DVD Collectors Online

The American, a review by Dragonfire

I was interested in seeing The American when I first saw the trailer.  I had the chance to see it recently.  While I think the movie is good and done very well, it isn't exactly what I was expecting because of the trailer.  It looked like the movie was going to be more of an action thriller type of movie.  While there are elements of a thriller, this is not an action movie by any stretch of the imagination.  People expecting an action packed movie may end up disappointed.  There is a little bit of action in one or two scenes, but that is not enough to make this an action movie.  Things are more restrained.  I do think that works for the movie, though other people may feel differently.

The movie is focused on Jack, some kind of hitman.  When the movie begins, he is with a woman in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Sweden.  It sort of seems like he's on vacation, though it doesn't take long for him to jump into action when men show up trying to kill him.  He ends up hiding out in a small town in Italy while his contact Pavel says he is trying to deal with the situation in Sweden.  Pavel convinces Jack, who is using the name Edward, to take another job.  While working on that, he starts seeing Clara, a prostitute and the two eventually start a social relationship.

Jack/Edward does seem to be struggling with some things throughout the movie.  At times he shows that he is still good at his job, and others, he seems to be slipping.  His developing a relationship with Clara, as well as a friendship with a priest, do seem to be signs that he wants to stop the work and have a somewhat more normal life.  The movie is more focused on what Jack/Edward is going through than on action.  Things are handled in a subtle way that I think works, though it will probably disappoint some viewers. 

George Clooney is the only cast member that I recognize.  He does a really good job as Jack/Edward.  The part is different from everything else I've seen him play.  Jack goes through a lot during the movie.  Some things end up being shared about him, but a lot remains a mystery by the end. The other characters are sort of interesting, though not much is shared about them.  The cast does fine with the parts.

I think the movie is very well done and is worth seeing.  It isn't going to appeal to a lot of people though.  I did enjoy it overall, though I don't know that I want to see it again.



I did post a review on Epinions.

The American

(From The American on September 17th, 2010)

Fall of Eagles, a review by Antares

Fall of Eagles





Year: 1974
Film Studio: Koch Entertainment Distribution, BBC Television
Genre: Drama, Mini-Series, Television
Length: 650 Min.

Review
       In the late summer of 1914, the noted English diplomat Sir Edward Grey was quoted as saying; . The event of which he spoke was the declaration of war amongst the major powers of Europe, precipitating the First World War. What was meant by this statement was that the ruling houses of the major monarchal powers would not survive the onslaught of both modern warfare and modern political reforms that were about to sweep over a war torn and decimated Europe. The Hapsburgs, Hohenzollerns and the Romanovs had ruled their individual nations autocratically for centuries, but with the entangling alliances that were formed after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, each would be drawn into the escalating conflict that would bring about an end to their respective dynasties. It is upon these entangling alliances that the BBC mini-series Fall of Eagles is based. Starting with the inter-connecting marriages between most of the ruling houses of Europe and the offspring of Queen Victoria of England, roughly 75 years of monarchal mischief, mayhem and malevolence are showcased in 13 episodes, ending with the abdications of the aforementioned rulers prior to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1918.
   
       I had viewed a few of the latter episodes of this mini-series on the Bravo network back in the late nineties, and had been drawn into the drama of these doomed despots and eagerly awaited a release on DVD. Now after viewing the series as a whole, I must admit that while it is entertaining, it also comes across as more of a soap opera than an in-depth treatise on the events which brought about the beginning of the war. Much time and many episodes are spent on trivial palace melodrama and political intrigue amongst all of the ruling houses. This leaves the mini-series a little bit flat on excitement and makes one wonder why the story needed to spread out over thirteen episodes.

       Another point of contention for me was the fact that many of the main characters suddenly disappear and their fate and destinies are brushed over quite insignificantly. Which leads me to wonder if this is the complete story in this DVD package? I could have sworn that one of the episodes that I watched on Bravo, dealt with the execution of the Romanov family during the Russian Revolution of 1917. My memory tells me that there was a scene of the family being herded into a small room and a few of the Bolsheviks walk in and suddenly open fire upon them. I could bring wrong and my memory could be failing me, but I also vaguely remember more interaction between the Kaiser and his two main generals, Otto von Bismarck and Erich Ludendorff, concerning the disposition of the war.

       All in all, if you were a fan of the two brilliant BBC productions Upstairs, Downstairs or I, ClaudiusReview Criterion

(From Fall of Eagles (1974) on June 16th, 2010)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

09. The Wish (1998-12-08)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: David Greenwalt
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Mark Metcalf (The Master), Emma Caulfield (Anya/Anyanka), Larry Bagby III (Larry), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Nicole Bilderback (Cordette #1), Nathan Anderson (John Lee), Mariah O'Brien (Nancy), Gary Imhoff (Teacher), Robert Covarrubias (Caretaker)

I love alternate reality stories just as much as time-travel stories.
Cordelia wishes from Anya (in her first appearance on the series), that Buffy never came to Sunnydale. The result: Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. And the Master is still alive and ruling over Sunnydale. A fun What-If episode, which resulted in the even better Doppelgangland episode (which will follow later in this marathon).

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 3rd, 2009)