DVD Collectors Online

*batteries not included, a review by Rich

28/11

*batteries not included



Set in New York's Lower East Side, this amusing story tells of a group of poor tenants with nothing more than determination to stop the destruction of their building, who are more than delighted when a few friends from outer space drop in to help out...

In the vein of ET and Flight of the navigator, this is an amusing film which neither offends or excites. Surprisingly good effects which have not dated, and touching moments throughout, a perfect feel-good family film 

(From November Alphabet Marathon - Discussion/Review Thread on December 1st, 2008)

Observe & Report, a review by karmesinrot

Observe and Report

Cast: Seth Rogen Ronnie Barnhardt, Ray Liotta Detective Harrison, Michael Pena Dennis, Anna Faris Brandi, Collette Wolf Nell, Jesse Plemons Charles, John & Matt Yuan John & Matt Yuen.

Written and Directed by: Jody Hill

Plot Synopsis: THE FOOT FIST WAY director Jody Hill takes the helm for this Seth Rogen comedy concerning an ambitious mall cop who competes with a seasoned detective to bust an elusive flasher. Make a wrong move at Forest Ridge Mall, and you'll have to answer to no-nonsense security head Ronnie Barnhardt (Rogen). Ronnie sees skateboarders as the blight of society, and any shoplifter unfortunate enough to summon his wrath will be promptly busted and booked. Sure, Ronnie may suffer delusions of grandeur when it comes to his job, but perhaps with a little effort he'll eventually get to trade in his flashlight and patch for a gun and a badge. When a flasher begins tormenting the shoppers at Forest Ridge Mall, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his detective skills and impress gorgeous makeup counter girl Brandi (Anna Faris), who can't be bothered to give him a second glance. Perhaps by catching the culprit, Ronnie will finally earn himself a prized position over at the police academy. But the one thing Ronnie hadn't counted on was competition, and when Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police makes it his personal mission to nab the flasher, the two rivals begin working around the clock to crack the case before their counterpart. (taken from Amazon.co.uk)
My Thoughts: I went into this film expecting the adult version of Paul Blart Mall Cop. As a dark comedy, Observe and Report is obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea and as a result has plenty of mixed reviews on Amazon. Seth Rogan plays the part of bipolar Ronnie reasonably well - I felt both empathy and dislike towards him during the course of the film, whilst Anna Faris plays a version of her usual ditzy blonde character.
I feel the movie relies way too heavily on cheap laughs from overuse of bad language, nudity and violence. The "dark humour" elements included Ronnie's alcoholic mother and fellow security officer Dennis' drug use. I'm not one for being easily offended, but personally I thought that the jokes were tired, have been done before and just weren't that funny.   The one laugh-out-loud moment that I can remember is Ronnie and Brandi's drunken sex scene  
 This was the first time I had seen Jesse Plemons in something other than Friday Night Lights - would have liked if he could have had a larger part.
Maybe I just don't understand dark humour properly, but I don't think this is one I will be watching again in a hurry.  

Rating: 2/5

Hope you guys enjoy my first review!

(From Observe & Report on April 9th, 2010)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Kira is being abducted from Bajor and brought to Cardassia. When she awakes there she looks like a Cardassian. She is told that the real Kira died during the occupation and that she is an operative of the Obsidian Order who has replaced the real Kira. But why would the Cardassians go to such great lengths to convince her of that ridiculous story?

My Opinion: This was a very good story. I liked it how she became friends with "her father" despite him being a Cardassian. Kira has certainly grown since her early days on the station. And it's again fascinating to watch "the simple tailor" Garak and how simply orders two cardassian warships to stand down and "forget" their encounter with the Defiant.

Synopsis: Quark buys some salvaged wreck parts. But then he finds a stasis chamber which contains an infant of an unknown species. Dr. Bashir finds soon out that there's something wrong with that (extremely fast growing) child. He seems to be genetically engineered yet there is an obvious flaw that makes him dependent of a non-replicatable drug.

My Opinion: The concealing of the true identity of the alien was well done, I liked that. Too bad that the Jem'Hadar has been portrayed very one-dimensional in this episode. But since I know that we'll see more deeper characterizations in the future I will argue that he was to young and has seen too few of the world to oppose his genetical programming.

Synopsis: When O'Brien and Jake Sisko try to purge a program from the ore processing centre computers they accidentally activate a security program. It was designed to prevent bajoran workers from taking over DS9. And every time they can break through another barrier more parts of the station get locked down until the program initiates the self-destruct.

My Opinion: This episode I enjoyed. Every time "Gul Dukat" announced another containment level I was like "Oh no, what now?" And it became even more interesting when the real Dukat entrapped himself on the station, too. The drawback of such episodes is that main characters rarely die on most shows. Thus you aren't really worried about them. It's no coincidence that Star Trek coined the term "redshirt".

Synopsis: Despite the threat that the Dominion represents the Defiant is on a survey mission in the GQ. There they discover a planet that shifts into our dimension every sixty years. But the time it remains here grows shorter with every cycle. Jadzia falls in love with one of the citizens there and thinks about staying.

My Opinion: I really like Jadzia. But this is the second episode in this season centered on her and the second I didn't find that interesting. The side-plot of Quark trying to get a holographic image of Kira was much more interesting. And especially what Kira and Odo were doing about Quark's attempts.

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on October 18th, 2008)