DVD Collectors Online

Brigadoon, a review by Antares

Brigadoon (1954) 2.5/5 - Last Thursday night TCM had a theme night comprising of films with a Scottish setting. After watching the delightfully charming I Know Where I'm Going!, I decided to stick around and watch Gene Kelly's Brigadoon. Now anyone who has read either my reviews or posts on this forum, knows my disdain for musicals and especially musicals with Gene Kelly in them. But as of late, I've been trying to temper down my cynical side and I thought to myself, let's give Gene a break.

So...where to begin... I was surprised to see that Kelly did not seem to be mugging as much in this film and that was a pleasant surprise. But that being said, I can understand why this film didn't fare well at the box office back in 1954. For a musical, it's kind of lifeless at times. Maybe this is a factor of MGM's refusal to allow Kelly to shoot on location in Scotland. But I can understand MGM's apprehension, I have read that every musical that Kelly made after the highly profitable Singin' in the Rain lost a substantial amount of money. Also, I didn't feel that the majority of the songs were memorable. In fact, the only two songs that piqued my interest were Heather on the Hill and Almost Like Being in Love, but unfortunately these two songs were well beyond the limits of Gene Kelly's vocal range. Lastly, I noticed that a lot of the movements and dance steps that Kelly choreographed seemed repetitive of other dances in previous films, mainly Singin' in the Rain. Could it be that Kelly decided to go back to what had worked so well in that film at the expense of making Brigadoon more exciting? Could be...

(From Antares' Short Summations on July 5th, 2011)

Tokyo Drifter, a review by Antares

Tokyo Drifter (1966) 3.5/5 - This is my second attempt at a Seijun Suzuki film and this was definitely a more enjoyable experience than Youth of the Beast. That film, at times, came across as a live action anime, with cartoon characters and comical action pieces. Tokyo Drifter lies at the other end of the spectrum for yakuza flics, and is a completely different beast (pun intended). Very style conscious, yet containing a plot as thin as a nori wrap, I was reminded many times of Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samourai through atmospheric shots used by Suzuki. If I can find one fault with the film, it probably lies with the over indulgent use of the theme song. But aside from that, it's a very quick little yakuza film that won't try your patience and has some really outstanding looking scenes. Foremost the ending, which definitely had to be influenced by The Avengers TV series that was popular at that time. After Youth of the Beast, I was a little leery about watching another Suzuki film, but this has made me change my mind. Next stop will probably be Branded to Kill.

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 9th, 2012)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

16. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (1998-02-10)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Seth Green (Oz), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Robia LaMorte (Jenny Calendar), Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy), Mercedes McNab (Harmony), Lorna Scott (Miss Beakman), James Marsters (Spike), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), Jason Hall (Devon), Jennie Chester (Kate), Kristen Winnicki (Cordette), Tamara Braun (Frenzied Girl), Scott Hamm (Jock)

I always liked this episode. It's the funny highlight of the otherwise more dramatic second half of season two.
I would have liked to see more of Amy in later episodes though (and not how she turned out to be in season six).

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on February 15th, 2009)