DVD Collectors Online

Sunshine Cleaning, a review by Rich

Title: Sunshine Cleaning

Runtime:91
Certificate:R
Year:2008
Genres:Comedy, Drama

Plot:My Review:
Well it is listed as a comedy drama, but I must have missed the funny bits, for me it is through and through a light-hearted drama following 2 sisters attempts to make money and deal with lifes challenges.
Unfortunately I never felt enough empathy or sympathy with the leads, or else I may have enjoyed the film more. It is not rubbish by any means, there is a solid storyline, some good acting, a few interesting sideline characters, and a nice pace helping the film trot along easily.
This is a story of hope, definately uplifting, and if you like such quirky films, this may be suited well for you.


(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 14th, 2009)

Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage, a review by Danae Cassandra

Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage
Year of Release: 2007
Directed By:  Michael Campus
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Marcia Gay Harden, Peter O'Toole, Aaron Ashmore
Genre: Drama

Overview:
Returning home from college one Christmas, young artist Thomas Kinkade (Jared Padalecki) is dismayed to learn that attempts to promote local tourism have failed and his mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is dangerously close to losing the family cottage to foreclosure. Inspired by his mentor, Glen (Peter O' Toole), a famous artist who lives next door, Thom accepts a job painting a mural of his small, idyllic hometown. With Glen's help, Thom not only discovers his calling as the Painter of LightMy Thoughts:
I observed once that no one appreciates sentiment any more.  We have uplifted cynicism in its place.  I think perhaps that accounts for some of the reason this film has gotten poor reviews.  Yes, it's sentimental, and maybe a bit schmaltzy, but I enjoyed it and thought it was pretty good.  It's a Christmas movie, and one should expect sentiment in such a film.  The film and its characters felt very real to me, these small town eccentrics and their rivalries and friendships.  If Peter O'Toole is the standout, the entire cast did a good job with their characters.

For those who have said this isn't a "family movie" because of some very brief, and very mild, language, and the portrayal of the town hussy, you are missing the forest for the leaves.  The film is filled with the value of love and community, of putting aside those things that hold you back from others and coming together.  And that makes it a good Christmas film.  Recommended, unless you're a total prude living under a rock, or too-cool for old-fashioned sentiment.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 3/5

(From Yuletide 2013 on December 19th, 2013)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

M.A.S.K.: Ultimate Collection (1985/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (Australia) Length: 1875 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Subtitles:

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Plot:
Led by Matt Trakker, the Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand is a secret organisation that fights crime in an unusual way. By donning specially charged masks they have extraordinary powers to fight the villains of V.E.N.O.M., who pose a real threat to the free world with their own special equipment.

In addition to the masks, our heroes, and their counterparts, have super vehicles capable of a wide range of defensive and offensive actions, from changing a car into a jet or becoming a submarine.

Trakker meets each unusual situation by requesting his computer to pick the agents best suited for the job. As each agent has special talents some are better for a particular mission than others.

V.E.N.O.M., led by Miles Mayhem, always has their hands full when their evil plans for control are met by the crusading forces of M.A.S.K.


M.A.S.K.
1.01 The Deathstone
Writer: Jina Bacaar (Writer), Rod Baker (Writer), Creighton Barnes (Writer), Patrick Barry (Writer), Jack Bornoff (Writer), Del Bruckman (Writer), Barbara Chain (Writer), Kerry Ehrin (Writer), Herb Engelhardt (Writer), Mel Gilden (Writer), Ralph Goodman (Writer), David Gottlieb (Writer), Barbara Hambly (Writer), Trevor Meldal-Johnson (Writer), Fred Ladd (Writer), Chuck Lorre (Writer), Alt Matheson (Writer), R. Patrick Neary (Writer), Dianne Nezgoda (Writer), Jack Olesker (Writer), Glen Olson (Writer), Alfred A. Pegal (Writer), Jessica Radcliff (Writer), Ginger Roth (Writer), Jeffrey Scott (Writer), Karen Willson (Writer), S.S. Wilson (Writer), Erica Byrne (Writer)
Director: Mineo Gato, Kazuo Terada
Cast: Doug Stone), Mark Halloran), Brendan McKane), Graeme McKenna), Sharon Noble), Brennan Thicke)

I had a lot of M.A.S.K. toys as a kid. Together with the He-Man figures it was my favorite toys. Sadly I hardly saw episodes of this series as a kid. It only came early in the mornings (before 6 o'clock I think) and I never had a chance to catch it. But I had three retail video tapes of this series with one episode each. One of these episodes was the pilot episode. I have watched it countless of times as a kid.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 9th, 2012)