DVD Collectors Online

Last Summer, a review by Jimmy

Title : Last Summer (1969)

Overview
It was a summer of shared friendship... and lost innocence.

My Impression
I've bought this one without knowing anything about it, in fact my reason was that it's one of the first important movie role of Barbara Hershey. You know already that this movie is in my top ten list and this is certainly one of the best three movie I've seen in my life. Of course this movie is the best blind buy I've ever made. The story deal with the relation between 3 New York friends during their summer vacation and a new shy girl from Cleveland who joins the trio. Written like that it looks like a boring Walt Disney familly movie, but you know that if it would be the case this movie would have nothing to do on my list. The film is completly centered around the 4 teenagers (the adult are non entity in this movie, except for a little exception) and how the teenagers are cruel and manipulative with each others (we tend to forgot that fact, but we were like that too at this time). I can't say a lot about what happen in the movie because all the actions explain the end. A very great performance by the 4 young actors : Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, Bruce Davison and Catherine Burns (she was nominated for an Oscar). This is really important since bad acting would have harmed strongly the movie.

Now I go on a rant : I find inconceivable that this movie is not available on DVD. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1970, 3 big stars are in it and Evan Hunter had written the novel. I just can't understand why MGM refuse to release it on DVD, when they continue to release unimportant crappy movies. It will be the 40 years birthday of the movie release next years, so maybe there are some hope for a special edition in 2009.

If you find this one buy it immediatly, try to get the original X rated version and not the R rated cut version it's really important for understanding the end.   
 
Rating :


(From My Alphabet Marathon Review on November 12th, 2008)

Zoom: Academy for Superheroes, a review by addicted2dvd

Zoom: Academy for Superheroes
 Buckle up and prepare for a ride that's out of this world! When Earth is threatened with imminent destruction, an out-of-shape, out-of-work and over-the-hill former superhero is called back into action to save the day.

That hero is Jack Sheppard a.k.a "Captain Zoom" (Tim Allen). The problem is he's lost all his powers. And now, it's up to General Larraby (Rip Torn) and Dr. Grant (Chevy Chase) to coax him into taking one more mission: train a ragtag bunch of kids with amazing superpowers of their own. With help from the brainy Marsha Holloway (Courteney Cox), they'll learn to work as a team and harness their powers to battle an evil menace who's determined to make one seriously huge mess of life as we know it.

TV Stars:
Tim Allen (Home Improvement)
Courtney Cox (Friends)

My Thoughts:
This morning my daughter wanted to watch a couple movies with me. So I told her to pick out something from her list for us to watch together. This is what she picked. I have read a few reviews of this movie... and every one of them basically said this movie sucked. I can't agree with that though. You do have to remember that this movie is more geared towards the family... especially with kids in mind... but it is a fun movie to watch. You just can't expect anything more from it then that. Just a fun... leave your brain at the door type superhero movie. If you expect anything more then that... yes you will be disappointed. But if you go in expecting nothing more then a good time with a handful of laughs I think you will enjoy it. Of course my daughter loved every minute of it.


Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1ufzHIhaJg

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: TV Stars in the Movies on March 29th, 2009)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Buffy's 17th birthday is coming up and the gang has planned a surprise party. But Drusilla and Spike have also something planned: They want to reassemble the Judge, a demon who could bring forth Armageddon and destroy the Human race. And Angel and Buffy are getting closer and closer but the Gypsies who once cursed him will not allow that he is happy and they have an "agent" right in the gang's midst.

My Opinion: Maybe it's due to his frustration of sitting in a wheel chair, but reassembling the Judge contradicts Spike's statement in the season finale that he likes the world as it is ("Millions of 'Happy Meals' on legs."). But I liked this (and the following) episode very much and I really liked Vincent Schiavelli's appearance as Gypsy elder even though it was short. This episode also starts the tradition that Buffy's birthdays will always be terrible.

Synopsis: When Buffy and Angel have slept together, Angel experienced a "moment of true happiness" and subsequently lost his soul again because the curse was lifted. He's now Angelus again and teams up with Dru, Spike and the Judge. Buffy is crushed and has to deal with it, but she also has to stop the Judge of whom is said that he can't be destroyed by any weapon forged by men.

My Opinion: Angelus is back! I love David as Angelus. He's cruel, he's an asshole and he's still obsessed with Buffy. And he plays it very well. I'd say he plays the soulless Big Bad better than the tormented ensouled Vampire. I also love the idea to recruit the Big Bad from the good guys. It was also a great idea to kill a demon with some modern day weaponry instead of trying to slice and dice him with swords and the like. And I thought it was a great idea that Xander retained some of the memories from when he was a "real" soldier in Halloween.

Synopsis: When Cordy and Xander make out in Lover's Lane they are attacked by a Werewolf but they can escape. Since a Werewolf is a normal human being at day and only a Werewolf three nights a month there's only a short time for Buffy and other hunters to get him before he attacks more people and then goes dormant for a month. And Willow is frustrated that Oz won't make a move on her.

My Opinion: So, Oz is a Werewolf. Our trio seems to fancy more extravagant partners. I really like it how people - who are way different - are accepted by the gang as long as they don't do evil. This kind of acceptance and (later) alliance will help them to survive and defeat the true evil. The Werewolf costume didn't look really convincing but I assume it's hard to create a realistic one. It doesn't even always work when you use CGI. For example, Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was also not a convincing CGI-Werewolf. But I really liked the Werewolf-CGIs of Underworld.
The growling contest between Angelus and Oz was also great.

Synopsis: After their relationship has become public knowledge, Cordy dumps Xander Valentine's Day, even though she (secretly) still has feelings for him. Xander is crushed, laughed at and furious. After he's witnessed Amy using a spell on one of their teachers he blackmails her to cast a love spell on Cordelia for that she may feel as tormented as he does. But the spell seriously backfires.

My Opinion: This episode managed to keep the balance between comedy and drama. The scenes between Xander and (all) the girls were hilarious but Giles managed to point out the seriousness of that whole affair. This also starts the tradition that using magic for one's selfish purposes will ultimately backfire and that magic is always to be handled with care.

(From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on April 25th, 2009)