DVD Collectors Online

Glory, a review by Antares

Glory (1989) 4/5 - I hadn't seen this film for close to fifteen years, but I remember being surprised at how good a war drama it was. I've never been much of an Edward Zwick fan, but this time, he got it pretty much right. The battle scenes have a realism that shocks the viewer and which is pretty much transparent in other Civil War films such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. The gore and horror which is so invisible in those two films hurts the credibilty of the narrative. Not so with Glory. From the moment we witness the horrors of the cornfield at Antietam, a true sense of believabilty is created. As a way to placate the Northern abolitionists, the 54th Massachusetts regiment was comprised of ex-slaves and free blacks and led by white abolitionist officers. But the northern politicians never conceived of letting them go into battle, as they were afraid of alienating the white soldiers of their own ranks, who weren't fighting for emancipation. But after the costly battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and coinciding with the New York draft riots of July 1863, the 54th fought their baptism of fire at Fort Wagner, just outside of Charleston harbor. In their desperate attack and repulsion from the breastworks of the fortress, the seeds of a new fighting force would be sown in the sandy soil of South Carolina. With the influx of new recruits from this untapped segment of the population, it was a foregone conclusion that the war would soon swing in favor of the Union.

If I could change one thing in this film, it would be to have Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher switch roles. I'm used to seeing Washington play these angry young black man roles, it would have been interesting to see what Braugher would have done with the role. As good as Washington was in this film, I always felt that Braugher's performance was better.

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 11th, 2014)

Crimson Rivers - Angels of the Apocalypse, a review by Eric

Crimson Rivers - Angels of the Apocalypse


Synopsis
A murder victim with the same DNA as Christ. A serial killer mimicking the deaths of the 12 Apostles. Inspector Niemans (Reno) and a young, rebellious detective team up with a beautiful expert in religion to crack the case before their elusive suspect completes the cycle of terror, paving the way to an even bigger bloody catastrophe.

My Thoughts
Since I first watched "Crimson Rivers" I've been looking forward to watching this sequel but I couldn't find it on DVD so when I did not long ago I was thrilled and couldn't wait to watch it.  Between the time I ordered and received it I got comments from a few people saying it wasn't as good as the first one and I was a bit apprehensive when I sat to watch it because I was afraid I'd be disappointed.

It was the complete opposite, I was completely hooked withing 5 seconds, seriously, and I loved every second of it.  It may be a paradox but although I don't believe in god and I'm completely against any religion I'm actually a big fan of movies that deal with spirituality and religions.  I really love movies like "Stigmata", "Amen", "The Ninth Gate" etc.

"Angels of the Apocalypse" was no disappointment, if you like thrillers based on religions this movie is for you. 

I give it a perfect score.


(From Eric's DVD watching. on March 5th, 2008)

Angel Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Cordelia finally awakens from her coma and instantly warns Angel because she had a vision. When Lindsey learns of this he takes up his role as "Doyle" again and tries to convince Spike that Cordy is evil. Then he tries to use a secret ewapon against Angel.

My Opinion: Cordy is dead. It was very nice to see her again but now it's final. But I have to say, I didn't miss her as much as I had expected, Spike is a very good replacement.

Still I want to make another remark. When I write these reviews, I read some background info (production notes, etc.) in parallel. I've read that originally it was planned that Sarah Michelle would make a guest appearance instead of Charisma. But Sarah declined and she was absent from the show for the entire season. Some say she wanted to put some distance between her and her role. That's a situation I don't comprehend. Who would know SMG if it weren't for "Buffy"? I know that certain images can stick for a lifetime (Leonard Nimoy - "I am not Spock") but I think that it is a bit ungrateful when you sever all strings.
But Charisma was a wonderful replacement and it remains the question if it would have worked as well with Sarah.

Synopsis: A vampire threatens Angel's friends. Angel sired him when he already had a soul but it was under extraordinary circumstances during the second world war.. Angel remembers what happened back then.

My Opinion: Spike does has a thing with leather jackets. The episode was ok but the question of why Angel fights was answered neither in the past nor the present.

Synopsis: Several children fall into a stasis after they have been watching a breakfast children's show. Angel investigates in the TV studio but he returns changed.

My Opinion: This episode is based upon an idea that would have fit perfectly into "Farscape". And since I love "Farscape" I loved this episode. The Angel puppet was great.

Synopsis: Somthing escapes from a sarcophagus from Fred's laboratory and it takes Fred as a host. If they can't get it out again, Fred will die. The gang tries everything to prevent exactly this.

My Opinion: The show comes to an end and Joss starts to kill off the characters. First Cordy, now Fred. And he doesn't seem to like relationships. He often tears them apart in a cruel way (Buffy-Angel, Willow-Tara, Xander-Anya, Angel-Cordy) and now Fred-Wesley. Let's see what happens with Illyria now.

(From Angel Marathon on February 27th, 2008)