DVD Collectors Online

Hooked, a review by Jimmy

Hooked (Original title : Curfew Breakers)


Years : 1957

Director : Alexander J. Wells

Stars :

Paul Kelly
Alex Wells (The movie director)
Regis Toomey
Cathy Downs

Synopsis :

While the cops investigate the disparition of a young teenager they fall into a drug network who target the high school students.

Viewing experience :

This film, like many others, is about the great evil that spreads all over the young generation : The Narcotics. The film is more serious than some others of the genre (Assasin of Youth, Reefer Madness or Marihuana), but it had a lot of misinformation too, but this is not the reason why those movie were made. So we have a group of teenager, who don't look like teenagers (the drug dealer is 21 but he look older than me), who are heroins addict and they do everything to have it. The film use a lot of naration and it's a good thing because sometimes the story is confusing. The detective is played by Paul Kelly who did a good job, not really surprising since he is an actor since 1911 (the surprise is more that he was in jail 2 years for murder) and the rest of the cast is not so great to be generous.

The film is short and this is not a bad way to pass 70 minutes. But if you think that you'll laugh as much as you did with Reefer Madness, forget it this one is more serious. Not a great movie, but much better than what I was expecting.

Rating : 3/5

Movie Trailers : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hElpg6EYEHA

(From DVD Profiler random marathon on December 19th, 2007)

Five Dedicated to Ozu, a review by Danae Cassandra

Five Dedicated to Ozu
Year Released: 2004
Directed By: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: nature
Genre: Documentary

Overview:
Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (A TASTE OF CHERRY, THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES) pays homage to Yasujiro Ozu, the brilliant Japanese filmmaker whose spare but evocative style has been a major influence on Kiarostami's work. Canny and sublime, the 74-minute film is comprised of five long, apparently single takes of a beach on the Caspian Sea, all focusing on the ocean, comprised of virtually no camera movement and enveloped in rapturous natural sound.

Richly poetic and shot on a hand-held DV camera, the film features five extended, apparently single-take sequences:

1. The camera accompanies a piece of wood with which the waves are toying, at the beach.
2. People are walking along, by the seaside. Older people stop, look at the waves, then walk away.
3. Indistinct shapes on a beach in winter. A group of dogs. A love story.
4. Ducks noisily cross the frame in one direction, then the other.
5. A pond. Nighttime. Frogs. A chorus of sounds. Then, a storm, and finally, dawn.

My Thoughts:
This is a tough film to review, and it definitely has a limited audience. I tried to describe it to a friend and he was like "I'm not seeing a point here." It's a visual meditation, an exploration of time - day moving to night, the timelessness of the sea contrasted with the finite span of living things. If that sounds interesting to you then watch this film. I thought it was beautiful.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on April 7th, 2016)

Charmed Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

13. Repo Manor
When The Charmed Ones consider moving, they're forced to stay under the same roof by a demon that miniaturizes and imprisons them inside a dollhouse replica of the Manor.

My Thoughts:
This is another good... but standard episode.  Pretty much everything in this episode we seen in previous episodes... just brought together into a single episode... we have The Charmed Ones being shrunken and placed into the Dollhouse.... demons impersonating The Charmed Ones... all been done before.

14. 12 Angry Zen
Piper searches for information about Leo and discovers a message from Lo Pan, a monk and keeper of a sacred Buddhist staff containing the power of influence.

My Thoughts:
A good episode.. and something different this time as well... Buddha's Staff. Also in this episode Billie finally finds out how to find her sister.

15. The Last Temptation Of Christy
Paige is torn between dating mortal Henry or a magical suitor who proposes marriage, while Billie finds her sister, Christy, who has been held captive by demons for several years.

My Thoughts:
A good episode... Billie and Christy takes care of the Demons that kept Christy captive for all these years. Even though all is not as it seems. Also in this episode Paige and Henry get engaged. I like the Henry character... but it seems like they are rushing it a bit. Of course that is understandable since they knew this would be the last season... and only had so much time to tie everything up.

16. Engaged And Confused
Paige and Henry's cold fee put their engagement in jeopardy.  Meanwhile, a demon kidnaps Christy in order to lure The Charmed Ones into attacking the Triad and prevent them from taking over the Underworld.

My Thoughts:
A Really good episode... Christy gets taken again... but not for long this time. Plus we find out more about what the Triad is up to. Unfortunately you can feel the show coming to an end... all the loose ends being tied up a little more with each episode.

(From Charmed Marathon on July 16th, 2008)