DVD Collectors Online

Friday the 13th - Part VI: Jason Lives, a review by RossRoy

WHAT THEY SAY

As a child, Tommy Jarvis did what many other died trying to do. He killed Jason Vorhees, the mass murderer who terrorized the residents of Crystal Lake. But now, years later, Tommy is tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead. So Tommy and a friend go to the cemetery to dig up Jason's grave. Unfortunately for Tommy, (and very unfortunately for his friend), instead of finding a rotting corpse, they discover a well rested Jason who comes back from the dead for another bloody rampage in Friday The 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives.

MY THOUGHTS

Now that's the Jason I know and heard so much about! Jason in full, supernatural, bad ass mode! I also like the self referential inside jokes. For some reason, I like this new, more powerful Jason. He's got a more menacing presence. They also show him more, with helps build tension. I found this installment pretty good.

RATING

(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on October 26th, 2009)

The Sniper, a review by Antares

The Sniper (1952) 76/100 - This is the fourth film I've watched in the Columbia Film Noir collection Volume 1 and in keeping with the other three, is quite good. It's an early production from Stanley Kramer, so that means you're going to get a healthy dose of soapbox moral preaching. That comes in a scene very early in the film where Richard Kiley, who plays a police psychologist, expounds on how every criminal who commits a sex crime, should be institutionalized after their first conviction. Kramer is never subtle in his approach, and thankfully, this scene ends quickly and the film goes back to focusing on the sniper. One thing I'm noticing about these noirs from Columbia, is that they have a far more gritty and realistic spin to them, as opposed to noirs I've watched from both MGM and 20th Century Fox. They're in your face and have a fair amount of shock inducing scenes in them and that's probably why I'm enjoying them so much. This film must have freaked out a lot of people back when everyone lived in a white bread, Ozzie and Harriet, kind of America in 1952.

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 November 8th, 2012)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Crime Traveller

Episode 1 - Jeff Slade & the Loop of Infinity
Jeff Slade is a detective who is in trouble with his boss when a stakeout goes wrong. His partner, Holly Turner, is on hand to help him out. Her methods. however, are unusual (to say the least!)and involve a time machine....




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.

Ridiculous plot and concept, made worse by some particularly hammy acting by most involved. The contraption which Holly has produced to travel through time looks like it is made from old washing up liquid bottles and cereal packets. It must also be shy, as it only works when the curtains are closed. To ensure they don't get back 'before time runs out', bizarrely they have to wear huge digital watches the size of a plate on their wrists??
The plot had as many holes as a piece of edam, a distinct lack of 'whodunnit' suspense, and paradoxes which were non-sensical.
Flimsy attempt at sci-fi, but at the time a novel idea for a detective series.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 1st, 2009)