DVD Collectors Online

No Name On The Bullet, a review by Rogmeister

No Name On The Bullet  (1959)  77m
Directed by Jack Arnold
Cast: Audie Murphy, Joan Evans, Charles Drake, R.G. Armstrong, Warren Stevens, Whit Bissell, Edgar Stelhi

Gunman John Gant arrives in town and this sets the townsfolk to thinking.  Gant usually comes into a town and is there to kill a man he has been paid to.  As time goes on, fear starts to set in as no one knows exactly who it is that Gant is after driving several to desperate acts including suicide and drinking whiskey to try to build up the courage to take him on.  Audie Murphy stars as Gant in a fine deliberate performance aided by a first-rate supporting cast.  It doesn't have tons of action but this is still one of Audie Murphy's better westerns.  The DVD has no extras apart from the theatrical trailer.

 

(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 29th, 2009)

Super 8, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see Super 8 Sunday evening.  I had seen trailers, but I still didn't feel like I knew a whole lot about the movie..and I think that is best.  The movie is very well done and entertaining and definitely worth seeing.  It is one of the best movies of the year.

Basically, a group of friends in 1979 are making a zombie movie to enter in a super 8 contest.  The friends - who are around 14 or so - are shooting at a train station one night when a train goes by.  Charles, the one directing the movie, thinks the train will add to his movie.  They end up witnessing a horrible train derailment before running back home.  The Air Force moves in to take control of the accident site and doesn't tell the local law enforcement much.  Strange things start happening around town and the friends end up trying to figure out what is going on.

There is some mystery and suspense to what is going on as well as a few horror movie elements without being gory.  A few things that happen are a bit upsetting or disturbing.  The movie really isn't one that is family friendly even though certain things about it remind me of The Goonies. 

The characters are interesting and developed decently.  Most of the characters are teenagers which could have been a problem, but the cast is really talented.  I was really impressed by Elle Fanning. 

This is a wonderful movie that definitely deserves to be seen.



I did get a review - without spoilers - posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Super 8

(From Super 8 on June 16th, 2011)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Teachers - Series One

Episode 1
On his 26th birthday Simon is persuaded to steal a statue from Summerdown School. He spends the next week worried the authoritarian Claire will find out.
Simon also gets it in the neck from Jenny, who feels he is too undisciplined, and he's in for a shock when he realizes his girlfriend Maggie is in fact a police officer.



The debut series of Channel 4's comedy drama TEACHERS revolves around the lives, loves, and lost homework of a young group of school teachers. Andrew Lincoln (THIS LIFE) stars as Simon, a feckless English teacher whose enthusiasm is somewhat eroded by his sharp-tongued and uninspired Year Eights. In addition to problematic pupils, he finds himself and his equally hapless colleagues having to spark up in the toilets whilst the formidable Head of Year attempts to glean countless unstarted bits of marking and reports off him. The action follows the teachers' arbitrary attitudes to their own work and includes many school-night drunken confessionals and adolescent antics. Also starring Nina Sosanya, Richard Dale, and Jeremy Lovering.

Surprisingly good gritty comedy, still totally up to date, graphic and addictive.
Probably not a great idea for me to watch as my daughter has just landed her first job as a teacher, but totally hilarious in so many ways, and I understand many of the scenarios and characters have been lifted from reality. A lot of swearing, boozing and bonking, but not overboard.
I will come back to watch the rest of my series of Teachers based on this pilot.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 4th, 2009)