DVD Collectors Online

The Mask of Zorro, a review by Rich

Hey Amigo!! in Mexico...



With The slash of a steel blade and the mark of a 'Z', he defends the weak and exploits and avenges the wrongs committed against them...
It has been twenty years since Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) successfully fought Spanish oppression in Alta California as the legendary romantic hero Zorro. He transforms troubled bandit Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) into his successor, in order to stop the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), who robbed him of his freedom, his wife, and his precious daughter Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) all those years ago.
The Mask of Zorro follows Alejandro as he embarks on a passionate journey of love and honour, tragedy and triumph in a swashbuckling epic adventure.

A fun swashbuckling film, well paced and acted, good for a rainy afternoon of easy viewing. 5/10


(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on March 17th, 2008)

The Haunting (1963), a review by Jimmy

Title: The Haunting (1963)

Genre: Horror
Director: Robert Wise
Rating: G
Length: 1h52
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English, German, Portuguese and Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish

Stars:
Julie Harris
Claire Bloom
Richard Johnson
Russ Tamblyn
Fay Compton

Plot:
"It was an evil house from the beginning, a house that was born bad." The place is the 90-year-old mansion called Hill House. No one lives there. Or so it seems. But please do come in. Because even if you don't believe in ghosts, there's no denying the terror of The Haunting.

Robert Wise returned to psychological horror for this much admired, first screen adaptation of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Four people come to the house to study it's supernatural phenomena. Or has the house drawn at least one of them to it? The answer will unnerve you in this "elegantly sinister scare movie. It's good fun" (Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies).

First time I've watch this film, sure I know it by reputation since it is a highly praised classic. Yes, it deserves its reputation but don't expect a scares a minute film filled with blood and death (if this is what you want watch the uninspired remake). In effects horror those days was more psychological and leaded by scripts catching your attention from beginning to end. Of course when you had an excellent director, a good cast of theatre actors, a good script and a beautifull black & white cinematography (WB really did a good job with that release) most of the time you get a good film. I like how they tell the story of the house in the beginning (they tell us everything in a very short time). The only thing I feel would had made it a better experience for me would have been to watch it on a better sound system as the sound is important in that film.

Highly recommanded

Rating :



(From Jimmy's - 2013 Ooctober Horror Marathon on October 22nd, 2013)

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)