DVD Collectors Online

SpaceCamp, a review by Danae Cassandra

SpaceCamp
Year of Release: 1986
Directed By:  Harry Winer
Starring: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Joaquin Phoenix, Tate Donovan, Tom Skerritt
Genre: Adventure, Science-Fiction, Disaster

Overview:
Zero gravity meets zero fear in this cosmic comedy-adventure about a summer camp where regular kids check in...and real astronauts check out! Starring Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Leaf Phoenix and Tate Donovan, SpaceCamp is a wild and wonderful thrill-ride packed with "special effects...spectacular moments" (Film Journal) and a "gripping climax" (Time Out Film Guide) that's out of this world!

For five typical teens, NASA's space camp promises to be a fun way to blow off the summer. But when a space shuttle exercise misfires, they find themselves launched into orbit, facing the adventure of a lifetime. Now, the only way back to Earth is to take command of the ship and control of their destinies, before time – and oxygen – runs out!

My Thoughts:
I'd forgotten how enjoyable this film is.  I have fond memories of it from childhood, and it's still an entertaining watch.  I still get a warm fuzzy from "Jinx and Max best friends forever." Part of me cringes at the message being sent with the overachiever girl being wrong about a crucial thing and then freezing in decision making though.  Try to imagine the roles of Kevin & Kathryn gender reversed and you see the problem.  I did like the other girl, though, the one who appears to be a bubblehead but is really super-smart.  That quibble aside, it's still a whole-hearted recommendation from me for a fun, kid-friendly movie.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 3/5

(From SpaceCamp on January 10th, 2014)

Tremors, a review by addicted2dvd

Tremors: Collector's Edition
Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as two country handymen who lead a cast of zany characters to safety in this exciting sci-fi creature comedy.

Just as Val McKee (Bacon) and Earl Basset (Ward) decide to leave Perfection, Nevada, strange rumblings prevent their departure. With the help of a shapely seismology student ('Finn Carter'), they discover their desolate town is infested with gigantic man-eating creatures that live below the ground.

The race is on to overcome these slimy subterraneans and find a way to higher ground, in this enjoyable thriller co-starring Michael Gross and Reba McEntire.

My Thoughts:
This is a movie that for some reason I always enjoyed... ever since I brought it home the very first time... when I rented it on VHS. Wow that was a long time ago. One thing I really liked about this... is you don't have to be a horror fan to enjoy this monster movie. My brother (who hates horror) loves this series of movies. This is what I personally call a "light horror". The DVD release is really good. nice quality and a great collection of extras! What more can you ask?

(From Graboids Galore! - Tremors Marathon on July 28th, 2007)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 350 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
1.01 Asahina Mikuru no Bouken Episode 00 (2006-04-02)
Writer: Nagaru Tanigawa (Original Material By), Yutaka Yamamoto (Screenwriter)
Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Cast: Original Japanese Cast), Tomokazu Sugita (Kyon (voice)), Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya (voice)), Minori Chihara (Yuki Nagato (voice)), Yuko Goto (Mikuru Asahina (voice)), Daisuke Ono (Itsuki Koizumi (voice)), Yuki Matsuoka (Tsuruya-san (voice)), Minoru Shiraishi (Taniguchi (voice)), Sayaka Aoki (Kyon's Little Sister (voice)), Kenichi Ogata (Shamisen (voice)), Eiji Yanagisawa (Kiyozumi Morimura (voice)), Kenichi Mochizuki (Yusuke Suzuki (voice)), Kimiko Saito (Old Lady A (voice)), Aiko Hibi (Old Lady B (voice)), English Voice Cast), Crispin Freeman (Kyon (voice)), Wendee Lee (Haruhi Suzumiya (voice)), Michelle Ruff (Yuki Nagato (voice)), Stephanie Sheh (Mikuru Asahina (voice)), Johnny Yong Bosch (Itsuki Koizumi (voice)), Kari Wahlgren (Tsuruya-san (voice)), Sam Riegel (Taniguchi (voice)), Steve Kramer (Shamisen (voice)), Michael McConnohie (Kiyozumi Morimura (voice)), Dave Wittenberg (Yusuke Suzuki (voice)), Merrilyn Crouch (Old Lady A (voice))

The episode order on the DVD set is different than the broadcast order. Mostly it is chronological here (except for this episode), whereas the broadcast order jumped around on purpose.
This first episode is not a regular episode. Everything happening here is a film the characters shot later on in the series. It's a nonsensical story.

Rating:


The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
1.02 Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu I (2006-04-09)
Writer: Nagaru Tanigawa (Original Material By), Tatsuya Ishihara (Screenwriter)
Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Cast: Original Japanese Cast), Tomokazu Sugita (Kyon (voice)), Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya (voice)), Minori Chihara (Yuki Nagato (voice)), Yuko Goto (Mikuru Asahina (voice)), Minoru Shiraishi (Taniguchi (voice)), Megumi Matsumoto (Kunikida (voice)), Natsuko Kuwatani (Ryoko Asakura (voice)), Eiji Yanagisawa (Okabe Sensei (voice)), English Voice Cast), Crispin Freeman (Kyon (voice)), Wendee Lee (Haruhi Suzumiya (voice)), Michelle Ruff (Yuki Nagato (voice)), Stephanie Sheh (Mikuru Asahina (voice)), Sam Riegel (Taniguchi (voice)), Brianne Siddall (Kunikida (voice)), Bridget Hoffman (Ryoko Asakura (voice)), Michael McConnohie (Okabe Sensei (voice)), Patricia Ja Lee (Schoolgirl (voice)), Merrilyn Crouch (Schoolgirl (voice))

The first regular episode (and the first broadcast) which introduces most of the characters. It's a good episode and a fitting introduction to the series.

Rating:


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 9th, 2012)