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The Desert Rats, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Desert Rats




Title:The Desert Rats
Year: 1953
Director: Robert Wise
Rating: NR
Length: 88 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Richard Burton (1925)
Robert Newton
Robert Douglas
Torin Thatcher
Chips Rafferty

Plot:
The story of the men who stopped Rommel!

RICHARD BURTON stars in this exciting film about the courageous men who held off notorious German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, despite being hopelessly outnumbered. The year is 1941, and all that stands between Rommel and the Suez Canal is the fortress of Tobruk, which is manned only by a small Australian battalion whom Captain MacRoberts (BURTON) must whip them in to shape - fast! JAMES MASON co-stars in a stunning portrayal as Rommel in this stirring, action-packed story of the World War II heroes known as THE DESERT RATS.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned
B&W


Everyone knows I love my war movies, especially ones that recount actual events. This one tells the story of the Australian 9th Division Infantry unit that was asked to hold the city of Tobruk, Libya in Northern Africa against German Field Marshall Rommel's forces for two months! In fact they held it for 8 months, never giving up the position.

While the story was great and the acting credible, this has to be one of the most poorly shot war movies I have ever watched. Dark grainy footage throughout, it was difficult at times to figure out what exactly was transpiring. Even by 1953 standards this could and should have had a better quality of picture. Another major gaffe was the exclusion of subtitles during the German speaking parts which just added to the puzzlement of what was going on.

Richard Burton played the English Captain in charge of the Aussies who is duty bound to perform but morally conflicted which is a rather standard, cliched premise in war movies. He was good as was James Mason playing Rommell although he didn't get nearly enough screen time. The rest of the cast was fleshed out with mostly unknowns.

I didn't mind this movie but Fox War Classics has put out much better.

KC

Rating:


(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on April 13th, 2011)

Happy Accidents, a review by Tom

Happy Accidents (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia MGM Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Brad Anderson Writing: Brad Anderson (Writer) Length: 111 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78, Pan & Scan 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Marisa Tomei as Ruby Weaver
Vincent D'Onofrio as Sam Deed
Holland Taylor as Therapist
Mick Weber as Floor Supervisor
Nadia Dajani as Gretchen

Plot:
Academy Award® winner* Marisa Tomei (In the Bedroom) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Men in Black) star in this "touching love story" (Boxoffice) about a neurotic New Yorker, her highly eccentric boyfriend and their extraordinary connection. "Cleverly plotted [with] an abundance of heart" (The New York Times), this captivating romance will make you crazy...for love!

Ruby (Tomei) is a hopeless romantic who's always attracted to the wrong kind of guy until she meets Sam (D'Onofrio). He's sweet, sensitive, sincere...and from the year 2470. Despite – or maybe because of – his bizarre claims to have traveled back in time to save her, Ruby falls for Sam. And while common sense says he's crazy, her heart says he's the one.

*1992: Supporting Actress, My Cousin Vinny

Awards:
Won:

National Board of Review Awards, USA (2001)

Special Recognition

Extras:

• Closed Captioned
• Commentary
• Scene Access

A good movie. It keeps you guessing until the end, if Sam is really a time-travellor or simply crazy.

At this line in this movie I had to think of you, Pete:
- Do you like music?
- Yeah, doesn't everybody?


Rating:

(From Tom's Time-Travel Movie Reviews on January 26th, 2008)

Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

17. The Royal Couple of Thieves
Xena's asked to steal back a pilfered chest containing the world's most powerful weapon, so she enlists the help of Autolycus, the self-proclaimed King of Thieves.

My Thoughts:
This is the first episode of Xena that Bruce Campbell appared in as the King of Thieves. It is a fun episode. There is plenty of comedy involved.

My Rating:

18. The Prodigal
Gabrielle returns to her home town, only to find it under attack by a greedy warlord, and under the protection of a faded warrior, who's lost his self-confidence.

My Thoughts:
Another episode that I like. Even though Xena is barely in this episode. Only a short scene in the beginning and a short scene in the end. But I enjoyed seeing an episode that focused more on Gabrielle.

My Rating:

19. Altared States
Xena and Gabrielle agree to hide a 12-year-old who has run away from home after learning that he was to be sacrificed in the name of a new "Supreme Diety."

My Thoughts:
This episode has a great beginning! Xena and Gabrielle bathing in the lake... Xena teaching Gabrielle how to fish by just grabbing the fish while in the water with them. Coming nude (or so it looks) out of the water in front of the men she was going to fight as well as the teen boy that she was going to save. All I could think is "Lucky Kid" even if they really were in bikinis or not. The main episode is good... an interestings story.

My Rating:

20. The Ties That Bind
Xena saves a mysterious warrior, who later professes to be her estranged father. But the reunion is anything but happy, as Xena tries to find out if the man's claims are true.

My Thoughts:
While still a good story... I didn't care for this one quite as much as the others. I just think the story they were telling could have been done a little better.

My Rating:

(From Xena: Warrior Princess Marathon on December 15th, 2009)