DVD Collectors Online

If Only, a review by Tom

Title: If Only
Year: 2004
Director: Gil Junger
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 92 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, German

Stars:
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Paul Nicholls
Tom Wilkinson
Diana Hardcastle
Lucy Davenport

Extras:
Photo Gallery
Production Notes
Trailers

The basic premise of this movie is nothing new, but something I usually enjoy: Someone gets the chance to relive the day to right some wrongs.
But I don't really liked how this plot device was used in this movie and the movie suffered for me here. Though it picked up for me towards the end.
Jennifer Love Hewitt is good in this movie. If you are a fan of hers, then you will probably enjoy this movie (and she runs around in underwear a lot, which doesn't hurt ). Though Pete, just to warn you, she does sing in this movie
I knew that she is also a singer, but I always thought she is just another one of those actresses-wannabe-singers. But she can actually sing really well! I enjoyed her song in this movie.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on April 29th, 2009)

The Thin Man, a review by goodguy

The Thin Man (1934) Written by: Albert Hackett & Frances Goorich, based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke Starring: William Powell, Mirna Loy DVD: R1-US Warner (2002)

Cover Blurb: Nick and Nora Charles cordially invite you to bring your own alibi to 'The Thin Man', the jaunty whodunit that made William Powell and Myrna Loy the champagne elite of sleuthing. Bantering in the boudoir, enjoying walks with beloved dog Asta or matching each other highball for highball and clue for clue, they combined screwball romance with mystery. The resulting triumph nabbed four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and spawned five sequels. Credit W.S. "Woody" Van Dyke for recognizing that Powell and Loy were ideal together and for getting the studios okay by promising to shoot this splendid adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's novel in three weeks. He took 12 days. They didn't call him "One-Take Woody" for nothing.

The movie is charmingly funny whenever the two main characters interact, but quite boring when they are not. The supporting cast plays a bunch of stock characters, typical for gangster movies and murder mysteries of that time. The murder mystery itself doesn't make much sense, which would be forgivable if the movie wouldn't spend too much time on it. So I fully agree with Nick, who at one point complains that the case puts him way behind in his drinking. Ah, and the drinking. The two leads drink heavily and continously throughout the movie, and mostly the hard stuff. But it is neither the hard-boiled, "noirish" anti-hero drinking, nor some kind of social commentary, it is just a quirky mannerism of *both* Nick and Nora. One has to admire the completely carefree attitude the movie has towards it.

The DVD was re-released in 2005 as part of Warner's Complete Thin Man Collection, containing all six "Thin Man" movies (1934 - 1947).


(From May 2008 Man/Men Marathon - Discussion Thread on May 19th, 2008)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

3.06 Bounty Hunter (1997-10-19)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), George F. Walker (Writer)
Director: Steve DiMarco
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), Callum Keith Rennie (Stanley "Ray" Kowalski), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Camilla Scott (Inspector Margaret Thatcher), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Tom Melissis (Detective Dewey), Ramona Milano (Francesca Vecchio), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Wendy Crewson (Janet Moore), Hugh Thompson (Bradley Torrance), Jared Wall (Robbie), Cecilley Carroll (Annie), Hayley Lochner (Suzanne), Dean McDermott (Constable Turnbull), Bruce McFee (Deadeye Fineberg), Cliff Saunders (Ansell Ford), Layton Morrison (Wild Bill Jackson), Paul Saunders (Harvey Lopez), Ray Alexander (Lester Rivers)

This episode is mostly about a possible romance between Fraser and the guest character, the female bounty hunter. It is not bad, but I did not really care for the storyline.
One of the great things about this season is, that we get to see Francesca more often. Also it is now to see that there is a genuine friendship between new Ray and Fraser developing.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on January 1st, 2010)