DVD Collectors Online

The Stunt Man, a review by Achim

The Stunt Man (1980/United States) Severin Films (United States) Director: Richard Rush Writing: Lawrence B. Marcus (Screenwriter), Richard Rush (Writer), Paul Brodeur (Original Material By) Length: 131 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

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Stars:
Peter O'Toole as Eli Cross
Steve Railsback as Cameron
Barbara Hershey as Nina Franklin
Allan Goorwitz as Sam
Alex Rocco as Jake

Plot:Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interviews

Not knowing why the young veteran is on the run (one of the funniest things in the movie when we find out later on) gives him a mysterious edge, as we don't know how dangerous he just might be. The director has his own agenda why he protects the young veteran from the police. The lead actress of the movie being filmed creates a triangle among those three, that will slowly but steadily get out of control. There is comedy, action and romance and the director balances all elements competently throughout; I only found one scene misjudged (when the young veteran tells the lady he loves why the police is after him). The ending lacks a bit of closure for some of the plot lines, but the open endedness is rather typical for the time the film was made in.

Good acting, Peter O'Toole gives a particularly great performance (hence the Oscar nomination) although Steve Railsback seems to struggle occasionally, an interesting story and occasionally inventive camera work make this a pleasant watch.

Rating:

(From The Movies from Within My Lifetime on July 16th, 2011)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a review by Danae Cassandra

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Year of Release: 1968
Directed By: Ken Hughes
Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Lionel Jeffries, Sally Ann Howes, Heather Ripley, Adrian Hall
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Musical

Overview:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - start your engines.  You're about to take an incredible role with one of the most wonderful family  films of all time!  With its clever tunes (including the OSCAR-Nominated title song), marvelous cast and enchanting storylien, this delightful romp is lots of fun and simply "toot sweet" to pass up!  Dick Van Dyke stars as eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, who creates an extraordinary car called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  It not only drives - but also flies and floats - as it leads him, his two children and his beautiful lady friend, Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), into a magical world of pirates, castles and endless adventure.

My Thoughts:
There's a lot to like here.  The inventions are silly, the production values are excellent, and Dick Van Dyke is a very talented performer.  This is his show, however, and is a showcase for his talent, so if you aren't a fan this isn't a film for you.  

It's runtime is quite bloated, and the movie very much feels like it's two films shoehorned together.  It would have been a lot better, IMO, if the filmmakers had decided on one of the two plots and developed that, and edited about thirty minutes out of the film.  There are several songs that could have easily been trimmed for time and lost nothing to the film.  

That aside, I did enjoy the film and would recommend it if you like Dick Van Dyke and don't mind a long movie.

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 28th, 2016)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
This is a children's show from East Germany. It was the third in the "Spuk" series. In the dark ages three aliens from the planet Obskura built a vacation home in the Erzgebirge mountains and only left a robot (disguised as "grandpa" Rodenwald) to guard it. Now a family from East Berlin has moved in and starts to notice the odd things going on in it. To make matters more complicated the three aliens have returned because they have to bring back the house (they actually stole the building materials from their home planet) and a filming team has arrived to shoot a movie about the tales from the dark ages surrounding the house.

"Das alte Haus"My Opinion
And for the third and last time: When I was a kid I enjoyed this nine-part show. So when it became available on DVD I bought it purely for sentimental reasons. But if you're having small children, it's still a great story.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on April 4th, 2013)