DVD Collectors Online

Exorcist: The Beginning, a review by Hal

Title: Exorcist: The Beginning
Year: 2004
Director: Renny Harlin
Rating: R
Length: 113 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

A good prequel to the original Exorcist, this story ties in nicely as we learn of Father Merrin's history and his previous encounter with evil as referred to in the original story.  A lot less time is spent on the actual exorcism and more to character development and diversions to keep you off guard, including a love interest.  I like the way they even tie the infamous theme music into the closing credits.

Rating:

(From Hal's 2010 Horror Marathon Reviews on October 7th, 2010)

My Summer Story, a review by KinkyCyborg

Title:My Summer Story
Year: 1994
Director: Bob Clark
Rating: PG
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Charles Grodin
Kieran Culkin
Mary Steenburgen
Christian Culkin
Al Mancini

Plot:
Charles Grodin (Beethoven), Kieran Culkin (Father of the Bride), and Mary Steenburgen (Elf) star in this delightful sequel to A Christmas Story. For 10-year-old Ralphie Parker (Culkin, it would be a summer filled with adventure. Whether conducting a quest for the ultimate in spinning tops, watching his mother (Steenburgen) lead the gravy boat rebellion at the Orpheum Theater, or aiding the Old Man (Grodin) in his one-man war against their hillbilly neighbors, this was the summer Ralphie would always rememebr as the greatest of his life.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


Billed as the sequel to A Christmas Story, it is in fact directed by Bob Clark but I must question his sanity for putting out this movie as all it accomplishes is tarnish a classic.

The characters all are back... Ralphie Parker, The Old Man, brother Randy... but with different actors that hold nothing to the original cast. I didn't find this even remotely funny. Charles Grodin, whom I've always admired as an actor, is quite annoying as The Old Man with more grunting and wailing than actual dialogue. Mary Steenburgen, always graceful and pretty, shames herself with this role as a complete ditz.

I'd rather go blind than watch this again. 

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on August 1st, 2010)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

2. Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
Original Air Date: 10/3/2000
Angel directs Cordelia and Wesley to investigate a mysteriously abandoned hotel in Hollywood and as they piece together the building's dark history, they discover that his interest is that of a personal nature.

Guest Stars:
Melissa Marsala
John Kapelos
Tommy Hinkley
Brett Rickaby

My Thoughts:
This is the episode that tells how they got the old hotel for their new home base. It is a very good episode. One of my favorites. And another one that shows flashbacks to Angel's past.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 1st, 2010)