DVD Collectors Online

Vertigo, a review by Dragonfire

One of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest cinematic achievements, 'Vertigo', celebrates its 50th anniversary with an all-new 2-disc Special Edition DVD! Set in San Francisco, 'Vertigo' creates a dizzying web of mistaken identity, passion and murder after an acrophobic detective (James Stewart) rescues a mysterious blonde (Kim Novak) from the bay.

Recognized for excellence in 'AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies', this dreamlike thriller from the Master of Suspense is as entertaining today as it was 50 years ago. Featuring revealing bonus features and a digitally remastered picture, 'Vertigo' is a "great motion picture that demands multiple viewings" ('Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide').

My Thoughts

I did enjoy this movie, though not really as much as I have some other Hitchcock movies.  The story was interesting and I wasn't bored with what was going on, but the movie did have a slower pace that might bother some people.  It is a suspenseful psychological thriller that was dealing with obsession and how that can take over a person's life.  I think this was the first time that I had seen the entire movie.  Jimmy Stewart was very good in the part of John - or Scottie as some of his friends called him.  John was a very different type of part than the others I've seen Stewart play.  He wasn't really a bad guy, but he made some bad decisions.

The movie is very good and worth seeing at least once, especially for fans of Hitchcock.

 

(From My November Alphabet Marathon on November 24th, 2008)

Swades: We, the People, a review by dfmorgan

Swades: We, the People

Year: 2004
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kishori Ballal, Gayatri Joshi
Overview: Set in modern day India, Swades (Our Country) is a film that tackles the issues that development throws up on a grass root level. A country that is grappling with problems that development throws up, the India of Swades is colorful, heterogeneous and complex, with people of diverse cultures and attitudes. It is to this environment that Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan), a bright young scientist working as a project manager in NASA, returns to on a quest to find his childhood nanny. In his attempts to persuade Kaveriamma (Kishori Ballal), the symbol to him of motherhood and family, to return to America with him, he gets drawn into the life of a village called Charanpur and finds himself searching for answers to the questions of progress and development that the village is facing. His curiosity is piqued by Gita (Gayatri Joshi - film debut), an admirable young woman teaching in the village primary school, who chooses to live here despite problems like casteism, prejudice and a lack of basic amenities.

The film uses the contrast between the highly developed world of NASA, which has been at the forefront of advances in space research, and this world back home in India, which is at the crossroads of development. What was a simple mission, prompted by nostalgia and affection, turns into a journey into the heartland of rural India, both literally and metaphorically. His quest becomes the journey that every one of us goes through in search of that metaphysical and elusive place called "home".

Watched: 17th. Oct 2010
My Thoughts: An excellent film. At its heart a love story with no real surprises but there is more with Mohan (Shah Rukh Khan) discovering himself along the way. Following his arrival at the village, where his nanny Kaveriamma (Kishori Ballal) now lives with Gita (Gayatri Joshi), Mohan finds himself attracted to Gita and also gets involved in the village way of life and the way that things are run there. This all leads up to an event where Kaveriamma gives him a task to complete and whilst on this task Mohan has an insight into the inherent problems of local village life. After this Mohan is attending a festival where the village council question him and he in turn questions them and he decides that action is needed to show his commitment. This is not the end though there are still a couple of further trials and tribulations.

I did enjoy this very much even though the picture quality was very grainy at times, this I put down to the original material as the poor quality generally appeared on interior shots where maybe the director was limited on film stock or equipment to achieve his aims.

My Rating: An enjoyable 4

Dave

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on October 17th, 2010)

Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews, a review by Tom

Star Trek: The Next Generation
5.09 A Matter of Time
Writer: Rick Berman (Writer)
Director: Paul Lynch
Cast: Patrick Stewart (Capt. Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. William Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Stefan Gierasch (Dr. Moseley), Matt Frewer (Rasmussen), Sheila Franklin (Ensign), Shay Garner (Scientist)

A man claiming to be an historian from the future arrives to witness the current mission of the Enterprise. An entertaining episode. Especially the scenes where this man is interacting with the crew.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Star Trek Reviews on October 31st, 2011)