DVD Collectors Online

North by Northwest, a review by Achim

Title: North by Northwest
Year: 1959
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: NR
Length: 136 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital TrueHD, French: Dolby Digital Mono, German: Dolby Digital Mono, Italian: Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono, Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround, Music Only: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
Cary Grant
Eva Marie Saint
James Mason (1889)
Jessie Royce Landis
Leo G. Carroll

Plot:
Cary Grant is the screen's supreme man-on-the-run in his fourth and final teaming with Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock. He plays a Manhattan adman plunged into a realm of spy (James Mason) and counterspy (Eva Marie Saint) and variously abducted, framed for murder, chased, and in a signature set-piece, crop-dusted. He also hangs for dear life from the facial features of Mount Rushmore's Presidents. Savor one of Hollywood's most enjoyable thrillers ever in this State-of-the-Art Restoration. It's Renewed Picture Vitality will leave you just as breathless as the chase itself.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes

It has been many many years (darn, I just had to put two "many"...) since I last saw this and unfortunately I remembered it faster paced than it presented itself today. This could, of course, be a problem of changed perception due to the film making we are surrounded by today (with it's flash cutting and "MTV sensibilities"). However, even the slower bits were held up by good dialog and some thrown in comedy bits. Yet again, I agree that the film would not be any worse if it had some additional cuts here and there.

The plot is Hitchcock's beloved "wrong man" theme, where an everyday guy is mistaken for someone else and finds himself running from everyone (police and crooks). I think in past viewings I had always missed the point where he is mistaken, was glad to see today how well that was actually handled. Also, seeing the film sees it's 50th anniversary this year, I found it surprising just how much sexual innuendo, to the point where it almost wasn't just innuendo anymore, there was. Hitchcock varies whether to keep us slightly ahead of the film's main character or with the same knowledge for good effect and heightened suspense. There is little less suspense than one might expect though, as much room is given to the love story (almost like in To Catch a Thief, also with Cary Grant; maybe it was him who made the master plot a different course...?)

Cary Grant was a great choice for Roger Thornhill, providing the comedic timing needed for the role. James Mason amazes with his cool display of the bad guy. We also have the reliable Martin Landau as the henchman, the beautiful Eve-Marie Saint as the love interest and Leo G. Carrol.



The Blu-ray comes with a stunning picture, providing marvelous detail and mostly very sharp images. Given that the film is 50 years old I was highly impressed; I have seen terrible transfers on far more recent films. Also on the disc are four documentaries in total length of more than 3 hours and an audio commentary.

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on November 23rd, 2009)

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, a review by addicted2dvd

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015/United States) Paramount Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Christopher Landon Writing: Carrie Evans (Screenwriter), Emi Mochizuki (Screenwriter), Christopher Landon (Screenwriter), Carrie Evans (Story By), Emi Mochizuki (Story By), Lona Williams (Story By) Length: 92 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish

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Stars:
Ty Sheridan as Ben Goudy
Logan Miller as Carter Grant
Joey Morgan as Augie Foster
Sarah Dumont as Denise Russo
David Koechner as Scout Leader Rogers

Plot:
Three scouts and lifelong friends join forces with one badass cocktail waitress to become the world's most unlikely team of heroes. When their peaceful town is ravaged by a zombie invasion, they'll fight for the badge of a lifetime and put their scouting skills to a test to save mankind from the undead. "Wickedly funny and endlessly entertaining."* Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is "wall-to-wall laughs, thrills, and chills."**

*Heather Wixson, DAILY DEAD
**Steve Barton, DREAD CENTRAL

Extras:

• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

What do I say about this one? Mostly unfunny comedy... though there is a few good jokes here and there. Some of it works some of it doesn't. The same goes for the zombie effects and action. It is one that kept my attention enough to get through it. But is no more then an average horror comedy.



(From Horror / Halloween 2017 Challenge on October 8th, 2017)

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

12. A New Man (2000-01-25)
Writer: Jane Espenson (Writer)
Director: Michael Gershman
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Robin Sachs (Ethan Rayne), Amber Benson (Tara), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Lindsay Crouse (Maggie Walsh), Elizabeth Penn Payne (Waitress), Michelle Ferrara (Mother)

I enjoyed this filler episode very much. Giles feeling sorry for himself because he is being neglected by the gang. It's also fun how Riley learns about Buffy's daily slayage quota

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on August 31st, 2009)