DVD Collectors Online

Never on Sunday, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Greece
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Pote tin Kyriaki (Never on Sunday)
Year of Release: 1960
Directed By: Jules Dassin
Starring: Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, George Foundas, Titos Vandis
Genre: Romance, Comedy

Overview:
Glasses are smashing.  Fingers are snapping.  Everybody is dancing to the sultry music of the Bouzoukies.  It is just another glorious moment in the carefree world of Illia, Greece's most radiant lady of the night.  Sensuous Illia adores her life and every man in her seaport paradise adores her.  But when Homer, a stuffy American intellectual, sails into town and tries to reform her, Illia shows him who is one free spirit who is happy with her wild life and not about to be tamed...

My Thoughts:
This was a beautiful, earthy movie with a lust for life.  Ilya is an independent woman, a woman who loves her life and her freedom, who grasps the pleasures of life and friends with both hands.  Melina Mercouri is a joy to watch as Ilya, her effortless charisma winning you over instantly.  I had no sympathy for the male lead, Homer, or for what the Captain tells Homer before he leaves, because Ilya does not need to be saved.  She is just fine the way she is, and those who cannot accept her do not truly love her.  This is a gem of a film that will make you feel good and leave a smile on your face.  Recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall: 3.75/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on March 6th, 2014)

Coraline, a review by Critter

Coraline



Year: 2009

Director(s): Henry Selick

Run Time: 96  minutes

Plot: An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Cast: DVD Extras:My ThoughtsThe Nightmare Before Christmas I was looking forward to this film quite a bit. I love the stop-motion animation technique and am glad to see it is making somewhat of a comeback, what with The Fantastic Mr FoxMy Rating
 

(From Critter's Animated Film/Anime Marathon on December 21st, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Simpsons: Season One (1989/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (Germany) Length: 287 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, English, German

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The Simpsons
1.01 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989-12-17)
Writer: Mimi Pond (Writer)
Director: David Silverman
Cast: Dan Castellaneta (Homer/Grampa/Barney), Julie Kavner (Marge/Patty/Selma/Various (voice)), Nancy Cartwright (Bart/Nelson/Todd/Various (voice)), Yeardley Smith (Lisa/Various (voice)), Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns/Smithers/Flanders/Skinner/Otto), Hank Azaria (Apu/Moe/Wiggum/Carl/Dr. Nick), Jo Ann Harris (Various (voice)), Pamela Hayden (Milhouse/Various (voice))

I have followed the first few years of the Simpsons, but stopped at some point. Not because I thought it was getting bad, but somehow I lost interest. Probably it just got too many episodes and now it is hard to catch up again.
I enjoyed this first episode. The animation is not quite as bad as I expected it. It changed a lot though in later seasons.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 4th, 2012)