DVD Collectors Online

Paul, a review by Dragonfire

I wanted to see Paul even before I saw a trailer for it.  Seeing the trailer just made me want to see the movie more. 

I went to see it not long after it opened in the theater here and I loved it.  It is a really fun, entertaining movie, though it isn't going to appeal to some people.  I've really come to like Simon Pegg over the last few years, so I was happy to see him as a main character in another movie..especially with Nick Frost.  The two of them work wonderfully together.

The plot is a bit simple and not really not the most original, but it makes for a really fun, entertaining movie.  I love that Graeme and Clive's idea of a dream vacation involves going to Comic Con.  I would love to go sometime..though the crowds would make me nuts.  Time is taken to show them having a ball there and then they set out on their road trip in a rented RV.  Things do pick up once they are on the road trip and it isn't long before they meet Paul, the alien.   The rest of the movie is mostly focused on them helping Paul get back to his ship while armed agents working for The Big Guy try to stop them.  Some of what happens is a little predictable, but there are also some surprising moments as well.

The movie is very funny, though the humor does get crude and gross at times and that could turn off some viewers.  The crude stuff does end up working with what is going on in the movie.  There are all sorts of references to other movies throughout the movie and I loved that.  Some of the references end up being rather funny.  Other things are more subtle, like how Clive is wearing a Ming the Merciless shirt.  Graeme and Clive can actually speak Klingon, something that helps them in a few situations.

This is a fun alien movie made for adults.  There is all sorts of swearing - some of it involving the oddest combinations of words I think I've ever heard.  There is some violence in a few scenes, but nothing too extreme.  The movie earns the R rating and it isn't a family friendly movie even though Paul is sort of cute looking. 

The characters are interesting.  Graeme and Clive, as well as Paul, are very likable.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are perfect as the friends.  I did have some reservations since Seth Rogen was doing the voice of Paul, but it works.  He didn't annoy me like usual.  The agents after Paul, led by Agent Zoil, are kind of bumbling idiots.

I loved this movie and will definitely add it to my collection once it is out.  I am bummed that the movie didn't do better.  Hopefully a lot of people will find it once it is out on DVD and Blu-ray.



I did post a review on Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater.

Paul

(From Paul on May 8th, 2011)

Scrooge (1935), a review by addicted2dvd

Scrooge (1935)
Scrooge, the ultimate Victorian miser, hasn't a good word for Christmas, though his impoverished clerk Cratchit and nephew Fred are full of holiday spirit. But in the night, Scrooge is visited by spirits of another color. Straightforward adaptation of Dickens.

My Thoughts:
There is just no way I could have a Christmas Marathon and not watch Scrooge. There has been many different versions of this story made... but I have not seen many of them myself... so I can't say if this is the best version. (This one stars Sir Seymour Hicks)... but I can say I did enjoy it. This was actually a DVD I got free in a 20 disc/40 movie classic collection when I subscribed to Total Movie Magazine. Quality is far from great... but it is watchable at least. And for free I won't complain.

(From My 25 Days of Christmas Marathon on December 3rd, 2007)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Extras: Series One (2006/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 174 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Plot:
Meet Andy Millman, Actor. Never forgets his lines because he never gets any.

Andy (Ricky Gervais) is a desperate man. He's been an actor for five years but thanks to his useless agent (Stephen Merchant), he's never done any real acting. Instead, he's a lowly film extra, making his mark in the background while the stars do their work. His partner in arms is the pitiable Maggie, a fellow extra and a hopeless romantic.

Andy may be an extra, but he's a star in his own right.

Too bad nobody else agrees.


Extras
1.01 Kate Winslet (2005-08-04)
Writer: Ricky Gervais (Writer), Stephen Merchant (Writer)
Director: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Cast: Ricky Gervais (Andy Millman), Ashley Jensen (Maggie Jacobs), Stephen Merchant (Agent), Charlotte Palmer (Suzanne), Francesca Martinez (Francesca), Kate Winslet (Herself), John Kirk (Mike), Kevin Moore (Father), Lucinda Raikes (Lisa), Pamela Lyne (Old Lady), Paul Pariser (Spark)

This episode predicted Kate Winslet's Oscar win in a Holocaust movie. The great thing about this series is, that famous actors appear as a parody of themselves.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on April 10th, 2011)