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Vanishing Point, a review by Jon

VANISHING POINT (1971)
5 out of 5



Kowalski is only delivering a car, driving it from Denver to California. But he's going to do it loaded on speed in less than 15 hours!

This could be it. The best car movie ever made. First it was released in 1971, already responsible for Duel and Two-Lane Blacktop, so obviously this type of movie was in vogue. It has the best car of this marathon in the white Dodge Challenger, also used in Death Proof as a direct homage to Vanishing Point. But most of all the screenplay is superb, able to touch on the nostalgic freedom of Easy Rider and Two-Lane, but still set the standard for car chase action.

The driver is Kowalski, and he is determined to deliver the car to California in less than 15 hours, driving straight through, fuelled on speed. This quickly comes to the attention of several police forces who chase him across states. Along the way he is aided by blind DJ Super Soul, who promotes him as the last great American hero. Though he never has any idea of his celebrity, Kowalski meets several colourful characters along the way.

Played by Barry Newman, Kowalski may sound reckless, but through various tussles with police and fellow speed freaks, we see he is honourable and considerate. How many drivers in these sort of films do you see stopping to check someone they just ran off the road is ok? Or refusing to take the offered benefits of a naked girl on a motorbike, who is almost like a siren. Yes, I did say Naked Girl on motorbike!  

So why the hell is he doing this? He must realise he is doomed. Therein lies the interpretation for the viewer, while attracted to the freedom of the open road. Long car chases always have lulls, but this cleverly folds in concise flashbacks to bridge the stunts, where we learn of Kowalski's past and as we piece it together, his current self-destruction becomes more clear.

The film effortlessly moves from set-piece to comedy and even to a bit of social commentary. In one hilarious scene, two gay robbers are dealt with, while in another, we see brutal racism as the police deal with Super Soul and stop his rallying support temporarily. There's also room for an existential pit-stop in the desert. In between, the scale of the car chase set-pieces are astonishing and superbly choreographed. Despite all these changes in tone, the pace of the film never lets up or feels forced, right up to it's incredible ending. The supporting characters are never forgotten and are all great fun. Super Soul makes for a great running commentary aiding the mood.

The influence this film has had can be felt ever since. Smokey and the Bandit for one is almost a full-on comedy remake (a time-limited smuggling run attracts dozens of pursuing police while the driver becomes a folk hero) while the car scenes have been rarely matched considering they are the film, rather than just part of it.

Strangely, the film was cut in the States, but uncut in the UK. However, the UK Region 2 DVD is the cut version, while the Region 1 has both. Go figure. Go get the region 1...

The Car's the star: Dodge Challenger


Trailer

(From Car Movie Marathon on August 21st, 2008)

Hotel Transylvania, a review by addicted2dvd

Hotel Transylvania (2012/United States) Trailer |IMDb |Wikipedia | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Director: Genndy Tartakovsky Writing: Peter Baynham (Screenwriter), Robert Smigel (Screenwriter), Todd Durham (Story By), Dan Hageman (Story By), Kevin Hageman (Story By) Length: 91 min. Rating: Rated PG : Some Rude Humor, Action and Scary Images Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Adam Sandler as Dracula
Andy Samberg as Jonathan
Selena Gomez as Mavis
Kevin James as Frankenstein
Fran Drescher as Eunice
Steve Buscemi as Wayne

Plot:
Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up and no humans are allowed. One special weekend, Dracula (Adam Sandler) has invited all his best friends - Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more - to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis's (Selena Gomez) 118th birthday. For Dracula catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem but the party really starts when one ordinary guy stumbles into the hotel and changes everything!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• DVD-ROM Content
• Digital Copy
• Goodnight Mr. Foot Mini-Movie

This is one I have seen before... caught it on On-Demand a while back. So going into it I knew it was one I enjoyed. But that is of no surprise as much as I like anything horror/monster related. Even on this second viewing I enjoyed every second of it, Well except for the final song in the movie... could have done without that. But either way... this one is well worth the time put in to watch it. Lots of fun here.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched Discs on August 12th, 2013)

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season: More Moments (2008/United States) Live for the moment. The hottest show on television burns even brighter in its explosive fifth season. Dive deeper into the lives and loves of Grey's Anatomy in this sensational seven-disc set! Your favorite characters struggle and thrive as they enter uncharted territories of life. Discover what happens in the on-again, off-again world of Derek and Meredith, and witness the budding relationship between Cristina and Owen, Seattle Grace's newest doctor. Experience every heart-stopping moment of prime time's sexiest, star-studded drama, complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including one extended episode available on DVD. It's a must-have for any Grey's Anatomy fan! EPISODES: 1. Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 1) 2. Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 2) 3. Here Comes the Flood 4. Brave New World 5. There's No 'I' in Team 6. Life During Wartime 7. Rise Up 8. These Ties That Bind 9. In the Midnight Hour 10. All By Myself 11. Wish You Were Here 12. Sympathy for the Devil 13. Stairway to Heaven 14. Beat Your Heart Out 15. Before and After 16. An Honest Mistake 17. I Will Follow You Into the Dark 18. Stand By Me 19. Elevator Love Letter 20. Sweet Surrender 21. No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance) 22. What a Difference a Day Makes 23. Here's to Future Days 24. Now or Never

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Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
Katherine Heigl as Dr. Isobel "Izzy" Stevens
Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

I just finished watching season 5. An excellent season. Possibly my favorite season of the series so far. My favorite episodes in this set is the multi-part season finale. What a cliffhanger at the end. So much so that I couldn't wait to start season six!




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on November 30th, 2011)