DVD Collectors Online

Umrao Jaan, a review by Tom

Title: Umrao Jaan
Year: 2006
Director: J.P. Dutta
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 188 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Aishwarya Rai
Shabana Azmi
Suneil Shetty
Abhishek Bachchan
Bikram Saluja

Extras:
Scene Access

A remake of an Indian classic. It is a really boring movie. The three hour running time is too much for the story. They could have easily told the same in one hour. The two stars (famous Bollywood couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan) were okay, but the acting of most of the supporting cast was amateurish. Would be interesing to see the original with Rekha, but I haven't found a decent DVD release of that one.

Rating:

(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 8th, 2009)

The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a review by Dragonfire

Brendan Fraser and Jet Li star in the action-packed adventureThe Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor! When a 2,000-year-old curse is broken, a ruthless dragon emperor (Li) comes back to life with a diabolical plan to enslave the world. Mankind's only hope against him and his legions of undead warriors lies with the courageous O'Connell family, who chase him from the dangerous catacombs of China, to the icy Himalayas and beyond. Featuring intense battle sequences, breathtaking visual effects and extraordinary creatures, it's a thrilling journey that Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times calls "the best of the series!"

My Thoughts

This is an entertaining addition to the series, though it isn't as good as the first two.  Maria Bello is fine as Evie, but the character just isn't the same and the dynamic between Rick and Evie is changed as a result.  I didn't mind that their son was back, but I think it would have been better if he was younger..maybe a teenager.  As it is, he looks too old to be Rick and Evie's son.  I also didn't like how the relationship in the family had changed since the second movie.  The movie does have a fun adventure overall and there is some humor again.  Jonathon - who I loved in the first two movies - didn't seem to do as much, which was disappointing to me.  It was interesting that the movie dealt with a different sort of mummy coming back to life.  That did offer some new things for the movie, though it is still mostly predictable.  The movie is entertaining and worth watching, but I do think it could have been better.

 

I did get a review posted on Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

(From Dragonfire: What I've Been Watching on May 27th, 2009)

Charmed Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. A Witches Tale
The Charmed Ones struggle to help a beautiful mermaid from losing her immortality, but are hindered by morphing mishaps and a fiendish water demon. Sea Hag.

My Thoughts:
This is a good double length episode. As I have said before... I always enjoyed the episodes where the sisters get turned into things. Well this time it is Phoebe's turn... as she is turned into a mermaid... and then don't want to return to her regular life because she don't want to deal with Cole being back. And I can't blame her there... I am so sick of seeing Cole get killed off only to return later. Thankfully there is only a handful of episodes left before he finally leaves the show.

2. Happily Ever After
When an evil witch traps The Charmed Ones in warped classic fairy tales, Phoebe as Cinderella meets evil Prince Charming, Paige eats a poison apple, and Piper goes head-on with a big bad wolf.

My Thoughts:
While it was still ok... This one I didn't really care all that much for. The fairy tales coming to life felt more like they were running out of ideas then anything else. It just seemed more on the silly side then anything else to me.

3. Siren Song
Piper and Paige tries to save Phoebe's life from the scandalous Siren while Piper and Leo's personas are switched magically by their unborn child.

My Thoughts:
This was a good episode. I enjoyed it a lot. I really had to laugh when Piper tried to blow up a demon and instead her unborn child made flowers appear instead. Then the way her unborn child switched Leo and Piper's powers was a lot of fun as well.

(From Charmed Marathon on June 30th, 2008)