DVD Collectors Online

The Shawshank Redemption, a review by Tom

Title: The Shawshank Redemption
Year: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont
Rating: R
Length: 142 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Tim Robbins
Morgan Freeman
Bob Gunton
William Sadler
Clancy Brown

Plot:
Few movies capture the triumph of the human spirit as memorably as The Shawshank Redemption. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins star in this powerful nominee for seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture) based on a Stephen King story.

Freeman plays "Red" Redding, a lifer who knows the ropes at Maine's Shawshank State Prison. Robbins is new inmate Andy Dufresne, a quiet banker unjustly convicted of murder. Andy's indomitable will earns Red's friendship; his resourcefulness brings hope and change to the entire prison. Andy is full of surprises - and he saves his best for last. Written and directed by Frank Darabont (The Green Mile), The Shawshank Redemption is an "engrossing, superbly acted yarn." (Tom Charity, Time Out Film Guide).

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Comic Spoof 'The Sharktank Redemption'
Commentary
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

IMDb #1 in the Top 250. It is a great movie. Although almost two and half hours long, and doesn't feel like it. I enjoyed every minute of it. Though I am really surprised, that it's number 1 on IMDb. Is it really a movie which would be universally given a 9-10 rating? I don't mind it being number 1

Also worth checking out: The 25-minute short movie "SharkTank Redemption" which stars Morgan Freeman's son Alfonso in a parody of his father's role. This short is set in an agency's office environment instead of prison. It's great how they fit in dialog from Shawshank into this film.

Rating:

(From Short Stephen King marathon on May 9th, 2009)

Ocean's 11, a review by KinkyCyborg

Ocean's 11



Title:Ocean's 11
Year: 1960
Director: Lewis Milestone
Rating: NR
Length: 127 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Peter Lawford
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
Henry Silva
Joey Bishop

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


I started watching this with some preconceived notions... that I wouldn't like it because I had seen the remake first, that it would be diluted with singing numbers and that it would seem terribly dated. Of course I was wrong as usual.  

It's easy to resist the temptation to compare this to the remale simply because other than the title of the movie and one character who retained their name, Danny Ocean, there was little these two movies had in common. I enjoyed this and the remake and refuse to say one is better than the other because they both stand on their own merits.

There was a bit of singing in this one, but I can listen to Dean Martin sing all day. Sammy Davis Jr. also had a short snappy number that I liked too. I confess to not having seen Davis Jr. in many movies beyond the Cannonball Run flicks and he impressed me too. Probably my favorite character in this would be Cesar Romero as Duke Santos. Very suave and full of confidence! Also if Julia Roberts had her hair tied up like Angie Dickinson did in this version you would be astonished at the resemblance!

The casino heist theme is common between the two films but the method and direction were completely different. This version of course lacked all the high tech gadgetry, replaced with creative trickery and the art of the con. I think I may have liked the ending better in this version, satisfying and full of irony.

This movie is one I'd like to revisit from time to time so you know it has scored high with me.  

KC


Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on October 20th, 2010)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.13 The Parting of the Ways
Writer: Russell T Davies (Writer), Terry Nation (Original Characters By)
Director: Joe Ahearne
Cast: Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Jo Stone Fewings (Male Programmer), Jo Joyner (Lynda), Paterson Joseph (Rodrick), Nisha Nayar (Female Programmer), Noel Clarke (Mickey), Camille Coduri (Jackie), Anne Robinson (Voice of Anne Droid), Nicholas Briggs (Dalek Voice), , Barnaby Edwards (Dalek Operators), Nicholas Pegg (Dalek Operators), David Hankinson (Dalek Operators), , Alan Ruscoe (Android), David Tennant (Doctor Who)

When I first saw this episode, I was surprised by the regeneration in this episode. I knew that the ninth doctor only had one series, but I didn't know that it was known during shooting of the first series, that he will leave after that one. And that they already had the replacement cast.
Also otherwise this is a great episode. The perfect first series finale. This episode also marks another milestone: Captain Jack gets immortal, though he doesn't know it yet.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on February 11th, 2014)