DVD Collectors Online

3:10 to Yuma, a review by Rogmeister

3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Cast: Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Felicia Farr, Leora Dana, Henry Jones, Robert Emhardt
Title song performed by Frankie Laine
Music by George Duning
Directed by Delmer Daves

Even people who are not big western movie fans are familiar with the titles of many of the greatest westerns of all time...films like The Searchers, The Magnificent Seven, Shane and High Noon. I imagine many of them are not familiar, however, with 3:10 To Yuma. They should...it doesn't need to take a back seat to any of those movies.

As the movie begins, a stagecoach is being held up and a farmer (Van Heflin), looking for some cattle that have strayed, comes face to face with the gang and it's cool leader (Glenn Ford). They don't harm the farmer but take the horses he and his sons were riding. The farmer walks back to his ranch, gets a couple of horses and then goes back to help those still with the stagecoach. Returning to town, the farmer finds that the gang leader is in the saloon, his men having left town. The farmer talks to the outlaw and others get the drop on him. Discussing things, they feel they have to get the outlaw to the 3:10 train to Yuma and the farmer agrees to guard him once they reach the next town where that train will be as he can use the $200 the stage line owner offers him as he needs the money to bring in much-needed water for his livestock. Up until the time the train comes, the outlaw is cool as a cucumber and begins to psyche the farmer out. By the time the train comes, the farmer is all alone and must get his man to the train while surviving against a half-dozen gunmen.

This is a really great film. It's incredibly intense and has some fantastic black & white photography. It's based on a short story by Elmore Leonard and is definitely a true classic. Look it up the next time it shows up on your favorite classic movie channel. Oh yes, they did do a remake a few years ago with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.  That was a good movie, too...but I still prefer the original.

I bought this DVD several years ago...and it has no real extras.  It doesn't even have the original trailer...but it does have trailers for 2 other westerns, Silverado and Mackenna's Gold.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on July 15th, 2009)

The Dunwich Horror, a review by addicted2dvd

The Dunwich Horror
Single white warlock seeks beautiful blond babe to join him at the altar...the sacrificial altar! When the son of Satan (Dean Stockwell) seduces a wide-eyed college student (Sandra Dee), it's a match made in hell in this "exceptional, truly engrossing film of the supernatural" (Los Angeles Times) where the romance is hot...and the terror bone-chilling! Young Wilbur Whateley (Stockwell) has haunting eyes and an impish grin. No wonder, since his father was the devil and his mother was insane! So when Wilbur decides to start a family, he lures a cute coed (Dee) to the mountains for a weekend of demonic rites 'and' wrongs! Now all hell is about to break loose, as their passion awakes an ancient evil determined to destroy all humanity in this sinister scare-fest of satanic seduction!

My Thoughts:
I blind bought this movie during the horror sale last Halloween... but I never got around to watching it until now. While the story is pretty good... I didn't care much for the style what with the colored tinting on the film in many scenes. And I feel it really didn't age all that well. As I said... it was a good story... but a weird one. And I couldn't believe that was Dean Stockwell... he looks totally different!



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 5/15 - 5/17 on May 15th, 2009)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.03 The Unquiet Dead
Writer: Mark Gatiss (Writer)
Director: Euros Lyn
Cast: Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Alan David (Gabriel Sneed), Huw Rhys (Redpath), Jennifer Hill (Mrs Peace), Eve Myles (Gwyneth), Simon Callow (Charles Dickens), Wayne Cater (Stage Manager), Meic Povey (Driver), Zoe Thorne (The Gelth)

Originally I only wanted to watch one Doctor Who episode today. But then I saw that Eve Myles guest starred in this episode. I now know her from the main cast of Torchwood. Her character here is very different. If I hadn't read the name, I am not sure if I would have recognized her. Even though knowing it is her, it is rather obvious. She did a good job.

This episode reintroduces the concept, that when the doctor travels to the earth's path, he usually encounters an alien life form, from which he has to save humankind. It is a good episode, even though I am not much a fan of "ghost" stories.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on January 6th, 2014)