DVD Collectors Online

Them!, a review by GSyren

Title	Them! (8-717774-231128)
Director	Gordon Douglas
Actors	James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens
Produced	1954 in United States
Runtime	89 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview	Nuclear tests in the desert result in the growth of gigantic mutant ants who menace cities in the American south-west as a team of investigators and the army search for a way to control their spread in this Cold War-era monster film.
My thoughts	If you want to enjoy any giant bug movie (or in fact any giant anything), you have to be able to overlook the scientific impossibility of the thing. You can't scale up an ant 100 times and have it work. There's a reason why elephants are built like elephants and not like ants. But if you accept that it's just fantasy, it can still be quite exciting. Them! is in fact one of the best of the mutated bug movies. It has a good script, good cinematography, good acting. The big ant puppets look a little bit dodgy and move a little to awkwardly to be really scary, but I've seen a lot worse monsters. This year marks the 60th anniversary for this movie. It would be nice if Warner would release it on blu-ray with some interesting special features, but I guess that's just a pipe dream. I like this film a lot. Highly recommended!
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on February 11th, 2014)

Midnight Lace, a review by GSyren

Title	Midnight Lace (5-050582-409635)
Director	David Miller
Actors	Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Myrna Loy, Roddy McDowall
Produced	1960 in United States
Runtime	104 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	English
Overview	Who would want to kill Doris Day? That's the tension-packed question in this highly-charged thriller set in modern day London. As a newly-wed heiress, Doris is slowly being driven mad by life-threatening phone calls and near-fatal "accidents". Although Rex Harrison, her suave industrialist husband, is sceptical of his wife's story, there is a gallery of would-be suspects, including construction gang foreman John Gavin, her adoring next-door neighbour Roddy McDowall and Harrison's troubled treasurer, Herbert Marshall. The glitzy Ross Hunter production also featured Myrna Loy, Hermione Baddeley, and a suspense laden shock ending that will surprise even the most die-hard movie buffs.
My thoughts	Sometimes I have a hard time explaining even to myself why I rate a film the way that I do. Midnight Lace is a perfect example. It has a lot going against it. It's reminicent of both Gaslight and Dial M for Murder
My rating	4 out of 5

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on December 8th, 2013)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon, a review by goodguy

2x01 Samson and Delilah
Synopsis: See Achim's post.
My Rating:

Bad things first: The opening credits/intro (whatever you call it) has gotten even worse than in S1. Thankfully, they drop it after a few episodes. And: The final men's room sight gag was downright awful. IIRC, everyone on Friedman's team said so, but he insisted on it. A clear case where everyone was right and the creator was not.

With that out of the way: Like Achim, I really liked the opening slo-mo action sequence, accompanied by Shirley Manson's and Bear McCreary's version of the old traditional "Samson and Delilah". It is worth mentioning that not only did they take out the dialogue, but also most of the sound, save for some key bits that neatly merge with the song. It is a wonderful piece of editing and music, which elevates what otherwise could have been a so-so action scene to an entirely different level and IMHO even tops the use of the Johnny Cash song in the S1 finale.

Naturally, the entire episode can't be as high-concept as the opening, but a certain tone and theme is set, making something that essentially is a prolonged chase worth watching.

Summer Glau is great in evil and visibly damaged Terminator mode. She tacks on her face with a stapler, punches a speeding car out of its track and has time for a little T2-nod (Call to him). That's peanuts though compared to what she does when she is finally trapped and Jon is about to remove her chip. In an amazingly creepy and chilling scene she suddenly starts begging for her (machine) life like a frightened child.

As for Shirley Manson as corporate bitch? I was less than thrilled by her addition to the cast. Great song, lady, but the acting - not so much. Fortunately, it will get better in upcoming episodes.


(From Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon on January 28th, 2010)