DVD Collectors Online

From Russia with Love, a review by Tom

Title: From Russia with Love
Year: 1963
Director: Terence Young
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 110 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: German: Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono, English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
Sean Connery
Daniela Bianchi
Pedro Armendariz
Lotte Lenya
Robert Shaw


Extras:
Booklet
Commentary
Featurettes
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

I really liked the first half hour or so. The introduction of typical Bond villains (who were obviously the template for Dr. Evil (Blofeld) and Frau Farbisina). Also always fun the scenes with Bond, M and Moneypenny. And now also with Q
But then the movie dragged a little for me, beginning with the train ride. But it picked up again towards the end.

Rating:

(From James Bond Marathon on February 4th, 2009)

For All Mankind, a review by Danae Cassandra

For All Mankind
Year of Release: 1989
Directed By: Al Reinert
Starring: James A. Lovell Jr., Russell L. Schweickart, Eugene A. Cernan, Michael Collins
Genre: Documentary

Overview:
In July 1969, the space race ended when Apollo 11 fulfilled President Kennedy's challenge of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." No one who witnessed the lunar landing will ever forget it. Al Reinert's documentary For All Mankind is the story of the twenty-four men who traveled to the Moon, told in their words, in their voices, using the images of their experiences. Forty years later, it remains the most radical, visually dazzling work of cinema yet made about this earthshaking event.

My Thoughts:
Excellently done film about the early years of the space program, and the moon landings. Simply told by the astronauts themselves using footage from them, this is documentary filmmaking at its purest state. Here are the events, make of them what you will.

I feel like this is a film that was meant to be inspiring. Look at our achievements! Look at what these men did! They went to the moon! There is so much passion, excitement and courage in their words and achievements that you can't help but admire these people.

Yet I felt an overwhelming sadness watching this film. Where have our dreams gone? Once they were big. Once we reached for the stars. It seems like all our dreams are gone these days. We haven't landed a manned mission on the moon in 44 years. For all our technological advancement, what have we done with it? We have more computing power now in our pockets then they did to go to the moon, and we do nothing of any import with it. It doesn't feel like we look to the stars, to the future, to the greater good of mankind any longer.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 11th, 2016)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

My Name Is Earl: Season 2
Doing the right thing isn't always easy. Just ask Earl Hickey (Jason Lee), a recovering ne'er-do-well with a lifetime's worth of dirty deeds to make up for. In order to turn his life around, Earl needs a G.E.D., a job, an apartment, and a whole lot of good karma. And, if he can keep his ex-wife out of prison, so much the better! Join Earl and his gang of lovable losers as he continues his wildly offbeat transformation from hood to good in the uproarious and outrageous Season Two of 'My Name is Earl'...It's not always politically correct, but it's always hilarious!

My thoughts:
Another series where I have enjoyed each episode so far! I love the editing style of this series how they interweave all the flashbacks with the story. Starring Jason Lee, known to me mainly from Kevin Smith movies, Jaime Pressly and the great Ethan Suplee. And surprisingly many well-known faces as guest stars like Roseanne, Burt Reynolds, Christian Slater, DJ Qualls. It's great how they can have these stars and it never feels like they are out of place and forced into the story.
Also we have some unusual episodes like the one, where they have a "Cops" episode all around these characters or the one, in which we see these characters as stop motion animated puppets 
I also loved the "My Name Is Randy" interludes.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on January 1st, 2008)