DVD Collectors Online

Son of the Mask, a review by addicted2dvd

Son of the Mask
More mischief...more mayhem...more magic! The Mask is back. A decade after wreaking havoc in Edge City, the legendary Mask of Loki finds its way into the hands of cartoonist Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy), whose new son is born with the Mask's spectacular powers. The newborn boy an d the family's jealous dog engage in a boy versus bowser battle royale for control of the Mask that turns the household upside down. But the really BIG trouble begins when Loki himself (Alan Cumming), the god of mischief, comes looking for his Mask and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get it back. Co-starring Traylor Howard and Bob Hoskins.

Stars:
Jamie Kennedy
Alan Cumming
Traylor Howard

My Thoughts:
My daughter and I felt like watching a movie together... and she picked this one out. While there is some laughs to be had in this movie... I think I prefer the first one a little more. I did like seeing Traylor Howard in this movie. I always enjoyed her in the TV Series Monk. This is a good movie when you are just in the mood to watch something silly that you don't need to think about at all.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 8/28 - 8/30 on August 30th, 2009)

Ocean Waves, a review by dfmorgan

Title: Ocean Waves
Original Title: Umi Ga Kikoeru
Year: 1993
Director: Tomomichi Mochizuki
Rating: PG
Length: 72 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Nobuo Tobita
Toshihiko Seki
Yoko Sakamoto
Yuri Amano
Kae Araki

Plot:
Rarely seen outside of its native Japan and never before released within the U.K, Ocean Waves (also known as Umi Ga Kikoeru and I Can Hear The Sea) is one of Studio Ghibli's most obscure and sought after titles. Directed by Tomomi Mochizuki (Princess Nine) and based upon author, essayist and playwright Saeko Himuro's most popular, best selling novel, Ocean Waves is one of the most poignant and unsung masterpieces within Studio Ghibli's legendary creative output. Wonderfully detailed and incredibly subtle, there are very few films in the histroy of animation that have managed to capture so well the joys and drama of adolescence and teenage alienation.

Kochi is your average coastal town on the sleepy, idyllic island of Shikoku and young Taku is definitely your average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful, female student recently transferred fromTokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers


I only watched and reviewed this in February so my thoughts are still much the same. At heart a sweet and gentle love triangle. Taku and Yutaka have been friends since starting high school. Yutaka as the class representative is asked to show a transfer student, Rikako, around. Rikako has transferred in from Tokyo following her mothers separation from her father. Taku realises that his friend has feelings for Rikako but tries to not get involved. However fate has other plans and stirs things up until the friendship starts to strain. As a short film there isn't a lot of character development and some bits of the storyline appear rushed. It is obviously not a Miyazaki film as most scenes featuring trees, plants, fields, the sea are static images but then again it was also a low budget film.

A bit of background as, like Only Yesterday, this film has not been released in the US. Apparently, as a made for TV film, Disney decided not to accept this as part of the overall Studio Ghibli catalogue it wished to promote. Optimum Releasing, from the UK, had the opportunity to take this film in 2009 and did so. They released the film to DVD in its original Japanese language with subtitles as part of their Ponyo promotion in early 2010.

Overall still an enjoyable film but I'll drop the 4 rating down to 3 now that I've watched this following other Studio Ghibli titles

Dave

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on July 7th, 2010)

Smallville Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

9. ROGUE
The secret is out - perhaps. Clark performs a lifesaving act of superheroism, thinking there is no witnesses, but a nearby cop sees everything, and he has blackmail in mind.

My Thoughts:
This was another good episode... nothing that really stands out on it... but enjoyable.

10. SHIMMER
A servant is supposed to be invisible to their employers. But someone at Lex's mansion takes that axiom literally when he uses an invisibility potion to cloak himself during a manor-wide terror spree.

My Thoughts:
In my opinion only an ok episode. Has a couple decent moments but like the one before... nothing all that special about it.

11. HUG
His kryptonite-infused handshakeseals the deal! a manipulative, wheeler-dealer entreprenuer exerts a myseterious power over Smallville residents - and even convinces Clark's dad to sell the family farm.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. an interesting situation... and the first time they use the forget angle when someone finds out that Clark isn't "normal".

12. LEECH
Lets see how the other half live. After a fluke lightning strike, Clark experiences the joys and pains of a normal human existance, and a classmate suddenly has the powers once weilded by Clark.

My Thoughts:
This one is a really good episode... I enjoyed it a lot... the storyline of how another could/would handle the powers Clark possesses is an interesting one.

(From Smallville Marathon on July 31st, 2007)