45 minutes of DVD reviews
Ok so I have decided to work through my DVD collection and review them. So I am going to try and start it off by taking the next 45 minutes to go through as many as I can before I head into work.
Life on Mars
This is a UK BBC series that ran for 2 seasons. The premise is that a detective gets knocked down by a car and wakes up in the seventies. The police back then are very non-PC and violent against suspects, returning to the good old days of the Sweeney and such like. The series is good as the lead character tries to adjust to the time back then and try to use modern methods of policing to catch the suspects. Has he gone back in time or just trapped in his own mind? Most episodes you can dip in and out of, but watch in correct order to get the full storyline. The story does come to a conclusion at the end of series 2.
8 out of 10
King Lear
This came free with the Daily Telegraph and I have not watched it yet. It is Shakespeare's King Lear.
n/a out of 10
American Beauty
An excellent movie that is now a decade old. Kevin Spacey stars as a man that hits a mid life crisis and realises that he has put up with a lot of crap in life. After becoming infactuated with his Daughter's best friend, he decides to change his life. He quits his job, starts taking drugs, working out and making what he feels is the most in life. This, however, is the start of his downfall. Also in this is the excellent Chris Cooper, who gives an excellent performance as the strict dad next door.
8.5 out of 10
Don
This is an indian movie, or bollywood if you would prefer, that is a remake from the original in the seventies. The rough plot is that there is a gangster called Don, with a very ridiculous catchphrase, qand a look alike. A policeman decides to switch the look alike for the gangster to bring down the organisation. This does feature in Slumdog millionaire (seen on TV). It is quite a long movie and does have the usual song and dance bits, and this has probably one of the most sets of twists and turns I have seen in a movie in a long time. Rather Enjoyable watch.
7 out of 10
LA Confidential
Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe star in this 1920-30s police drama. Set in LA (obviously), we get both the glamour and the grittiness of the time in a rather conspiracy led storyline. Crowe plays a really good dumb brute cop, Guy Pearce a politically savvy cop and Kevin Spacey a cop who is caught up in the whole showbiz scene. A truly excellent movie, that will shock you in the middle but also bring a smile. Kim Basinger also stars and easily passes as a movie starlet look alike.
8.5 out of 10
Dragnet
This may have been the first remake of a serious show and made into something that is tongue in cheek. Dan Ackroyd plays the uptight Joe Friday and is partnered up with laid back detective Tom Hanks. A unrelated string of robberies come up ranging from stealing a snake to a lion's mane. This leads them to a cult and some sacrificing. Good little comedy movie, which can seem a little bit dated now as is just over 20 years old and the world has changed so much.
7 out of 10
Platoon
Vietnam movie following Charlie Sheen as a draftee. Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe star as two conflicting Sergeants, one who has a relaxed method of leading and the other a hard line. It nicely follows the struggle of Sheen and others as the true horrors of war are revealed. It is up there in the good vietnam movies but does not really cover the aftermath, which is one of the major parts of movies about nam. Good movie though, and can make you slightly queasy at parts, but don't expect some sort of comedy.
8 out of 10
And that is the first lot
For those that don't want to look behind the LJ cut without good reason, here is the list of the DVDs I talked about.
Life on Mars 8
King Lear n/a
American Beauty 8.5
Don 7
LA Confidential 8.5
Dragnet 7
Platoon 8
Life on Mars
This is a UK BBC series that ran for 2 seasons. The premise is that a detective gets knocked down by a car and wakes up in the seventies. The police back then are very non-PC and violent against suspects, returning to the good old days of the Sweeney and such like. The series is good as the lead character tries to adjust to the time back then and try to use modern methods of policing to catch the suspects. Has he gone back in time or just trapped in his own mind? Most episodes you can dip in and out of, but watch in correct order to get the full storyline. The story does come to a conclusion at the end of series 2.
8 out of 10
King Lear
This came free with the Daily Telegraph and I have not watched it yet. It is Shakespeare's King Lear.
n/a out of 10
American Beauty
An excellent movie that is now a decade old. Kevin Spacey stars as a man that hits a mid life crisis and realises that he has put up with a lot of crap in life. After becoming infactuated with his Daughter's best friend, he decides to change his life. He quits his job, starts taking drugs, working out and making what he feels is the most in life. This, however, is the start of his downfall. Also in this is the excellent Chris Cooper, who gives an excellent performance as the strict dad next door.
8.5 out of 10
Don
This is an indian movie, or bollywood if you would prefer, that is a remake from the original in the seventies. The rough plot is that there is a gangster called Don, with a very ridiculous catchphrase, qand a look alike. A policeman decides to switch the look alike for the gangster to bring down the organisation. This does feature in Slumdog millionaire (seen on TV). It is quite a long movie and does have the usual song and dance bits, and this has probably one of the most sets of twists and turns I have seen in a movie in a long time. Rather Enjoyable watch.
7 out of 10
LA Confidential
Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe star in this 1920-30s police drama. Set in LA (obviously), we get both the glamour and the grittiness of the time in a rather conspiracy led storyline. Crowe plays a really good dumb brute cop, Guy Pearce a politically savvy cop and Kevin Spacey a cop who is caught up in the whole showbiz scene. A truly excellent movie, that will shock you in the middle but also bring a smile. Kim Basinger also stars and easily passes as a movie starlet look alike.
8.5 out of 10
Dragnet
This may have been the first remake of a serious show and made into something that is tongue in cheek. Dan Ackroyd plays the uptight Joe Friday and is partnered up with laid back detective Tom Hanks. A unrelated string of robberies come up ranging from stealing a snake to a lion's mane. This leads them to a cult and some sacrificing. Good little comedy movie, which can seem a little bit dated now as is just over 20 years old and the world has changed so much.
7 out of 10
Platoon
Vietnam movie following Charlie Sheen as a draftee. Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe star as two conflicting Sergeants, one who has a relaxed method of leading and the other a hard line. It nicely follows the struggle of Sheen and others as the true horrors of war are revealed. It is up there in the good vietnam movies but does not really cover the aftermath, which is one of the major parts of movies about nam. Good movie though, and can make you slightly queasy at parts, but don't expect some sort of comedy.
8 out of 10
And that is the first lot
For those that don't want to look behind the LJ cut without good reason, here is the list of the DVDs I talked about.
Life on Mars 8
King Lear n/a
American Beauty 8.5
Don 7
LA Confidential 8.5
Dragnet 7
Platoon 8