DVD Collectors Online

Man Without a Star, a review by Antares

Man Without a Star (1955) 65/100 - Universal International was well known in the fifties for their western offerings, so I can't understand why Kirk Douglas, in his production company's first film, decided upon King Vidor to be the director. Last night, I watched an early Budd Boetticher film from two years earlier which had plenty of action and showed that Boetticher was a director on the rise. When the film started I was enthusiastic, because the opening theme song was sung by Frankie Laine, usually a good harbinger of things to come. But from the onset, it doesn't know what kind of film it wants to be. Bits of comedy, Douglas singing a song and in the end, a somewhat revenge vibe, that never really amounts to anything of merit. It was entertaining, hell, anything with Kirk Douglas is, but it never really satisfies. In the end, it comes across as nothing more than a B movie. Had Douglas chosen Boetticher, it may have been much, much better. It had the potential.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on July 11th, 2020)

Swamp Thing, a review by addicted2dvd

Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing is the perfect blend of thrills, chills, "winsome humor" (Roger Ebert) and amazing special effects from master of horror Wes Craven.

Deep in the Florida everglades, a brilliant scientist, Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise), and a sexy government agent, Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau), have developed a secret formula that could end world hunger. Little do they know, however, that their arch nemesis, Arcane (Louis Jourdan), is plotting to steal the serum for his own selfish schemes. Looting the lab and kidnapping Cable, Arcane douses Holland with the chemicals and leaves him for dead. Mutated by his own formula, Holland becomes "Swamp Thing" - a half-human / half-plant superhero who will stop at nothing to rescue Cable and defeat Arcane...even if it costs him his life!

My Thoughts:
This is a movie I have seen many years ago. Maybe about 20 years ago. About the only thing I remembered is that at the time I enjoyed it. And I still did enjoy it... only not as much as I remember I did when I was in my early teens. I don't know if Swamp Thing was a comic book before it was a movie or not.. but it definitely has that comic book movie feel to it. I am actually kind of surprised this movie was written by Wes Craven as it doesn't have the feel of the movies that I relate with his work. So I guess what it boils down to for me is that it is a good movie... just not a great movie.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVD's on December 21st, 2008)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

4.12 Call of the Wild - Part 1 (1999-03-14)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), Paul Gross (Writer), R.B. Carney (Writer)
Director: Steve DiMarco
Cast

(From "Due South" marathon on January 5th, 2011)