DVD Collectors Online

Monterey Pop, a review by Danae Cassandra

Monterey Pop
Year of Release: 1968
Directed By: D. A. Pennebaker
Starring: The Mamas and the Papas, Canned Heat, Simon and Garfunkle, Hugh Masekela, The Animals, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Country Joe and the Fish, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar,
Genre: Music

Overview:
On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the Summer of Love, the first and only Monterey International Pop Festival roared forward, capturing a decade's spirit and ushering in a new era of rock and roll. Monterey would launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, but they were just a few among a wildly diverse cast that included Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas, the Who, the Byrds, Hugh Masekala, and the extraordinary Ravi Shankar. With his characteristic verite style, D.A. Pennebaker captured it all, immortalizng moments that have become legend: Pete Townshend destroying his guitar, Hendrix burning his. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this timeless document of a landmark event.

My Thoughts:
Interesting documentation of the Monterey Pop Festival but it feels incomplete. As a concert film, the music is excellent but it cuts between acts. I'm pretty sure it's to create a portrait of the entire festival, as if the viewer is travelling from one act to the next, but it means you never get a full set from anyone. There are also moments during Otis Redding's song that the camera is facing directly into the light and the screen becomes a blinding white square. Really annoying. As a documentary it includes little information about the Festival and it's place in the Summer of Love. So there's a lack of context for the less informed viewer.

But for those of us who would never have been able to go, the film offers a trip to the Festival, a capsule of a time and place in history. It is wonderful to have it, even if it leaves you wanting more.

Bechdel Test: N/A
Mako Mori Test: N/A

Overall: 3.5/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on August 1st, 2016)

Bruce Almighty, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Bruce Almighty: Widescreen
Year: 2003
Director: Tom Shadyac
Rating: PG-13
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DTS 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Jim Carrey (1962) as Bruce Nolan
Morgan Freeman (1937) as God
Jennifer Aniston as Grace Connelly
Philip Baker Hall as Jack Baylor
Catherine Bell as Susan Ortega

Plot:
Comic genius Jim Carrey stars with Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in the entertaining comedy hit of the year that critics are applauding as a "laugh a minute" (Jim Ferguson, FOX-TV). Bruce Nolan (Carrey) is a TV reporter who believes the entire universe is stacked against him. In a life-altering encounter, the Big Guy Upstairs (Freeman) endows Bruce with all of His divine powers and challenges Bruce to take on the big job to see if he can do it any better. Bruce Almighty is the wildly funny comedy featuring "Jim Carrey at his best!" (Leonard Maltin, Hot Ticket)

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Production Notes
Outtakes/Bloopers
DVD-ROM Content

My Thoughts:
I watched this movie for Jennifer Aniston (Friends) and Catherine Bell (JAG). I have already watched this one several times so I am surprised there wasn't a review up for it here yet. The first thing I noticed was that the DVD had trailers before the menu. Which is no big deal... but you couldn't bypass them by hitting the Menu button or then Next button. Best you could do is fast forward through them. The movie itself I really enjoyed. Definitely has some hilarious parts in it. And I think Morgan Freeman as God was great.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Mystery Marathon on January 31st, 2010)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.12 Bad Wolf
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 Joyner (Lynda), Jamie Bradley (Strood), Abi Eniola (Crosbie), Davina McCall (Voice of Davinadroid), Paterson Joseph (Rodrick), Jenna Russell (Floor Manager), Anne Robinson (Voice of Anne Droid), Trinny Woodall (Voice of Trine-E), Susannah Constantine (Voice of Zu-Zana), Jo Stone Fewings (Male Programmer), Nisha Nayar (Female Programmer), Dominic Burgess (Agorax), Karren Winchester (Fitch), Kate Loustau (Colleen), Sebastian Armesto (Broff), Martha Cope (Controller), Sam Callis (Security Guard), , Alan Ruscoe (Androids), Paul Kasey (Androids), , Barnaby Edwards (Dalek Operators), Nicholas Pegg (Dalek Operators), David Hankinson (Dalek Operators), , Nicholas Briggs (Dalek Voice)

A very fun first half of the episode, where the doctor is trapped in a Big Brother house and Rose is taking a part in a deadly version of The Weakest Link. And the finale is first big episodic cliffhanger, with Rose being captured by a huge Dalek army.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on February 10th, 2014)