DVD Collectors Online

Halloween, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Halloween
Movie Count: 13
TV Ep Count: 2
Time Started: 8:30am
Plot:
Fifteen years ago, Michael Myers brutally massacred his sister. Now, after escaping from a mental hospital, he's back to relive his grisly crime again, and again...and again..

My Thoughts:
This is of course a classic horror that I must watch every year around this time. I normally like to save the Halloween movies for Halloween day... but the urge hit me really early this month. I am planning on saving at least 1 (of the 4) that I have for Halloween day. This is of course the one that started it all... and finding out from one of the featurettes on the disc... a movie that was shot very quickly and cheaply. You would never know it watching the movie. I feel they all did an awesome job on this movie!/b]

(From Month-Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 5th, 2007)

The Mob, a review by Antares

The Mob (1951) 78/100 - Found this over on YouTube, and though it really is more of a crime film than a noir, I have to say that I really enjoyed this. Broderick Crawford does a good job as the undercover cop who infiltrates the docks, looking for mob related activity. You can see the beginnings of his Highway Patrol character Chief Dan Mathews, from a few years later starting to emerge. The most fun part of the film is spotting some of the better character actors of the fifties and sixties in minor roles. Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Marley, Neville Brand, Emile Meyer, Lawrence Dobkin and Frank De Kova all have small, but interesting roles in the screenplay. It's a fast paced film that never relents in keeping the story engaging and involving. Toss in some very good camera work and you've got one of those hidden gems from the vaults of Columbia Pictures.

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 November 12th, 2014)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon, a review by goodguy

2x08 Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today
Synopsis: John and Riley's getaway to Mexico has unforeseen consequences that bring the entire group south of the border and Sarah face-to-face with Ellison.
My Rating:

Matthias has pointed out before it's his favorite and I can at least confirm from my side that it's the best episode yet.

I was only referring to the title, not the episode itself, although, as evident from my rating, I do consider it another excellent episode. As for the title: I didn't catch on to it right from the start. I found it oddly fitting to describe Cromartie's demise and I remember having that sentence stuck in my head for a while like a piece of music. But it wasn't until I rewatched S1 that I noticed it is the very first line of Cromartie in the pilot, when he appeared as a substitute teacher (and was played by another actor). Which fits nicely with the way the characters in this episode try to replace something they have lost.

Well, if he wasn't doing things like running away without telling anyone, there wouldn't be any exciting plots

More importantly, he would just be dead. Both Sarah and Cameron don't want John to be with Riley. Both think he is in his room, sleeping in. Both are the ones that allowed Cromartie to pick up the trail. But as Cromartie arrives at the house, John is gone. With Riley.

I always enjoy the "bits and pieces" approach to tell a story, presenting us with segments, each following another person, that slightly overlap. This way important information can occasionally be left out only to be revealed later on. Kudos to the writer team to pulling it off very effectively

I admit that on first viewing I dismissed it as too gimmicky, but it really isn't. Only in the case of Ellison's sudden appearance it is played for surprise, and even then not exclusively. More important seems to be the overlap and repetition of certain key bits and how it enhances the almost lyrical feeling the dialogue often has. And, of course, the different story segments emphasize how fractured team Connor has become.

As it all comes together in Cromartie's story, Ellison does lead him to the Connors, but on his own terms, because "all things are possible to him who believes." The shootout in a Mexican church uses bold Christ imagery, and a rather short version of another traditional song (La Llorona - The Weeping Woman) again takes out the sound of the action scene until Cameron finally brings Cromartie down. Cameron looks equally sad and curious while doing it - she certainly seems to think more about the terminators she kills than about the humans, echoing similar shots of her in 2x05 and 2x06.

Only now, two or three episodes after the incident I realize that Ellison's role in all this must be bigger than we can imagine so far. Triggered by his question to Sarah about his role...

One of the bits that gets repeated during the segments are Ellison's words to Sarah when he opens the trunk: "Sarah Connor? James Ellison. I *need* you to come with me." But when they talk during Cromartie's burial, Sarah refuses to give him the guidance he so desperately seeks. As he walks away, he will undoubtedly return to Weaver. And with the ominous music cue accompanying it and the way the takedown of Cromartie was shown, one can be pretty sure what will happen. However, Cromartie's chip definitely is destroyed.



(From Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon on February 8th, 2010)