DVD Collectors Online

The Road, a review by Silence_of_Lambs

112 minutes were taken from my life and spent in absolute boredom.
A short-flick  of 40 minutes would have completely sufficed to transport the message "It's the end of the world as we know it" and "All hope is lost, but we're not going to accept this unto our last breath".
Come to think of it, a splash screen showing these two lines of text would have possibly been even more impressive.

For me it's even more implausible than "The Book of Eli"
Within the first 5 minutes two premises are given:
1) All plants are dead
2) All animals are dead (I just wonder what life form the dog at the end of the movie might have been then)

Since the human organism is somewhat specialized and sadly can't work if only nourished with dust and rocks this in fact only leaves two options for the survivors:
1) Die slowly
2) Die fast

The mother (Charlize Theron) picks option 2 when realizing that the battle for the remaining resources would sooner or later lead to becoming a resource.
The father picks option 1 and subsequently dies when realizing that really, as was to be expected, all hope is lost.
The kid has no chance of picking an option since all relevant decisions are made by it's parents and the first time it is given some responsibility it utterly fails.

40 minutes, really.
But as a short it would have passed even more unnoticed.

The technical aspects aren't that promising either.
Granted, it is beautifully photographed.
But what are these flashes of action sequences supposed to mean?
They are not connected to the rest of the storyline and stand out as random intermissions of external motivators.
Probably they are only there to prevent the audience from sinking into sleep too deep?

This is sad, because the cast is outstanding and they all are doing their best to work against the weakness of the script.

At least it gave me something to think about:
If really all hope is lost, which of the two options would I pick?

Avoid this under all circumstances.

My Rating: (out of possible 5)

(From Michael's random reviews on May 10th, 2012)

Don't Look in the Basement, a review by Jimmy

Title: Don't Look in the Basement (1973)

Genre: Horror
Director: S.F. Brownrigg
Rating: R
Length: 1h29
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1:78.1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Rosie Holotik
Bill McGhee
Annabelle Weenick
Gene Ross
Harryette Warren

Plot:
Nurse Charlotte Beale arrives at the isolated Stephens Sanitarium to work, only to learn that Dr. Stephens was murdered by one of the patients and his successor, Dr. Geraldine Masters, is not very eager to take on new staff. Charlotte finds her job maddeningly hard as the patients torment and harass her at every turn, and she soon learns why Dr. Masters is so eager to keep outsiders out.

Excellent psychological horror movie that took the time to built himself. You don't know what to expect at all untill all hell break loose at the end and you finally discover the dark secret of the insane asylum. This is how an horror movie must be done : full of suspense, false leads and a big reveal. You don't need an obvious bad character when you know how to write a script (surprisingly Tim Pope, the writer, will became later a music video director well known for his works with The Cure). Very well played with no overacting (an hard task to do, even Dustin Hoffman was not able to play a mentally challenged character without overacting a lot) by veteran theatre actors of the Dallas scene.

Absolutly recommanded
   
Rating :

(From Jimmy's - 2013 Ooctober Horror Marathon on October 17th, 2013)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Long ago... In a time of myth and legend, when ancient gods plagued man with suffering - only one man dared to challenge their power. Hercules!

The spectacular collection brings together all five full-length action-packed movies starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Anthony Quinn as Zeus and includes the entire debut season in one epic collector's set. Kevin Sorbo's fresh, hip and good-natured spin on the legendary hero carried this witty, adventure-filled action drama to high critical acclaim. Smartly combining ancient myth with contemporary sensibilities, the series became one of television's highest rated programs.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Season One Collection Includes All Five Action-Packed Hercules Movies And All 13 Season One Episodes!

The Wrong Path
After Hercules and his friend Iolaus stopped a band of hoodlums from robbing an innkeeper, Hercules went home to his family. The horror that followed was over almost before it started. A huge ball of fire burst through his bedroom window and consumed his wife, Deianeira. In the next instant the fireball took Hercules' three young children. His step mother, Hera, was to blame. Consumed by hatred, Hercules set out on a path of destruction.

My Thoughts:
Another series I like a lot. But much like Xena: Warrior Princess... there is many episodes I am sure I never seen before. Unfortunately I was only able to get the first 2 seasons before the season sets went OOP. I really like how this series didn't forget where the last movie left off. It isn't like they just didn't acknowledge that Hercules had a family in the last movie. Once again after watching the pilot episode I really didn't want to stop watching the set!

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on February 4th, 2010)