DVD Collectors Online

L.A. Confidential, a review by Dragonfire

L.A. Confidential My Thoughts I wasn't interested in this one when I first saw previews for it.  I just didn't think I would like it.  Then I kept seeing the trailer and I started changing my mind and I eventually saw the movie..and I loved it. The plot is rather complicated, so people could get confused or lost if they don't pay attention.  Things do start off slower while characters are introduced and situations are set up.  Some of what is shown doesn't seem that important at first, but it all ends up being tied to what is going and adding to the set up of things.  I think there ends up being a decent amount of mystery and I didn't find the movie to be predictable at all.  I remember being really shocked by one thing that happens - though it does make sense for the story.  I did end up reading the book after I had seen the movie.  I think I'd seen it a few times by that point.  The book is even more complex than the movie with even more characters and events going on.  I think the movie is a really good adaptation since it focuses in on the most important elements of the story.  From what I remember, a lot more time is covered in the book. Even though there aren't any actual sex scenes in the movie, sex does have a big impact on the story.  Sid, the tabloid reporter, is always hoping to catch famous or sort of famous people in some sort of compromising sexual situation.  Sid even sets some of them up, promising one person that no one else will ever know..and then he plasters the pictures all over the cover of Hush-Hush, the tabloid magazine he writes for.  Lynn, the main female character, is a call girl who looks like Veronica Lake.  There are other call girls who look like other actresses, though they are mostly just talked about and only one of them is briefly seen.  Bud and Lynn have a relationship and it is very clear that it involves sex even though not much is shown.  There is a lot of violence in the movie, some of which is rather graphic and extreme.  There are shoot outs and fights with several people getting hurt or killed.  The violence didn't really bother me, though some people may feel differently.  The movie definitely deserves the R rating and it isn't one for children. Several of the characters are just in a few short scenes, but they still manage to be interesting.  This was the first movie I saw Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce in.  I really didn't like Pearce's character Ed at first.  Technically he is the good guy since he is out to end corruption, but his attitude at first makes him unlikeable.  I don't see Bud as really a bad character, though he isn't all good either.  Jack has gotten use to being a bit of a celebrity thanks to the exposure from working with a tv show and the busts that he sets up for Sid to take pictures of.  Jack is a bit corrupted, but no where near the level that some other cops are.  The cast is wonderful in their parts. I really like this movie and think it is has held up very well. At the time, I was ok with Titanic winning more Oscars, including best picture.  Now I'm thinking this one really should have won.  I posted a review on Epinions last night - my 1300th review there.  L.A. Confidential

(From L.A. Confidential on June 16th, 2010)

Enter The Dragon, a review by Jon

Enter The Dragon
4 out of 5



Thirty years following his untimely death, Bruce Lee remains the movies' supreme martial-arts star. His masterful final film Enter the Dragon stands the test of time as the most beloved martial-arts epic in film history.

Enter The DragonEnter The DragonWay Of The Dragon and The Big BossPolice Story or Drunken Master Enter The Dragon is merely ok. A three star movie, with a five star legend. We can only wonder at what he would have gone on to do, especially with the support of stars like Steve McQueen. He was as charismatic off-screen as on.

(From Jon's Alphabet Marathon 2010 on July 20th, 2010)

The X-Files Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

15. Lazarus
Original Air Date: February 4, 1994
After a FBI Agent and a bank robber are both shot during a bank heist, the FBI agent takes on the persona of the late bank robber.

Guest Stars:
Christopher Allport as Agent Jack Willis
Cec Verrell as Lula Philips
Jackson Davies as Agent Bruskin
Jason Schombing as Dupre
Callum Keith Rennie as Tommy

My Thoughts:
A good... interesting story.  A little on the slow side... but that works for this one.

My Rating:

(From The X-Files Marathon on April 8th, 2010)