DVD Collectors Online

Outlaw Women, a review by Rogmeister

Outlaw Women (1952)  In Cinecolor  75m
Directed by Samuel Newfield and Ron Ormond
Cast: Marie Windsor, Richard Rober, Maria Hart, Allan Nixon, Jackie Coogan, Brad Johnson

A lot of westerns are serious and grim...this one, not so much.  This movie deals with the town of Las Mujeres (which translates into English as "The Women") which is run by women...we specifically center on a gambling house and the woman (Windsor) who runs it as well as the town and what happens when it collides with both good and bad men who want to come in and take charge (as well as robbing a bank of a dying town that is transferring it's funds to another bank).  There is humor in here as well as the gunplay (including Jackie Coogan as a pitchman who goes from hawking his magic elixir to becoming a bartender at the gambling house.  In the end, law and voting comes to Las Mujeres...since the women don't have the vote yet and can't hold political office, it's the men who are officially in charge.  But not much has changed...the women are still bossing the men around in a not-too-obvious way.  I enjoyed this movie.  It'll never replace The Magnificent Seven in the Western Hall of Fame but it's a fun easy-to-take film.   



(From DCO fourth Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on July 10th, 2010)

Journey to the centre of the earth, a review by Rich

1st November

Journey to the centre of the earth



Brendan Fraser stars in this action packed adventure based on the Jules Verne classic that is sure to deliver fun for the whole family! On a hunch to find the center of the Earth, Trevor Anderson (Fraser), his nephew and their tour guide make a breakthrough discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey into the unknown. On a scramble to find their way back, the group travels through a never before seen world, encountering creatures and objects never imagined

Ok, first the 3d gimmick. Certain scenes work amazingly, ie the beach and the 'electric' birds. the rest of the time it is not 'stunning' enough to warrant the hype IMO. You could certainly watch this in 2d and not miss very much.
Storyline is non-existent and fans of Verne will be disappointed. It is fast flowing and full of action, but aimed towards a 4 year-old. Cliche'd lines, and truly unbelievable scenarios, this is a poorer Goonies with reasonable acting performances. One wonders if less time was spent on 'the gimmick' whether the film could have been slightly better told and portrayed?
I can see this being a themed ride at Disney or Universal or wherever in the future.
Not a hit or a miss, but squarely in the middle.
 

(From November Alphabet Marathon - Discussion/Review Thread on November 2nd, 2008)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
The Dollhouse is an institution that provides people. The so-called "actives" have a wiped memory, no clue about their former lives. When sent on an engagement they are imprinted with all the knowledge and skills they need for this. The engagement can be anything from a hot weekend orgy to negotiating a kidnapping. The actives are supposedly volunteers and they will get back their lives after five years of service. FBI agent Ballard is trying to expose this and the Dollhouse has problems of their own: The wipe is not as clean as it should be and one of their actives went rogue.

"Ghost"
After his daughter was kidnapped and he was warned not to involve the police, Mr. Crestejo engages an active. She's imprinted with the knowledge of the best kidnapping negotiators and is also given a background where she was kidnapped herself to become the best person for this situation money can buy. Meanwhile FBI agent Ballard still tries to find this mysterious "Dollhouse" but his superiors doubt it even exists and warn him to not to step on any more toes on this ghost hunt.

My Opinion
Most people (myself included) agree that it started out rather slowly with a engagement of the week pattern but in the second half of the first season it got better when they truly began to explore the Dollhouse itself and its inner workings. The ratings weren't good either and when Fox had to decide whether to kill Dollhouse or Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the cancelled the latter. I will definitively watch the second season and hope that the ratings go up.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on September 11th, 2009)