DVD Collectors Online

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  I really enjoyed the first two movies and I've been wanting to see this one for a while.  It is in 3D in some theaters, and that is the version I saw.  There weren't as many images used to take advantage of the 3D images, but it was still done well.  The animation is wonderful overall.  The hair on the animals was done really well.  Ellie looks so soft and cuddely.

The plot isn't that complex, but it is entertaining.  Manny and Ellie are preparing for the birth of their child.  Diego is thinking that he needs to head off on his own and Sid is feeling left out.  He ends up in a cave where he finds 3 eggs that he believes have been abandoned.  He decides to take the eggs to raise as his children.  It turns out they are dinosaurs and they don't get along well with the other children.  Then Mommy dinosaur tracks down her babies, and is not pleased that Sid has them.  She takes the babies and Sid back through the cave.  Manny, Ellie, Diego, Eddie, and Crash decide to to after Sid and they discover another world where dinosaurs are still alive.  They meet Buck, a sort of crazy weasel who has been living in the jungle a long time.

While all that is going on, Scrat the squirrel is still chasing his precious acorn.  He gets distracted when he meets Scratte, a female flying squirrel, also after the acorn.

I think this movie can mostly stand alone, though certain things tied to the characters will make more sense if the first two movies have been watched.  Things are rather predictable, but the movie is still entertaining and enjoyable.  There is a tiny bit of suspense in a few places and one or two surprises.

During this movie, Scrat and Scratte pop up every so often and they do come into some contact with the main characters.  I've always loved Scrat and his attempts at getting the acorn, and I continued to enjoy him in this movie.  He's just a cute, funny character. 

The movie is very funny overall, though some of the humor is silly and won't appeal to some viewers.  Some of the humor is a bit gross or crude, though it isn't too graphic.  There is a bit of action and some mild violence in a few sequences as well, so parents will want to keep that in mind when deciding on if this is a good movie for their children.

Overall, this is a really cute, entertaining movie that I enjoyed.  I'm sure I'll be adding the DVD to my collection once it is out.  I would have rated it 4.5 stars at Epinions when I did my review there if I had the option, but since I didn't, I rounded up to 5.  I'll use the same rating here.

 

I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone would like to take a look.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs


(From Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on July 23rd, 2009)

The River: Legend Of La Llorona, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The River: Legend Of La Llorona
Year: 2005
Director: Terrence Williams
Rating: R
Length: 77 Min.
Video: Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Will Morales as Miguel
Mary Sanchez as Ann Marie
Denise Gossett as Mary
Joel Bryant as Sam
Carrie Wallace as Luciana

Plot:
The urban legend of La Llorona (Spanish for The Weeping Lady), comes to life in this morbid tale about a monstrous and vengeful boogey woman. This sad and love-scorned woman wanders near bodies of water and wails into the night for her lost children, who she drowned after being spurned and deserted by their father. Miguel, a mercenary, soon learns that La Llorona is anything but a legend, discovering that cashing in might mean cashing out.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
This is from another cheap horror boxset I have called Hostile Hauntings. So of course I went into this one expecting much of nothing. Though the overview did sound interesting... as I liked the idea of the storyline. But unfortunately they just weren't able to pull it off. Not the writing, not the acting... not even the cinematography as most of the movie was so dark that you could barely see what was on the screen. It basically felt like a homemade movie done in someone's back yard with a camcorder. It is a shame as I did like the idea for the story. I would like to see what a cast and crew with a decent budget could do with the basic idea of this movie. Rating this movie the best I can do is give it a half of a point for the idea. The rest of it is snooze-worthy.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs on March 12th, 2010)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
Follow the clues to mystery, adventure and thrills as Season One of The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries comes to DVD for the first time ever! Teen sensations Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson and Pamela Sue Martin star as brave super-sleuths in 14 spooky episodes loaded with spellbinding action and smash-hit pop songs, including Shaun Cassidy's #1hit "Da Doo Ron Ron." Inspired by the hugely popular books and with an amazing lineup of guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Harmon, Bob Crane, Rick Nelson and more, it's no surprise that The Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries is an open-and-shut case for fun!

The Mystery of the Haunted House
Joe and Frank Hardy follow their father on a "fishing trip" and end up helping him solve the case of a former soldier who is being chased by killers.

My Thoughts:
This is a series that I grew up watching back in the late '70s. A series I have always had fond memories of... and I was thrilled when it was announced they would be coming on DVD. In this series they would take turns... one week having a Hardy Boys mystery... and the next having a Nancy Drew mystery. Even though I was more partial to Nancy Drew (damn she was cute!)... I enjoyed The Hardy Boys as well. I believe it was in season 2 that they had a few episodes where they had both The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew in the same episode... usually a 2 part episode that started on The Hardy Boys one week and ended on Nancy Drew the following. Those were always fun episodes.

In this pilot episode, they just jump right into the mystery. No real introduction to the characters... just them getting involved in the mystery right away. I am sure they figured everyone would know the characters from the many books that came before the series. I must say... while a club is not my idea of a fun place to go... the one in this episode looked to be fun... having it set up like a haunted house and the employees dressed as monsters and such. The mystery itself is fairly predictable... but you must remember this show is geared towards the kids/teens more then the adults.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on January 28th, 2010)