DVD Collectors Online

Hackers, a review by DJ Doena

February, 26th


Jonny Lee Miller    ...    Dade Murphy / 'Crash Override' / 'Zero Cool'
Angelina Jolie   ...    Kate Libby / 'Acid Burn'
Jesse Bradford   ...    Joey Pardella
Matthew Lillard   ...    Emmanuel Goldstein / 'Cereal Killer'
Laurence Mason   ...    Paul Cook / 'Lord Nikon'
Renoly Santiago   ...    Ramon Sanchez / 'Phantom Phreak'
Fisher Stevens   ...    Eugene Belford / 'The Plague' / Mr. Babbage
Alberta Watson   ...    Lauren Murphy

Synopsis: In 1988 Dade Murphy wrote a computer virus that crashed 1507 computer systems, including the Wall Street trading system. He was 11 years old. Now he's 18 and still on probation, but he's allowed to touch computers and touch-tone phones. Hacking is in his blood and soon he's competing in a hacking tournament. But he also has to fight against an evil computer virus and its author.

My Opinion: In regards to hacking and computers in general this movie is way beyond ridiculous. But it doesn't matter. This movie is pure fun with great visuals (both on the female side and the computer graphics ) and a great soundtrack. This movie belongs to my "my first four DVDs" collection and I have watched it at least twice a year since I bought it in 2000 or 2001. Unfortunately I missed it in the theatre but I've seen it for the first time in 1998. It was a time when the name Angelina Jolie was still worth a shrug and an "Angelina who?".
As I said in the beginning: The computer stuff is totally unrealistic. Yet ironically it's not even close to what they have been doing on 24 in recent years where an FBI operator controls a chemical plant on the other side of the country - and she's doing it one-handedly while she's holding the phone with the other hand.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on February 26th, 2009)

Rumour Has It, a review by Rich

Rumour Has It





Laid back and easy going movie, quite a novel storyline link to The Graduate, the film was made for me personally by Shirley MacLaines brilliant role as the grandmother (and Mrs Robinson). It is a comedy romance with all the usual ingredients, several funny and embarrassing moments, a nice pace that keeps you watching, and of course a happy ending.
If you are a fan of this genre, and do not mind Costner and Aniston, then I would recommend this non-taxing film.
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on April 22nd, 2009)

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

Stargate SG-1



What's the show about?
Mankind is not alone in the universe. An ancient race built a transportation system to connect thousands of planets throughout the galaxy. The entry/exit points of that system are the stargates. Earth sends units to other planets to initiate trade and looking for allies and  possible threats. The first of the units is designated SG-1, consisting of Col. Jack O'Neill, Cpt. Samantha Carter (who also happens to have a doctorate in astrophysics), the archaeologist Daniel Jackson and the alien Jaffa Teal'c. Together they save the world more than once.

What happened before?
In the movie the stargate was a point-to-point connection to the planet Abydos. Daniel Jackson manages to open that connection and goes with Col. O'Neill to Abydos. As soon as they arrive they find a tribe who worships the egyptian sungod Ra - only that Ra is real and an alien. A few thousand years ago Ra abducted people from Earth and brought them to Abydos. But the people on Earth rebelled and buried the stargate. Daniel and Jack have to fight agains Ra and manage to kill him, but only Jack returns from Abydos.

For the concept to work they had to change a few things. For once, the stargate is now a multi-gate network. For another Ra was portrayed as "the last of his kind", not one of many Goa'uld god-impostors. Also there were no signs of the Goa'uld pouch on Ra's Jaffa.

"Children of the Gods"
A year after the events in the movie the project "Stargate" is practically shut down. But then a Ra-look-alike comes through the gate, kills several soldiers and abducts a female soldier. After that Colonol O'Neill's bluff is called and he has to disclose that Daniel is not dead and that Abydos was not nuked. After the team around O'Neill successfully returns to Abydos they learn that there is not only the Abydos and the Earth gate but also many thousands more. But then Abydos is also attacked by this new enemy and they kidnap Daniel's wife and Skaara, a friend of Jack's. And so a rescue mission is set up, which will lead to strange new places and to new friends...

My Opinion
Great show (sorry for the repeating comments, but if I wouldn't like my TV shows I wouldn't have them ) although it became a bit repetitive in later seasons. I loved O'Neill's comments and the countless references to Star Trek and other cultural references (from the pilot: "It took us 15 years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on Earth").

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 2nd, 2008)