DVD Collectors Online

Gladiator, a review by DJ Doena

Russell Crowe    ...    Maximus
Joaquin Phoenix   ...    Commodus
Connie Nielsen   ...    Lucilla
Oliver Reed   ...    Proximo
Richard Harris   ...    Marcus Aurelius
Derek Jacobi   ...    Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou   ...    Juba
Tomas Arana   ...    Quintus
Ralf Moeller   ...    Hagen

Synopsis: The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who challenged the emperor. Basically the tagline of the movie but it pretty much sums it up. General Maximus was supposed to give Rome back to the people but the son of the emperor had other plans, mainly: becoming emperor himself. Their fate won't be decided on the battlefield but under the eyes of the cheering crowd in the arena that is the Colosseum.

My Opinion: This movie is the reason I never bought Spartacus or Ben Hur on DVD. I've seen them quite a few times when I was young but I fear they can't hold up with this one anymore. In the beginning I didn't even want to watch it because I thought the age of sword & sandal movies was over but I was wrong. It's an awesome movie, I love the story and I love the action. "Is Rome worth one good man's life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again."

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on November 15th, 2009)

It Waits, a review by Jimmy

Title : It Waits (2004)

OverviewMy Impression
Nice one that looks really like an eighties film. The scare come more from the general mood of the movie than from the creature itself, in fact we have to wait a long time to really see it (something that I've always appreciated) and when it finally happen I was happy to see a man in a suit and not a CGI thing. But sadly they had used some CGI when the creature flies, it doesn't match really well and, honestly, you can do it with a blue screen much better. Cerina Vincent is surprisingly good in the movie (for the reviewer her white shirt was certainly a distraction), since most of the time she is alone. The rest of the acting is correct also. Some ideas could be more developped, but I've appreciated this one in general.

Rating :

(From Jimmy's 2009 Horror Marathon on October 1st, 2009)

Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

9. Death in Chains
Hades, god of the underworld, asks Xena to undertake the task of freeing his sister - the embodiment of death - from the clutches of a greedy king who's captured her in order to give himself eternal life.

My Thoughts:
This episode is a bit of a mixed bag. While I found it to be a very fun episode... it is not without it's problems. Of course it's problems is part of the thing that makes this show fun anyway. For example it showed Xena throw her Chakrum at a tree and it works like a buzz saw on a huge branch. Even going as far as making the sound of a buzz saw. Another thing about this episode is it is very inconsistant. In the beginning it shows some people that are mortally injured and un able to barely move... but yet it show other while fighting keep coming at you... like Ha-Ha! Stab me again... I cannot die! But for the most part I just found the episode to be a fun!

My Rating:

10. Hooves & Harlots
Xena has a tall order to fill trying to prevent a war between the Amazons and the Centaurs; and Gabrielle finds herself with some pretty big shoes to fill when she's chosen to replace an Amazon princess who died in her arms.

My Thoughts:
This is the episode I been waiting for... this is the one where Gabrielle becomes an Amazon... and starts wearing that leather outfit... and doing some fighting herself. I didn't realize it was so close to the beginning of the series... I was thinking it was in the second season. Thankfully I didn't have to wait that long. This has always been one of my favorite episodes. I always thought they did the Centaurs good... it has a good story.,, and it somewhat changes the series from this point on. At least the character of Gabrielle.

My Rating:

11. The Black Wolf
Xena fights her way into a dungeon (on purpose) to rescue the freedom-fighting daughter of an old friend.

My Thoughts:
This is another episode I really enjoyed. Once again Xena uses her past to make some people believe she is still bad.I got a kick out of Gabrielle trying to get thrown in the dungeon.

My Rating:

12. Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
At the behest of Helen of Troy, Xena goes to the embattled city to help end a 10-year war with the Greeks. But while trying to rein in the hostilities, she discovers a Trojan horse who's working with the enemy.

My Thoughts:
While I liked this episode... I didn't care for it quite as much as the previous few. But I really can't put my finger on why. The premise is a good one. It was kinda fun seeing Xena involved in the Trojon horse. But for some reason it just didn't work as good as it should have for me.

My Rating:

(From Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon on November 28th, 2009)