DVD Collectors Online

The Man with the Golden Gun, a review by Dragonfire

James Bond has been marked for death, and he'll need all his lethal instincts and seductive charm to survive in this action-packed adventure! Roger Moore returns as Agent 007 and faces off in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Featuring a wild automobile chase though Bangkok and Bond's stunning confrontation with an entire martial-arts school. 'The Man With the Golden Gun' delivers nonstop excitement!

My Thoughts

This one is entertaining, though a few things didn't work as well for me.  That annoying Sheriff turning up on vacation and going along on the one chase with James didn't work at all for me.  I didn't like the guy in Live and Let Die either.  The character were ok, though none really stood out that much to me.  I agree about expecting Nick Nack to start going on about the plane.  I'm not sure why, but he just didn't seem that ...effective as bad guy to me.  The action was fine and did keep things interesting.  Once again, a beautiful woman ended up running around in a bikini during the final climax.  At least Scaramanga did say he made her wear that to make sure she didn't have any hidden weapons..but still it was a bit stupid.

I still need to watch all the extras.  I'll get to that before I post a longer review on Epinions.

Overall it was an entertaining movie.

 

(From James Bond Marathon on March 30th, 2009)

Castle in the Sky, a review by dfmorgan

Title: Castle in the Sky
Original Title: Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta
Year: 1986
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: NR
Length: 124 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Keiko Yokozawa
Mayumi Tanaka
Kotoe Hatsui
Nou Terada
Fujio Tokita

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned
"Castle in the Sky" Introduction by John Lasseter


Another wonderful film from Hayao Miyazaki and the first to be actually created and released by the newly formed Studio Ghibli. Although not as overtly ecological as there were still elements within this film, the large tree at the centre of Laputa and the function of some of the robots on the island. The film again features a female lead character but this time she has a male lead to help and assist her. The story revolves around Pazu, the male lead, helping Sheeta, the female lead, find her true identity and home. As the film progresses we gradually learn that Sheeta is descended from the people of Laputa and that the crystal she wears has an important function.

One thing that came to my attention in both this and is how much Joe Hisaishi's music enables the mood, this is also evident in Ennio Morricone's music within the Spaghetti Western trilogy. Maybe todays composers, producers, directors need to review the way that they seem to use music so that instead of it being bang crash boom over the voices of the actors with a huge coda everytime the actor makes a statement that they think is relevant to the plot of the film.

A wonderful 5

Dave

ETA original title

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on June 17th, 2010)

Lesbian Movie Marathon, a review by Tom

Title: Tipping the Velvet
Year: 2002
Director:
Rating: 15
Length: 175 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Rachael Stirling
Keeley Hawes
Sally Hawkins
Jodhi May
Hugh Bonneville

Plot:
Set in England in the 1890s, Tipping the Velvet is a colourful, passionate and entertaining love story, which follows our heroine's growth into womanhood.

EPISODE 1

The glamorous world of the 19th -century music hall provides the backdrop for Nan's first love affair with Kitty Butler, a popular male impersonator. When Kitty is offered the chance to perform in London, a delighted Nan accompanies her as a dresser, but true success doesn't happen until Nan becomes part of the act.

EPISODE 2

Alone and devastated by her betrayal, Nan cannot return to her family in Whitstable so takes to the streets to survive. In her guise as a male impersonator, she finds a niche in the Victorian sexual underworld and is also drawn into the web of a rich Sapphic, society widow who offers sex, excitement and luxury but at a perilous price.

EPISODE 3

Diana throws out Nan and Blake and Blake disappears with all of the money leaving a totally destitute Nan. The only person she can think to turn to ends up unwelcoming to her. So begins a very different phase for Nan, which leads ultimately to her making the most important decision of her life

Extras:
Interviews
Photo Gallery
Scene Access

This mini series is based on another novel by the same author, whom provided the source for "Fingersmith", the other mini series I reviewed recently. And I liked this adaption just as much, if not more, as "Fingersmith".
I am surprised, with what you can get away with in a BBC series. If it had been an American series, it would have to be at least HBO (or something similar), to be able to show this. Of course here in Germany it wouldn't have any trouble to be on normal prime time

Rating:

(From Lesbian Movie Marathon on April 29th, 2009)