What are you watching on DVD these days?

[james99]

I doubt anybody was offended. I'm just saying that this movie was more about life than boxing. He could have went 15 rounds and lost and still had a movie made. His comeback and having a shot at the title were the real boxing part of the story.

[entropy05]

Originally Posted by MarcP

Hollywood hardly makes movies on the loser end of a fight.

Never seen Rocky? j/k

[eljay]

Still Crazy - An enjoyable rock band reunion film with a more British flavour - and considerably less caricaturing and satire - than This is Spinal Tap (which, of course, remains #1).

[JesseJ]

LOL...Still Crazy is one of my girlfriends favorite movies. I think it's a little different in execution than Spinal Tap. It's more of a story driven movie, rather than character. The songs in Still Crazy are also more serious...they are actually very good rock songs.

[filper]

Last night I watched 'Blue Hawaii'...

Perfect warm-me-up flick for a cold, wet night.

[Enya Nod]

James Bond

I've watched 19 of the 20 Bond films on DVD. Oddly, my Blockbuster does not have Octopussy!

I have seen all of these films before numerous times- either in theatres (the later ones) or hacked up on TV (the earlier ones)- but it was terrific to see them in their widescreen entirety, including the commentaries and making-ofs. You could really see the evolution of the series and how the movies reflected the times in which they were made, including themes, music and costumes.

One aspect I noticed was how much influence the directors had on the story and action sequences. They were not simply hired to film the script.

Examples:

John Glen directed all the films from For Your Eyes Only to Licence to Kill. Every one of these involves vertigo-inducing heights. For Your Eyes Only features a rock climb to a Greek monastery. Octopussy's climax involves hot air baloons and ultimately a struggle on the back of an airplane. A View to a Kill involves a leap off the Eiffel Tour, a hot air balloon, and a finale on top the Golden Gate Bridge. The Living Daylights again involves a climatic struggle out the back of an airplane, and Licence to Kill begins that way, including a parachute jump. The ending involves trucks rolling over cliffs.

So obviously, Glen has a thing about heights!

Guy Hamilton's trademark seems to be having 007 battle the minor-villain in addition to the main villain - one always as an afterthought. For example - in Goldfinger he battles Oddjob, and when you think everything is over and done with, he encounters Goldfinger on the plane. In Diamonds Are Forever Bond deals with Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint on the cruise ship after it appears the danger is over. At the end of Live and Let Die he's about to get busy on the train with Solitaire when Tee Hee and his mechanical arm bursts in the cabin. And in The Man With the Golden Gun, James is getting cosy with Goodnight when he has to take care of Nick Nack.

So Hamilton's trademark is that one extra usually comical action scene just when you think Bond is out of danger.

Terrence Young had a thing for water. Dr. No took place on an island and finds Commander Bond jumping into a boat at the end and floating away with Honey Ryder. From Russia With Love's climax takes place on the water and the final shot is Bond in a Venetian gondola with the girl. And of course Thunderball is all about water - above and below.

Lewis Gilbert directed three bonds - You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker. The main commonality here is the concept of a major piece of hardware being stolen (spaceship, submarine, space shuttle) and 007 and sidekicks needing to infiltrate a major installation (Blofeld's complex beneath the Japanese lake, Stromberg's tanker, and Drax's space station). Of course, there are major shootouts and Bond has to prevent a catastrophe.

I'm sure there are many more trademarks each director stamps on their films. But it's obvious that they were all very involved in the writing process and were almost locked in to certain styles, concepts and plot directions.

Now I have to find Octopussy or I will feel incomplete.

[Nanuuk]

Been watching the Firefly series. Very good sci-fi. So far I'm enjoying it very much and I'm surprised the series didn't last longer.

[Bplayer]

I have also been watching Firefly, now at episode 3. Really great.

[Skidz]

me too starting ep 4

[JesseJ]

War of the Worlds - LOVED IT! Great movie. Not much more I can say about it. PQ was awesome, and I only have a P-Scan player. Audio was incredible as well. Great DTS soundtrack.

[pgmatg]

Just watched "The Twilight Samurai", which is a very good but simple story about poor unpretensious samurai trying to keep his family a float in changing times.
And "Night watch", it's a very good Russian Sci-Fi / Fantasy movie ("Lord of the Rings" meets "Prophecy"). It's been out on DVD for some time, but since Fox bought all American distribution rights, they have mandated to stop making NTSC formatted dvds of it. The disk has been slowly disappearing from even Russian stores in America. And Fox kept postponing the release until next week, while sequel "Day Watch" is already out in Russia. Ain't US movie studios great

[s21477]

Trailer Park Boys - you either love em or hate em.

I'm a huge fan - I have all 4 seasons plus the Xmas special, and am anxiously awaiting the release of season 5.

Sure, its not in DTS or DD, or anamorphic widescreen, but the content is just hilarious. Fellow fans will know what I'm talking about.

[james99]

Johnny Belinda :

Life is hard on MacDonald farm in stony, windswept Nova Scotia - and harder for young Belinda, a deaf mute whose affliction has been confused with mental deficiency. Then the town's new doctor takes an interest in helping her break out of her silent prison. Jane Wyman won the Best Actress Academy Award for her sensitive portrayal of Belinda, capturing the girl's affecting isolation, awakening desire to learn and ultimate triumph. Directed by Jean Negulesco and co-starring Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford and Agnes Moorehead (all four Oscar nominees for their fine work), Johnny Belinda (nominated for a total 11 Oscars including Best Picture) blends atmosphere, nuance and high drama into a heartbreaking classic.

[kremb]

Grizzly Man.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

Documentary by Werner Herzog.

[RNAChemist]

I just watched "Toy Story 2" . Very good presentation. I liked this DVD much better than the first one for both PQ and sound. The 6.1 DTS sound track is amazing. I compared the opening scene in all three available sound tracks (6.1 DD, enhanced DD, and 6.1 DTS) and the DTS was just above and beyond the other two.