DVD Collectors Online

The Silence of the Lambs, a review by addicted2dvd

The Silence of the Lambs: The Criterion Collection
From Thomas Harris' novel, director Jonathan Demme explodes and reconstructs a classic genre, laying a foundation of emotional and political commitment beneath a perfectly constructed psychological thriller. Fourteen years after her controversial role in "Taxi Driver", Jodie Foster finally makes the transformation from helpless victim to rescuing hero in this dark, gender-bending fairy tale on an American obsession: serial murder. As Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, Anthony Hopkins is the archetypal antihero-cultured, quick-witted, uncontainable--a portrait of all the sharpest human faculties gone diabolically wrong. Winner of five 1991 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay Adaptation for Ted Tally.

My Thoughts:
This has been a long time favorite movie of mine. And one of the first movies that I discovered Jodie Foster in. I became a fan of hers because of this movie. It is an awesome movie that I would highly recommend to anyone. The Criterion Collection is a great DVD release for this movie. Top notch image and sound with loads of extras to keep you busy.

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 5/9 - 5/11 on May 11th, 2008)

Duel, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Duel: Collector's Edition
Year: 1971
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG
Length: 89 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: DTS 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Dennis Weaver
Jacqueline Scott
Eddie Firestone
Lou Frizzell
Gene Dynarski

Plot:
Before spinning cinematic gold from sharks, dinosaurs and homesick aliens, a young Steven Spielberg directed this high-velocity thriller about an innocent motorist terrorized by an evil truck. Spielberg's first full-length movie, Duel helped jumpstart the director's big-screen career, with a gripping, action-packed story hailed by critics as a film that "...belongs on the classics shelf reserved for top suspensers"(Daily Variety). Dennis Weaver stars as the traveling salesman waging a desperate battle for survival after he is mysteriously singled out for destruction. Praised for its deft use of relentlessly mounting psychological tension, Duel features one of the most uniquely terrifying "characters" in movie history: a massive, roaring 40-ton truck with more sheer menace than most flesh-and-blood villains. But Steven Spielberg was, literally, just getting started. A few years later, the action of Spielberg's blockbuster hit Jaws would echo Duel's tale of a lone hero in a heart-stopping fight to the finish against a monstrous, inhuman foe.

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes

My Thoughts:
This is another one I bought blind this past month that I never got the chance to watch. It was recommended to me by more then one person. I enjoyed the movie... it is filled with tension. Don't really know what to say with this one since it is basically one long car chase so I will be keeping this one short. I do have to admit the ending was pretty much predictable. But I would recommend checking this one out.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs on November 14th, 2009)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Lois Lane comes to Smallville to find out who killed her cousin but then she finds a guy in a field who doesn't know who he his. Jonathan Kent lies in a hospital bed and is brain-dead. Lana is still in Paris and has a new boyfriend. Lionel is still in jail, waiting for his trial. And Lex - who has survived the attempt to poison him - travels around the world to find objects that are connected to the symbols in the Kawatche cave.

My Opinion: Sorry, but that went a bit too fast. Within half an hour Kal-El was Clark again. I am sure that if the writers really wanted to, this could have been an arc that lasted at least 4 episodes, even more. Just because it was a cliffhanger doesn't mean it has to be resolved in the very first episode of the new season.
But I like the arrival of Lois, she is refreshingly blunt. And I liked the appearance of Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Superman movies), especially her remark regarding Dr. Swann and a "former life". She's now the third person from the movies to appear in the series (Annette O'Toole [Lana Lang in Superman III, now Martha Kent] was obviously the first).

Synopsis: After they've found out that Chloe's grave is empty, Clark and Lois investigate her disappearance, but there are several obstacles: For one, Lois's father is a three-star General who doesn't want his daughter digging into that mystery. Secondly, he is in league with Lex. And thirdly, there's a T-1000 meteor freak who works for Lionel and wants to kill Chloe for real this time. And Lana has returned to Smallville.

My Opinion: That was a really obvious Terminator 2 rip-off, especially with the end. But I still liked it, the scenes in the Kent house were really funny. Lois's great advantage is, that she has no history whatsoever with Clark. For her, he's simply "Smallville".

Synopsis: Clark is now in his senior year at high school and he's trying out for the football team against the wishes of his father (again). The new assistant coach is none other than Lana's new boyfriend. It's a relationship they must keep hidden because he could get fired for it. But there's something else that has changed: A student nicknamed "Scabby Abby" is now a real beauty but when she kisses people they get delusional and land in the hospital. While Lois is stuck at Smallville High (she needs a few additional points to get accepted to the university) she helps Chloe and Clark to investigate.

My Opinion: The bitter irony of that episode is in my opinion, that Erica Durance (Lois) has had a "boob job" because someone convinced her that she would have better chances to get a job afterwards.
That aside it was a decent FotW episode.

Synopsis: The cheerleaders of Smallville High are using meteor rocks to create a love potion. When the football team drinks of it they all become aboulic slaves with the exception of Clark who gets ill from it. Chloe drinks from it, too, and soonafter a new cheerleading star is born.

My Opinion: This was a very funny episode, especially the parts where Chloe hits on Clark and where Clark had to pretend that we was under the love spell. I had a great time.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 1st, 2008)