DVD Collectors Online

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake), a review by Rich

Title: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Movie Count:20 
TV Ep. Count:14 

Runtime:98
Certificate:R
Year:2003
Genres:Horror

Plot:Prepare yourself for a level of fear like you've never experienced before...
A group of friends takes a detour while traveling through the back roads of Texas and encounter a chainsaw-wielding maniac. What happens next is beyond anyone's darkest imagination and will leave you speechless and horrified.
From filmmaker Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II) and starring Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven") comes this year's most hardcore and terrifying film.
You've been warned.

My Review:
Questionable remake of a classic horror, no ground-breaking additions to the original save Jessica Biel in skimpy attire. There are certainly improvements (just) on the originals wooden acting of teenage bait, and Ermey is spot on as twisted sherriff Hoyt. The effects are more realistic and dramatic, with a couple of gorefest moments and old leatherface really going to town with his chainsaw. However the 'shock' value of the original, even with its many flaws when compared to modern day filmmaking etc, cannot be matched.
Too far away from the original for my taste, and the improvements have been at the expense of plot, so I would recommend passing this by.




(From Rich's October Horror Fest on October 19th, 2009)

Super 8, a review by Dragonfire

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Super 8 J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg join forces in this extraordinary tale of youth, mystery and adventure. Super 8 tells the story of six friends who witness a train wreck while making a Super 8 movie, only to learn that something unimaginable escaped during the crash. They soon discover that the only thing more mysterious than what it is, is what it wants. Experience the film that critics rave is "filled with unstoppable imagination and visual effects to spare. It will put a spell on you."* *Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

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This is the first time that I've watched this movie since I saw it in the theater last summer.  The movie is great and holds up well on repeat viewing, though I did notice the lends flare a bit more often.  That does get a bit annoying.  Otherwise, I still really enjoyed this movie.  The story is interesting and intriguing, and handled in a way that allows for the tension to build without showing everything.  The movie is very effective and the cast all handles their parts well.



I did post a review of this at Epinions after I first saw the movie.  I've also posted about it here before.
Super 8



(From Marie's Random Movie Viewing on June 17th, 2012)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Waking the Dead - Series One

Pilot - Waking The Dead
A new team of detectives, the Cold Case Squad, is put together to re-examine evidence of unsolved murders using advanced technology. In their first investigation DCI Peter Boyd has a second go at nailing the murderer of Alice Miller, a young girl who disappeared five years ago. Trouble is, the perpetrator is as keen as Boyd to act again, and abducts another girl...



Led by Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd (Trevor Eve) the Cold Case Squad investigates serious crimes which have gone unsolved. Armed with the latest technological advances and old fashioned hard work, Psychological Profiler Grace Foley (Sue Johnston), Forensic Pathologist Frankie Wharton (Holly Aird), Detective Constable Mel Silver (Claire Goose) and Detective Sergeant Spencer Jordan (Wil Johnson) wake the dead for clues and answers.

Brutishly long 2 part pilot special, the near 2 hour marathon was quite a slog and the epsiodes felt padded out. This very popular UK series did not hook me with this first episode, I did not warm to either of the 2 leads, Eve and Johnston, and felt they were too old and past it for the roles intended. The actual storyline was ok but surprisingly unoriginal, and there was very little suspense built up over the kidnapping drama.
Altogether not very inspiring.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 17th, 2009)