DVD Collectors Online

Quicksand, a review by Rich

Title: Quicksand

Runtime:95
Certificate:NR
Year:2001
Genres:Action, Suspense/Thriller

Plot:Martin (Michael Keaton) travels to Monaco to check on some "suspicious" activities of a film production.  With millions of dollars at stake, certain shady investors decide to set him up to get rid of him permanently.  Martin is framed for the murder of the Monaco Police Chief and finds himself a fugitive from justice.  Now he must find out who is behind this scheme and race to find Jake (Michael Caine) - the only person who can help prove his innocence - before they find and kill him.

My Review:
With the feel of a made for TV movie, this disappointing flick wastes some acting talent with a dumb and tensionless script. Half-hearted performances from the likes of Keaton and Caine, who would probably like to scrub this from the CV's. It is the tired old Russian mafia kidnaps kid and frames innocent script, and there is nothing to rave about regarding an exciting twist at the end, there wasn't one.
The budget must have been spent on the stars, as there was nothing left for the film, which was mostly shot in cheap studio locations and without any major action scenes. The only positives were the scenes shot in the European cities, and the acting of Kathleen Wilhoite which was head and shoulders above the others.
Literally sunk like Quicksand.


(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 20th, 2009)

Brave, a review by Danae Cassandra

Brave
Year of Release:  2012
Directed By: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
Starring:  Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters
Genre:  Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy

Overview:
Pixar Animation Studios, the creator of Toy Story 3, whisks you away on an astonishing adventure to an ancient land full of mystery and tradition.  Bursting with heart, unforgettable characters and Pixar's signature humor, Brave is "a rousing, gorgeously animated good time," raves Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.

Take a heroic journey with Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor.  Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land.  When Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos in the kingdom, she must harness all of her skills and resources - including her clever and mischievous triplet brothers - to undo a beastly curse before it's too late, and discover the meaning of true bravery.

My Thoughts:
This is another winner from Pixar.  I've loved every one of their films that I've seen and Brave is no different.  Their animation gets better with every film - the technique, the detail, the movement, everything simply improves in their animation tech each time.  This is also a great fairy tale.  Yes, it's a pretty simple story.  That's what a fairy tale is.  For those critics who accused this film of not being as original as Pixar's other films, I challenge them to find a female-centered children's film that A) isn't about romance and B) has a strong mother figure.  Tough call, ain't it?  Merida is a wonderful, strong character with plenty of flaws to make her believable.  Her mother, Elinor, is the same - a strong, good role model in many ways, but with believable flaws.  Great messages, marvelous animation, lots of fun.  Recommended for anyone.

Also on the disc, a wonderful, sweet little short called La Luna that was really great, and a bonus Brave-related short, The Legend of Mordu.  I'd recommend watching La Luna before the film as it was shown in theatres, and Legend after, since it is a spoiler.  There's lots of extras on the blu, but I didn't feel like pulling my player out so we just watched the DVD.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall:  4/5

(From Brave on November 24th, 2012)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Dawson's Creek: Season Six (2002/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Director: Writing: Length: 1054 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: Portuguese, Spanish

---

Stars:


Plot:
It's a season of discontent for the Dawson's gang, with broken hearts and interrupted dreams causing major friction for all. Joey and Dawson rekindle their romance but the flame quickly dies out when he reveals he had a romance with an actress in L.A. - the same actress who's coming to Boston to star in Todd's movie. Audrey's dad helps Pacey get a job and makes her singing debut with Emma's band, but her inner demons threaten to destroy everything. And Jen faces the biggest challenge of her life - one that will have a lasting effect on them all.

Awards:
Won:

Teen Choice Awards (2001)

TV - Choice Actor (Joshua Jackson)

Nominated:

Teen Choice Awards (2003)		Choice TV - Drama/Action Adventure
Teen Choice Awards (2003)		Choice TV Actor - Drama/Action Adventure (Joshua Jackson)
Teen Choice Awards (2003)		Choice TV Actress - Drama/Action Adventure (Katie Holmes)
Teen Choice Awards (2003)		Choice TV Sidekick (Mika Boorem)
Teen Choice Awards (2002)		TV - Choice Actor, Drama (Joshua Jackson)
Teen Choice Awards (2001)		TV - Choice Actress (Katie Holmes)
Teen Choice Awards (2002)		TV - Choice Actress, Drama (Katie Holmes)
Teen Choice Awards (2001)		TV - Choice Drama
Teen Choice Awards (2002)		TV - Choice Drama/Action Adventure
Teen Choice Awards (2002)		TV - Choice Sidekick (Busy Philipps)

Extras:

• Closed Captioned
• Commentary
• Scene Access
• scrapbook

#	Episode	Rating
01	The Kids Are Alright
02	The Song Remains the Same
03	The Importance of Being Too Earnest
04	Instant Karma!
05	The Imposters
06	Living Dead Girl
07	Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
08	Spiderwebs
09	Everything Put Together Falls Apart
10	Merry Mayhem
11	Days Out of Days
12	All the Right Moves
13	Rock Bottom
14	Clean and Sober
15	Castaways
16	That Was Then
17	Sex and Violence
18	Love Bites
19	Lovelines
20	Catch-22
21	Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road
22	Joey Potter and Capeside Redemption
23	All Good Things..Must Come to an End

(From Tom's Random Reviews on October 6th, 2011)