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Planet of the Apes, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Planet of the Apes
Year: 1968
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Rating: G
Length: 112 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Charlton Heston
Roddy McDowall
Kim Hunter
Maurice Evans
James Whitmore
James Daly

Plot:
Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall star in this legendary science fiction masterpiece. Astronaut Taylor (Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist (McDowall). Winner of an Honorary Academy Award for Outstanding Make-up Achievement, 'Planet of the Apes' is a grand entertainment from its visually arresting beginning to the chilling last moment.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Gallery
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned
THX

My Thoughts:
What can I say about Planet of the Apes that was never said before? Probably nothing... so I will just say I enjoyed every minute of it from the start to the surprise ending! The movie runs smoothly, it is one of those movies that the time goes by quickly without even thinking about it. I will say that there may be a little dated feel to it. But definitely not enough to take away from the enjoyment of the movie.



(From Movies of the '60s Marathon on April 24th, 2010)

Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave
Movie Count: 1
TV Ep Count: 0
Time Started: 4am
Plot:
A college student finds a canister in his uncle's attic that contains a drug more potent than Ecstasy. When word of the drug, nicknamed "Z" for its Zombie-like hallucinogenic effects, reaches unscrupulous college drug dealer Skeet, he hatches a plan to sell the drug to ravers attending the ultimate rave party. But when the drug's side effects start to kick in, the ultimate rave turns into the ultimate grave as party goers drop to their death...then rise again to feed!

My Thoughts:
This is the fifth movie in the Return of the Living Dead series... and unfortunately it shows it. Even though I did enjoy this movie... it is just not up to par with the other 4.  I was nervous when I bought the 4th one (Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis) but ended up enjoy that one very much.... so that ended up giving me a little false hope that it would continue to be so. But unfortunately for me... this is the movie where the series ultimately went down hill. I did enjoy it enough where if there ends up being another one I will give it a chance... but I won't be expecting much from it. The only extras on this disc is a collection of trailers.

(From Month-Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 1st, 2007)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Summer break is nearly over and Buffy has returned from L.A.. But she seems to to have changed. She is closed up and snubs virtually everyone. And it gets worse: The Anointed One wants to get the Master back from the really dead. And for this he needs the people who were close to him when he died.

My Opinion: This behaviour will develop into a habit. Everytime Buffy goes through a shocking or traumatizing event she will try to shut everyone out and keep the world at bay. She will do it again at the beginning of the third season and during the sixth season. It may not be a good character trait but it's definitively a defining one for the character. Just as the one that she will do what's right when it matters.
The episode was also a portent for the season. When she claims that Angel has thought about fighting her and that he should try it. When Snyder states that he would love to expel her. When she was lured away from the library and that's the place she was needed most.
I think it was a good start of the season.

Synopsis: During her patrol in one of Sunnydale's graveyards she discovers that a grave is empty that shouldn't be empty. But it's not another Vampire who has risen. The body is simply gone. So it's either the work of flesh-eating demons or a group that wants to build an army of Zombies. But when Cordelia finds a lot of body parts in the dumpster they can safely dismiss both theories. But who needs only some parts from several young women?

My Opinion: I never liked these frankenstein-y stories, neither here nor in the fourth season. But once again I liked it that good and bad weren't clear cut, that our Dr. Frankenstein in the form of Chris didn't go as far as killing someone just to build a bride for his brother. But I haven't understood what the other guy was hoping for. Why was he helping in the first place and why would he have killed Cordelia? I simply couldn't see his motive to act the way he did.

Synopsis: Buffy and another "rebel" is ordered to organize and host the annual parent-teacher-night. And Buffy has to keep her mother far away from principle Snyder. And some special Vampire holiday is coming up. And the Vampire Spike has come to town to have some fun around here. And he will kill Buffy on Saint Whatshisname's day. Fortunately those two events don't fall on the same day...

My Opinion: ...Unfortunately Spike isn't the most patient guy. I loved it how he single-handedly decluttered all the Vampire rituals and my prejudice about them. James Marsters once stated that he played Spike "with a bit more soul than he was supposed to". I knew him from Smallville and he was one of the reasons to give Buffy a chance and I couldn't wait to finally see him here. He will develop into one of the most interesting characters on the show even though he just lost his first battle against the Slayer.
But they also made two statements about him that they will "correct" later: Giles states that he's barely two hundred. I would assume "barely 200" means something like 190 or 180. Later they will make him just 150 years old (born around 1850). Spike also says that Angel was "his Sire, his Yoda". But as it will turn out, Spike was sired by Drusilla who was sired by Angel. But maybe Spike meant it in some figurative way. After all, Angel is his Grand-Sire and Yoda was Luke's second Jedi teacher after Obi-Wan.

Synopsis: During a visit of the local museum one of the student tries to steal a mummy seal and accidentally breaks it. The young, female Inka mummy re-awakes, kills the student and disappears from the museum. Shortly after she takes the place of an exchange student (whom she also killed) and moves in with Buffy for the next two weeks. And naturally Xander falls for her the minute he sees her. But then there's a mysterious knife guy who seems to be connected to the mummy and the body count is increasing. The gang has to find out what's going on.

My Opinion: I have to say, I liked this episode. As most creatures do this young woman tried to ensure her own survival. But in the end she couldn't kill the person she fell in love with. I also liked the comparison between her and Buffy's fate: The be the Chosen One and not being able to have a say in it. And in opposition to Teacher's Pet Xander could be Xander without being influenced from the outside.
In this episode we've also seen Oz and Jonathan for the first time but I think one notices Jonathan only if one knows him already - ironically that is exactly what this character will be about.

(From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on March 28th, 2009)