DVD Collectors Online

Holiday Wishes, a review by addicted2dvd

Holiday Wishes Danni Hartford, party planner to the King family, wants to find her sister. Britney, the Kings' spoiled 15-year-old daughter, wants a horse. On a nearby horse farm, Rachel is treated like a servant by her foster siblings; all she wants is a real family. When all three girls make wishes at the Christmas dance, Britney and Rachel's souls switch bodies. But the girls soon find their new lives are not exactly what they pictured. When Danni discovers what has happened, she must figure out how to switch the girls back.

My Thoughts:
Another TV Movie I recently recorded of cable. Mainly because I read that Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is in it. But the storyline sounded like fun as well. And this one I really did enjoy. Sure there was one big part of it that was very predictable... but another part of it did surprise me... so it's all good. This is one movie I wouldn't mind getting on DVD and watching each year... but I don't think this one is even on DVD at this time.



(From Addicted2DVD's 25 Days of Christmas Marathon: 2010 on December 10th, 2010)

To Catch a Thief, a review by Jon

To Catch a Thief (1955) ****
4 out of 5



I remembered To Catch a Thief as as underwhelming, but watching it again I found it to be far more enjoyable. It's light and unassuming, with little to mark it out technically, but very well played and quite fun. The romance is more obvious than usual and is fundamentally in place earlier than Hitchcock's usual man-wrongfully-accused-on-the-run-falls-in-love setup.

The man in question this time is the brilliant Cary Grant, one of Hitch's most dependable leading men. Here he has a chance to show off his cat-like grace properly as a cat-burglar. He was the best actor to never play Bond and once again, I have to wonder how much influence Hitchcock had on the choices made in the early years of that franchise. Certainly the plot could easily be suited to an average Bond entry, complete with infiltrating high society using a false name and a scene set in a casino (very funny too, in Hitchcock's typically cheeky style!). Grace Kelly complements Grant and does enough as a slightly spoilt rich kid, but adds a little sassiness that only she could pull off. The scene where she is convinced of Grant's guilt is brilliantly staged.

That follows the famous fireworks moment and it is one of the films highlights. While the fireworks themselves are a bit limp, it's the staging in the room, both lighting and acting, that really impress. The climax also impresses with Grant hiding in the shadows of a rooftop, but overall there's nothing flashy, just beautiful landscapes to wonder at. The last time I saw it, I rather dismissed it as a holiday brochure, but it has far more substance than that. Not enough to be amongst the Master's best, but a very enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on August 30th, 2009)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Raumpatrouille - Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion (Space Patrol)



What's the show about?
Wikipedia article

This is a german classic. It came out in the same year as Star Trek (1966). The fast space cruiser Orion 7 under the command of Major McLane protects Earth from any extraterrestrial threats, especially a race that the Humans call "the Frogs".

"Angriff aus dem All" ("Attack From Space")My Opinion
As I said: A german classic even if it only lasted for 7 episodes. The command style is not unlike that of a certain James T. Kirk and the Orion 7 crew is also very international - ok the actors are all german, but it's the idea that counts.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 3rd, 2008)