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Awakenings, a review by addicted2dvd

Awakenings


TV Star:
Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy)

My Thoughts:
Even though this is a genre I don't normally enjoy... this is a very good drama. This is the first non-comedy I ever seen Robin Williams in. And I must admit he surprised me at the time. He proved he is more then a stand-up... he really can act as well. Even with that said.. I personally still prefer his zany style of comedy over him in a drama. Robert De Niro was excellent in this as always. What makes this more interesting to me then most pure dramas is the fact that it is based on a true story. Only downside to this DVD release is there is no extras what so ever.


Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FURflBxeTyI

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: TV Stars in the Movies on March 29th, 2009)

Fallen, a review by Boomstick98

Fallen (1998) 

Plot: John Hobbes watches Edgar Reese, a convicted murderer Hobbes brought to justice, get executed. Reese dies with great bravado, and then a series of murders are committed using Reese's methods. As Hobbes follows up the last clues Reese left, we see an evil presence move from person to person by touch. Hobbes comes closer and closer to the secret as the presence taunts him more and more openly, threatening everyone Hobbes holds dear in the world.

My O: I like most of Denzel Washington's movies, so I decided to give this one a try. This was a pretty good watch, but I do feel that it could have been better. There were a lot of cool things that could have been done with this idea, but it seems the director opted to build suspense by letting everything slowly play out. This would have been fine, but I really didn't get the feeling that Washington's character was in any real danger until the last 30 min of the movie. Overall it is a decent watch and their are a couple of cool scenes involving the evil presence moving from person to person as mentioned in the plot above. I just felt that there were a few missed opportunities with this film.

(From Boomstick's 2009 Horror Marathon on October 9th, 2009)

Emma's Sonic Underground Marathon, a review by Emma (snowcat)

So it seems the episodes are not in order, which I have to admit has cheered me up, I thought id missed something dramatic out.

Disc 1

Episode 30 - Wedding Bell Blues.

When Dr Robotnik announces he is going to marry Queen Aleena (the Hedgehogs mother) Sonic, Manic and Sonya race to the rescue only to discover its a trap.

As I said, I put the disc in and though I had missed something dramatic out, I was criticising the series for not explaining the origins of the characters, although its fairly easy to pick up what's happening, and I guess it proves you can pretty much watch the series in any order. although I can see inconsistencies with the animation, I understand the series was rushed for a release in time with the Dreamcast, to some that would be unforgivable, and whilst I think they should have waited and created a better story, I understand why they rushed it.


Episode 4 - To Catch a Queen

A former captain of Queen Aleena's guard (Argus) is on his way to a secret meeting, he is soon intercepted by Robotnik's bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, he is captured and roboticised, but will the Siblings be able to get the information they need about there mother from him before he is completely changed?

This episode felt a little more real, the siblings discover that Argus had been around alot during there early years after discovering a picture of them with him, sadly after becoming roboticised Argus doesn't seem to remember them until there medallions, which release a musical instruments (Sonic - guitar, Manic - drums Sonya - keyboard) were able to zap him and bring him to his senses briefly, sadly they don't learn anything new and have to leave Argus as he is a danger to them.


Episode 5 - Mobodoon

The siblings try to discover a town called Mobodoon which only appears every so many years, they know it was the place they were born but that is all. on the way they are ambushed by Sleet and Dingo who end up in the Robonik free Mobodoon. Here the hedgehogs battle with the prospect of loosing Manic as he discovers he has never felt at home until he got to Mobodoon.

the Mobodoon episode has stuck in my head, maybe its because I found it quite sad, Manic the hedgehog talks of how (the hedgehogs who were split up at birth and adopted) his siblings had homes where they felt the belonged, upon finding his birth place Manic finally feels as though he has found his home and toys with the idea of staying there, each episode features a song sang by the Sonic Underground, this episode the song was sung by Manic, it was sad that even though Manic had his family he still felt alone because of his upbringing (each sibling was bought up differently as to attain different skills)


Episode 6 - The Price of Freedom

After getting dirty on a mission and angry Sonya, who feels her brothers don't understand, runs away to an old friend, at the same time Sonic and Manic here of a sighting of there mother near the castle Sonya is staying in. Sonya's old friend Mindy gives Sonya a watch created by her father, unbeknownst to Sonya the watch is a spying device created for Dr Robotnik.

It was around this points (just 4 episodes in) that I actually started to enjoy the series, was one of the "moral ones" as was the previous. this episode dealt with how Mindy's father was working for Dr Robonik to save her even though it meant creating devices to spy on people. Although Mindy was angry to start with she grew to understand why her father did what he did and they managed to escape together. as with the other episode I really enjoyed it, the story was heart felt and I guess that what I like about the series, sometimes Moral stuff can be annoying and preachy, but this feels right, like the hedgehogs are learning, not the viewer.






(From Emma's Sonic Underground Marathon on December 20th, 2009)