spike. And this episode is the reason for a funny line in the Buffy musical.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on August 15th, 2009)