DVD Collectors Online

The Squid and the Whale, a review by Silence_of_Lambs

Summary:
Based on true childhood experiences The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys (Owen Kline and Jesse Eisenberg) dealing with their parents' (Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels) divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

My Thoughts:
Got this film as part of a boxset that was less expensive than the other movie would have been if bought seperately.

It is, as I learned a highly praised movie and the winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
It too is a film that tries to capture life as it is and it turns out that "life" is mostly dull, boring and banal.
The acting of all participants is great, sadly the plot cannot compete with the capabilities of the cast. It took all my mental powers to get through this movie and I was extremely annoyed in the end.
But Jeff Daniels is giving us a pseudo-intellectual college teacher that would rescue the whole film if this role wouldn't be so dislikeable that you'd wish for brass-knuckles should you ever meet this guy in real life.
Two very annoying plausibility-leaks (out of many more):
1) The younger brother (about 10 years old!) gets caught twice with a beer can in his hands (once by his older brother, once by his father) and this results in ... nothing.
2) In 1986 the attempt to say that the Pink Floyd song "Hey You" (from the quite unknown album "The Wall") was written by yourself, is so obviously doomed to fail that no one with a working brain would have tried this. Walt (the older brother) does this, and even wins a poetry contest (until he gets caught some time later)

So my rating is 5 stars for the acting 0 stars for the plot. In total this is

My Rating: (out of possible 5)

(From Michael's random reviews on January 10th, 2011)

The Karate Kid, a review by addicted2comics

Title: The Karate Kid
Year: 2010
Director: Harald Zwart
Rating: PG
Length: 140 Min.

Stars:
Jaden Smith
Jackie Chan
Taraji P. Henson
Wenwen Han
Rongguang Yu

Plot:
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

My Thoughts:

Wow. I didn't exspect this!

They changed a lot of things. The place (that didn't concern me much, story stays true no matter where it is), the fact that they changed Mr. Miyagi's name. (That had me a little worried) Actually, that was about all they changed. I know, I know, he's supposed to be the Karate Kid, not the Kung Fu Kid, I know some people get on it with that, but the way I see it is karate is a generic term, and kung fu falls under that category.

The truth is, I have no reasoning why this movie is all that good. The main story is the same as the original, though they used different training exercises, the love interest is mainly the same, the challenge is the same. I suppose the modern setting and a younger Karate Kid simply added spark!! Awesome remake!!!  (and I don't say that often!!)



(From Doing the ABC's Movie Style!! on July 20th, 2010)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

08. I Will Remember You (1999-11-23)
Writer: David Greenwalt (Writer), Jeannine Renshaw (Writer)
Director: David Grossman
Cast: David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Glenn Quinn (Doyle), Carey Cannon (Female Oracle), Randall Slavin (Male Oracle), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy), David Wald (Mohra Demon #1), Chris Durand (Mohra Demon #2)

I didn't enjoy this episode as much this time around. Previously I was excited about the crossover, but now I just feel, that now the whole Buffy/Angel drama is forced into this show. I also forgot that Angel didn't start out as an ensemble cast. We notice it particularly in this episode. It entirely focuses on Buffy and Angel. Cordy and Doyle are almost forgotten. I would have liked more interaction between them and Buffy.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on April 18th, 2009)