DVD Collectors Online

Fantastic Mr. Fox, a review by Danae Cassandra

Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009, USA

Mr. Fox, an newspaper columnist and reformed thief, plans one last heist ... and puts himself, his family, and friends in danger he hadn't planned on.

A clever, imaginative piece of animation.  One of the most original I've seen in a very long time.  Certainly the choice of stop-motion, which is rarely used, helps with this, as do the ingenious character designs, but it's also - and most importantly - the story that makes it so very clever and original.  I haven't read the Roald Dahl book this is based on, so I have no idea how close, or how far, it hews from the story.  What I do know is this was good, very very good.

There's so many layers to this film, to its story and its struggle.  On one level it's about a fox's (man's) relationship with his vixen and cub (wife and son), and his understanding of who he is and what his place is in the world.  On another level it's about the struggle of the little man against the big man, the individual versus the corporation, and the survival of individuals in the face of rampant corporate greed and power.  It touches on the choices one can make in the face of bullying, both individually and communally.  It touches on the choice of going along with the flow, doing nothing to disturb or anger outside events - or of living life, of being who you are and doing what you believe you were meant to do.  I expect when I watch it again I'll get something different out of it.   

All in all, a great film.  See it if you like stop-motion, or animation in general, or see it if you want something to think about later.  Awesome little flick.

Overall: 4/5

(From Danae's reviews on April 14th, 2011)

The People Under the Stairs, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The People Under the Stairs
Year: 1991
Director: Wes Craven
Rating: R
Length: 102 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Brandon Adams
Everett McGill
Wendy Robie
A. J. Langer
Ving Rhames
Sean Whalen

Plot:
Wes Craven, the director of The Serpent and the Rainbow and Shocker, locks you inside the most terrifying house on the street. Trapped inside a fortified home owned by a mysterious couple, a young boy is suddenly thrust into a nightmare.

The boy quickly learns the true nature of the house's homicidal inhabitants and the secret creatures hidden deep within the house.

Stunning visuals highlight this inventive film that the San Francisco Chronicle calls, "Wes Craven's most satisfying movie."

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
This is the first time I watched this movie in quite a while... a good 7 years according to DVD Profiler.  This is a bit of a weird movie, I grant you... but it is one that I enjoyed quite a bit. The couple in this movie is so over the top it isn't even funny. But it is entertaining to say the least. I really liked the kid that played the 13yr old boy nicknamed Fool that takes on this strange and sadistic couple to save his family... and then going back to save the other kids he met that the couple has trapped in the house. This is not what I would call a gory movie... but some of the things seen here is a bit on the bloody side. Not to mention things a little hard to look at... like "Daddy" in full leather fetish gear trying to hunt down Fool. Over-all it is a movie I enjoyed quite a bit. Glad I finally got around to watching it again.



(From The Movies From Within My Lifetime on April 9th, 2011)

The Good Old Days TV Thread, a review by addicted2dvd

My Thoughts:
Another show I always liked. I used to watch reruns of this show through-out my teen years. This episode was particularly fun. I got a kick out of it. First Banner gets knocked out and stuffed in an oil drum. So we have the Hulk busting out of the drum in back of a truck. He tears open the top of the truck and pulls the driver out. Only to get distracted by the radio... he drops the guy and starts to mess with the radio. So the guy takes off. That just don't seem right... The Hulk getting distracted by a radio like that!   

My Rating:

(From The Good Old Days TV Thread on February 21st, 2010)