DVD Collectors Online

Kandahar, a review by Rich

Trekking across sandy Afghanistan...



Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf presents this partially fictionalized documentary that illustrates the suffering of Afghan women under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the year 2000. The quiet, stark, powerful film follows an Afghan native, Nafas (the stunningly beautiful Noulifar Pazira), who left Afghanistan years back and got a journalism degree in Canada, upon which she built a career reporting the plight of women in oppressive nations. When she receives a letter from her sister, who is still in Afghanistan and who has decided that she will kill herself on the night of the next eclipse, Nafas decides to sneak back inside the border to rescue her. Traveling in a Red Cross helicopter to Pakistan, where she is lead on a treacherous all-night trek across an icy river and over deadly mountains, Nafas finally crosses over the border. But from there she must get to Kandahar, with only three days left before the eclipse. As a woman in Afghanistan she cannot speak out loud, travel without a husband, or show her face, elements which make her journey nearly impossible. Disguised in a heavy head-to-toe burka (the mandatory dress for women), she begins a Kafkaesque journey across the barren land, encountering obstacles both threatening and mesmerizing along the way.

An education is the best way to describe a viewing of this film, portraying life in such a country from a genuine Afghan viewpoint, it was pleasing to watch but certainly not an epic. Noulifar Pazira is stunning, the backdrop and people throughout the film captivating, and the open ending added a mysterious intrigue to the whole movie. Worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon. 5/10

(From Around the World in 80 DVD's on February 14th, 2008)

Neverland, a review by GSyren

Title	Neverland (5-039036-050388)
Director	Nick Willing
Actors	Keira Knightley, Charlotte Atkinson, Charles Dance, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins
Produced	2011 in United Kingdom
Runtime	162 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	English
Overview	The legend of Peter Pan begins. After accidently opening a magical gateway, young ragamuffin Peter (Rowe) and his friends are transported to a magical world filled with danger and mystery at every turn. This strange new world pushes their bravery and friendship to the limsits as a remarkable series of events set Peter on the path to becoming the Boy Who Never Grew Up. Featuring thrilling action and a superb A-list cast, Neverland explores the origins of Peter Pan and Captain Hook and puts a brilliantly original twist on a truly classic tale.
My thoughts	This two-part mini-series is a prequel to Peter Pan. It's a lot darker than the Disney version of Peter Pan, so it might be better to consider it a prequel to the 2003 Jason Isaacs movie. Anyway, I liked the way they had imagined back stories for all the characters. It's not entirely flawless, though. Q'orianka Kilcher as Aaya (aka Tiger Lily) seemed rather wooden, and some of the CGI betrayed the productions TV roots. It was real fun to see Bob Hoskins doing Smee twenty years after doing the same role in Hook. Rhys Ifans was good as James Hook - before he lost his hand and became Captain Hook. The film plays a bit of a trick on the viewer by showing the pirates with a female captain with a hook. So the first impression is "What? A female Captain Hook?" But she's actually Captain Elizabeth Bonny (played by Anna Friel), and she's about to be replaced by James Hook. Charlie Rowe is quite good as Peter Pan. Actually, he is never refered to anything but just "Peter". He does play a flute, but not a pan flute, so I'm not sure where the Pan name comes from. Reactions to this Peter Pan prequel has been varied. Some people didn't like it at all, but I quite enjoyed it. Perhaps it gets to be a bit much if you watch it in one sitting. I watched the two parts one day apart, and that worked fine for me. I would say it's highly recommended. (Should I have posted this in "TV on DVD" reviews? Well, I consider mini-series and TV movies to be movies. I know that people on DVD Profiler forums don't agree with me, but for me only TV shows belong in the Television genre. So there!)
My rating	4 out of 5

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on July 6th, 2013)

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

7.01 Lessons
Writer: Joss Whedon (Screenwriter)
Director: David Solomon
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Alex Breckenridge (Kit Holburn), Kali Rocha (Halfrek), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), Mark Metcalf (The Master), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), Harry Groener (Mayor Wilkins), George Hertzberg (Adam), Clare Kramer (Glory), Adam Busch (Warren), David Zepeda (Carlos), Jeremy Howard (Dead Nerd), Ken Strunk (Dead Janitor), Rachael Bella (Dead Girl), Ed F. Martin (Teacher), Simon Chernin (Student), Jeff Denton (Vampire)

A nice enough start to a new season. I especially enjoyed the ending where we get the chance again to see all of the old dead big bads of the series.

Rating:



7.02 Beneath You
Writer: Douglas Petrie (Screenwriter)
Director: Nick Marck
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kaarina Aufranc (Nancy), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), Tess Hall (Punk Girl), Benita Krista Nall (Young Woman), Jack Sundmacher (Ronnie)

A rather average episode with some good moments.

Rating:



7.03 Same Time, Same Place
Writer: Jane Espenson (Screenwriter)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast



7.04 Help
Writer: Rebecca Rand Kirshner (Screenwriter)
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Azura Skye (Cassie Newton), Zachery Bryan (Peter), Glenn Morshower (Mr. Newton), Rick Gonzalez (Thomas), Kevin Christy (Josh), Sarah Hagan (Amanda), Beth Skipp (Lulu), Anthony Harrell (Matthew), Jarrett Lennon (Martin Wilder), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), J Barton (Mike Helgenberg), Daniel Dehring (Red Robed #1), AJ Wedding (Red Robed #2), Marcie Lynn Ross (Dead Woman)

An okay episode. Nothing special.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on February 19th, 2011)