DVD Collectors Online

Dick Tracy, a review by Dragonfire

Dick Tracy Legendary police detective Dick Tracy is the only man tough enough to take on gangster boss Big Boy Caprice and his band of menacing mobsters. Dedicated to his work but at the same time devoted to his loyal girlfriend, Tess Trueheart, Tracy find himself torn between love and duty. His relentless crusade against crime becomes even more difficult when he gets saddled with an engaging orphan and meets seductive and sultry Breathless Mahoney, a torch singer determined to get the best of Tracy. A faceless character, the Blank, threatens both Tracy and Big Boy, and it takes all of Tracy's skills to save the city. My Thoughts I first saw this movie not long after it came out to rent.  When I decided to watch it again recently, that was only the second time I've seen the movie.  It had been so long since I last saw it that I had forgotten a lot.  Things get started quickly with a group of mobsters being killed.  It doesn't take long to find out who is behind the murders, so that part of the story doesn't add any mystery.  A little bit of of mystery is added when a new, mysterious criminal turns up and gets involved in what is going on.  There is a lot of action, though there is very little actual violence.  The plot is interesting and makes for a fun, entertaining movie.  Several things are going on, though things don't get so complicated that it is hard to keep up with what is going on.  Some of what happens is predictable, though there are also one or two surprises. The movie has a very interesting and unique look.  Instead of trying to make things more realistic, the comic strip/comic book look is embraced.  Bright, vibrant primary colors are used for just about everything from locations to cars to outfits that the characters wear.  The look of that is a bit different, but I think it works perfectly with the subject matter.  I like the look of things in the movie, though it could be too different for some viewers.  In some shots that show more of the city, it looks like an actual illustration from a comic book.  Many of the characters have very unique looks too and their names are tied into the unique way they look.  Flattop has a flat head and Lips has large lips.  There are a lot of characters that turn up at least briefly.  Many of them are barely used at all.  All the actors did fine with their parts.  Even Madonna is decent.  This is a fun, entertaining movie that deserves to be seen and is worth watching. I did get a review posted at Epinions. Dick Tracy

(From Dick Tracy on June 15th, 2010)

Død snø, a review by Achim

(2009/Norway) E1 Entertainment (United Kingdom) Director: Tommy Wirkola Writing: Tommy Wirkola (Writer), Stig Frode Henriksen (Writer) Length: 88 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: Norwegian: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English

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Stars:Plot:
With a car packed full of ski equipment and enough beer to fuel their escape from everyday life eight medical students head out on their Easter vacation.

Isolated in the snowy hills the group begins to realize they came to the wrong resort, as deep in the hills lay an unthinkable evil.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes

I had a lot of fun with this one. My friend and I were enjoying that this Norwegian film did not use the same patterns an American film would have used, which in whole made it feel fresh. my friend did however complain about the unrealistic use of the human anatomy, especially that of intestines (he is a surgeon...). There are a few laughs in this, as well as a sufficient amount of gore. So, while obviously not a masterpiece of a film, it is great fun for that Saturday night with some friends over.

Rating:

(From The Movies from Within My Lifetime on August 7th, 2011)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Clark hides out in Metropolis under the alias "Kal" and has become a criminal in order to finance his lifestyle. The Kents have to sell the farm, they and Lana are still looking for him. There's one person who knows where he is but she's promised him not to reveal it. Meanwhile Lex "lives" on a tropical island with some other guy and tries to get off it.

My Opinion: Great continuation of the story. Though I haven't understood why Jonathan and Pete didn't try to knock him out with Kryptonite. Ok, they did that last time but that proved to be successful. I understand that using the same plot twice is uncreative, yet if it were for real I doubt that they wouldn't have tried it again.
I also liked Michael's performance on the island, he did a better job than Tom Hanks (What a boring movie!).

Synopsis: Both Clark and Lex return to Smallville and both have to deal with what happened lateley. That means that Lex has to straighten out what really happened on that plane and if his wife had anything to do with it. And Clark has to deal with a Metropolis crime boss who threatens his parents and he has to apologize to a whole lot of people.

My Opinion: It was a good conlusion to this four-parter. Unfortunately it ends with Clark's break-up with Lana against her expressed wish and he is retreating into his shell again.
I liked to see Rutger Hauer in the role of the crime boss, if it were for me, it could have lasted longer than these two episodes but unfortunately he had to share the fate of bad guys who know Clark's secret.

Synopsis: A "meteor freak" attacks Lana in the school pool and a secret vigilante shoots him to death. He has killed before and his next target is Lex whom he believes to be a meteor freak, too. Clark can save Lex once again but that makes him also a target. Unfortunately the shooter has found Clark's Achilles' heel and he uses Kryptonite bullets.

My Opinion: I liked the theme of the episode: Are all meteor-infected people murderous freaks? If I were in Clark's position I wouldn't have told her (Lana) my secret either. Her point of view at the begin of the episode was quite firm and although she said that she wouldn't mind if Clark were bullet-proof (i.e. a meteor freak), I wouldn't be sure that she really wouldn't mind. This topic will surface again, especially in one of the key episodes of the fourth season: Pariah.
I also liked the Eastwood-y way he protected himself from the bullets and put Lana's mind at rest (at least for a while).

Synopsis: Clark has the weirdest day: He somehow can fly, he skinny-dips with Lana, Lex finds out his secret and a young girl is chased by a mysteriously hooded figure in the woods and disappears into the ground. But then he awakes, after he's been asleep for 36 hours. He learns that new neighbours have moved into Lana's old house and that there's a young girl in a coma.

My Opinion: I wonder what insurance company insures the Kent's truck and what garage does the repairing. It had been in several very heavy crashes and was even blown up. Maybe they just like the brand and the colour.
I liked the episode because it had a different angle than usual.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on May 26th, 2008)