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War of the Worlds, a review by Tom

Title: War of the Worlds
Year: 2005
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 112 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, German, Turkish

Stars:
Tom Cruise
Dakota Fanning
Miranda Otto
Justin Chatwin
Tim Robbins

Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access

I think this is a great update to H.G. Wells' story and particular to the 50s movie adaption. I always enjoyed the fact, that not some miracle weapon or some patriotic hero showdown is the cause of the defeated aliens, but their own underestimation of Earth's environment. Instead the film focuses on the survival of one man and his kids.
I only have one real problem with the movie, and that is the "Spielberg" ending. Throughout the movie we see total destruction of cities, but the one street, where the mother of the kids is staying, is almost undamaged. And then to top it, the son who didn't want to stay with the father but instead joined the army guys to battle the aliens, also appears here again. I would have found it better from a story-telling point of view, when he would have died in the fire caused by the aliens just minutes after he joined the army, as the father originally thought.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on December 29th, 2008)

Justice League: Doom, a review by addicted2dvd

Justice League: Doom: Two-Disc Special Edition (2012/United States) Warner Home Video Director: Lauren Montgomery Writing: Dwayne McDuffie (Writer) Length: 77 min. Rating: Rated PG-13 : Sequences of Violent Action Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Thai: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai

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Stars:
Kevin Conroy as Batman
Tim Daly as Superman
Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman
Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern
Carl Lumbly as Martin Manhunter
Michael Rosenbaum as Flash 

Plot:
The Justice League consists of Earth's finest Super heroes and protectors of humanity. But in the mind of the Dark Knight, it contains potentially the most dangerous people on the planet. Over time, Batman has compiled top-secret contigency plans should any of them go rogue. When these files are stolen by a rising group of super villains, the Justice League embarks on a collision course that will test the very fabric of their alliance. With a steller voice cast headed by Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly and Nathan Fillion, this thrilling DC Universe Animated Original adventure will challange what you know about the Justice League as well as redefine what heroes are made of!

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• 2 Bonus Cartoons
• Sneak Peek: Superman vs. The Elite

I am sure you all are not surprised... but I just couldn't wait to watch this movie. I have always enjoyed the superhero animated movies. And this one is no different. I enjoyed every moment of this story. I especially enjoyed that this story has the Legion of Doom in it... as that is something I enjoyed every Saturday morning as a kid while watching the Super Friends. So I liked having a sort of nod towards that. This story did confuse me a little about Wonder Woman. It was like they couldn't decide if they wanted the version that could fly or not. In one scene they had her in her invisible plane and using a line to pull her up to the hovering invisible plane. Yet in another scene they had her flying. So I do wish they would have went one way or another with that. But that is ok... it didn't take away much from the story for me. For this being a 2-Disc Special Edition, there really isn't all that many extras offered here. Though they do have a nice 36min featurette on the late Dwyane McDuffie. There is also 2 episodes of Justice League... but that isn't a very big deal... especially if you already have the series in your collection. But either way... this is a good animated movie that I am happy I have in my collection!




(From The Movies from Within My Lifetime: 2012 Edition on March 8th, 2012)

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

Synopsis: By impersonating Starfleet officers and Patrick playing "Admiral Patrick" the four genetically enhanced patients come back to the station. Bashir tries to free Sarina from her catalepsy in which she's been since she was a child. And when Sarina finally awakes she turns out to be a beautiful young woman and Bashir immediately falls in love with her. But will her improvement be permanent?

My Opinion: I really liked the Sarina's blossoming. It was so nicely done how the other tried to help her with her voice training. That was beautiful. And their attempt of trying to find a way to stop the universe from collapsing in 70 trillion years was also funny to watch.

Synopsis: Odo is contacted by a cardassian informant he has known for years. But when he arrives at the secret meeting point he only finds Weyoun. But this isn't the Weyoun who led the war against the Federation. The fifth Weyoun clone was killed in a transporter accident a month ago. And this Weyoun 6 wants to defect and serve Odo. Odo and Weyoun 6 fly back to DS9 aboard a runabout but Weyoun 7 and Damar are willing to stop them at any cost. Meanwhile Nog is once again a sailor on the river of the Great Material Continuum and tries to acquire a graviton stabilizer for Chief O'Brien.

My Opinion: It was an OK episode. What I really liked about this episode was Nog's explanation of the Ferengi believe that there is actually something like the Great Material Continuum where those meet who have too little of one thing and too much of another and that the river brings these people together.

Synopsis: Kor hasn't been able to get a command of his own in the current war and he asks Worf for help. As it turns out Kor once prevented Martok from becoming an officer in the klingon military and now Martok is "returning the favor". But Worf secures him a position as third officer in a dangerous mission Martok and Worf are about to embark on.

My Opinion: A nice farewell for Kor. He was allowed to die as a warrior, as it should be. And he died a death worty of a Dahar Master. Songs will be sung about this deed. And unfortunately also one of the last appearances of John Colicos who also died two years later. I loved him both in the role of Kor but especially as the diabolical Baltar in the original Battlestar Galactica. "To Kor, a noble warrior to the end!" - Martok

Synopsis: The Defiant brings supplies to a group of Federation soldiers who defend a Dominion communications relay. And the Jem'Hadar want it back badly. The unit has lost many people and Sisko decides to stay until reinforcements arrive. And it's the first ground assault experience for both Nog and Ezri.

My Opinion: A very dark episode (literally and metaphorically). I think such episodes are important when you show war in a TV show. It's easy to forget or dismiss the dead when it's "just" starships that get blown to pieces. But to see them die one by one in close combat makes it much more real, especially when you have a connection to the characters.

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on March 1st, 2009)