DVD Collectors Online

Joe Kidd, a review by Rich

Joe Kidd



Clint Eastwood stars as the title character in this low-key, moderately politicised variation of his spaghetti westerns. In New Mexico in the late 1890s, the fiery Louis Chama (John Saxon) leads a group of Mexican-American peasants in a fight for their land after the evidence of their ownership has been destroyed in a questionable courthouse fire. The wealthy Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall), who also lays claim to the disputed land, has decided to bypass the legal system and hires a group of killers to take care of Chama. Kidd, who initially rejects Harlan's offer to join his hunting party, changes his mind when he finds that Chama has stolen some of his horses and brutalized one of his ranch hands. However, after seeing Harlan randomly pick off some Mexicans and becoming interested in Helen Sanchez (Stella Garcia), Kidd begins to think twice about his current employer.

Mis-firing Western with little to excite or interest.
The storyline is fairly woeful, plodding along at a snails pace, and given the names involved both in front of and behind the camera it's a waste.
Unless you are completing an Eastwood collection or have an hour and a half to waste, I'd pass this one by.
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on March 18th, 2009)

Alien, a review by Dragonfire

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Alien In the first chapter of the terrifying Alien saga, the crew of the spaceship Nostromo answers a distress signal from a desolate planet, only to discover a deadly life form that breeds within human hosts. Now the crew members must fight not only for their own survival, but for the survival of all humankind.

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This is the first time that I've watched this movie.  I've heard a little about it over the years, but I just never saw it for some reason.  I'm still not sure why.  I'd been thinking about getting it for a while when I finally picked it up.  I went into watching this not knowing any more about the plot than what was on the back of the case - though I did know about one thing that would happen.  I think that was the best way.  The movie is very well done and has held up incredibly well.  Most of the effects were created in a more practical way - puppets or someone in a rubber suit - and that works great for the movie.  It allows for the tension to slowly build and makes things creepier and scarier overall than if the creature had been shown right away.  The characters work well, though most of them aren't that developed.  Ash is creepy as hell right from the start, even before everything is known about him.  Ripley is a great character and one of the best female characters in movies.  She deals fairly well with the situation she ends up in, and doesn't cower in a corner and wait to be saved. 

The movie is wonderful and I'm glad I finally watched it.  Especially that I watched it before Prometheus.  I saw definite connections there...small, but they are there.  I would have missed all that if I hadn't watched this one.



I did get a longer review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Alien


(From Marie's Random Movie Viewing on June 17th, 2012)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: During the repair of a food replicator, Chief O'Brien accidentally activates a hidden device that was planted there during the construction of the station 18 years ago. This device injects a virus into each replicated food. After the incubation time people start to babble incoherently, then they get fever and die. Even worse: At some point the virus has mutated and has become airborne. Now the entire station is in danger.

My Opinion: It was an average episode, but we've seen Odo and Quark working together for the first time and that was fun.

Synopsis: The first visitor from the Gamma Quadrant comes through the wormhole but he is not on a diplomatic mission. He is the prey in a hunt and the hunters are closing in. But he is no criminal nor did he do anything wrong - not even by the standards of his home world. He was bred to be the prey. The longer he stays alive and eludes his captors the more honour he brings to himself and to the hunter that kills him at last.

My Opinion: Genetically implemented "To the death!" mentality will become a common theme in DS9 and I think the characters handled this situation very well. They've bend the Prime Directive ("no interference in the business of other cultures unless asked to") without breaking it. I don't think Picard could have handled it better.

Synopsis: When the Runabout-class shuttle Ganges returns from the Gamma Quadrant they bring someone with them: Vash. Vash is a archaeologist who is more in the game for the money than the science. A few years back she accepted an offer by the godlike being Q to show her all the interesting places in the universe. Now she's back and Q with her. And Q always equals trouble.

My Opinion: Unfortunately this was the only appearance of John de Lancie in his role as Q on DS9. Stories with Q have mostly been interesting and this was one of them, especially (again) to point out the differences between Picard and Sisko. I really liked it when Sisko punched Q square in the face and he wasn't expecting that.

Synopsis: Three men try to kidnap Jadzia Dax from the station and bring her to a court. Jadzia Dax is a Trill, a symbiotic joined species with a humanoid host and a slug-like symbiont. When the host dies the symbiont will be transplanted into a new one. The former being - and mentor of Cmdr. Sisko - Curzon Dax has died a few years ago but now Jadzia is charged for a murder where Curzon is the prime suspect. But can Jadzia Dax being held responsible for something Curzon Dax supposedly did?

My Opinion: I liked that episode. It reminded me of the TNG episode where it was discussed whether or not Data - as an artificial life-form - has the right to make his own decisions. They had some compelling arguments for both sides and since the minds of host and symbiont have been truly merged it isn't as easy as it would be with Stargate SG-1's Goa'uld/Tok'ra. I also find it fascinating what we will learn about Curzon throughout the show without ever meeting him (except for that short flashback in the pilot).

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on September 20th, 2008)