DVD Collectors Online

Rush Hour , a review by Dragonfire

Rush Hour My Thoughts I decided that I was in the mood to watch this one again.  I first saw it in the theater when it originally came out and I've watched it several times since then.  I've also enjoyed the sequels, though I think this one is the best.  The plot is entertaining and interesting even though it isn't that complicated.  Much of what happens isn't the most original, but I don't mind the predictability since things are interesting.  There is a decent amount of action to what is going on, a lot of it provided by Jackie Chan and the different fights he ends up in.  The fight scenes are done well and look really good.  There is a good amount of humor to what is happening as well.  The characters are interesting and entertaining.  I do like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker together, though Tucker can get a bit annoying at times.  I definitely like Chan more. There are a lot of extras on the DVD.  There is a long featurette on the making of the movie that is very interesting and covers all sorts of things tied to the making of the movie.  It even shows Chan working out a stunt sequence. Overall, this is a well done, entertaining action comedy that is worth seeing. I got a review posted on Epinions a few years ago. Rush Hour

(From Rush Hour on September 23rd, 2010)

I Am From Titov Veles, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are: Macedonia
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Jas sum od Titov Veles (I Am From Titov Veles)
Year of Release: 2007
Directed By: Teona Strugar
Starring: Labina Mitevska, Ana Kostovska, Nikolina Kujaca, Xhevdet Jashari
Genre: Drama

Overview:
Set in the quaint but scarred town of Veles, three sisters long to escape the suffocating environment of their dying community.  Burdened by memories of their late father, each chooses a different path:  Sapho struggles to secure a visa to Greece, Slavica desperately searches for a rich husband, and Afrodita harbors hopes for love and children.  In this contemporary story of urban decay, director Teona Strugar Mitevska blends stark realism with memorable performances to create a vivid landscape of life and longing in post-communist Macedonia.

My Thoughts:
Watching this film, I am reminded of coal country - eastern Kentucky, West Virginia - except instead of coal, here we have a factory that brings jobs and poisons the land and people.  We have a bleak crumbling infrastructure people are desperate to escape from - into dreams, drugs, sex, or to actually grasp the ability to leave for better opportunity.  This was a really well done character study, both of the sisters themselves and the character of the place.  You can feel the despair and the hopelessness roil off the screen.  If that didn't say it - this isn't a happy story, and it doesn't have a happy ending.  But it has something to say about life and living, and that always makes for a film worth seeing.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on May 12th, 2014)

Life on Mars Marathon (US Version), a review by addicted2dvd

14. Coffee, Tea, or Annie


Guest Stars:
Mark Deklin as Ronald Harris
Gina Gershon as Rita
Kelli Giddish as Carol
Mark Linn-Baker as Lincoln James

My Thoughts:
This is a fun episode. Who knew that stewertess' were so much fun back in the day! I liked how this one was such a big episode for Annie. I definitely enjoy that character! Though I do admit it was weird to see her in a long dark wig. And I got to say... I loved the way Annie stood up for herself and the very end of this episode!

My Rating:

---

15. All the Young Dudes
When Sam poses as a streetwise tough to infiltrate a vicious New York City gang suspected of truck hijackings, he's pushed to the limit not to blow his cover, and he reveals a much darker side. A bare-knuckled fist fight with a gang member, a late-night deal to buy a truckload of stolen VCRs and even time behind bars at his own precinct are all necessary elements of Sam's scam. But can he keep up the ruse when he's told to shoot a bound-and-gagged woman? And his attraction to the gang leader's sister also seems to be part of a recipe for disaster.

Guest Stars:
Jennifer Ferrin as Rose Tyler
Peter Greene as Jimmy McManus
Paige Turco as Colleen McManus
Daniel Stewart Sherman as Big Patrick

My Thoughts:
A decent episode... though not great. I didn't like the way Sam acted in this one. It just didn't seem in character for him. But I must admit this episode has a shocker of a cliffhanger ending. After that ending there is no way I could't watch the next one!

My Rating:

---

16. Everyone Knows It's Windy
Following the shooting of Ray and Chris, crime fighting gets extremely personal at the 125th Precinct. When the shooter is then murdered outside a neighborhood bar and FBI agent Franklin Morgan is sent to the precinct, both sides of the law suspect Sam of murder, leaving him to question his own innocence. With the evidence stacking up against him, Sam must rely on his friends at the precinct to bend the rules as he tenaciously searches for the real killer.

Guest Stars:
Scott Adsit as Dr. Clifford Dorsett
Tanya Fischer as Windy
Peter Gerety as Agent Frank Morgan
Peter Greene as Jimmy McManus

My Thoughts:
This is a good conclusion to the last episode. Sam has to clear his name. And I must say.. I like how the entire group he works with backed him up... whether they liked him or not. And I thought how Annie talked some sense into him towards the end was good. Enjoyed this one.

My Rating:

---

17. Life is a Rock
Sam wakes up after dreaming about his 2008 apartment with 1973 characters and is told he is most likely closer to going back and later on a mysterious caller offers Sam a chance to return to 2008; all he needs to do is complete three tasks, but a confusing set of circumstances inside and out of the 1-2-5 makes him think twice about whether he even wants to go back. When love, death, promise, hope, fear and mystery converge, will Sam decide to stay in 1973 or return to the future? At the end of the episode, the final truth about Sam's life is revealed, possibly stranger than anyone expected...

Guest Stars:
Lisa Bonet as Maya Daniels
Jennifer Ferrin as Rose Tyler
Tanya Fischer as Windy
Peter Gerety as Agent Frank Morgan

My Thoughts:
The last episode of the series! The first thing I want to say is I am so glad they knedw about the cancelation far enough in advance that they were able to end it properly. The final story is really good I enjoyed every minute of it. I especially liked how they tied everything together and the answer to what it was that Sam experienced. I also liked that Annie got what she worked so hard and long for. This is definitely one of my favorite series finales that I have in my collection. It is just all so well done and enjoyable.

My Rating:

(From Life on Mars Marathon (US Version) on January 6th, 2010)