DVD Collectors Online

Letters to Juliet, a review by Danae Cassandra

Letters to Juliet
2010, USA

Sophie, an aspiring writer, goes on vacation in Verona with her fiancee, an obsessed chef.  He's more interested in his job than he is her, heading off to dig for truffles and bid on wine.  Sightseeing alone, she finds the courtyard where heartbroken lovers leave letters to Juliet.  Finding one from fifty years ago, she answers it and is soon scouring the countryside with Claire, the letter writer, and her grandson Brian, looking for the man Claire lost so many years ago.

I love movies; my friend Katrina loves movies ... you'd think this would be good, but getting us to agree on a film to watch is like pulling teeth from a radish.  We find a place to meet at romantic comedies, which seems to be the middle ground between my love of movies that have something to say and her love of movies where things blow up.  

I'm happy to have added this to my collection; I enjoyed it quite a bit.  First, the movie itself is simply beautiful.  Both the countryside and the charming old buildings make you want to head to Italy, like yesterday.  The characters were all decent, honorable people, which I liked, and well-developed enough for the story.  You could see Claire's growth in self-confidence through the film in her wardrobe, as each successive choice looked more sophisticated and put-together on her, whereas Charlie's growth was shown in his expressions and body language.  It was a sweet, romantic film, and like Mahiha ashegh mishavand, showed that you can tell a story, a romantic story, and make it about the romance, about the characters, about the relationship - and it will be sexy instead of raunchy.  You can sit down with your grandmother, or your daughter, and watch this movie and not worry about a thing.  It's just an enjoyable, romantic little film.

Overall: 2.75/5

(From Danae's reviews on April 7th, 2011)

The Losers, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see The Losers on Thursday.  I did think it was going to be like The A-Team based on the previews, but I decided to see it.  The movie is entertaining and works as a mindless action movie.

The movie is based on the Vertigo comic of the same name.  From the research I've done, it seems like the plot has stayed mostly the same, though there are probably changes. 

The plot is fairly straightforward, dealing with a five man elite military team, possibly special forces.  A mission goes badly, and they end up blamed for what happens.  All they know is that someone named Max is involved in what happened.  They decide to make it look like they died and then they start planning how to get back home.  While still in Bolivia, they are approached by Aisha, a woman who wants them to work with her to go after Max in exchange for her getting them back in the country. 

After seeing the movie, I still think it is a lot like The A-Team, though there are some differences.  Even with all the similarities - at least from what I remember from she show since it has been so long since I last saw it, the movie is still entertaining.  People looking for a more original movie will more than likely be disappointed.  Several things happen without making things confusing since most of it is some kind of action or confrontation.  There are several fights, most of which are rather extreme and not realistic.  The action stuff does help to keep things interesting.  The violence isn't that graphic since the movie is rated PG-13.  I'm thinking the comic books might have been more graphic with the violence, and possibly even the language.  There is a bit of a relationship that develops between Aisha and Clay - he is basically in charge of the group.  The sex scenes are limited in what they show, again because of the rating, though Aisha does still show off a lot of skin. 

None of the characters are developed that much.  The motivation for the guys is very clear since they want to get home and then get revenge on Max.  Aisha's motivations are more murky and mysterious for much of the movie.  There is a bit of mystery around Max as well.  All of the cast is fine in their parts, though none of them really stand out in their parts. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and think it is worth watching for a decent action movie.



The Losers

(From The Losers on May 11th, 2010)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Quark learns that he has a fatal illness and will die within the next week. As it is custom he tries to auction his vacuum-desiccated remains on the Ferengi Futures Exchange. And there's actually a buyer who wants to pay a lot. It's only after that Quark learns he isn't ill at all. But Brunt - who was the buyer - insists on the deal (Rule of Acquisition #17: "A contract is a contract is a contract... but only between Ferengi") and now Quark tries to find a way to not to break the contract, even if that means that Garak must kill him. Meanwhile the Runabout "Volga" has an accident in which the pregnant Keiko O'Brien is injured. Dr. Bashir has no choice but to transfer the baby into Major Kira, the only other woman aboard.

My Opinion: Both storylines were very interesting. The latter one was necessary due to Nana Visitor's real pregnancy. But it was nice to see how the O'Brien's invited her to live with them until the birth and so on. But Quark's storyline was really great. How he tried to remain true to the Ferengi ways even if that would result in his death. But also how he saw that the price would be ultimately to high even though Brunt subsequently stripped him of everything he owned. And it was nice to see how all the people on the station helped him to re-equip the bar with drinks, glasses and furniture. They are like a big family with many different members, but a family nonetheless and that's what I like about the show.

Synopsis: Odo has suddenly become ill and Dr. Bashir has no way of helping him. Sisko decides to bring him to the Founders, maybe they can help him. But it was the Founders who made him ill, to force him to come home, to judge him. Never before has a changeling harmed another until Odo killed one last year.

My Opinion: Minbari do not kill Minbari. Never has a changeling harmed another. It's highly unlikely that species who wage wars and kill other species would actually have such a strict view regarding their own kind. It doesn't really add up. But be that as it may I thought it to be an interesting judgement, to make him "solid". I also thought that Garak's actions were also fitting for his character, that he would actually try to do something like this.

The Season - My Opinion: I thought the season had a lot of interesting episodes, especially the growing conflict with the Klingons and Worf's role in it, but also Dukat's developement. He remains an interesting character. The conflict with the Dominion is growing but it's not yet the main focus of the show - but that will change next year. I think it was a good idea that they didn't start the war yet, even the Dominion needs time to prepare (= to infiltrate the AQ) and it gave the Federation the time to get paranoid.
After the winter break it was a bit hard to restart this marathon, I wanted to watch other stuff like House M.D., but now I am totally hooked again - but I still will watch it only on weekends. So I see you coming friday in this topic!

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on January 11th, 2009)