DVD Collectors Online

Late Spring, a review by Danae Cassandra

Late Spring (Banshun)
Year of Release: 1949
Directed By: Yasujiro Ozu
Starring: Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu, Jun Usami, Hohi Aoki, Haruko Sugimura
Genre: Drama

Overview:
One of the most powerful of Yasujiro Ozu's family portraits, Late Spring (BanshunMy Thoughts:
This is a quiet, intimate, beautiful film about family life.  It's about the relationships between family members and the expectations of family, both current, past, and future.  It's about choosing what you think is right over your own desires.  Noriko wants to stay at home, enjoying the close, loving relationship she enjoys with her father, who just as obviously loves her and wants her to stay.  Yet each comes to believe that Noriko marrying and setting up her own home and family is the best choice.  Each is saddened by this; why must things change?  Why can't we stay as we are?  Yet life must change.  I was left wondering if Somiya's health was declining and this was what drove him to accept that a marriage must be arranged for Noriko; he certainly seemed older than his stated age.  If this is the case, it is never stated.  I simply drew this question from the way Chisu Ryu portrayed Somiya. 

If it isn't apparent already, the performances in the film are spectacular.  It really feels like these people are real, that this is all taking place.  You can see the love between Noriko and Somiya through their actions, through their looks, everything comes through in the acting in even the quietest, simplest parts.  So much is said between them without words.  All of the supporting actors are really good as well.  Ozu had a great talent for drawing out a performance from a performer.

Excellent film, well worth watching.  This is a slice of life film, though, so be prepared for it to be slow.  Nothing explodes, so if that's your thing, this is not the film for you.  This is a family drama, not a romance, so don't expect that either.  But if you're looking for a great film, this is highly, highly recommended.

Bechdel Test: Pass (but barely)

Overall: 4.5/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on September 22nd, 2015)

Foxcatcher, a review by Antares

Foxcatcher (2014) 76/100 - My wife rented this at Redbox because she was interested in seeing Steve Carell's Oscar nominated performance, but for my money, Channing Tatum should have got the nomination instead. After the film finished, I jumped on the web to read about the story, having only a faded memory of the incident. I also found one of the films that Du Pont had commissioned, telling of his involvement in team Foxcatcher, and it's here where I found Carell's performance a bit over the top. Carell tries too hard to paint Du Pont as a creepy, space cadet who just wants mommy's recognition and love. In the video I watched, he seems kind of normal, yet kind of a nerdy narcissist. No thousand yard stare and only the occasional stilted delivery of words when he speaks. The way Carell portrays him, you should see men in white coats, in the periphery, chasing him with butterfly nets. The story itself is very methodical and at times a bit too slow to keep the average viewer's attention span. But the performances by Tatum and Ruffalo keep you interested throughout. A lukewarm recommendation from me.

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 March 21st, 2015)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Superboy: Season One (1988/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United States) Length: 558 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Plot:Daily Planet with a year's worth of headlines.

The production team whose big-screen spectacular revitalized live-action Superman adventures brings a live-action Boy of Steel to the small screen with 26 year-one episodes of the series that ran four heroic seasons. What emergency compelled Clark to emerge as Superboy? When did Clark/Superboy first encounter the green menace of Kryptonite? How did Lex Luthor lose his hair? The series has its own entertaining visions of key moments in the lore. So, enroll at Shuster U. Class is now in session.


Superboy
1.01 The Jewel of the Technacal
Cast: John Haymes Newton (Clark Kent/Superboy), Stacy Haiduk (Lana Lang), Jim Calvert (T.J. White), Peter White (Professor Thomas Lang), Scott Wells (Lex Luthor), Michael Manno (Leo), Gregg Todd Davis (Haines), Forest Neal (Dean Thompson), Bob Barnes (Dr. Spencer)

This is the first episode which aired, though not the first one shot. I had enjoyed this season when I first watched it. Sadly no further seasons were ever released on DVD.

Rating:


Superboy
1.05 Countdown to Nowhere
Cast: John Haymes Newton (Clark Kent/Superboy), Stacy Haiduk (Lana Lang), Jim Calvert (T.J. White), Doug Barr (Roscoe Williams), Duriel Harris (Theodore), Noah Meeks (Miller), Fred Broderson (Detective), Jay Glick (Security Chief), Paul J. Darby (Radar Operator)

I decided that I would also watch this episode. This one was shot to be the pilot but it then aired as the fifth episode. In this episode, Superboy makes his first public appearance.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 27th, 2012)