DVD Collectors Online

Dark Water, a review by Rich

Title: Dark Water

Movie Count:32 
TV Ep. Count:17 

Runtime:103
Certificate:NR
Year:2005
Genres:Suspense/Thriller, Horror

Plot:Far more terrifying than what was seen in theaters, this special unrated version of Dark Water is a thoroughly absorbing, suspense-filled thriller starring Jennifer Connelly. Dahlia Williams (Connelly) and her five-year-old daughter are ready to begin a new life together. But their new apartment — dilapidated and worn — suddenly seems to take on a life of its own. Mysterious noises, persistent leaks of dark water and other strange happenings in the deserted apartment above send Dahlia on a haunting and mystifying pursuit — one that unleashes a torrent of living nightmares.

My Review:
Hollywood remake of a Japanese chiller, the pace is electric but sadly the hide behind the cushion moments were not as numerous as expected until the finale. The characters are well established, with Postlethwaite as always the stand-out performer, but the overall feel until the end is rather bland and lacking in atmosphere. In the end I did not care enough for the characters and their fates, and the eerieness took nearly 90 minutes to arrive.
When it did, Hollywood had laid it on a bit too thick and dumbed it down, but one scene did creep me out and bought the hairs on my neck up.
Worth a watch, and when I feel braver I may get to viewing the higher rated Japanese original.


(From Rich's October Horror Fest on October 25th, 2009)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, a review by addicted2dvd

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Loaded with hours of additional bonus features, this two-disc Limited Edition DVD takes you even further into the world of Pirates. Everything has led to this. Trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones' Locker, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is the last of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court who must unite in one last stand to preserve the freedom-loving pirates' way of life. But first, he has to be found and rescued. Filled with extra features steeped in myth, magic and moviemaking, this Limited Edition goes beyond the final chapter of the trilogy for unsurpassed, swashbuckling entertainment.

My Thoughts:
This is another movie I got as an early Birthday Present. I have... and enjoy the first two Pirate of the Caribbean movies... but I never had the opportunity to see this one before now. While I liked this movie... it is not as good as the first two. I found the first half to be not very good at all... bordering on boring. But it did pick up in the second half and made it worth watching. As always Johnny Depp outdid himself. The others were good as well. Would I like to see another Pirates of the Caribbean movie? Well... I would definitely check it out but I would hope it would be better then this one. And if it turned out any worse I would be ready for the series to end.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 5/15 - 5/17 on May 17th, 2009)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Thin Blue Line - Series 1

Episode 1 - The Queen's Birthday Present
Inspector Fowler and Sergeant Patricia Dawkins are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. Patricia is under the impression that Raymond is looking frantically for an ideal gift for her, when instead he's preparing for the birthday of the Queen.



The star (Rowan Atkinson) and cowriter (Ben Elton) of the phenomenally successful Black Adder series turned to a more traditional sitcom format in The Thin Blue Line. Atkinson plays Inspector Fowler, a rather plodding policeman whose officers are, to say the least, unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of hardened criminals. Fowler's nemesis is the local plain-clothes detective Inspector Grim, who thinks that the key to his job is wearing a leather jacket and shouting, "Go, go, go!" a lot.

How this dreadful 'comedy' lasted 2 series is a mystery, it is junk for the masses and a dreadful shame to see some good actors wasted. I would liken it to a modern day Dad's Army, without the humour or class.
The 1st episode is used to introduce the characters, their relationships and rivalries, and their particular quirks. The characters are stereotypes from a bygone era, and none appeal, leaving you searching for a reason to view this series further.
For me a real misfire from some pretty good writers and acting talent. In fact the only blue line I could probably stomach again in a hurry would be a motorcycle tyre mark after it had ridden over this dvd!
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 18th, 2009)