DVD Collectors Online

Awakenings, a review by addicted2dvd

Awakenings


TV Star:
Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy)

My Thoughts:
Even though this is a genre I don't normally enjoy... this is a very good drama. This is the first non-comedy I ever seen Robin Williams in. And I must admit he surprised me at the time. He proved he is more then a stand-up... he really can act as well. Even with that said.. I personally still prefer his zany style of comedy over him in a drama. Robert De Niro was excellent in this as always. What makes this more interesting to me then most pure dramas is the fact that it is based on a true story. Only downside to this DVD release is there is no extras what so ever.


Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FURflBxeTyI

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: TV Stars in the Movies on March 29th, 2009)

Daylight, a review by DJ Doena

Sylvester Stallone    ...    Kit Latura
Amy Brenneman   ...    Madelyne Thompson
Viggo Mortensen   ...    Roy Nord
Dan Hedaya   ...    Frank Kraft
Jay O. Sanders   ...    Steven Crighton
Karen Young   ...    Sarah Crighton
Claire Bloom   ...    Eleanor Trilling
Vanessa Bell Calloway   ...    Grace Calloway
Renoly Santiago   ...    Mikey
Colin Fox   ...    Roger Trilling
Danielle Harris   ...    Ashley Crighton
Trina McGee   ...    LaTonya
Marcello Thedford   ...    Kadeem
Sage Stallone   ...    Vincent

Synopsis: Chemical waste is brought illiegally through the New York-New Jersey tunnel. Thieves who have just robbed a jewelry store try to escape and ram these trucks. This causes an explosion and both sides of the tunnel collapse. Kit Latura, limo driver and fired chief of Emergency Medical Services goes in and tries to rescue possible survivors. But there are a lot of obstacles: The fires are still burning, the tunnel is getting flooded and the walls are caving in.

My Opinion: Technically this is not a Science-Fiction movie, but I was in the mood for another Sly movie and a lot of stuff gets blown up here. It's a standard action no-brainer with all kind of action scenes, but also a lot of personal drama, like the decision when you actively have to leave someone behind and you'll know he is going to die alone but there's nothing you can do.
As you can see I watch a whole lot of movies that have plotholes the size of the moon and yet there are some story elements that bug me - even in such movies. In this one it was the mayor's(?) decision to re-open both ends of the tunnel now. Why? Because the tunnel is an traffic artery and she needs to send cars through it again. --- In reality such a tunnel would be closed for months for inspections and repairs even if it wouldn't collapse the minute they open the ends.

(From The "What I watch when I don't watch TV shows" thread on December 14th, 2008)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: Crime Traveller
Year: 1997
Director:
Rating: PG
Length: 197 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Plot:
Meet the most unconventional investigative duo of any time - JEFF SLADE and HOLLY TURNER, in the mystery adventure series Crime Traveller.

Sleuths come and go, working on intuition, luck and clues, but Slade and his science officer colleague Holly are armed with something extra in their fight against crime - their very own Time Machine.

Invented and developed over the years by Holly's father, quantum physicist Professor Fredrick Turner, the Time Machine is a bizarre mixture of DIY technology, but it works. Unfortunately the Professor disappeared during one of his time travel experiments, leaving his daughter convinced that he is still out there somewhere, stuck in another dimension.

Holly is now in charge of the Professor's extraordinary legacy, which is kept hidden in her apartment. When Slade, a charming maverick detective, discovers the Time Machine's existence, he convinces Holly to use it in order to solve major crimes. The scene is set for a rollercoaster ride, through the present and the past.

High speed chases and intriguing puzzles are solved with the aid of their unreliable Time Machine, in this stylish, fast-paced drama.

Extras:
Episode Guide and Synopsis'
Interviews
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

I have watched the first series now and I must say, that even though I was sceptical after the first episode, I quite enjoyed it. I didn't have a problem with how the machine looked. It was built by her father after all over a period of many years. Its material is from different times. E.g. some vacuum tubes are still used. As for closing the curtains: As I understood it, that the closing of the wooden curtains also closes a special circuit. And everyone inside that circuit (i.e. inside the room) travels through time.
I had a problem with the huge wrist-watch though. Luckily it was hardly seen.
What I liked about this series is, that they sticked to their established time-travel principle, that nothing can be changed in the past. Everything you see always happened this way. Some stuff you see before the time-travel happened, but we later find out, that they were caused by the time-travellers themselves.
To summarize: This is an average crime-solving TV series with a little time-travel twist. The first episode is rather weak, but I enjoyed the other three episodes of this first series. Especially the last one.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Jeff Slade & The Loop of Infinity
02	A Death in the Family
03	Fashion Shoot
04	The Revenge of the Chronology Protection Hypothesis

(From Tom's Random Reviews on October 25th, 2009)