DVD Collectors Online

Hell Night, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Hell Night Year: 1981 Director: Tom De Simone Rating: R Length: 102 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Linda Blair
Vincent Van Patten
Peter Barton
Kevin Brophy
Jenny Neumann
Suki Goodwin

Plot:
As an initiation rite into Alpha Sigma Rho fraternity, four pledges must spend a night in Garth Manor, twelve years to the day after the previous resident murdered his entire family. Two of the pledges, Marti (Linda Blair, The Exorcist) and Jeff (Peter Barton), ignore the rumors that the now-deserted mansion is haunted by a crazed killer, until one-by-one, members of their group mysteriously disappear. Could this be part of a fraternity prank or is a demented former tenant seeking revenge?

When their seemingly innocent rite of passage turns deadly, these college students will do anything to survive Hell Night.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Production Notes

My Thoughts:
This one I kinda have mixed feelings about. It is good for what it is... but you kinda expect more from it. It is just an average typical '80s slasher film. A bit on the low budget side. Entertaining but not overly so. This is my second inda Blair movie in a row... I always liked her for some reason. She isn't the best actress out there... and she is cute but not great looking. But there is just something there that always appealed to me. She is the only familiar face in this movie. Pretty much everyone else I have no idea who they are. A decent movie to waste a couple hours with... but nothing to get too excited about. I am not sure why they rated this movie R... really nothing in it that is all that bad. Must just be when it was rated. I would think if it was put through for rating today it would get either a PG or a PG-13 at the most.




Count:
Movie Count: 104 I Made It! (10/28)
TV Ep. Count: 55 I Made It! (10/20)
Other Count: 8 I Made It! (10/15)

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2010 on October 31st, 2010)

Taking Chance, a review by Rich

Title: Taking Chance

Runtime:78
Certificate:TV-PG
Year:2009
Genres:Drama, War

Plot:The remarkable true story of one soldier's death in battle, another soldier's journey of discovery and a nation's reverence and gratitude toward its war dead. After hearing of the heroic death of a young Marine in Iraq, veteran officer Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) volunteers to escort the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps back to his hometown, where he embarks on an unexpected emotional journey.
In this drama, Kevin Bacon stars as a high-ranking military officer who takes on a surprising mission: he escorts the body of a PFC home to his family.

My Review:
Very short film, which is basically a sentimental and moving tribute of how the services escort home and honour their fallen heroes, from battlefield death to the funeral service. This was written by the serviceman who volunteered to escort home a soldier who was KIA in Iraq, and the extras on the disc cover this. It has political undertones, but is deliberately non-controversial and the focus is mainly on the dead serviceman, and the office based marine who goes through a myriad of guilt feelings as he escorts the soldier back to his family.
From a non-US citizen, it always amazes me that a country that can honour it's dead, with such compassion and dignity, and displays such huge respect and unity with its armed services, can have such social problems with guns, drugs, violence and murder? Is that contradiction what they call an oxymoron??


(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 11th, 2009)

Angel Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The gang is wondering who could have stolen the soul and if they have a traitor in their midst. Angelus is still a prisoner but he perfectly plays the mind games. Then Lilah arrives in the basement and she offers a deal to Angelus.

My Opinion: I knew it! But why had I to be right this time? I also knew somehow that Angelus wouldn't be really Angel after the spell. Nonetheless a good episode.

Synopsis: Lilah is dead and Angelus is presumed the murderer. The last duty for Wesley left to do is to make sure that she won't rise as a vampire. But he also has another job, to get reinforcements: he brings the Vampire Slayer.

My Opinion: The son of two vampires is getting a child with who-knows-what-demon. Now it becomes really un-relaxing. But it is a bit suprising that they built up the big enemy over the entire season. If they follow the tradition of "Angel", Cordelia won't last until the season finale, but let's see.

Synopsis: Faith is badly hurt after the fight with the demon, both physically as well as mentally. After Angelus has visted the hotel again both Cordelia and the gang try to find him and get him under control.

My Opinion: "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." (Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets") Nice fight Wesley and Faith put up against Angelus but one has seen that she didn't fight wholeheartedly. Otherwise she would have swept the floor with him. Very thrilling. And Wesley can fill out an application for the CTU, they are also in L.A..

Synopsis: Angelus bit Faith but her blood was spiked with a drug. Now both lay in a coma and try to break out of a nightmare. Additionally, Willow has come from Sunnydale to re-implant Angel's soul.

My Opinion: Another exciting episode. A love this arc. The only drawback was that I already knew that Faith wouldn't die because she makes an appearance in the final episodes of "Buffy" which run parallel to this season of "Angel".

(From Angel Marathon on February 23rd, 2008)