DVD Collectors Online

Rooster Cogburn, a review by Antares

Rooster Cogburn (1975) 55/100 - I hadn't seen this film since way back in the late seventies and I really couldn't remember the plot, so it was like I never watched it before. Now I'm kind of wishing that I never had in the first place. Painfully slow and a lazy screenplay which really just lifts wholesale segments of Hepburn's earlier film, The African Queen. And just as in that film, her character's holier than thou ramblings are especially grating after a while. I knew I was in trouble when I realized that the best performance halfway through the film was being put forth by Anthony Zerbe, a character actor well known for being a gluttonous scenery chewer. In fact, his is the only performance that I liked in the whole film. Wayne is cartoonish in this second rendering of the famous role which helped him win his only Academy Award of his career. The main villain is played almost with a toss away style by Richard Jordan, an actor whom I usually enjoy. Sad that he's kind of dialing it in. For Wayne's sake, I'm glad that he made The Shootist, the following year, because it would have been sad to end his long and iconic career with this turkey.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 4th, 2015)

Knives of the Avenger, a review by Achim

Title: I coltelli del vendicatore
Year: 1966
Director: Mario Bava
Rating: NR
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: Italian: Dolby Digital Mono, English: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Cameron Mitchell
Fausto Tozzi [Frank Ross]
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart [Jack Stuart]
Luciano Pollentin [Louis Polle]
Amedeo Trilli [Michael Moore]

Plot:
In their third and final collaboration, 'Cameron Mitchell' stars for 'Mario Bava' as a Viking drifter torn between guilt, vengeance and his love for a peasant woman and her young son. Co-written by Bava (as 'John Hold'), the film delivers robust raping and pillaging yet proffers a uniquely humanistapproach that virtually re-imagines SHANE as a Viking drama. The result transcends its typically chestthumping genre to emerge as one of Bava's most emotionally complex and visually compelling films.

This remastered presentation of KNIVES OF THE AVENGER includes, for the first time on DVD, the original Italian language audio track with optional English subtitles, as well as the dubbed English track.

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Production Notes


The overview talking about vikings I wasn't sure I'd really want to watch this today; vikings sounding more like Sunday-afternoon entertainment. But, this is Bava and all was well

First of all the whole film felt more like a western than a viking movie. Lots of horse riding (did vikings do that....?) and especially the music made one almost forget that this is played in the north and they used swords rather than guns. The complex, but far from confusing story was told skillfully, always keeping me interested about what was coming next; never is the viewer giving too much or too little information.
Two standout moments where Bava expertly tightens the tension screw were the face-off in the inn and the climax. Also interesting (although possibly not on purpose) was how th emovie started out rather colorful, mainly lush greens, and then as the story progressed into the darker sections the colors on screen became muted.

Acting was quite good, but as usual the fact that everything was dubbed (even the Italian track, guess the on-location sound was unusable) made things difficult to judge.



(From Mario Bava marathon on June 29th, 2009)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Fringe

Pilot
When all the passengers and crew on Flight 627 Hamburg-to-Boston die in a hideous manner, FBI agent Olivia Dunham investigates the event. While following up a lead, her partner and lover, John Scott, undergoes life-threatening chemical contamination. A desperate Olivia looks for help and finds Dr. Walter Bishop, who cannot help her because he has been institutionalized. The only way to even question him is with the help of his son Peter.
Olivia continues her investigations and goes to Nina Sharp, a manipulative executive. Olivia, Peter and Dr. Bishop begin to discover what really happened on Flight 627 and start to uncover a larger truth.



A television drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

The first part of this pilot is incredibly interesting and promised a great deal. A bit of x-files with more focus on the investigation, the characters were optimistically well thought out, and the pace gripping. I felt it lost its way in the middle as the storyline floundered, with a bit too much focus on introduction of the leads and providing backdrop to the series, but it picked up well with a good and surprising finish.
A definate series to revisit before year-end, this is good viewing for all.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 27th, 2009)