DVD Collectors Online

Believe, a review by Danae Cassandra

Believe
Year of Release: 1999
Directed By: Robert Tinnell
Starring: Ricky Mabe, Elisha Cuthbert, Jan Rubes, Ben Gazzara, Stephanie Morgenstern
Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Overview:My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good, family friendly ghost story.  It's not particularly scary, and the backstory for the ghost and the way it's going to end are both pretty predicable, but it's aimed at a younger audience and that's almost to be expected as an adult watching a film like this.  The actors are all likable and do a decent job and the setting is very well done (I love Wickwire House). 

I will say - don't watch the trailer.  The trailer is absolutely terrible, and could completely ruin this movie.  The trailer really tries to make you believe that this for a lot older audience than it is, even comparing it to The Sixth Sense of all things.  This is a kids/tweens movie, and should have been marketed as such. 

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on November 9th, 2015)

Modern Times, a review by addicted2dvd

Modern Times: The Chaplin Collection (1936/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | (United States) Director: Charles Chaplin [Charlie Chaplin] Writing: Charles Chaplin [Charlie Chaplin] (Writer) Length: 83 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Other

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Stars:
Charles Chaplin [Charlie Chaplin] as A factory worker
Paulette Goddard as A gamin
Henry Bergman as Cafe propietor
Tiny Sandford [Stanley Sandford] as Big Bill and worker
Chester Conklin as Mechanic

Plot:
Man vs. machine! And the winner is every comedy fan when Charlie Chaplin's Tramp confronts assembly line woes in this classic chosen in 1998 as one of the American Film Institute's Top-100 American Films.

The Little Tramp punches in and wigs out inside a factory where gizmos like an employee-feeding machine may someday make the lunch hour last just 15 minutes. Bounced into the ranks of the umemployed, he teams with a street waif (Paulette Goddard) to pursue bliss and a paycheck, finding misadventures as a roller-skating night watchman, a singing waiter whose hilarious song is gibberish, a jailbird and more. In the end, as Tramp and waif walk arm and arm into an insecure future, we know they've found neither bliss nor a paycheck but, more importantly, each other. The times and satire remain timeless in 'Modern Times'.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Closed Captioned

I was really looking forward to checking out some Charlie Chaplin. And this one was very good. I liked the mixture of silent and non-silent filming. There was several spots I found myself literally laughing out loud. This is definitely one I would recommend.



(From November Movie Marathon: Classic Comedy Greats on November 3rd, 2017)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Kingpin

Pilot
As the family leader Tio Jorge deteriorates in exile, the next generation of a powerful drug cartel family strategizes to take over 'La Corporacion', a multi-million dollar business. Stanford-educated Miguel Cadena is poised to take the reigns, but Jorge's son Ernesto presents a challenge that requires the efforts of Miguel as well as his brother Chato and wife Marlene to confront. Meanwhile, DEA agent Delia Flores faces setbacks as she works her contacts within the drug world to close in on the massive cartel.



After the death of his drug lord uncle, Stanford-educated Mexican-American businessman (Yancey Arias) finds himself in the position of the leader of his criminal family. Throughout their dealings, he and his wife (Sheryl Lee) attempt to keep the facts of their business away from their 8-year-old son while they dodge the efforts of relentless U.S. authorities who want to take them down. Originally aired on US television, this six-part mini series, from NYPD BLUE writer/producer David Mills, received critical acclaim.

Overly glitzy, Hollywood glamour taken to mexico gangsters, this felt a bit too unbelievable and the leads were much too clean and perfect.
It was pretty graphic in places, the violence stronger than I anticipated, and the backdrops expensive and locations varied.
Unsure whether this is a stinker or a hit, will need to view a few more of these and see how the finale from the pilot evolves.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 28th, 2009)