DVD Collectors Online

The Invisible Man, a review by Rogmeister

The Invisible Man (1933)
Director: James Whale
Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Una O'Connor, William Harrigan, E.E. Clive (plus a few "don't blink or you'll miss them" bits for John Carradine and Walter Brennan)

This is based on a novel by early science fiction writer H.G. Wells.  It is about a scientist who discovers a way to turn himself invisible...but he hasn't found an antidote and the chemicals he has given himself are driving him insane and he runs amuck in a British countryside village.  This is probably more science fiction than horror but I still enjoy watching it this time of year as the wintry landscape evokes a similar feel to some other classic scary movies though it doesn't quite reach that level, but Una O'Connor certainly gives us her best screaming fits.  I enjoyed the film a great deal and it's ironic that Claude Rains (in one of his earliest roles) is in the entire film without his face actually being seen...until the final shot. 

I decided to watch this as my first entry in this marathon since the leading lady is Gloria Stuart...who passed away just days ago at the age of 100.  She certainly looks nothing here like she did in her great come-back role as the older Rose in "Titanic".  She is young and vibrant, a perfect leading lady for such an early time.  I watched this via the Legacy Collection of The Invisible Man which includes 5 total films, four Invisible Man movies and one Invisible Woman film.  The picture and sound quality are first-rate and I highly recommend this film.  It's also a very short film...an hour and 11 minutes.  They don't make 'em that short anymore! 

(From 2010 October Horror Marathon (Discussion thread) on October 2nd, 2010)

Kill Bill: Volume 1, a review by addicted2dvd

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003/United States) IMDb |Trailer |Wikipedia | Motion Picture Distribution, Alliance Atlantis Director: Quentin Tarantino Writing: Quentin Tarantino (Writer), Quentin Tarantino [Q] (Original Characters By), Uma Thurman (Original Characters By) Length: 111 min. Rating: Rated 18A : Gory Scenes, Extreme Violence Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

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Stars:
Uma Thurman as The Bride
Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii
Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green
Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver
David Carradine as Bill
Michael Madsen as Budd

Plot:
The acclaimed fourth film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown) Kill Bill Volume 1 stars Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction), Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Chicago) and Vivica A. Fox (Two Can Play That Game) in an astonishing, action-packed thriller about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta! Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride (Thurman) emerges from a coma and decides it's time for payback... with a vengeance! Having been gunned down by her former boss (David Carradine) and his deadly squad of international assassins, it's a kill-or-be-killed fight she doesn't start but is determined to fishish! Loaded with explosive action and outrageous humor, it's a must-see motion picture that has critics everywhere raving!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Music Videos
• Closed Captioned
• 8-Page Booklet

This (along with Kill Bill: Vol. 2) was a gift I got for my birthday this past month. As you may notice by the rating used... I was given the Canadian DVD Releases. I have heard a lot of good things about this movie... and the trailer looked like a lot of fun. So I think I went into this one with my expectations higher then they should have been. Thankfully in this case that didn't hurt much... as I still enjoyed this one quite a bit. There is certain aspects of the film I have mixed feelings about. And that is more with how the film was made then it was the story. The use of a couple scenes in Black & White... the use of animation for one of the storylines in the film... and finally jumping around in the story's timeline a bit. I am not saying these things are bad... just more of a distraction for me. But at the same time I found them to be fascinating as I never seen them all used in a film before. So while it did seem to be a bit of a distraction... it was also one of the things I did enjoy about the film when looked at as a whole. Confused? Yeah... me too! Over-all I found the entire movie both fascinating and entertaining. I enjoyed every moment of it. Definitely one I would recommend.




(From What Movies I Been Watching on June 24th, 2012)

Babylon 5: Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Lyta and Dr. Franklin have arrived on Mars with a shipload of frozen teeps who were altered by the Shadows. Meanwhile Sheridan is lured to Mars were his father is held captive and Garibaldi learns of the plans that William Edgers has for the teeps.

My opinion: Garibaldi is fucked. He cannot be held responsible for his actions but nobody will believe him. And why? Bester! But seriously: I can understand Bester's motives. He cares a lot about "his" teeps. Although it's hard for me to understand why both Edgers and Bester see the teeps as a different species.


Synopsis: Sheridan is being interrogated.

My opinion: Short synopsis? Yes. But great episode. It's practically a two man show featuring Sheridan and his interrogator. But Bruce Gray plays his role perfectly. I wouldn't want him to interrogate me. ;-)

If a fifth season would have been for sure at this time, this episode would have been the season finale. But since it wasn't for sure, JMS wanted to make sure that his story is properly finished.


Synopsis: Garibaldi can convince Lyta, Franklin and the Mars resistance that he was reprogrammed by the Psi Corps. Then they try to break out Sheridan. Meanwhile Ivanova has to deal with advanced Earth Force destroyers that are anhanced with Shadow technology.

My opinion: The race for Earth is coming to an end. But as Indiana Jones said "That's usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet". And while they technically had won the battle they had heavy losses. In my opinion it was necessary to see that Sheridan's forces are not entirely unbeatable, that makes it more believable.

Quote of the episode:
Ivanova: "I am Susan Ivanova. Commander. Daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that's gonna kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart. I am death incarnate.  And the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me."


Synopsis: The final attack on Mars and Earth begins. First the Earth destroyer fleet over Mars is taken out with the help of the frozen teeps, then Sheridan takes on Earth directly. Meanwhile, Marcus is making a hard decision.

My opninion: "Prepare for ramming speed." Sheridan is also aware of the third principle of sentient life (see "A Voice in the Wilderness"). He would have sacrificed himself. He did it before on Z'ha'dum and was ready to do it again. Great episode, although it was a bit implausible that nobody on Earth was able to deactivate the defense grid.

(From Babylon 5: Marathon on November 15th, 2007)