DVD Collectors Online

The Eagle, a review by VirtualScot

There few periods of history that really intrigue me in film, WWI and the Roman Empire are two them. Mainly because story's don't relove around these two periods of history very often, so it's very rare to see them be realised on film. This is what initially attracted to go see The Eagle in cinema, and boy was i impressed with how well realised it was.

Staring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. Marcus (Tatum) is posted to Britain in the hope of regaining his family's honour, after the ninth legion disappeared in North Britain twenty years under the command of his father. Losing the Eagle standard, Rome's most sacred symbol of honour and five thousand men. Shamed by the defeat Hadrian's wall is build, marking the line of the end of the known world.

After saving the life of a young Briton slave called Esca (Bell), who in thanks swears a bond to Marcus. Marcus sets off with Esca beyond the wall to find the Eagle standard and restore his family's honour.

From the opening where Marcus arrives at his first post to the ending. Every detail of Roman Britain is brilliantly brought to life, and all this on a budget twenty five million dollars.

There's no gas can powered chariots in this film (wink wink).

The only issue i had with the historical aspect, was the highlands not being as leafy as it was back then. The highlands only lost it's forests in the 18th century thanks to the Royal Navy. But that's forgiveable and only another couple of issues pop up here and there.

The action scenes do suffer from the fast is apparently more realistic idea. And the plot does get a little slow at certain point. Overall though Tatum and Bell both put in strong performances. Bell coming off better as it's safe to say he is the better actor (no offence to Mr Tatum).

Mixing full on violence with a more profound story of honour and courage. A masterpiece it is not but a solid film none the less, and the sleeper hit of this year i think.







(From The Eagle on March 30th, 2011)

Booty Call, a review by Rich

Booty Call



Some guys will do anything for a little something - What happens when a planned night of love turns into the double date from hell? A provocative comedy about two couples grappling with the difference between love and lust, 'BOOTY CALL' tells the outrageous adventures of Bunz (Jamie Foxx), and Rushon (Tommy Davidson), two friends hoping to "get it on" with their beautiful dates. But Nikki (Tamala Jones) and Lysterine (Viveca A. Fox) are women with more than one definition of 'safe sex', and getting them into bed is going to be more complicated than Rushon and Bunz imagined...

There are a million reasons to hate this film - non-existent storyline, pathetic scenarios, Foxx totally wasted, vulgarity, hopeless production etc etc etc
However, there are a lot of absolute belly laugh moments, some cringeworthy embarassing scenarios, and a hilarious dog, which made this short film a guilty pleasure to watch. 

(From Riches Random Reviews on March 14th, 2009)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: During his stay at the Utopia Planitia ship yards (prior to his assignment to DS9), Sisko has helped designing and building a ship whose sole purpose was to fight the Borg: The Defiant. It's over-powered and over-gunned for a ship this size but now DS9 needs it. And the feature list has been updated. In the hope to find the Founders of the Dominion without having to engage in battle the Defiant has got a cloaking system - sponsored by the Romulan Empire. Sisko hopes to contact the Founders and show them that the Federation is no enemy of them.

My Opinion: From a diplomatic and tactical POV this was a stupid idea. If you'd want to negotiate with the leaders of an enemy force, would you take your biggest gunship and try to sneak into enemy territory? It would be like taking a B-2 Spirit, landing it on the Red Square and trying to talk to Khrushchev. But I liked the general idea of the Defiant from the beginning. The Star Trekian universe has never been a very peaceful one and the Federation is surrounded mostly by hostile forces. I wonder how many Starfleet ships have been destroyed in the cardassian border wars because they weren't really equipped to fight in a war.

Synopsis: Unfortunately the cloaking system didn't help in the end and when the crew returns to DS9, the Vorta are already there and they negotiate with Starfleet. But Sisko and the others become more and more uneasy because of where these negotiations are going. Meanwhile Kira and Odo are still in the GQ because Odo has finally found his people.

My Opinion:Synopsis: A drunken Klingon attacks Quark in his bar but accidentally kills himself. But Quark tells a story how he heroically killed the warrior in a battle of life and death. And ironically, some Klingons actually want that he sticks to that story, although for different reasons. And suddenly Quark finds himself as the head of a klingon house.

My Opinion: I loved this episode. Quark and Grillka were great together and the clashing of ferengi and klingon culture was also fun to watch. But divorce seems to be painful. And it was nice to see chancellor Gowron again although I have to admit the more klingon episodes I watch the less I can wait for Martok to make his appearance.

Synopsis: Dax begins to behave irrationally and aggressively. Additionally she has hallucinations. Bashir fears that the symbiosis is breaking apart and that they may lose Jadzia. Sisko and Bashir return with her to Trill but the mystery is getting bigger instead of being solved. Something isn't right with one of Dax's previous hosts.

My Opinion: This was an average episode. The 'revelation' wasn't that interesting and the episode hadn't much plot at all.

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on October 18th, 2008)