DVD Collectors Online

Evelyn, a review by Rich

fighting the system in Ireland...



Times are tough in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government. Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his case to Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law...and win back custody of his children.

An uplifting film. Acting quality and direction is superb - Sophie Vavasseur who plays Evelyn is outstanding. The story pulls at your emotions in a clever way yet the script always remains believable. 50's Dublin setting is very atmospheric and all characters maintain their credibility throughout, you find yourself wanting to boo and hiss the judge and nun. The only reason this didn't get an 8 was Brosnans awful accent    7/10

(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on March 18th, 2008)

Hop, a review by Dragonfire

Hop is a cute movie about the Easter bunny that I saw a few weeks ago.

The movie is cute and entertaining and a decent family friendly movie, though the plot is far from original.  A lot of what happens seems to be pulled and slightly changed from Santa Claus 2 and Santa Clause 3.  The move is still entertaining overall, but it would have been better if it is was more original.  There is a factory where the Easter Bunny and his workers make all the Easter candy.  That looked really cool, though it is a lot like the North Pole from the Santa Clause movies.  Having E.B. not want to take over for his father isn't that original either.  Despite the lack of originality, the movie does manage to work.  There really aren't any surprises to what happens.  A short voice over at the very beginning of the movie ruins what could have been a decent surprise.

The movie uses a blend of live action and computer animation.  The computer animation is used for the animal characters and the Easter Bunny Factory.  The animation is done well.  E.B. looks incredibly cute and cuddly.  The interaction between the actors and the animated characters is pretty good for the most part, though there is one or two times when something looks just a little off.  There is a decent amount of humor to what is going on, though some of it is a bitsilly.

The characters are fine, though none of them are developed that much.  It wold have been nice if the characters had more depth.  I did like seeing Kaley Cuoco in the movie. 

The movie is cute and fun overall, though it will probably be too silly for some people.  Kids may like the movie more than adults.



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

Hop

(From Hop on May 8th, 2011)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

9. The Wish
Wanting to be rid of Xander for good, Cordelia comes to the conclusion that Buffy is the cause of all her problems and makes a wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale. A demon grants the wish and Cordelia's world suddenly changes.

My Thoughts:
This has always been one of my favorite episodes... I loved getting a peek at the alternate reality of what Sunnydale would have been like if Buffy never made it there. I really liked the vampire version of Willow and Xander. This is just one of those episodes that is just pure fun to watch.

10. Amends
While the gang prepares for their Christmas vacation, Angel is haunted by visions of his violent past. The ghost of Jenny Calendar appears to him and reminds him in great detail of the evil deeds he has performed. At first she almost seems to be taking pity on him, but gradually her counsel grows more sinister.

My Thoughts:
Another really good episode... and if I am not mistaken the only Christmas episode in the entire 7 year run of the series. Not to mention our first look at "The First Evil" which would later come back for the final season.

11. Gingerbread
Picking the wrong night for mother-daughter bonding, Joyce discovers the bodies of two children in the park, apparently sacrificed in an occult ritual. Deeply disturbed by what she has seen, Joyce rallies the adults of Sunnydale, convincing them to rid the town of all magical and occult influences. Soon, however, it becomes apparent that Buffy, Willow, and Amy are themselves considered a part of the occult threat to Sunnydale.

My Thoughts:
And this makes all 3 episodes on this disc good ones... Another episode I liked a lot. If I am not mistaken this episode also has another first... the first (and possibly only?) time we see Willow's mother. This is also the episode that Amy turns herself into a rat and stays that way for a very long time... till Willow can figure out how to change her back.

(From Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon on November 14th, 2007)