DVD Collectors Online

Brave, a review by Danae Cassandra

Film #6 of Scavenger Hunt #22
Task #14: Watch a film from any director (or Pixar) who has made exactly 17 films



Brave
Year of Release: 2012
Directed By: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Starring: Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Animation

Overview:
Pixar Animation Studios, the creator of Toy Story 3, whisks you away on an astonishing adventure to an ancient land full of mystery and tradition. Bursting with heart, unforgettable characters and Pixar's signature humor, Brave is "a rousing, gorgeously animated good time," raves Peter Travers of Rolling StoneMy Thoughts:
This is one of the very best of Pixar's films. It's wonderfully animated, has great voice work, and is also a great fairy tale. Yes, it's a pretty simple story, but that's what a fairy tale is. It's been five years since it came out now, and it's still a very unique film - it's hard to find a female-centered children's film like this one. Brave isn't about romance and has a strong mother figure. Merida is a wonderful, strong character with plenty of flaws to make her believable. Her mother, Elinor, is the same - a strong, good role model in many ways, but with believable flaws. Great messages, marvelous animation, lots of fun. Recommended for everyone.

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 4/5

(From Scavenger Hunt #22 on January 7th, 2017)

Pal Joey, a review by Antares

Pal Joey (1957) 55/100 - Everything that you could possibly hate in a portrayal by Frank Sinatra is in abundance in this quasi-musical. Sinatra is stuck in his Maggio character from his Oscar winning performance in From Here to Eternity, but whereas that performance was fitting to the screenplay, his turn as lounge lizard Joey Evans is one non-stop, grating bit of fantasy. Whenever I see Sinatra play one of these somewhat cocky, tough guys, I always think of those Hollywood parodies that Looney Tunes would do, caricaturing him as a stick thin weakling. Throughout this film, I was waiting for someone, even Rita Hayworth, to cold-cock him and make him fold like a cheap suit. The rest of the cast seem to be sleepwalking through their performances also, as Rita Hayworth looks old beyond her years at the time, and the ever somnabular Kim Novak looks like a deer in the head lights. The only redeeming part of this film is the soundtrack, which features a few of Sinatra's best songs, including The Lady is a Tramp. The rest is garbage.

What the color coding means...

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 October 12th, 2013)

Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Orphan of War
When Xena tries to help the centaurs protect a sacred stone that contains their evil, she encounters someone from her past...her son.

My Thoughts:
A good episode. As the plot says in this episode we learn of Xena's son. I didn't remember this from when I watched this series on TV. So not sure if we ever hear from him again or not. In this episode Xena has to go against one of the men that used to be in her army. A man very greedy for power.

My Rating:

2. Remember Nothing
The Three Fates offer Xena the opportunity to erase her past - including her brother's untimely death - but only if she vows to never shed blood in anger again.

My Thoughts:
Wow... impressive. This is another episode I don't remember ever seeing before. It is nice knowing I have episodes in these sets that I never seen before to look forward to. This one is an alternate reality/What if episode that I thought was very well done. I enjoyed every minute of it.

My Rating:

3. Giant Killer
Xena is caught between a rock and a hard place when she's pitted against her friend Goliath in a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines.

My Thoughts:
Whatta ya know... Xena was there when David put down Goliath. Not a bad episode... though not the best I have seen. Entertaining anyway.

My Rating:

4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Xena is forced to take on the Bacchae - bloodthirsty minions of the wine god, Bacchus - to get to their power-hungry leader and foil his plan to take over the world.

My Thoughts:
Somehow I completely forgot about this episode till I got to it. I don't know how I could forget they did a take on the Vampire legend. And yes... I of course loved every minute of it. It is definitely a favorite.

My Rating:

(From Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon on December 30th, 2009)