DVD Collectors Online

Kingdom of the Spiders, a review by Danae Cassandra

Kingdom of the Spiders
Year of Release: 1977
Directed By: John "Bud" Cardos
Starring: William Shatner, Tiffany Bolling, Woody Strode, Lieux Dressler, David McLean
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

Overview:
William Shatner stars as veterinarian "Rack" Hansen in this cult classic about an Arizona town infested with eight-legged killers, which turn on the humans whose insecticides have depleted their normal food supply. Woody Strode, who played the title role in John Ford's Sergeant Rutledge and won a Golden Globe Award for Spartacus, is Rack's friend, rancher Walter Colby, whose livestock first fall victim to the angry arachnids. Entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling) arrives and tries to help Rack deal with the crisis, but with the big country fair fast approaching, Mayor Connors (Roy Engel) refuses to let them quarantine Colby's ranch. Soon, the remaining residents are barricaded at Emma Washburn's (Lieux Dressler) lodge, fighting for their very lives, in this skin-crawling chiller featuring Shatner's then-wife, Marcy Lafferty, as his sister-in-law, Terry.

My Thoughts:
This was a lot better than I was expecting. Granted, I wasn't expecting a lot based on the cheap DVD release I have, but even ignoring that it's still a movie from the late 70's titled Kingdom of the Spiders. I picked it up for my collection solely based on the presence of William Shatner, because I'm that much of a trekkie.

Shatner gives the performance I'm expecting here, which is to say solid and heroic, but not particularly nuanced (this is no Boston Legal). Still, I enjoy seeing him. I was pleasantly suprised by the portayal of his love intrest, who is a competent and knowledgeable scientist, and is proven right even when no one believes her. I also liked the low angle, tarantual perspective shots, which added to both the camp and the threat of the film.

If the film starts fairly predictably, it certainly doesn't end that way. The ending is unexpected and I really enjoyed that. Recommended if you're a Shatner fan, or if you're looking for a good creature feature. This definitely was one.

Watched For: Hoop-tober 3.0, Scavenger Hunt 19, Horror/Halloween Challenge 2016

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 39/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on October 28th, 2016)

It's a Wonderful Life, a review by addicted2dvd

It's a Wonderful Life


My Thoughts:
This has always been "THE" classic Christmas movie for me to catch every year. This DVD was given to me last year this time for my Christmas marathon. It is one Christmas movie I always liked to watch each year. I am thrilled I now have it on DVD... as No more worries about commercials... let alone finding it on TV each year! Definitely one of my favorite holiday movies.

(From My 25 Days of Christmas Marathon on December 14th, 2007)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: SG-1 attends the funeral service for Omac on Tollana. Omac died recently iof a heart attack. But a few days later the Tollans offer one of their ion cannons in exchange for a rare metal. SG-1 is both pleased and sceptical about this offer.

My Opinion: A very sad episode because you have to assume that most of the Tollans have been exterminated and that Narim is most probably dead. It happened before that entire races have been killed but that were no-names and you've never heard of them before nor have you seen them. This is different.
Ironically the actor who played Narim - Garwin Sanford - will reappear as the boyfriend of Dr. Weir in the Stargate Atlantis pilot.

Synopsis: After a piece of paper came through the Stargate (supposedly from the future) to never to visit a certain planet, the address is locked out of the computer. But on another planet SG-1 meets this race nonetheless: The Aschen. And once again the Aschen have a lot to offer and it seems hard to resist.

My Opinion: Interesting approach to continue the story from 2010. I especially liked that they worked in the smaller storylines, like the beginning relationship between the ambassador and Sam and Kinsey's ambitions to become president.
But it was sad that they killed off the ambassador so soon.

Synopsis: After Sam has been kidnapped by unknown forces on Earth, SG-1 tries to find out what happened and where she has gone. For this Jack has to ally himself with Maybourne once again because the trails lead to the NID, the russian Stargate program and a terminal ill selfmade millionaire.

My Opinion: Another episode I liked because they've managed to combine a spy story and science fiction. And that people are willing to make a pact with the devil when the death is near.

Synopsis: Martin Lloyd has once again "forgotten" who and what he is. But now he is a creative consultant on the set of a series: "Wormhole X-treme!". It's about three humans and an android who go through an intergalactic portal and fight against aliens. But simultaneously a real spaceship is closing in on Earth that was hidden behind Mars.

My Opinion: One of the funniest episodes (and the 100th) of the entire series. Maybe only the 200th episode is even more fun. Many of the crew of SG-1 had a cameo appearance but the best were Peter DeLuise as director and his brother Michael (who also played in SeaQuest) as the actor of the Colonel. It was also brilliant to point out some typical errors in science fiction series ("If I am out of phase and can go through walls, why don't I fall through the floor?").

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on April 2nd, 2008)