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Daylight, a review by GSyren

Daylight (025192-026720)

United States 1996 | Released 1998-05-26 on DVD from Universal Home Video

114 minutes | Aspect ratio Anamorphic 1.85:1 | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital Dolby Surround, Commentary Dolby Digital Mono

Directed by Rob Cohen and starring Sylvester Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Dan Hedaya, Jay O. Sanders

Rob Cohen directs and Sylvester Stallone stars in this urban underwater disaster drama with big-bang special effects by Industrial Light & Magic. An accidental explosion rips through a jammed commuter tunnel beneath the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey, sealing off both ends and trapping a diverse band of survivors inside.  A disgraced former emergency medical services chief manages to reach them and then struggles through fire, noxious gases, explosions, collapsing walls, massive flooding and rats to lead them to daylight Daylight co-stars Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Dan Hedaya, Jay O. Sanders, Karen Young, Claire Bloom and Vanessa Bell Calloway.  Director Cohen works again with Executive Producer Raffaella De Laurentis, with whom he made Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Dragonheart.

My thoughts about Daylight:

Daylight was one of the early movies in the second wave of disaster movies, the first wave having been inflicted on us in the seventies. This second wave was made possible by the advent of computer graphics (CGI). As you may have gathered from my previous reviews, I'm not a fan of CGI overuse. I have two rules of thumb when it comes to CGI. First, only use special effects in general, and CGI in particular, where it is necessary for telling the story. Second, use CGI only where practical effects are not possible. Fortunately DaylightDaylight reminds me a lot of The Poseidon adventure.  It's a group of people trapped under water after a major accident, trying to get to the surface. The main difference is that the lead character, played by Sylvester Stallone, is not involved in the initial disaster, but goes in volontarily, knowing that he cannot go back out the same way, and knowing that there may not actually be a way out. So, is this a good movie? Well, the story does have some flaws, but that's true of most disaster movies. The movie has gathered some very varied reactions. Some people hate it, some love it. Having seen it at least twice before, I still had a good time rewatching it.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on December 20th, 2014)

Weekend at Bernie's, a review by addicted2dvd

Weekend at Bernie's (1989/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Ted Kotcheff Writing: Robert Klane (Writer) Length: 98 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

---

Stars:
Andrew McCarthy as Larry Wilson
Jonathan Silverman as Richard Parker
Catherine Mary Stewart as Gwen Saunders
Terry Kiser as Bernie Lomax
Don Calfa as Paulie

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers

I actually remember this one being better then what I watched today. But the last time I seen this one I was in my teens. So I think it is a matter of my tastes maturing over the years. That being said... I still enjoyed the film. It does have a few laughs. So I would say it is worth the time put in to watch it.



(From April Fool-A-Thon on April 20th, 2016)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The gang is ordered to participate in the annual talent show while Giles is in charge of the organization. But then a student is murdered and the killer cuts out his heart. And the worst thing is: This was most likely a Human and not a demon. And all points to the weird guy and his ventriloquy dummy. But which one controls the other?

My Opinion: While I liked the whole dummy part and his sacrifice I didn't like that they showed no pointers whatsoever to the real killer. Sure, they laid a lot of false trails (e.g. to the new principal) but they didn't hide some to the real one. I also liked that they had to consider that this could be very well a "normal murder", that not everything bad in this world is the fault of a demon. And I like the new evil yet human principal Snyder (Armin Shimerman, Quark in DS9) - he will become a real PITA for Buffy.

Synopsis: Buffy has regular nightmares at night now but that's nothing compared to what happens next: Some people's nightmares become reality at day and suddenly spiders are crawling through the school and a perplexed Xander stands in front of the class - naked. And a mysterious child and a monster appear every time at the school when something like this happens. But this boy is in a coma, how can he be seen in the school?

My Opinion: Does everyone have that nudity nightmare? It is a common theme on TV shows but I can't remember having such a dream. But I can relate to the clown thingy. I can't remember it but I must have had a bad experience because I also had a number of bad clown dreams when I was young (and no, it was not It ). I also liked what was done to Cordelia.  And I am with Xander: Buffy still looks good as a Vampire.

Synopsis: Strange accidents seem to be happening to the people around Cordelia. First her boyfriend gets clubbed down in the locker rooms. Then Harmony gets thrown down the stairs - by an invisible girl. Cordelia is scared and seeks refuge and help in the library. But Giles has another problem: He needs a lost book that contains prophecies regarding the Slayer. But luckily for him there's an undead guy that can help him.

My Opinion: It was an OK episode but I would have liked to see Clea DuVall more onscreen - but that would have defeated the purpose of this episode. I've known her from The Faculty and later from Heroes before I've seen her here in this episode. I also liked that Cordelia becomes more involved in the group even though she offends them at the same time she's asking for help. Something along the lines of "I need help and I thought you were in a gang or something" She may not be three-dimensional yet, but she's managed to reach 2.1 dimensions.
I thought that it was an interesting twist to let the government being involved in this case. Wolfram & Hart might have been interested, too (if they had been invented at this point).

Synopsis: Xander finally finds the courage to ask Buffy out but she turns him down. And then his rebound girl - Willow, - also turns him down. But from there the day turns from bad to worse - for everyone. Giles and Angel have discovered a prophecy that without a doubt heralds Buffy's death. She will face the Master and he will kill her. That makes it easy for her: She quits. She stops being the Slayer. But every choice has consequences: Vampires have entered the school and killed several students. For a hero there's actually no choice. She has to face him, even if it means that she dies. But what are friends for?

My Opinion: Up until now Angel might have jumped in on a street fight but when it became really dangerous he was nowhere to be seen (The Harvest, Prophecy Girl). It's ironic that it's Xander of all people who forces him to stand up and fight a real fight. From one moment to the next the size of the gang has nearly doubled. From now on Ms. Calendar, Cordelia and Angel will have a much greater role in the fight between good and evil - on one side or the other. I also liked how Buffy reacted to her prophesied death - it makes the character more human. But in the end she accepts her fate, as she will always do in the coming years and she will do what's right, no matter the cost.

The Season - My Opinion: A good first season, although not the best Buffy season. The basics are established (regular Monsters-of-the-Week with an overall season arc and a "Big Bad") and the universe is pretty much set. Luckily they will loosen the corset of prophecies and rituals and they will portray Vampires much more "normal".

(From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on March 22nd, 2009)