DVD Collectors Online

To Catch a Thief, a review by Jon

To Catch a Thief (1955) ****
4 out of 5



I remembered To Catch a Thief as as underwhelming, but watching it again I found it to be far more enjoyable. It's light and unassuming, with little to mark it out technically, but very well played and quite fun. The romance is more obvious than usual and is fundamentally in place earlier than Hitchcock's usual man-wrongfully-accused-on-the-run-falls-in-love setup.

The man in question this time is the brilliant Cary Grant, one of Hitch's most dependable leading men. Here he has a chance to show off his cat-like grace properly as a cat-burglar. He was the best actor to never play Bond and once again, I have to wonder how much influence Hitchcock had on the choices made in the early years of that franchise. Certainly the plot could easily be suited to an average Bond entry, complete with infiltrating high society using a false name and a scene set in a casino (very funny too, in Hitchcock's typically cheeky style!). Grace Kelly complements Grant and does enough as a slightly spoilt rich kid, but adds a little sassiness that only she could pull off. The scene where she is convinced of Grant's guilt is brilliantly staged.

That follows the famous fireworks moment and it is one of the films highlights. While the fireworks themselves are a bit limp, it's the staging in the room, both lighting and acting, that really impress. The climax also impresses with Grant hiding in the shadows of a rooftop, but overall there's nothing flashy, just beautiful landscapes to wonder at. The last time I saw it, I rather dismissed it as a holiday brochure, but it has far more substance than that. Not enough to be amongst the Master's best, but a very enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on August 30th, 2009)

Samurai Commando: Mission 1549, a review by Tom

Title: Samurai Commando: Mission 1549
Year: 2005
Director: Masaaki Tezuka
Writing: Ryo Hanmura (Original Material By), Harutoshi Fukui (Screenwriter), Yasushi Matsuura (Screenwriter), Kiyoto Takeuchi (Screenwriter)
Rating: 15
Length: 87 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese: DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:Plot:
460 years in the past, modern-day soldiers have to stop both the greatest warlord in Japanese history and his special-attack unit.

What would happen if a modern-day self-defence force unit slipped back in time and faced a large army under one of history's greatest generals? Modern soldiers with the latest in weaponry unite with a medieval army in this giant spectacle of action entertainment.

Starring Kazuki Kitamura from the Japanese epic 'Azumi', Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 is Asia's latest action hit. Based on Ryo Hamnura's original story TIMESLIP, Samurai Commando brings the story into the 21st Century.

Awards:
Extras:
Featurettes
Interviews
Scene Access
Trailers

You have to take a lot of things at face value, but then it is an enjoyable little movie. Also a lot of familiar faces for me (e.g. from the Death Note movies, Great Teacher Onizuka live-action series, Cyborg She and Ichi).

Rating:

(From Tom's Time-Travel Movie Reviews on August 11th, 2010)

Ghost Whisperer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

13. FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GHOST
A new neighbor moves in and requests Melinda's aid in ridding the place of an uninvited spirit.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good episode... but not one of my favorites. I found the story to be just a little bit disappointing.

14. LAST EXECUTION
After a spirit follows Melinda home, she discovers he is looking for his troubled daughter who's been having serious problems since his death.

My Thoughts:
Once again not a favorite episode. But a decent one... pretty much a standard story. Didn't keep my attention as much as I would have liked.

15. MELINDA'S FIRST GHOST
Melinda must reconcile with her own mother before she can save the spirit of a young girl, the very first ghost she ever saw!

My Thoughts:
Now this is an exceptional episode.... I enjoyed every second of it. I really liked how it touched on how young Melinda was when she first started to see ghosts and how it was handled at the time. This has to be one of my favorites.

16. DEAD MAN'S RIDGE
Andrea enlists Melinda in finding a missing friend who disappeared while on a hike.

My Thoughts:
This is another episode I really liked a lot. Andrea got a real taste of what it is like to be haunted in this episode. And I loved her reaction to the whole thing.

(From Ghost Whisperer Marathon on August 2nd, 2008)