DVD Collectors Online

Kukushka, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Russia
wikipedia

What We Watched:


Kukushka (The Cuckoo)
Year of Release:  2002
Directed By:  Aleksandr Rogozhkin
Starring:  Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Viktor Bychkov, Ville Haapasalo
Genres:  Drama, Comedy, War

Overview:
September 1944, in a land torn apart by war, a Finnish sniper is labeled a coward by his compatriots; as punishment, he is nailed to a rock and left to his own devices. Not long after, a disgraced Russian Captain, en route to his court martial, is injured in an accident. Both men are about to find out how they have one thing in common. Wounded and emotionally tortured, they are taken in by Anni, a young, resourceful war widow, who offers shelter to one while nursing the other back to health. None of them understands the others' languages, but it doesn't seem to matter. Isolated, the three unlikely roommates - a Finn, a Russian and a Lapp - overcome both comic and tragic misunderstandings to form a passionate three-way...relationship. Because after a day of hard work on Anni's farm, who needs words?

My Thoughts:
I must say, I'm glad Mom insisted we watch this one out of our Russian films.  We really enjoyed this film.  It has a stark kind of beauty to it, especially the landscape once the focus gets to Anni's farm by the lake.  It's also a powerful anti-war film.  In the featurette on the making of the film, Haapasalo talks about how once you get to know someone you can't go to war against them, for you see them as a human being just like yourself.  The film has the same message, in the eventual friendship between Ivan and Veikko.  That friendship, and their mutual friendships with Anni, however, are only so deep.  Though they find a way to communicate without language, and do come to understand each other to a certain degree, their relationships would have been much deeper and much stronger than they became.  The film really emphasized to me the fundamental importance of language in human relationships.  The language barrier led to several very humourous parts of the film, especially the sequence between Ivan and Anni about the mushrooms, but it was also the biggest tragedy between all of them.  Of course, had they been able to communicate we might not have gotten another valuable point the film tries to make - that one should not judge someone so quickly.  Ivan believes Veikko to be a fascist, when Veikko is trying to tell him that the war is over for him and all he wants is to go home and live in peace.

Ultimately, this is a film that promotes the idea that love, friendship, pleasure, and life are really what is important and what are really worth striving for.  The only thing I wasn't happy with was the ending.
I think I understand why the director chose to end it as he did though.  A wonderful film, though, and recommended.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall: 3.75/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on September 2nd, 2013)

Due Date, a review by Dragonfire

Due Date

I really like Robert Downey Jr. and I was wanting to see this one ever since I saw the first trailer. 

I'm going to say right up front that this one isn't a movie for everyone.  While it is very funny, a lot of the humor is crude or rude in some way and it has the potential of offending people.

I found the movie to be really funny and entertaining even though it could have been more original.  There are a lot of similarities with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  I even seen a few with National Lampoon's Vacation.  Despite that, I still think this movie is very entertaining and worth watching.  There is enough different going on so it isn't like the movie is exactly like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  Peter and Ethan are extremely different, so it makes sense for there to be conflicts between them.  Those conflicts lead to a lot of funny scenes.  A lot of the funnier moments were in the trailers, but there are also some funny things that weren't in the trailers.  The plot isn't that complex, but it still manages to be entertaining.

Both the main characters have flaws, so that does make them more believable.  Ethan is nice and he tries so hard to be liked, but it is understandable why Peter gets so irritated with him.  I love Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifianakis in the parts.  They have a good dynamic between them.

Due Date isn't for everyone, but it is really funny and entertaining.  I think it is worth watching, though I could see some people getting offended by it.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions after seeing it in the theater.

Due Date

(From Due Date on December 2nd, 2010)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

5. Rm w/a Vu
Original Air Date: 11/2/1999
While Doyle deals with a demon who has come to collect on his loans, Cordelia and a ghost battle it out for the rights to live in a gorgeous rent-controlled apartment.

Guest Stars:
Elisabeth Rohm
Beth Grant
Marcus Redmond
Denney Pierce

My Thoughts:
This is actually one of my favorite of the early episodes. I liked both storylines and how they combined them at the end of the episode. Plus you couldn't help getting a kick out of Cordelia getting pissed at the ghost towards the end. She said it perfectly when she said "The Bitch is Back!" I also got a kick out of her new "roommate". It really is a fun episode.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on February 24th, 2010)