DVD Collectors Online

Finding Neverland, a review by Antares

Finding Neverland (2004) 3.5/5 - My childhood years were spent on athletic fields, and not much time was spent playing fanciful, imaginative role playing games with other children. So it may come as no surprise that I have never read Peter Pan nor seen Disney's famous animated film of the same name. But after watching this rather creative and fanciful tale of the story's creation and creator, I'm probably going to give it a whirl. Granted, the historical aspects of the screenplay are dubious at best, but by the end of the film, I was bawling like a baby. There are moments that tend to drag just a bit, but it is all worth it once you get to the end of the story. There are two truly priceless moments that come towards the end of the film and should been seen by anyone who enjoys a creative twist to telling a story. The first comes when the author sets aside 25 tickets on opening night for selected children from an orphanage to come and see the play. They are randomly seated throughout the theater, and their presence is at first, looked upon with a sense of disdain by the entirely adult, upper class patrons who are there. But as the play begins, their spontaneous moments of giddy joy, break down the icy veneer of the adults, and for the remainder of the play, help to revert the adults to an earlier, innocent time in their lives, and this makes the play's opening night a success. The other moment deals with the death of a character, and due to being a an important spoiler in the film, I won't go into it. But it is used as a transition to a beautiful and touching scene involving the author and one of the children who was the inspiration for Peter Pan's character in the book. It takes place on a park bench and serves as a defining moment, not only in the author's life, but in the child's life also. As I said earlier, by this moment in the film, not only was I was shedding copious amounts of tears over the subject matter, but also at how beautifully created these scenes were projected. Some will probably say that it was all blatantly manipulative, and maybe it is, but I feel sorry for these people, because it is done so magnificently. I gave it a 3.5 rating out of 5, but it's a high 3.5. I would have rated it higher, but at times, the film become a little too fanciful and it can be a little too saccharine. But that being said, I recommend it to anyone with a powerful or creative imagination, it can make you feel young again.

(From Antares' Short Summations on October 9th, 2013)

Iron Man, a review by Dragonfire

Lift off with high-speed, high-flying action in this Ultimate 2-disc Edition that takes you inside the suit of Marvel's invincible Super Hero for the ultimate 'Iron Man' experience!

After surviving an unexpected attack in enemy territory, jet-setting industrialist Tony Stark builds a high-tech suit of armor and vows to protect the world as 'Iron Man'. Straight from the pages of the legendary comic book, 'Iron Man' is a hero who is built - not born - to be unlike any other!

My Thoughts

I love this movie.  I've now watched it 3 times since I got the DVD.  It is just such a fun, entertaining superhero movie.  Robert Downey Jr. was great in the part.  The movie worked very well to set up how Tony became Iron Man and how that set off some changes in his personal life.  I'm already looking forward to seeing the next movie as well as the several other Marvel superhero movies that are scheduled over the next several years.

 

I posted a review on Epinions back in May after seeing the movie in the theater if anyone wants to take a look.
Iron Man


(From Dragonfire: What I've Been Watching on January 12th, 2009)

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

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine



What's the show about?
At the request of the Bajoran government, Starfleet is to establish a Federation presence in their system following the withdrawal of the Cardassian forces. Deep Space Nine is a former Cardassian station that happens to be in the system that has the only known stable wormhole. And that wormhole leads to the Gamma Quadrant, to a point 70,000 lightyears away. But this wormhole is indirectly the reason for the greatest war the Alpha Quadrant has ever seen.

What happened before?
DS9 begins six years after the beginning of TNG and three years after Wolf 359. At Wolf 359 a fleet of 39 Federation ships fought one Borg cube - all were destroyed. Among the ships was the USS Saratoga and its XO, Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Sisko, who lost his wife in that battle.

"Emissary"
Cmdr. Benjamin Sisko and his son arrive on the heavily damaged space station Deep Space Nine. Most of his crew hasn't arrived yet but he soon meets with his second-in-command, the Bajoran Major Kira. Sisko isn't sure he wants this assignment and his son to grow up here but then an extraordinary event takes place. They find the only known stable wormhole and suddenly the Bajoran system moves from "the outer rim" into the "attention center" of the Alpha Quadrant.

My Opinion
My favourite Star Trek show! It has a great story arc, even if it wasn't planned from the beginning as it was done with "Babylon 5". B5 and DS9 have many similarities which isn't that surprising since JMS (the creator of B5) has shown his B5 plans to Paramount. But they are also different since DS9 is anchored in the Star Trek universe.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 5th, 2008)