DVD Collectors Online

The Black Pirate, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Black Pirate
Year of Release: 1926
Directed By: Albert Parker
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Bille Dove, Donald Crisp, Sam De Grasse
Genre: Adventure, Action

Overview:
Riding the crest of popularity after his hit films The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Three Musketeers, the silent cinema's greatest adventure hero crowned his accomplishments with the spectacular Technicolor epic THE BLACK PIRATE.

The sole survivor of a ship pillaged by buccaneers, Michel (Fairbanks) poses as the mysterious Black Pirate and infiltrates a nest of bandits. He mounts an elaborate ploy to earn their trust, reclaim the ship and rescue a kidnapped princess (Billie Dove). Like a Robert Louis Stevenson adventure come to life, THE BLACK PIRATE ripples with customary intrigue and a rapid succession of brilliantly inventive stunts.

Mastered from a 35mm negative, this special Kino edition carefully recreates the authentic palette of two-strip Technicolor (comprised of varying blends of green and orange), so that modern viewers can savor the photography The New York Times praised as, "mindful of the paintings of the old masters."

My Thoughts:
This is a fun swashbuckling adventure. It has great action and stunts (mostly courtesy of Fairbanks), a dashing hero, a treacherous villain, and a fair maiden in distress. It's everything you want in a pirate movie - sword fights, treasure, robbery, murder, kidnapping, romance, a scene with our hero forced to walk the plank.  

Don't try to judge this against modern films.  You simply aren't going to have the kind of film you see now.  In its day, this was a lavish production with expensive, and experimental, two-color Technicolor film.  One of the earliest full-length color films!  It's a dynamic, entertaining yarn I'd recommend to anyone who likes a good pirate film or a good silent film.  Lots and lots of fun.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Off Day Alphabet Marathon on August 9th, 2014)

Pride and Glory, a review by Rich

Pride and Glory



Four cops down: two dead, two likely. An NYPD drug bust has gone horribly wrong, and Detective Ray Tierney heads the investigating task force. He already has ties to the case. His brother was commander of the ambushed officers. His brother-in-law, a fellow officer, often partnered with them. The more Ray uncovers, the more those family ties are tested. And the more the fraternal order starts to fray. Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight and Noah Emmerich star in a gritty, tension-packed tale of a multigenerational family of cops facing hard realities and tough cohices. Set and filmed in Manhattan's Washington Heights, Pride and Glory  draws you into a grippingly raw real world... and into a house divided.

Disappointing and unoriginal thriller, this family of cops facing corruption etc has been done to death, and a darned site better too.
The camerawork during the film is a disaster, shaky shots, spinning around, and zooming all around the place made it feel like the cameraman must be epileptic, and was difficult to follow. Despite some great actors involved, there are no stand out performances, primarily due to a weak script and overly long production. The direction is awful, swearing pointlessly excessive and the violence extreme for no apparent reasoning.
The ending was totally ridiculous, and the film overall is a total mess and I would never recommend it.
 




(From Riches Random Reviews on May 27th, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

The Adventures of Aquaman
Menace of the Black Manta/The Rampaging Reptile Men
When fiendish foes and marine menaces threaten the peaceful undersea world of the lost city of Atlantis, Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas, dives to the rescue! Aided by teen hero Aqualad and their aquatic frieds Tusky the walrus and sea horses Storm and Imp, these brave water warriors battle astonishing creatures like Volcanic Monster, Ice Dragon and Devil Fish. Using his superior strength, cunning wit and telepathic communications abilities, Aquaman faces evil villains like Black Manta and Vassa, Queen of the Mermen to fight for justice on the ocean floor. Plunge into this two-disc collector's edition featuring all 36 action-packed cartoons from the fantastic TV series in original airdate order!

My Thoughts:
Now this one is a blast from my past. It is one of the many superhero cartoons I used to watch when I was a kid. Even though it wasn't ever one of my favorites I did enjoy it. Each episode has 2 short stories... I enjoyed the first story with the Black Manta a little more then the second story. This series has the more clean cut version of Aquaman that I am so used to. I really don't like the look of the current version where he has a long beard and hook for a hand. It is just not the Aquaman I know... this one is.

This series was coupled with a Superman cartoon which unfortunately I do not have on DVD.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on October 27th, 2009)