DVD Collectors Online

Date Movie, a review by addicted2dvd

Date Movie
Bring home the UNRATED DVD that lets you go all the way on the first date! With outrageous features and footage not shown in theaters, here's the ruder, cruder version of the no-holds-barred comedy from two of the six twisted writers behind Scary Movie.

Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan from the American Pie series) is looking for love in ALL the wrong movies, until she snags the man of her dreams! But now, a devious ex, a farting feline and eccentric in-laws threaten her perfect Hollywood wedding!

My Thoughts:
OK... for those that don't know... a little back story on this one. I spotted this movie in the Wal-Mart bargain bin... but knew nothing about it. I grabbed it up quick though... just because I saw Alyson Hannigan (Willow on Buffy) on the cover... and I liked her on Buffy (and now on How I Met Your Mother). When I started talking about buying it online all I heard was how awful it was... so I find the trailer online. And unfortunately I didn't like the looks of the trailer at all. Even though it was cheap I wanted to watch it to be sure I wouldn't like it. But obviously I went into it with very low expectations. Even with the low expectations I wasn't prepared for this awful mess. Even Alyson Hannigan couldn't save this movie. After only 20 minutes I was prepared to turn it off and say forget it... but I really wanted to make it through this movie. I wasn't even able to managed 1 or 2 chuckles from this one. The jokes in this movie were either gross or just not funny. I will give this movie a half of a star for the appearance of Alyson Hannigan... but the movie itself was not worth the little money I paid for it.


Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcBu8ZKStI

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: 4/10 - 4/12 on April 10th, 2009)

Hondo, a review by Rogmeister

Okay, pards...here we go with a bunch of western reviews which I hope you'll like.  I've got over 300 westerns in my collection (counting just feature films, not TV productions) and I'll keep reviewing as long as you keep enjoying them.  Saddle up!



Hondo (1953)  83 minutes.  Directed by John Farrow.  Music by Emil Newman and Hugo Friedhofer.  Based on the novel by Louis L'Amour.
Cast: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, James Arness, Rodolfo Acosta, Leo Gordon, Lee Aaker, Paul Fix

DVD Special Features
Introduction by Leonard Maltin
Audio commentary by Leonard Maltin, Frank Thompson and Lee Aaker
The Making of Hondo
Profiler: James Edward Grant (screenwriter)
The John Ford Stock Company: Ward Bond
From the Batjac Vaults
The Apache
Photo Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailer
Batjac Teaser

It seems only fitting to start a western marathon with a John Wayne movie. This movie was actually filmed in 3D, though the craze was pretty much dieing off by the time it was released. There aren't too many obviousl 3D moments in it...the credits obviously have that look and there are a few times in fights where a knife or other weapon comes in at the camera. Luckily, it's an excellent western as well. The story was by Louis L'Amour who first had it published as a short story and then expanded it into a full-length novel. Leonard Maltin, who provides an on-screen introduction, tells us the novel was the first published by L'Amour under his real name.

As with most Wayne westerns, there's lots of familiar faces. Ward Bond has a key role and James Arness is in here, too, two years before he would become Matt Dillon. Paul Fix has a supporting role as does Leo Gordon (the guy John Wayne slugged to start the big mudfight in McLintock!) but there are a few people here who weren't Wayne regulars...Geraldine Page makes her film debut (earning an Oscar nomination for her efforts) and Lee Aaker is her son (he was the young boy in the Rin Tin Tin TV series).

The storyline has Wayne coming to the woman's ranch after losing his horse, accompanied only by his dog Sam (played by Lassie). The small ranch is deep into Apache territory and they are about to go on the warpath because of a broken treaty. Hondo (John Wayne) stays on while he breaks a horse enough to ride, helping her out during his brief stay. Later on, he winds up killing her surly husband in self-defense but it doesn't keep the two from falling in love. The Indian uprising comes to a head, especially after the death of the tribe's original leader (who had been friendly to the two) and the new leader is much more antagonistic (and who Hondo had defeated earlier in hand-to-hand combat).

This film is a good example of a movie not needing to be well over two hours to be entertaining. It's not even a full 90 minutes long but it keeps things moving quickly and still has time for some quiet moments. I liked the photography and the score, surprisingly credited to two composers. Picture and sound are excellent, as you would expect from a major studio release.

Older movies, especially westerns, don't tend to get lots of extras when released on DVD but this is an exception in that area. Besides the intro by Maltin, he also provides an audio commentary and is joined there by western historian Frank Thompson and Lee Aaker who had played the boy, Johnny. There's also a making of short, a profile of screenwriter James Edward Grant, a piece on Ward Bond and (something I always want to see) the original theatrical trailer.

I give this classic western 4 big yee-haws!

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on June 22nd, 2009)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

4.13 Call of the Wild - Part 2 (1999-03-14)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), Paul Gross (Writer), R.B. Carney (Writer)
Director: Steve DiMarco
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), Callum Keith Rennie (Stanley "Ray" Kowalski), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Camilla Scott (Inspector Margaret Thatcher), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Tom Melissis (Detective Dewey), Ramona Milano (Francesca Vecchio), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Dean McDermott (Constable Turnbull), Anne Marie Loder (Stella Kowalski), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Bo Svenson (Holloway Muldoon), Kenneth Welsh (Cyrus Bolt), Leslie Nielsen (Buck Frobisher), Martha Burns (Caroline Fraser), Peter Ferri (Delmar Huggins), Tony Munch (Jerry Smith), Chaz Thorne (Tony), Isolde Oneill (Tina)

Not as good as the first part. But nice that the series got the chance for a conclusion instead of just having it end. Although the fate of the characters may be unsatisfying for first time viewers I think, viewed as a resolution between the two Rays and Fraser it worked okay.

Rating:

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