DVD Collectors Online

Eight Below, a review by addicted2dvd

Eight Below (2006/United States, Germany) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Frank Marshall Writing: David DiGilio (Screenwriter) Length: 120 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: PCM: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
The Dogs
Max
DJ
Timba
Maya

Plot:
The unforgiving terrain of Antarctica comes to life through the wonder of Blu-ray Disc technology in this amazing tale of courage and loyalty. Eight incredible dogs, left behind when their research team is forced to flee, band together to survive the subzero elements that blister the screen in eye-popping 1080p.

The astonishing sound quality of 5.1 48 kHz, 16-bit uncompressed audio will have you practically feeling the wind chill factor as guide Jerry (Paul Walker) races against time to save his four-legged friends. Experience this heart-pounding adventure like never before through the magic of Blu-ray High Definition.

Extras:

This film I have mixed feelings for. On the one hand the visuals were gorgeous and the dogs were great. But on the other hand most of the cast could have done much better. Don't get me wrong... I found it worth the time put in to watch it. But it isn't one I will feel the need to rewatch often. It just felt like most the cast was phone it in on this one. And that did take a little away from the film.



(From The Alphabet Marathon: Blu-ray Edition on January 16th, 2016)

3 Godfathers/Night Passage, a review by Rogmeister

I haven't posted any reviews for a few days so how about a double-feature?


3 Godfathers
Cast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Mae Marsh, Jane Darwell, Ben Johnson, Mildred Natwick.
Director: John Ford

This was a popular story...it was told at least four times. This version is probably the most popular because it starred John Wayne, was directed by the great John Ford and was the most recent. It deals with three badmen who bungle a bank job in Arizona with one of them being shot in the shoulder during the getaway...but get away they do. While in the desert, they take refuge during a sandstorm, but their horses get lose and are gone the next morning. They soon find a wagon which contains a woman about to give birth. She is in a bad way, however, and soon passes on but not before she names the three men her baby's godfathers. The remainder of the movie deals with their trying to care for the infant and get it to civilization while a lawman and his posse are on their trail.

The movie is dedicated to the late Harry Carey, an old-time western star of his own (Ford used him several times, including a couple movies with Wayne), who had passed away before the film's release. This movie also marks the film debut of his son, Harry Carey Jr. This film has lots of humor as well as action and it contains some incredible color photography. It's not the best-known John Wayne film out there so people should look it up. It was included as one of the movies in the DVD box set The John Wayne-John Ford Movie Collection. It looks great, though its only extra is the original movie trailer.  This is a full frame picture because this was originally released in 1948, back in the pre-widescreen era.


Night Passage
Cast: James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Elaine Stewart, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Elam, Hugh Beaumont
Director: James Neilson
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin

About a week ago (on cable TV), I got to see Kirk Douglas sing and play the banjo in "Man Without A Star". Now, in "Night Passage", I got to see Jimmy Stewart sing and play the accordian. I guess these were the most expensive singing cowboy pictures ever made. I wonder who else got musical in the big pictures? Did John Wayne ever play the guitar? Did Randolph Scott ever play a fiddle? Somehow, I don't think so...

The accordian actually played a plot point in this movie. It involves Jimmy who, having once worked for the railroad, being offered a job again. An outlaw band has been robbing the train of its payroll for those who are laying the track. It turns out that one of the gang is The Utica Kid (Audie Murphy) who happens to be Stewart's brother. It culminates in a big climactic gunfight. And this is one of the few gunfights I can remember where we actually see the hero reloading. In some movies, you'd swear a pistol might hold 20 bullets. Brandon De Wilde is in this movie...he was the kid in the classic Shane.  Other notable supporting polayers include Jack Elam and Paul Fix.

As with 3 Godfathers, the only extra here is the movie trailer.  The film is presented in it's original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35: 1.  We have a nice color print and a fine music score by Dimitri Tiomkin.

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on July 2nd, 2009)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The Goa'uld Klorel who has possessed Skaara's body commands a Ha'tak that is in close proximity to Earth. His father Apophis has also arrived in the Earth system with another Ha'tak. SG-1 has mined Klorel's ship but even if Apophis were alone, his ship could devastate Earth.

My Opinion: Good conlcusion. But I think the effect to see Daniel again would have been better if we hadn't seen him escape through the Stargate. They oculd have told us this afterwards instead. This way they could have avoided the plot hole of how Apophis and Klorel escaped because there wasn't simply enough time for them. I loved the dialogues between Bra'tac and O'Neill where the former always prepared to die and the latter tried to find a way out.

Synopsis: During a rescue mission Sam gets possessed by a Goa'uld. He calls himself Jolinar of Malkshur and claims to be a Tok'ra. The Tok'ra are opposed to the System Lords. But there is another Goa'uld who managed to slip thourgh the gate to Earth: An Ashrak, an assassin in the service of the System Lords. His job is to kill Jolinar.

My Opinion: Arrogance seems to be a natural attitude among Goa'ulds, no matter if they see themselves as "good" or "bad". This episodes sets certain things in motion but was unspectacular in itself.

Synopsis: Owing to unfortunate circumstances, the members of SG-1 land on a prison planet that has no DHD. Of course they try everthing to break out.

My Opinion: It was obvious that there was more to the "herbwoman" that met the eye. How else could she have gained the respect of the big blokes? But once again SG-1 did serious damage without knowing it until it was too late.

Synopsis: SG-1 comes to a planet were its few inhabitants are in some sort of stasis. SG-1 also gets caught and they find themselves in the meories of their worst moments.

My Opinion: Has Diwght Schultz ever played a completely sane character? This episode was interesting because we've learned something about their past again. But I had wished for a peek into Sam's or Teal'c's past. And Jack's worst moment is without doubt the death of his son. At least we know now that the Goa'uld inside Carter changed something in her.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on March 3rd, 2008)