DVD Collectors Online

Fast Five, a review by Dragonfire

I was never really interested in the movies in the Fast and Furious series before.  Then I found out that Dwayne Johnson was going to be in the new movie, Fast Five.  That got me interested in the new movie since I tend to enjoy his movies.  It also got me to watch a few of the earlier movies as well.

This one follows closely after the end of the fourth movie and it definitely builds on what happened in that movie. 

Basically nothing that happens in the movie is believable or realistic, but the movie is still entertaining overall.  There are all kinds of crazy things going on with cars that look cool but couldn't really happen.  That didn't bother me because I had fun watching the movie.  I think there is more of a plot to this one than there have been for the other 2 movies in the series that I've seen.  That makes this movie stronger overall.  The plot has clearly been influenced by other movies, so things are the most original.  It is a mix of The Italian Job and Ocean's 11, with more focus on the heist than all the crazy driving and racing.  The heist does require some crazy driving too, but it isn't the main focus of the movie.  I like the heist stuff, though it would have been nice if it had been a little more original.  Even with the better plot, there are some really bad lines.  There is a decent amount of action to what is going on and the action scenes are done well.  There is some violence in a few scenes without making the movie that violent overall.

The characters have gotten more developed, though some of them are still rather flat.  The cast is decent in their roles.  Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster are better than they were in the first movie.  Hobbs is a decent addition to the movie, though he is one dimensional with his focus on catching Dom and Brian.  Dwayne Johnson is fine in the part. 

The movie has some issues, but it is fun and entertaining.  This isn't a movie for everyone, but it is worth checking out for people who like this type of movie.



Fast Five


(From Fast Five on May 8th, 2011)

Mortuary, a review by addicted2dvd

Note: I don't know if you would consider a double feature a marathon... but figured this is the best place for it.


Mortuary
The director of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Poltergeist', and 'Toolbox Murders' is back with his latest horrifying creation...

In the small town of Santa Loraina, California, the decrepit, long-abandoned Fowler Funeral Home has become a local legend. As the story tells it, Zeb Fowler bought the land to start up a ranching business, but something killed off all the cattle. To make ends meet, Zeb became the town mortician, and the Fowler house was turned into a funeral home - complete with a cemetery for a yard. But the strangest part of the story is the Fowler's son Bobby, whose face was so hideously disfigured it was hidden beneath a burial shroud. At age eight, Bobby mysteriously vanished, and ten years later his parents were found murdered - their faces smashed in. Locals believe that Bobby is still alive.

Today, the Fowler Funeral Home is the stuff nightmares are made of - backed-up sewage pooling the yard, a house of filth, decay, coffins, embalming equipment, and a strange black fungus growing on everything - and now the Doyle family is moving in.

Having recently lost her husband, Leslie Doyle ('Denise Crosby') is relocating her two children, Jonathan ('Dan Byrd') and Jamie ('Stephanie Patton'), to Santa Loraina so she can become the town's new mortician. But the Doyles have no idea of the horror that they're in for. Soon they'll uncover what happened to the Fowlers - what evil inhabits the grounds of the estate and what happens to anyone who steps foot there....

My Thoughts:
I blind bought this movie last week without even realizing that it had Denise Crosby in it. I thought this was a good movie.... I actually enjoyed it a lot. But it did do one thing that I didn't like... it left me still with a major question... basically it didn't answer what it was that was effecting the people. But then again there is a lot of horror movies that do the same... leave a big question mark on how or why.

There is a few nice extras on this DVD. Other then the theatrical trailer (and promotional trailers) there is a making of and a commentary track. I have the commentary on now as I type this to see if it is explained any more... but I am doubting it at this point. But over all I am glad I added this one to my collection... definitely a different take on a zombie movie. I found it interesting that the zombies wasn't actually go after people to eat them.

OK... After watching the movie for a second straight time... this time with the commentary on...the questions I have was still not answered. And OMG... I think this is the first commentary I ever watched with Tobe Hooper... He is a bit of a mumbler... was even hard to understand a couple times! But I am not to disappointed in not getting my questions answered... because those kinds of questions don't get answered in horror movies a lot of times... you just have to take it for what it is.

(From Denise Crosby Horror Double Feature on August 13th, 2007)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Action: The Complete Series (1999/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 293 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
Way too edgy for network TV, this funny, uncensored, naming-names series peels off the glitter of Hollywood moviemaking and exposes the duplicitous but totally addictive, behind-the-scenes truth. Campy, uncesored and very controversial, this "too-close-to reality" show features guest stars that include Keanu Reeves, Salma Hayek, Scott Wolf and Sandra Bullock.

Superstar producer Peter Dragon (Jay Mohr, host of TV's "Last Comic Standing") builds his stellar career on the three pillars of show business - prostitution, nepostism and dishonesty. Adding to that an ego as big as a Beverly Hills mansion, the aptly named Dragon and his cohorts manage to be politically incorrect, backstabbing, phony, petty, pissy and most of all -- ingeniously funny!

Action
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Chris Thompson (Writer)
Director: Ted Demme
Cast: Jay Mohr (Peter Dragon), Illeana Douglas (Wendy Ward), Jarrad Paul (Adam Rafkin), Jack Plotnick (Stuart Glazer), Buddy Hackett (Uncle Lonnie), Keanu Reeves (Himself), Lee Arenberg (Bobby G.), Cindy Ambuehl (Jane Gianopolis), Michelle Hurd (Gina), Gavin Polone (Dodi), Richard Burgi (Cole Riccardi), Sara Paxton (Georgia Dragon), Hector Contreras (Manny Sanchez), Johnny Grant (Himself)

Not a bad series and not a bad first episode, but I never quite grew to like it. Maybe it's because Jay Mohr plays a prick so well, that it's hard to get invested in the character

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on March 25th, 2011)