DVD Collectors Online

Ronin, a review by Hal

My first review here at DVD Collector's, so be nice! 



Title: Ronin
Year: 1998
Director: John Frankenheimer
Rating: R
Length: 122 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish

Stars:Plot:
The Cold War may be over, but a new world order keeps a group of covert mercenaries employed by the highest bidder. These operatives, known as Ronin, are assembled in France by a mysterious client for a seemingly routine mission: steal a top-secret briefcase. But the simple task soon proves explosive as other underworld organizations vie for the same prize...

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


Rating:


(From Ronin on July 1st, 2010)

The Apple Dumpling Gang, a review by addicted2dvd

The Apple Dumpling Gang: Special Edition (1975/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Buena Vista Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Norman Tokar Writing: Jack M. Bickham (Original Material By), Don Tait (Screenwriter) Length: 100 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

---

Stars:
Tim Conway as Gangster Amos Tucker
Don Knotts as Gangster Theodore Ogelvie
Harry Morgan as Sherriff Homer McCoy
John McGiver (1913) as Banker Leonard Sharpe
Bill Bixby as Mr. Russel Donovan

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned
• THX
• Cartoon: Two Gun Goofy

This was a fun watch... Haven't seen it since I was a kid. I of course got a kick out of the characters played by Don Knotts and Tim Conway. But the rest of the cast was good too. A nicer blast from the past. Looking forward to watching some more of the films I remember from the "Wonderful World of Disney" line-up.



(From What Movies I Been Watching on September 27th, 2017)

Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Xena has left her old ways behind and even intends to bury her weapons and armor when she "encounters" a group of mercenaries who try to kidnap a group of young women from a nearby village. The mercenaries belong to Draco, an old acquaintance of Xena's who plans to march into Xena's home valley. She has to protect her home village and at the same time that young girl who's now following her: Gabrielle.

My Opinion: If you already know the character from the Hercules episodes then you have no problem understanding this pilot episode. If you don't then the writers gave you a glimpse into her old life by using Draco as proxy since it is made clear that Xena was much like him. And it's also a good introduction to Gabrielle and her greatest talent: Her mouth. Xena wears now her final costume which changed slightly during and after the Hercules episodes. I think it's a good introduction to the show.

Synopsis: Xena gets shot by an arrow when she tries to help some villagers who were under attack by a local warlord. One of the villagers invites her to his house until she's healed. Meanwhile Gabrielle waits in another town for her return and makes the acquaintance of a young man who happens to be the son of said warlord and is supposed to become his father's successor.

My Opinion:Synopsis: Gabrielle gets kidnapped by a group of Mystics who want to marry her to the God of Dreams, Morpheus. For this she has to lose her blood innocence and has to kill a man (but she doesn't know that). In order to save her, Xena has to enter the Dreamscape where she not only encounters the people she killed but also her old self.

My Opinion: "You look bigger". I really liked it how Gabrielle got rid of her enemies without killing a single one of them and I liked it how Xena faced her old self and came to the acceptance that she is part of her and always will be. And I love these contact lenses(?) that colour the entire eye totally black. That looks awesome every time someone wears them (e.g. Lyta Alexander in Babylon 5).

Synopsis: Xena and Gabrielle find an abandoned baby that has become victim of a prophecy that says that the child will one day sit on the throne of the local kingdom. But they also encounter the granddaughter of the famous Pandora and she's carrying the box and has to prevent hope from escaping out of it.

My Opinion: As I said in the beginning, I like the mixture of mythologies they are brewing here. I don't have a problem with them being at Troy one week and meeting Cesar the next. And so they encounter Pandora (named after her grandmother) and her box this week. And Lucy Lawless (what a name! ) danced a beautiful oriental dance...

(From Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon on November 21st, 2009)