DVD Collectors Online

Gone in 60 Seconds, a review by Jon

GONE IN 60 SECONDS (1974)
3 out of 5



A gang steal 48 cars. Well, they get 47 of them. The last is a little tricky...

This film is awful. There's no way to sugarcoat that. It makes little sense, the acting is horrendous, the direction worse. Dreadful. Only the fundamental plot saves it, and the last 40 minutes.

That last section of the film is one long car chase, where apparently 93 cars were destroyed in the making of this stuntman's wet dream. It's jaw dropping! No fancy camera angles like you'd get in Duel or Mad Max, because they aren't needed; the stunts scream for themselves.

The film was made by H.B. Halicki, a stunt driver who wrote, directed and acted it. Luckily, he also designed the stunts and drove, which is what he was actually good at. Very good. He specialised in crashes, which you can tell. Despite the first half being tough to watch, still choose this over the remake as it is some of the best stunt work ever done and there is so much of it! I suppose it's the perfect example of the type of film for this marathon. All the substantial skill is in the driving while the story just about holds it together and gives you a reason to watch what amounts to a public demolition derby.

All the cars being stolen in the story are given names. But only Eleanor gets credited, and she is gorgeous...  Somehow she survived the onslaught and what's left of the poor old girl still makes public appearances. Halicki has since died, but the DVD has a feature with his widow being taken for a spin in Eleanor by another driver. Really worth getting the DVD for that as well.

The Car'sEleanor's the star: Ford Mustang


I couldn't find a decent trailer on Youtube, so check out the first 10 minutes of the final chase instead.

Trailer

(From Car Movie Marathon on August 17th, 2008)

Boom , a review by James

Boom (1968/United Kingdom) Universal Studios, Hollywood Classics, Second Sight Films (United Kingdom) Director: Joseph Losey (1909) Writing: Tennessee Williams (1911) (From the Play by), Tennessee Williams (1911) (Screenplay by) Length: 108 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

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Stars:Plot:
The wealthy, self-absorbed eccentric Sissy Goforth has taken up residence on a secluded Mediterranean island where she dictates her memoirs, flies into rages and screams insults at her servants. Her health now failing, she drinks, takes pills and has a doctor give her injections to ease the pain. Into her reclusive life comes a stranger who manages to climb into her villa and survive a guard dog attack before introducing himself as a poet. Though attracted by the visitor she soon discovers he has a reputation for appearing when wealthy women are about to meet their demise and is known locally as the Angel of Death.

Extras:

• Scene Access

0 on the cellophane scale. 

(From The Viewage of James aka m.cellophane on April 3rd, 2011)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Lois Lane comes to Smallville to find out who killed her cousin but then she finds a guy in a field who doesn't know who he his. Jonathan Kent lies in a hospital bed and is brain-dead. Lana is still in Paris and has a new boyfriend. Lionel is still in jail, waiting for his trial. And Lex - who has survived the attempt to poison him - travels around the world to find objects that are connected to the symbols in the Kawatche cave.

My Opinion: Sorry, but that went a bit too fast. Within half an hour Kal-El was Clark again. I am sure that if the writers really wanted to, this could have been an arc that lasted at least 4 episodes, even more. Just because it was a cliffhanger doesn't mean it has to be resolved in the very first episode of the new season.
But I like the arrival of Lois, she is refreshingly blunt. And I liked the appearance of Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Superman movies), especially her remark regarding Dr. Swann and a "former life". She's now the third person from the movies to appear in the series (Annette O'Toole [Lana Lang in Superman III, now Martha Kent] was obviously the first).

Synopsis: After they've found out that Chloe's grave is empty, Clark and Lois investigate her disappearance, but there are several obstacles: For one, Lois's father is a three-star General who doesn't want his daughter digging into that mystery. Secondly, he is in league with Lex. And thirdly, there's a T-1000 meteor freak who works for Lionel and wants to kill Chloe for real this time. And Lana has returned to Smallville.

My Opinion: That was a really obvious Terminator 2 rip-off, especially with the end. But I still liked it, the scenes in the Kent house were really funny. Lois's great advantage is, that she has no history whatsoever with Clark. For her, he's simply "Smallville".

Synopsis: Clark is now in his senior year at high school and he's trying out for the football team against the wishes of his father (again). The new assistant coach is none other than Lana's new boyfriend. It's a relationship they must keep hidden because he could get fired for it. But there's something else that has changed: A student nicknamed "Scabby Abby" is now a real beauty but when she kisses people they get delusional and land in the hospital. While Lois is stuck at Smallville High (she needs a few additional points to get accepted to the university) she helps Chloe and Clark to investigate.

My Opinion: The bitter irony of that episode is in my opinion, that Erica Durance (Lois) has had a "boob job" because someone convinced her that she would have better chances to get a job afterwards.
That aside it was a decent FotW episode.

Synopsis: The cheerleaders of Smallville High are using meteor rocks to create a love potion. When the football team drinks of it they all become aboulic slaves with the exception of Clark who gets ill from it. Chloe drinks from it, too, and soonafter a new cheerleading star is born.

My Opinion: This was a very funny episode, especially the parts where Chloe hits on Clark and where Clark had to pretend that we was under the love spell. I had a great time.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 1st, 2008)