DVD Collectors Online

Laughter in Paradise, a review by Antares

Laughter in Paradise (1951) 62/100 - This British comedy had a great premise, that unfortunately, never really builds upon the crazy possibilities inherent in its storyline. It's the story of an aristocrat, known as the world's most famous practical joker, who has died, and has, as part of his will, bequeathed his estate to 4 relatives of his extended family. But there's a catch...each must perform a specific task that is completely contrary to their character's nature, and it must be done before thirty days have elapsed since the reading of the will. Being the world's greatest practical joker, each task that the aristocrat has conjured up, is meant to tweak each of its recipients. One relative is a fortune hunting womanizer, and he must marry the first woman he speaks to. The second relative is a stuffy, cruel woman who must take a job as a maid servant. The third is a spineless bank teller who must hold up the bank he works for. And finally, the fourth is a timid, milquetoast dime novelist who must get arrested and spend thirty days in jail. I waited for that crazy kind of dry humor the British are famous for, to surface throughout this film, but sadly, the film plays out mainly as a cute morality tale instead, with the obvious ending attached. It's a fun film, but pales in comparison to what Ealing was cranking out at this time.

What the color coding means...

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 July 28th, 2012)

Due Date, a review by Dragonfire

Due Date

I really like Robert Downey Jr. and I was wanting to see this one ever since I saw the first trailer. 

I'm going to say right up front that this one isn't a movie for everyone.  While it is very funny, a lot of the humor is crude or rude in some way and it has the potential of offending people.

I found the movie to be really funny and entertaining even though it could have been more original.  There are a lot of similarities with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  I even seen a few with National Lampoon's Vacation.  Despite that, I still think this movie is very entertaining and worth watching.  There is enough different going on so it isn't like the movie is exactly like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  Peter and Ethan are extremely different, so it makes sense for there to be conflicts between them.  Those conflicts lead to a lot of funny scenes.  A lot of the funnier moments were in the trailers, but there are also some funny things that weren't in the trailers.  The plot isn't that complex, but it still manages to be entertaining.

Both the main characters have flaws, so that does make them more believable.  Ethan is nice and he tries so hard to be liked, but it is understandable why Peter gets so irritated with him.  I love Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifianakis in the parts.  They have a good dynamic between them.

Due Date isn't for everyone, but it is really funny and entertaining.  I think it is worth watching, though I could see some people getting offended by it.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions after seeing it in the theater.

Due Date

(From Due Date on December 2nd, 2010)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Sam is accidentally catapulted into an alternate universe. There Atlantis has never been found, Landry is president and has declared martial law and the Ori are going to attack soon. Sam agrees to help them if she's allowed to return home after that.

My Opinion: The very first alternate reality we've ever encountered (There But For the Grace of God was overrun by enemies. Yet almost always the people in these alternate realities were as noble as the ones in our world or they've been extremely desperate (Ripple Effect). This time we've actually seen a world where the people had to make hard choices but these choices changed them dramatically. That we aren't immune to this was proven in Absolute Power, still I am glad that Sam's back.

Synopsis: SG-1 captures a Prior - it's Daniel. With the help of Merlin he was able to deceive Adria and could present to her a plan in which another plan is hidden. But for this to work SG-1 has to disable the Supergate - it all depends on whether Daniel is telling the truth.

My Opinion: This episode was well written, until the very end the question of Daniel's allegiance had remained open. The Prior make-up did look cool on Daniel and I had fun seeing Jack again. I believe Daniel is in the lead again when it comes to the "race" against Jack on whose body had to endure more (implanted symbiote, ascended, knowledge of the Ancients loaded into the brain, rewritten DNA, ...).

Synopsis: After SG-1 has sabotaged another crop transport, Netan of the Lucian Alliance puts a price on their heads. Although they are scattered all over the USA, they all have the same problem suddenly: bounty hunters.

My Opinion: I liked this episode very much, too. Especially Vala who spiced up the class reunion considerably. And who could be surprised by the fact that she knew the bounty hunter.
What I find interesting regarding series and movies is the fact that trains and busses either don't stop at all after they've ran something or someone over or they start to brake only after they've hit it. That leaves the question if they drive only by hearing. The bounty hunter was standing there for quite some time. I am of course aware that it is a stylistic device, but: A train that approaches a car standing on the tracks, blows a horn, runs the car over and drives away as if nothing had happened (Back to the Future III)?!

Synopsis: SG-1 is arriving directly in a museum that is visited by members of the administration. They are immediately mistaken for rebels. After the shootings have stopped they find themselves in the roles of hostage-takers.

My Opinion: Daniel shouldn't switch to taking hostages as a primary occupation that would be a very short career. Really cool was that Teal'c understood the cultural reference ("We've got ourselves a John McClane here.") better than Daniel. Such kind of knowledge doesn't find one in ancient egyptian scrolls. But I noticed that some of the team members aren't appearing for complete episodes. First Daniel has been gone for two episodes, then Teal'c and Vala haven't been seen in an episode and now Sam is away. On the other hand they have to create screen time for five people now.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on May 3rd, 2008)