DVD Collectors Online

Colt Comrades, a review by Rogmeister

The Hoppy film I watched this time is from one of several volumes put out by Platinum, each containing 5 original Hopalong Cassidy films.  Besides the one I discuss below, this volume also includes Undercover Man, Three Men From Texas, Stick To Your Guns and The Dead Don't Dream.

Colt Comrades (1943) 
Director: Lesley Selander
Cast: William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Jay Kirby, George Reeves, Gayle Lord, Earl Hodgins, Victory Jory, Douglas Fowley, Herbert Rawlinson, Bob Mitchum

The earliest Hopalong Cassidy movies came out in 1935 and I had actually started to watch them in order that they came out but I decided to move ahead in the series so I could catch an episode with a few other familiar faces.  Of course, I also had to "take a hit" with that idea as well because by 1943, Gabby Hayes had left the series and Andy Clyde had taken over the part of the "funny old geezer" role, playing a character named California at this point.  The first familiar face in this short film was Robert Mitchum (billed as Bob Mitchum in the credits), playaing a bad guy as he did in most of his handful of appearances in the Hoppy films.  He actuallyl winds up dead about 10 minutes into the picture but he gets it off to a quick start, gunning down a railroad man, stealing his mailbag and then being caught and finally gunned down himself.  The plotline has Hoppy and his friends using their share of the reward money for capturing him and using it to become partners on a cattle ranch with a man and his sister who are already there...the man here is the other familiar face in this film, George Reeves, later to be tht title star of TV's "The Adventures of Superman".  Apart from a few interesting plot twists, this is pretty much a standard Hopalong Cassidy movie which means it's got lots of gunplay, people running to the rescue on horseback and a fair smidgen of comedy relief.  At the end of the tale, so we don't expect Hoppy to be stuck on his own ranch for the rest of his cinema career, we learn he's been called back to work by the law due to other outlaw concerns.  Maybe that's why George Reeves didn't become a permanent member of the Hoppy cast, too.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on October 11th, 2009)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Year of Release: 2013
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage
Genre: Fantasy, Action

Overview:
The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

My Thoughts:
First let me say, I love Middle-Earth.  I love the characters and the setting and everything about it.  Being overlong only means that we get to spend more time in Middle-Earth.  Yes, I want the extended version.

First, the good.  Martin Freeman is great as Bilbo.  I could probably watch Ian McKellen do just about anything.  Richard Armitage's Thorin is wonderful (if very different from the book), and I can now see the set-up for his Thorin to make decisions that book-Thorin makes (something I couldn't see in the last film).  I also liked the addition of the elf Tauriel, and her interaction with Kili.  I liked the changes to the character of Bard, and his enlarged role in the story.  I loved Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug, the conversation between him and Bilbo (just about the best part of the film) and the enlarged role Smaug played. 

For my complaint about the movie, it wouldn't be that the movie was long.  It would be that it was long in the wrong way.  Certain things got extended and fleshed out, while others were eliminated - I would have trimmed up some of the battle scenes so that we could have kept the dwarves journey through Mirkwood longer, kept the sequence with the black river from the book, and had more character interaction.  I still don't know who some of the dwarves are (Bifur, Nori, Dori, Ori, Oin ... which one is which, anyway?  Only Thorin, Fili, Kili, Balin, Dwalin, and Bofur have any personalities, and I only know which one Bombur is because he's the fat one and Gloin because of the reference to Gimli).  Lastly, the business with the Arkenstone needed a bit more fleshing out - exactly how is the whole plan supposed to work, anyway?  Bilbo sneaks in, gets the Arkenstone, and then ... what? 

On the other hand, I thought they handled the Ring well, and the doings of the Necromancer, as well as the foreshadowing for the grimmer days ahead.  It's a grimmer, grittier version of The Hobbit, but also a nobler one in the goals of the dwarven company.  Overall, as you can see from how I rated it, I thought the good outweighed the bad, but it wasn't the masterpiece all of the first trilogy are. 

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on December 27th, 2013)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
When a brash street kid from Philly moves to a Left Coast zip code even posher than 90210, cultures are sure to clash. But not to worry. The kid is Will Smith, and he'll have Bel-Air bustin' a move in no time! Smith was already a Grammy-winning rap artist when he shot to acting renown as the smart, wisecracking urban teen who's sent to live with wealthy relatives in an area so exclusive a former President drops in to share some Christmas cheer. This 4-disc DVD collection features lively bonus material plus all 24 Season-One Episodes, from Will's first day at the country club (which one is the fish fork?) to his first day at Bel-Air Prep School (sort of homeboy meets Harvard). When it comes to comedy, Fresh Prince rules!

The Fresh Prince Project
Will comes to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air. Philip isn't too impressed by Will's behavior, especially teaching Ashley to rap and ruining his image with the members of the law firm. Vivian tries to remain neutral in all this. Carlton and Hilary look at Will with disdain.

My Thoughts:
I haven't watched this show in quite a while. So today I am reminded how funny this show is. One of these days I will have to get more season sets in my collection. As of now I only have the first season. This pilot episode is a good introduction to the characters. And I found myself laughing more then once.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on January 25th, 2010)