DVD Collectors Online

Rear Window, a review by Dragonfire

Rear Window None of Hitchcock's films has ever given a clearer view of his genius for suspense than Rear Window. When professional photographer J.B "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbors play out across the courtyard. When he suspects a salesman may have murdered his nagging wife, Jeffries enlists the help of his glamorous socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to investigate the highly suspicious chain of events...Events that ultimately lead to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history. My Thoughts I think I have seen this one more than any other Hitchcock movie.  I love this movie.  I think everything about it works very well and it is a highly entertaining movie.  It has held up very well and is definitely worth seeing.  The plot isn't that complicated, but it works.  It makes sense for Jeffries to watch what his various neighbors are up to while he's stuck in the cast.  That is something that most people have done - watched what a neighbor was doing in some situation - and the movie just expands on that.  People can relate to doing that.  I also think it makes sense that Jeffires gets wrapped up in trying to figure out if a murder has happened. This is one of the Hitchcock movies with limited locations.  Jeffries is stuck in his small apartment for the entire movie.  He's confined even more since he is in a wheelchair thanks to his broken leg.  He spends most of his time looking out his windows, watching what the neighbors are doing.  Everyone has their windows open since they are in the middle of a heat wave..this was before air conditioning was that common.  All sorts of things are going on in the other apartments, though usually only parts of situations are seen.  That does help to make the mystery stronger and make the movie more interesting.  Some of what happens does progress slower since a lot of it involves Jeffries watching the neighbors, but there are some very suspenseful scenes in the movie.  When Lisa decides to go investigate, it is very suspenseful, as is another scene later in the movie.  The suspense is done wonderfully well. Lisa and Jeffries have been seeing each other when the movie begins and he is a bit upset because she is hoping for marriage while he claims he isn't ready.  At one point, he is deliberately looking for reasons why a marriage between them wouldn't work.  There's nothing too explicit shared about their relationship, though things are hinted at.  I do think the relationship adds to the movie and Lisa's presence helps to keep things interesting. Many of the characters shown are the neighbors and they aren't developed.  The audience is restricted to seeing only what Jeffries sees, and they only know superficial things about them.  That works perfectly for the plot.  Jeffries is a good main character and likable overall even though he does show a few flaws every so often.  I really like Jimmy Stewart in the part.  Lisa is a beautiful, elegant woman and there is contrast between her and Jeffries.  I do think the relationship works even with the contrast.  I think Grace Kelly is wonderful in the part.  She has some wonderful moments in the movie, including the first moment she is shown.  She is just perfect in the part.  Stella is a nurse who stops in to check on Jeffries each day.  She is very vocal in her opinions about some things and she gets pulled into certain things as well.  Thelma Ritter is wonderful in the part. I didn't watch the extras this time, but I remember them being very interesting.  There is one focused on the restoration of the movie and how the one kiss scene was almost lost because of how bad the original film was.  That scene looks good on the DVD, though there is a difference in the quality.  I do wonder if it could be made to look better on Blu-ray.  Once this is out on Blu - I'm sure it will be eventually - I am almost certain that I will be making another trip to double dip city. This movie is wonderful and I still really enjoy it when I watch it. I did get a review posted on Epinions back in 2008. Rear Window

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on June 30th, 2010)

The Silence Of The Lambs, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Silence Of The Lambs



Title:The Silence Of The Lambs
Year: 1991
Director: Jonathan Demme
Rating: R
Length: 118 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Jodie Foster
Lawrence A. Bonney
Kasi Lemmons
Lawrence T. Wrentz
Scott Glenn

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


Seen this a few times now and even though I know how it ends it still draws me in and puts a vice grip on my attention.

Forget Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn and the rest of the cast... forget director Jonathan Demme. This is Anthony Hopkin's tour de force! Hanibal Lecter is just as real in people's minds as Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy... for some even more so. The sequels, while not bad, did not ascend to the heights of this film nor the performance of Hopkins.

So many memorable scenes and quotes from this film. I would have never known nor cared to know what fava beans were until Lecter uttered those words with such cool, deadly glee. His facial expressions, his graceful demeanor, his hypnotic speech and piercing intellect make him one of films most unforgettable characters. The performances of Foster, Ted Levine, Glenn and others were like bright shining stars... all but obliterated by the supernova that was Anthony Hopkins.  

If you watch closely you will see the cameos of both Roger Corman and George Romero as FBI guys!  

The only blemish that I can perceive on the entire Utopian package which is Silence Of The Lambs was the acceptance speech of Jonathan Demme at the Oscars. This man went on and on for what seemed like an eternity, and yet never finished a sentence in his chaotic, mumbling speech. I'm sure many in the crowd and at home were hoping Hopkins would revert to his Hanibal persona and chew out his voice box and tongue.  

Brilliant directing effort but you soon appreciate why these masters of their craft are better left behind the camera.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on November 1st, 2010)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Highlander: The Complete Animated Series (1994/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 960 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
There can be only one! Seven hundred years after the Great Catastrophe, post-apocalyptic Earth is ruled by the evil Immortal Kortan. But now there has arisen a new champion, a young Immortal who will fulfill the ancient prophecy and bring peace to Earth: His name is Quentin MacLeod and he is the Highlander. The ultimate fight between good and evil begins as Quentin embarks on a perilous quest to regain the knowledge that will allow him to destroy Kortan, save the human race and restore peace to the world. Join the Highlander in his quest for peace in this complete animated series!


Highlander: The Animated Series
1.01 The Last of the MacLeods

This is the first time that I ever saw an episode from this series. Maybe it can be enjoyed by children but I didn't enjoy it. And again we have Ramirez in this one. He died in the first movie but for some reason appeared and the second one again, and dies again. And now he appears again in this series which is set some hundred years in the future.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on October 16th, 2011)