DVD Collectors Online

Coraline, a review by Danae Cassandra

Coraline
Year of Release:  2009
Directed By: Henry Selick
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher
Genre: Horror, Adventure

Overview:
From the director of The Nightmare Before ChristmasCoraline, exclusively in this 2-Disc Collector's Edition!

Coraline Jones is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door that leads her into a world that's just like her own...but better! But when this fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her "other" Mother tries to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness and bravery to get home. Coraline  is a "visual marvel" (Claudia Puig, USA Today).

My Thoughts:
I last saw this delightful film four years ago, and I don't know why we waited so long to watch it again. 

Of course, when I saw it last time I was under the mistaken impression that this was a Tim Burton film.  Of course, it is not - but I can be forgiven, I think, for the mistake.  It's from collaborators of Burton's and shares a lot of the same visual and atmospheric style as Burton's films. 

This is a wonderful, creepy film with a delightful Gothic atmosphere, beautifully crafted stop-motion animation and very decent voice acting.  It's strong story has its origin in a book by Neil Gaiman, and the visuals are very striking.  Coraline is a strong, resourceful character, and the Other Mother character is creepy from the beginning and only gets creepier as the film progresses from dream to nightmare.  Some of my friends were really creeped out by the button eyes in the film.  I mean they found it really, really creepy.  Much more than the film deserves.

I like this film a lot and recommend it for anyone old enough to handle its spooky nature (so like 8 and up, could go younger for mature kids).

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall: 4/5

(From Danae's 2013 Horror Marathon on October 12th, 2013)

Batman: Gotham Knight, a review by Tom

Title: Batman: Gotham Knight
Year: 2008
Director: Have I Got a Story For You, Shojiro Nishimi, Crossfire, Futoshi Higashide, Field Test, Hiroshi Morioka, In Darkness Dwells, Yasuhiro Aoki, Working Through Pain, Toshiyki Kubooka, Deadshot, Jong-Sik Nam
Rating: 15
Length: 76 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital Stereo, German: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, German, Spanish

Stars:
Kevin Conroy
Jason Marsden
Scott Menville
George Newbern
Corey Padnos

Plot:
Acclaimed screenwriters including David Goyer (Batman Begins), Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Alan Burnett (Batman The Animated Series) join forces with revered animation filmmakers on six spellbinding chapters chronicling Batman's transition from novice crimefighter to The Dark Knight. These globe-spanning adventures pit Batman against the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unerring marksman Deadshot. From some of the world's most visionary animators comes a thrilling depiction of Batman as man, myth and legend.

Extras:
Commentary
Exclusive DC Comics Character Guide
Featurettes
Scene Access

I did not buy this release until now, because of what I have read about it, it didn't seem that I would enjoy it. But then I saw the trailer for it on the Wonder Woman Blu-ray I watched recently, and I thought it could be something I will enjoy. But sadly, it didn't quite work out this way. The animation quality varies, but all stories were rather boring. Batman done by anime directors may sound fitting, but I think they didn't quite catch the character. Though I never was a big fan of animated Batman.
This Blu-ray contains four episodes of the 90's Batman animation series. I will watch those next. The first one I already watched. The story there is similar to the one in the first segment of the main feature. Of what I have read so far, one of the others is about Freeze. Another about Batgirl, where Commissionar Gordon, her father, finds out about her nightly activities (I am curious about that episode).

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 27th, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

She, the Ultimate Weapon (2002/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia (United Kingdom) Length: 435 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DTS 5.1, Japanese: DTS 5.1 Subtitles: English

---

Plot:
SHE, the Ultimate Weapon is the story of Shuji and Chise, a couple of typical high school students living in a Hokkaido City, Japan at a time of war. As with most first romances, the pair must deal with peer group pressure, gossip, intense emotions, feelings of ambivalence and the fact that Chise is a secret military weapon capable of levelling a medium-sized city!

Created by Studio Gonzo (Burst Angel, Full Metal Panic, Hellsing and Trinity Blood) She The Ultimate Weapon Box Set gathers together for the first time all 13 episodes of the TV series and the "Another Love Song" feature length OVA in one beautiful deluxe art box.


Saishuu Heiki Kanojo
1.01 We Fall in Love

The premise is good. I also enjoyed the episodes I have seen so far, but for some reason I never finished watching this series. But I definitely will some day.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 2nd, 2012)