DVD Collectors Online

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)

Schramm, a review by Jimmy

Title: Schramm (1993)

Genre: Drama
Director:Rating: Unrated (not familly friendly at all)
Length: 1h05
Video: Full Frame
Audio: German
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Florian Koerner von Gustorf   
Monika M.
Micha Brendel
Carolina Harnisch
Xaver Schwarzenberger

Plot:It's been a while since I've watched this movie (almost 2 years) and tonight I was in the mood for something different, so I've decided to visit it again. The director name probably ring a bell for some members here since he had directed Nekromantik, Nekromantik 2 and Der Todesking (this one seems really interesting). I can say one thing, if you think that Nekromantik is weird be prepare for a weirdest viewing experience.

In this movie you are in the head of the killer at the moment of his death (in fact the movie start with his death scene) and this man's mind is really confuse. The film is hard to understand since it doesn't have a continuous storyline from A to B, so you get the story by mixed fragment with no logical timeline. But this is a good idea to get really in the film. Surprisingly you get much more male nudity in the film than women one (even frontal one), not something that really please me but perfectly understandable since the movie is about the killer and not his victims (don't expect a serial killer movie this is not that kind of movie). Speaking of nudity, this film had one of the most unpleasant scene to watch for a man that I've ever seen  ¹).

This is not a movie that I watch often, but if you want to watch something artistic and different give it a try.

Rating :

1. Just imagine that the head is another genre of more sensible one

(From The little known movie review depot on January 14th, 2009)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Thunder in Paradise



What's the show about?
R.J. "Hurricance" Spencer has built a very special boat. It is very fast, specially armored and has a lot of special features. He and his partner Brubaker go on special missions for their country.

"Thunder in Paradise"
Spencer is in financial trouble because of the boat he's built. And the hotel owner Megan Whitaker has the problem of finding a husband within two days. So they make a deal...

My Opinion
Of all the "super machine" series I've watched (and I watched them all [Knight Rider, Airwolf, Street Hawk, The Highwayman, Viper, ...]) this one is the cheesiest. The internal measurements of the boat are way larger than the external measurements and the acting is not very good. Ok, what do we expect from a wrestler. It's definitivly more a fun series than anything else.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 4th, 2008)