DVD Collectors Online

Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a review by Antares

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) 78/100 - An interesting, yet nori wrap thin documentary of a man on a mission... to create the world's most perfect sushi. His whole life is dedicated to this pursuit, and being from a culinary background, I can appreciate his zeal and tenacity. But the documentary doesn't really delve into why customers regard this shop as the best sushi in Tokyo. It just fawns over Jiro like he's some mystical, beguiling force of culinary nature. When the film was finished, I found myself respecting his sons more than him. One opened his own restaurant, while the eldest son trudges on in the shadow of his now famous father. I started to wonder if his father's eventual death would be devastating or maybe a lifting of a great weight from his shoulders.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 7th, 2014)

Octaman, a review by Jimmy

Title: Octaman (1971)

Genre: Horror
Director: Harry Essex
Rating: NR
Length: 1h19
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78.1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Pier Angeli   
Kerwin Mathews
Jeff Morrow
David Essex
Jerome Guardino

Plot:
A scientific expedition to a remote fishing village discovers high levels of radiation as well as a strange mutant-like small octopus that walks on land and has bizarre human-like eyes. The leader of the expedition teams up with a circus owner who wants to exploit the weird creature but trouble ensues when the two men discover their crew has been slaughtered and the mutant is missing. Tales from the villagers come to light describing the local legend of a half-man, half-sea serpent, but what the expedition finds is an astounding seven-foot-tall walking octopus that has a lust for human blood! Now, the hunters have become the hunted and the race is on. Who will survive and what will be left of them?

This one was directed by the man who wrote the screenplay for Creature from the Black Lagoon and It Came from Outer Space amongst other thing, so he knows how to write 50s creature movie. But this film lack something really important for that type of movie, a good creature costume. Not that it wasn't created by future famous FX artists (Rick Baker and Doug Bestwick began their career designing it), but it lack a feeling of reality because the head is a mask (the eyes have no expression and the mouth is a hole) and the tentacles doesn't move. The story also isn't that interesting and hard to follow (mexican accent without subtitles are sure hard to understand).

Nothing to write home about, I've seen better. but the remastering works is good.

Rating :

(From Jimmy's - 2013 Ooctober Horror Marathon on October 8th, 2013)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: The New Original Wonder Woman
Year: 1975
Director: Leonard Horn
Rating:
Length: 74 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Lynda Carter
Lyle Waggoner
John Randolph
Red Buttons
Stella Stevens

Plot:
After a dogfight with a Nazi plane, U.S. Air Force Steve Trevor crashlands on an uncharted island in the Bermuda Triangle. Paradise Island is inhabited only by women, and their existence has been kept a secret for thousands of years. Learning of the Nazi threat to humanity, the Amazon princess, Diana, is chosen to accompany Trevor back to the United States to battle the Third Reich. Garbed in a skimpy red, white & blue costume and armed with a magic lasso that forces anyone within its grasp to tell the truth, Diana uses her powers as Wonder Woman to battle the forces of evil.

Extras:
Commentary
Scene Access

After watching the recent Wonder Woman movie I had the urge to watch this TV movie, which served as the pilot of the series, again. Although rather campy, it is a fun Wonder Woman movie. Lynda Carter is perfect in the role, and anyone taking on the role in the future has big shoes to fill.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 12th, 2009)