DVD Collectors Online

Red Dawn (1984 & 2012), a review by DJ Doena

Director: John Milius

Patrick Swayze   ...    Jed
C. Thomas Howell   ...    Robert
Lea Thompson   ...    Erica
Charlie Sheen   ...    Matt
Darren Dalton   ...    Daryl
Jennifer Grey   ...    Toni
Brad Savage   ...    Danny
Doug Toby   ...    Aardvark
William Smith   ...    Strelnikov
Ron O'Neal   ...    Colonel Ernesto Bella
Powers Boothe   ...    Lt. Col. Andrew 'Andy' Tanner
Lane Smith   ...    Mayor Bates

Synopsis: The tides have turned against the United States. Most of the world has fallen to the communist advances and Europe is too tired for a third war in the same century. But the US is still free. Until now.
Nicaraguan/Cuban/Russian forces have invaded the US and already taken large parts of the country. Somewhere there still is a Free America. The small town of Calumet, Colorado is not that lucky.
It suddenly finds himself occupied and people are getting arrested or even killed.
A group of high school students manages to escape into the mountains and from there they try to defend their country in good ol' Guerrilla warfare manner.

My Opinion: This film is seriously dated. I've watched it for the first time, so there wasn't any nostalgia that could build up over the years.
But 30 years ago, the world was different and people were actually afraid of an all-ending war that would turn Earth into a nuclear wasteland (Nowadays they're still scared because of a terrorist attack that happened more than 12 years ago and had less than 1/3 of the casualties that traffic accidents caused in the same year, so much so that they're willing to give up essential freedoms for a little bit of safety.).
The cast list is an interesting composition with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, three years before they had the time of their lives (pardon the pun) on Dirty Dancing, still-bad-boy Charlie Sheen but also Lea Thompson (Back to the Future or more recently Switched at Birth).






Director: Dan Bradley

Chris Hemsworth   ...    Jed Eckert
Josh Peck   ...    Matt Eckert
Josh Hutcherson   ...    Robert Kitner
Adrianne Palicki   ...    Toni Walsh
Isabel Lucas   ...    Erica Martin
Connor Cruise   ...    Daryl Jenkins
Edwin Hodge   ...    Danny
Will Yun Lee   ...    Captain Cho
Jeffrey Dean Morgan   ...    Tanner
Michael Beach   ...    Mayor Jenkins

Synopsis: This time the Chinese* North Koreans have invaded the US. But the basic story is the same. They invade, the kids flee into the woods and begin their Wolverine terrorist insurgence resistance group.

My Opinion: Actually, this movie this quite a few things better than the original. Before the invasion the NKs disabled all of America's high-tech, computer-based weaponry, so there were no predator drones, no spy satellites, no communications network. It went back to the basics.
In the 80s this wouldn't have been possible, because there weren't that many computers involved in warfare. So this time around it actually makes a little more sense why this didn't end in a big nuclear shootout.
Also, it wasn't a bad idea to give at least one of the guys a background in military training and having been to Iraq he had the knowledge of how insurgence works.
What I also found noteworthy was his comparison to the Viet Cong and the Mujahideen because it at least acknowledged that the VC and others were only doing what these kids are doing now: Defending their own country.
This movie also wasn't a carbon copy; they deviated from the original material in some ways so it didn't become completely predictable for someone who had seen the original recently.
And they have black kids now! In the year of Beverly Hills Cop the original didn't have any memorable black characters in it, not even the obligatory black-dude-that-dies-first.

*Originally the bad guys were supposed to be Chinese but then they also wanted the Chinese market to show this movie, so the bad guys became North Koreans instead.



(From DJ's Short Movie Reviews on February 11th, 2014)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, a review by DJ Doena

January, 3rd


Director: Donald Petrie

Kate Hudson    ...    Andie
Matthew McConaughey   ...    Ben
Kathryn Hahn   ...    Michelle
Annie Parisse   ...    Jeannie
Adam Goldberg   ...    Tony
Thomas Lennon   ...    Thayer
Michael Michele   ...    Spears
Shalom Harlow   ...    Green

Synopsis: Andie is a columnist with the Composure magazine and she usually writes the "How To" articles but she has bigger plans. She wants to write about politics and the economy. Ben works in an advertisement agency and usually creates campaigns for sports companies. But he has bigger plans. He wants to score the deal with the DeLauers who are the biggest fish when it comes to diamond jewellery. Ben gets it when he manages to make a woman really fall in love with him until the presentation. Andie gets her wish granted if she can write an article about what women do wrong with guys: "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Guess who'll run into each other.

My Opinion: This romcom gets its appeal from the absolutely opposite intentions of its protagonists. She does everything to drive him crazy and he puts up with it. But it also works because they have chemistry together.
I also like their performance of "You're so vain" at the end, especially because neither can really sing (at least the characters can't). Rationally neither is really in the position to be mad at the other but in that moment they're just pissed off and it makes for a great scene.

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2010 on January 24th, 2010)

Tom's TV Finales marathon, a review by Tom

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Birds of Prey: The Complete Series (2002/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 542 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English

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Plot:
Who will stand up to villains now that a heartbroken Dark Knight has mysteriously vanished? Never fear, New Gothamites, a trio of champions is ready to take wing - and Helena, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, is among them. She calls herself Huntress and crime is her prey. Teenaged Dinah is the youngest of the group, learning as she goes and gifted in clairvoyance. And overseeing the awesome threesome's high-tech nerve center is Batgirl. Left wheelchair-bound by The Joker, she has reinvented herself as OracleBirds of Prey. Fighting together. Living together. And soaring into adventure together in 13 breathtaking live-action episodes.


Birds of Prey
Season 1.12 Feat of Clay & Devil's Eyes
Writer: Adm Armus (Writer), Kay Foster (Writer), Hans Tobeason (Screenwriter), Adam Armus (Story By), Melissa Rosenberg (Story By)
Director: Joe Napolitano, Robert J. Wilson
Cast: Ashley Scott (Helena Kyle/Huntress), Dina Meyer (Barbara Gordon/Oracle), Rachel Skarsten (Dinah Lance), Shemar Moore (Det. Jesse Reese), Ian Abercrombie (Alfred Pennyworth), Mia Sara (Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn), Shawn Christian (Wade Brixton), Robert Patrick Benedict (Gibson Kafka), Ian Reed Kesler (Chris Cassius), Kirk Baltz (Clayface), Patrick Fischler (Dr. Will Kroner), Steve Hytner (Dr. Franklin Rominic), Brad Blaisdell (Guard #1), Ted Underwood (Guard #2)

This is another series which was cancelled early. But here they at least got a chance to a last two-parter to conclude the main storylines of this season. Which is a luxury not a lot of series get to do in similar circumstances.
So they had to put a lot of stuff into these episodes, which makes the conclusion of these storylines a little rushed. But at least we get a resolution for them. Like the two love interests for the two main characters. One of them finally get together after a season of teasing. The other gets to find out about the crime fighting and all (thanks to Alfred where he pulls the same stunt he did in the first Batman movie with Vicky Vale). Another thing which comes out of nowhere: The resolution of whom killed the mother of Huntress.
The music replacements in this DVD release is something which really bothered me. One thing I mentioned before is the removal of the great theme song. The other big replacement is the final showdown. In the original aired version, they played T.a.t.u.'s "All the Things She Said", which worked really well. Also it was the first time I had ever heard the song. Although I have to admit, you would not notice these replacements, if you haven't seen the original version.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Finales marathon on January 28th, 2013)