DVD Collectors Online

The Wrecking Crew, a review by Antares

The Wrecking Crew (2015) 75/100 - If you grew up in the sixties the music was unparalleled in history. In 1965 alone, you had three major movements just in Rock & Roll. You had the British Invasion leading the charge, surf music on the West Coast and Berry Gordy forging a musical empire in Detroit with Motown. But along side these three movements was a pop hit making machine in Los Angeles which rivaled the Brill Building in New York City in the early sixties. And at the various producer's disposal was a group of musicians whose abilities were second to none. They were called The Wrecking Crew. Phil Spector wouldn't record without them. All of The Monkees hits were instrumentally done by them. Pet Sounds is virtually a Brian Wilson and the Wrecking Crew album. The amount of hit records they played on is mind boggling in its scope. Yet, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Osborne, Carol Kaye, Earl Palmer & Bones Howe are names that most music aficionados do not know. A few of the Crew would go on to music careers of their own, with varied success. The most successful was Glen Campbell, who is thought to be by many, one of the greatest studio guitarists of all time. Leon Russell would have a short successful career and Larry Knechtel would become a member of the group Bread in the early seventies. The documentary mainly focuses on the six unknowns I mentioned and while it tells of their history in the recording studio, it offers very little in revelations. And that is why I can only give this documentary a lukewarm rating. It was made by Tommy Tedesco son, and he's really not a filmmaker. He's basically just trying to give his pop some props for what he accomplished while he was in the music business. In a sense, it works, and if you know nothing about this group of extraordinary musicians, you will be entertained and schooled a bit. Though there's one really sad and poignant moment when the Crew's days are long since over and Tommy Tedesco appears on and wins The Gong Show. It brought a tear to my eye to think that Tedesco was desperate for any gig and chose that. He should be remembered, and so should the rest of the Crew. There wouldn't be a sixties without them.

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 December 16th, 2019)

Hell Asylum, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Hell Asylum
Movie Count: 7
TV Ep Count: 1
Time Started: 10:30am
Plot:
A desperate producer faced with unemployment has the ultimate reality television program ready to roll. "Chill Challenge" sends five sexy models into a haunted old building where years earlier an eccentric millionaire had kidnapped a handful of unsuspecting women in an effort to force them to be his brides. The idea is simple: Spend a night without leaving and walk away with a cool million bucks! But what these sultry gals don't realize is, as they reveal their deepest, darkest fears to the probing eye of the camera, someone or something is using those fears against them! They are sent into the house alone, one at a time, to confront their nightmares...and an abomination that will kill them all!

My Thoughts:
Hell Asylum is 1 of 4 low budget horror movies in the boxset "Haunted by the Past".  And I mean this is LOW BUDGET! I didn't think much of this one... besides the low budget effects and amateurish acting look and feel to the whole movie... the storyline... even though thought had potential wasn't followed through upon. So Move Away... Nothing to see here!

(From Month-Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 2nd, 2007)

Birds of Prey Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

12. Feat of Clay
A villain's touch turns people to clay. Helena discovers a shocking truth. Wade learns Oracle's secret.

13. Devil's Eyes
Trouble rules the roost. Quinn has a hypnotic grip on the city and controls the Birds' command tower, too.

My Thoughts:
For some reason these 2 episodes are put together as 1 double-length episode. I could be wrong... but I don't remember it originally airing that way.  But either way... I enjoyed every minute of it. Would have made for a really good season finale... but unfortunately the studio decided to make it a series finale instead. In the first half we meet Clayface and his son. As well as find out who it was that killed Helena's mother. The second half is finally the showdown between Helena and Harley Quinn.

1. Unaired Pilot (Disc 4)
A new crimefighting force with links to Batman fills the void left by the caped one's mysterious departure.

My Thoughts:
The Unaired Pilot has another actress playing Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn)... and a couple other minor changes. In this one Harley Quinn is played by Sherilyn Fenn instead of Mia Sara. An unaired pilot is an extra that is just cool to have. Even though you pretty much know what is going on... it is fun to see their first take on the story. That is when there is more differences then a cast change... as there is some here. Definitely worth checking out.

2. Gotham Girls: The Complete Series (Discs 1-3)
All 30 episodes of the Animated Web-Based Series featuring the female heroes and rogues from Gotham City.

My Thoughts:
After watching the first group of shorts on disc 1 I found these to be cute... but no big deal. And I was kinda hoping it would grow on me more within the ones on the next disc or so. And they did grow on me some... I especially like the 3rd season episodes (on disc 3) they were more fun as they were a continuous story. Every episode taking over where the last one left off. But this is an extra that was fun while watching for the first time... I don't see myself watching them much again... if again at all. But on the other hand... I do see my daughter, Brittany enjoying these shorts a lot. I can see her borrowing this set just to watch these.



(From Birds of Prey Marathon on July 19th, 2008)