DVD Collectors Online

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a review by DJ Doena

September, 16th


Riisa Naka    ...    Makoto Konno
Takuya Ishida   ...    Chiaki Mamiya
Mitsutaka Itakura   ...    Kousuke Tsuda
Ayami Kakiuchi   ...    Yuri Hayakawa
Mitsuki Tanimura   ...    Kaho Fujitani
Sachie Hara   ...    Kazuko Yoshiyama
Yuki Sekido   ...    Miyuki Konno

Synopsis: When Makoto slips in the chem lab one day she falls backwards onto what looks like a walnut. Later that day she drives down a hill towards a train crossing when her bike brakes fail and she falls directly in front of the oncoming train - but then she's back on top of the hill again. She has acquired the ability to travel back in time and she's decided to have fun with it - until she learns that it can also hurt people.

My Opinion: This is not a saving the world time travel movie. This is about a young girl growing up and falling in love. It is a slow and quiet movie, sometime a bit to slow for my taste but it conveys its story really well to the viewer and I really enjoyed watching it. As to the animation: Like with all manga and anime (that I know) it uses the art of showing only detail where detail is necessary. It's not a Pixar animation where you can see every single hair but that doesn't matter because it isn't necessary.
There are also the huge eyes but if you compare American/European smiley drawings :-) with their Japanese counterparts ^_^ then you begin to understand that in this culture emotions are expressed more through the eyes rather than the mouth.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on September 16th, 2009)

Police Academy, a review by Dragonfire

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Police Academy The call went out. The recruits came in. No longer would police cadets have to meet standards of height, weight and other requirements. Brains were optional too. Can't spell IQ? Don't know the number 911? No matter. Police Academy grads are ready to uphold law and disorder. Building on a nightsticks-and-slapstick tradition going back to the Keystone Cops, Police Academy spawned 6 sequels plus 2 TV series (one animated, one live-action). Now the popular debut film calls for backup, adding arresting 20th-anniversary DVD extras. Join Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), Thompson (Kim Cattrall), Harris (G.W. Bailey), Hightower (Bubba Smith), Jones (Michael Winslow), Lassard (George Gaynes) and more. They're not the Five-O. They're the Five Uh-Oh. They make the world a funnier place.

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I decided to watch this one again.  Yes it is silly, but it is entertaining.  This one is a decent choice when in the mood for something silly.  The characters are likable for the most part, and very entertaining.  Harris isn't exactly a nice guy, but he always cracks me up, especially when Mahoney plays some tricks on him.  The acting isn't the greatest, but it isn't horrible either.  The DVD I have has a few interesting extras.  Some things in the movie are a bit dated, but it is still funny and entertaining. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions a few years ago.

Police Academy

(From Marie's Random Movie Viewing on August 10th, 2011)

Charmed Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

"Dream Sorcerer"
Original Airdate: November 4, 1998
Overworked Prue battles a sleep demon in the guise of a handsome man, while Phoebe conjures a spell to attract men that turns out to be too strong - the sisters can barely escape their myriad admirers.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode... but not one I would call a favorite. I enjoy these early episodes... seeing the sisters making some mistakes with their magic as they learn.

"The Wedding From Hell"
Original Airdate: November 11, 1998
An evil bride-to-be, interested only in creating more demonic offspring, battles the Halliwell sisters during her demonic wedding party but is thwarted by Prue's investigation of a mysterious knife.

My Thoughts:
A decent episode... but once again not one of my favorites. This one had quite a bit about Pru's boss... and that was always a storyline I didn't care for too much... will be glad when that arc is over.

"The Fourth Sister"
Original Airdate: November 18, 1998
A troubled teenager, Aviva (Danielle Harris), befriends Phoebe with the hopes of joining the Halliwell coven of witches, but Aviva has her own agenda - to steal the Charmed Ones' powers.

My Thoughts:
This was a cool episode. One of the things I had fun with on this episode... was the back and forth between Piper and Phoebe... both trying to win over Leo... after all these years it is kinda weird seeing Phoebe lusting after Leo. Another thing about this episode... Aviva's aunt is played by an actress that returns seasons later as a recurring star... playing Phoebe's boss at the newspaper.

"The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts"
Original Airdate: November 25, 1998
The sisters stumble across a truth spell in the Book of Shadows and are put in the dangerous position of having to hear and speak the truth for 24 hours.

My Thoughts:
Another episode I liked a lot. Pru hitting Andy with such a huge bomb (that she is a witch) and expects to get a true reaction on whether he can handle it or not to me is ridiculous. And if I remember correctly she realizes this later in the season. I like the whole story where the demon from the future coming to destroy those that finds the "cure" before they can do so. It has a real Terminator feel to it.

(From Charmed Marathon on February 26th, 2008)