DVD Collectors Online

Faster, a review by GSyren

Title	Faster (5-051162-283676)
Director	George Tillman, Jr.
Actors	Dwayne Johnson, Mauricio Lopez, James Gaines, Tom Berenger, Jan Hoag
Produced	2010 in United States
Runtime	94 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Catalonian Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	Danish, English, Finnish, Hindi, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai
Overview
My thoughts	Like many of today's action stars, Dwayne Johnson is not much of an actor. But then again, films like Faster don't require a great range of emotions. Actually. it basically just needs on - hate. And Dwayne does that OK. The story is pretty simple. "The Driver" (Johnson) wants to hunt down and kill the gang that killed his brother. He also wants to find the as yet unknown man who put them up to it. That man has hired a killer to stop The Driver. Films like this needs a balance. The reveal at the end - who the top man is - shouldn't come totally out of the blue. But on the other hand it shouldn't be so obvious that it totally ruins the surprise. The director doesn't quite pull this off. The hint is not subtle enough. The films isn't just mindless action, though. Billy Bob Thornton does quite a good job as the drug addicted cop on The Driver's tail. Jennifer Carpenter has a small role, but even that is too much for me. I just don't like her at all. She had some good moments in Dexter, but not here. So, all in all a fair action/revenge movie that didn't quite work for me.
My rating	3 out of 5

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on July 28th, 2013)

I am Legend, a review by Rich

I am Legend



Richard Matheson's classic chiller gets its third adaptation (after THE OMEGA MAN and THE LAST MAN ON EARTH) with this film from director Francis Lawrence (CONSTANTINE). Will Smith plays Robert Neville, the last survivor in a post-apocalyptic New York, but there's still danger left on the city streets.

2nd viewing of this dvd, and my opinion has not changed greatly. After reading the excellent Matheson book which has inspired so many films, I would always feel slightly disappointed by and translated film. However it is an interesting adaptaion, and as a stand-alone film is quite good.
I thought Will Smith played the lead as the last human survivor well, capturing the slow madness of a man chatting to shop dummies and his relationship with Sam the dog. The backdrop of a ravaged New York is excellent, really creepy, with the wild animals roaming free. The lack of other characters does make the film a little bland, and I would have liked the 'other' humans brought into the story earlier.
But as Jon has previously said in his review, the mutants are a major let-down and the director appears to have gone crazy with his CGI effects to a point where at times they were like cartoons, totally unconvincing, and not scary in any way (although the initial 'hive' shot was suspenseful). The ending as well was not translated from the book, and too Hollywood nicey nicey for my taste.
Great effects though, and at times a full-on action piece that makes it a must-see for me.
 
 

(From Riches Random Reviews on March 22nd, 2009)

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

What's the show about?
This is a children's show from East Germany. It was the first in the "Spuk" series. During the summer three kids spent their days on the fair grounds and mostly in the haunted house their grandparents run. Three of the life-size puppets come to life and cause havoc in East Berlin and later the Harz mountains.


(lit. "The Fugitives")
One day a group of kids accidentally get three life-size puppets dirty: the witch, the giant and Rumpelstiltskin. When they secretly try to clean them in the river Spree the puppets come to life and escape. Their first mission is to get a broom so that they can fly away from this strange town they've woken up in, so they visit the next shopping mall and steal the next best thing to a broom: a vacuum cleaner.

My Opinion
When I was a kid I enjoyed this seven-part show. So when it became available on DVD I bought it purely for sentimental reasons. But if you're having small children, it's still a great story.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on April 4th, 2013)