DVD Collectors Online

The Hurt Locker, a review by samuelrichardscott

The Hurt Locker (2008) United Kingdom Blu-ray (rental)

Overview:
From visionary filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker is an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When renegade Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner - 28 Weeks Later, The Assassination of Jesse James) takes command of a highly trained bomb disposal unit, he frequently risks the lives of himself and those around him with his suicidal methods and a complete disregard for danger. Caught in the middle are his subordinates Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie - Half Nelson, We Are Marshall) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty - We Are Marshall, Jarhead), who can only watch as their leader descends further into addiction: an addiction to war.

My Thoughts:
I was a little skeptical of this one because my old man said that he didn't like it as much as he thought he would. Usually this wouldn't mean anything to me, but he was a bomb disposal technician for his full Army service of over twenty years serving in the Gulf for over a year and Northern Ireland during some etchy times. Thankfully, he completed his full service just before the current war started and he now works for a private defence company. Despite this, I'm glad I did watch it because I enjoyed it. Not working in the field, I don't notice some of the technical stuff he was banging on about and instead I focused on the story which had me gripped. Bigelow manages to make the movie tense and suspenseful in all the right parts with a perfect spraying of both drama and action. Great stuff. 4.5/5

(From Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews) on May 29th, 2010)

The Island of Dr. Moreau, a review by GSyren

Title	The Island of Dr. Moreau (5-037899-056325)
Director	Don Taylor
Actors	Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera, Richard Basehart
Produced	1977 in United States
Runtime	99 minutes
Audio	English PCM 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	None
Overview	Crewman Andrew Braddock (York) survives the wreck of the sailing ship The Lady Vain. After several days at sea in a lifeboat, he reaches the shores of an island governed by the mysterious scientist "Dr. Moreau" (Lancaster). Though welcomed as an honored guest by Moreau, Braddock finds his contact with the natives increasingly disturbing, for they are not like any men he has ever seen before. Eventually, it becomes apparent that these men are, in fact, the hybrid products of Moreau s experiments upon various species of wild animals. Braddock becomes so shocked and curious that Moreau explains to him that he has invented a serum with a genetic human gene that can transform many wild animals into human beings giving them human characteristics. Braddock finds himself threatened by both the 'manimals' and the sinister Moreau, who he suspects has plans to experiment on him.
My thoughts	Although this version of The Island of Dr. Moreau is technically very good, I really prefer the 1932 version (Island of Lost Souls). The makeups in this version look too much like Planet of the Apes
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on December 4th, 2014)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: After SG-1 has brought a device to Earth that was presumably build by the Ancients, Jonas starts to see weird insects. At first no one knows what to make of it but then others begin to see them, too. It even spreads among the normal population.

My Opinion: I liked the fact that it wasn't something they brought back but that these creatures have always been here - we just can't perceive them. The gas station guy was also funny and I liked the insects they've invented.

Synopsis: Jack assassinates Senator Kinsey. At least it looks like it. While Jack is in prison, SG-1 tries to find out what really happened and they get help from the NID.

My Opinion: As I previously mentioned, nearly every storyline gets picked up again and is continued in SG-1. This time they re-used the holographic devices from Foothold. I especially liked the way Teal'c interrogated the scientist. I also thought it to be a good thing that they portreyed the NID from a different POV, that they aren't just a heinous gang that stops at nothing.

Synopsis: In exchange for a Stargate address and a device that can open an Ancients weapons locker, Maybourne gets a presidential pardon. He also has another trump card that allows him to accompany SG-1. But he played with marked cards and he transports himself and Jack to a remote place. Unfortunately he doesn't find what he had hoped for.

My Opinion: Finally a decent Jack episode again. I haven't noticed it before but it struck me during this marathon: Richard Dean Anderson had astonishingly few screen time during this season. In one episode he made no appearance at all (Nightwalkers) in others he has very few scenes (especially but not exclusively in the last two episodes).
But Jack and Maybourne were once again fun to watch, both have their way to survive in the wilderness. And once again it's Jack who is seperated from his team and has to survive on a remote planet for several weeks. He has the same talent as Daniel who falls for power.

Synopsis: The russian SG team brings a man to the SGC. He and his people are experimented on by Nirrti. SG-1 feels morally obligated to stop her but they get caught in the experiment.

My Opinion: She got what she deserved. The fact that she has been killed by her own victims bears a certain poetic justice. But I am more interested in what the writers had in mind when they mentioned that Jonas's DNA is different. I can't remember if this has ever been revealed.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on April 12th, 2008)