DVD Collectors Online

The Great Race, a review by GSyren

The Great Race (085391-109129)

United States 1965 | Released 2002-06-04 on DVD from Warner Home Video

160 minutes | Aspect ratio Anamorphic 2.35:1 | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Mono

Directed by Blake Edwards and starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn

My thoughts about The Great Race:

The Great Race is a fun movie with many great gags but it has some problems. The great humor in the movie comes mainly from Professor Fate's misadventures. The trouble is that the movie spends too much time in various subplots, making it drag. At 2 hours 40 minutes it's almost an hour too long. I guess long roadshow movies with intermission were very much in vogue in the sixties. But there just isn't enough story to support it. The film could do without the suffragette subplot. In fact, as much as I love Natalie Wood, her character could go as well. The Great Leslie isn't very exciting, but he is necessary as a foil for the professor. Miss Dubois isn't. The saloon sequence is nicely done, and I like Dorothy Provine's song "He Shouldn't-a, Hadn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang on Me!", but the whole sequence would work better in another movie. Here it just slows things down. Likewise the whole Prince Hapnik subplot, although I have to admit that the pie throwing sequence is hilarious. And then there is a subplot within the subplot; the takeoff on The Prisoner of Zenda. It is quite good, but again not really relevant to the main story. The unfortunate result of this is that the funniest part of the movie is the part before the race actually starts. Then the story starts to bog down. Sure, there are several good laughs within the race as well, but it never really lives up to the expectations that were built up before. In comedy, repetition is part of the fun. Up to a point. I feel that Blake Edwards is milking "Push the button, Max" a little too much. But even though the film is much too long, it's worth watching (and re-watching) just for Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on July 23rd, 2015)

The Incredible Hulk: Pilot Movie, a review by addicted2dvd

The Incredible Hulk: Pilot Movie
In this thrilling two- hour movie, Dr. David Banner inadvertently exposes himself to a high amount of gamma radiation and is horrified to discover that in moments of frustration and anger he is transformed into the incredibly powerful Hulk.

My Thoughts:
Another TV Movie to get me in the mood for the new movie I have on order (which should be here by middle of week). I don't know why I did not watch this one before the 2 reunion movies I watched yesterday... but I have now corrected that mistake. I always liked this telling of the origin. I don't believe it matches what is in the comics... but this series is how I was first introduced to the character. I thought it is a very good start to the series. I enjoyed every minute of it.

---

(From Weekend Movie Marathon 1/2 - 1/4 on January 4th, 2009)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The Siskos have gone back to Earth where Ben works in his father's restaurant. He's still hoping to get an inspiration on how to re-open the wormhole. And then he finally gets a vision about a human female that's somehow linked to his father. In the meantime Kira (who has been promotoed to Colonel) has to deal with the Romulans who want to open a hospital on one of Bajor's uninhabited moons. And Worfs seeks a way to ensure that his wife passes the gates of Sto'Vo'Kor (the klingon heaven).

My Opinion: So Sisko's mother wasn't Sisko's mother? This is a bit of a last-minute revelation, isn't it? Apart from that this was basically just a prelude to the next episode.

Synopsis: Just as he was about to embark to Tyree where he hopes to find an answer to his vision, Sisko finds himself in front of Dax - Ezri Dax. Ezri never intended to get joined but the Dax symbiont was dying and she was its only hope. So she joins Ben, Jake and Joseph Sisko on their journey to Tyree. And Miles, Julian and Quark have joined a dangerous mission to honour their memory of Jadzia Dax. Worf and Martok plan to take the Rotarran deep into enemy territory where they intend to destroy a ship yard.

My Opinion: So Dax is back. Why? Why did they feel the need to introduce a new character (and that's basically what she is) in the last season? She's a babbling irritant and it will barely get better. And Sisko was conceived by a woman that was inhabited by a Prophet at that time? And he re-opened the wormhole. Hallelujah! Praise the Emissary!
But I liked how Kira took a stand with her wing of impulse fighters agains a group of romulan Warbirds after they deceived her. And I liked the destruction of the ship yard - that should ensure Jadzia's entrance into Sto'Vo'Kor.

But it was nice to see that they took the chance to show Casey Biggs (Damar) without a mask:



Synopsis: Ezri, who is a counsellor in training, has a hard time. She has to deal with all the memories of her previous hosts (especially Jadzia's). But she also has to deal with all her - or Jadzia's - friends aboard DS9 and of course with Worf. But she gets distracted when Garak's claustrophobia panic attacks worsen and he nearly jumps out of an airlock "to get some fresh air".

My Opinion: I liked Garak's inner conflict about "betraying" his own people at the same time as I disliked the entire Ezri plot. And Garaks plot was basically written as a story device for her. If this would have been an exception I could live with it but we will see quite a number of Ezri episodes this season. They wanted to give her a proper profile and background but it feels forced. Ezri here. Ezri there.

Synopsis: The USS T'Kumbra (an all-Vulcan ship) comes to DS9 and its captain and Sisko have a history. He challenges Sisko on Sisko's very own playing field - baseball. Sisko accepts of course and builds his very own baseball team and two weeks later the holo crowd is looking forward to a game of "Logicians" versus "Niners".

My Opinion: I never cared for baseball but just as Major League this was fun to watch. The huge baseball cap to fit on a Ferengi head or Odo as the umpire or O'Brien's scotch-flavoured bubble gum: great. But I would have expected more of Worf. He's a skilled klingon warrior and he can't even hit the ball once?

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on February 28th, 2009)