13th Warrior, The
This is a list of the DVDs in my collection. Thanks to Flossie from Sheep & Cheerful for helping me rate these DVDs.
Filmography links courtesy of IMDb.
See the key for descriptions of the symbols used.
Beowulf meets the Magnificent Seven.
2010: The Year We Make Contact
The official sequel to 2001, but this time the plot holes are accidental.
Hitchcock's first attempt at this early espionage drama suffers from dated acting and poor restoration work, but there is still a mild intensity throughout that puts the modern bombs-and-broads spy flicks to shame.
A |
Aardman Classics
Awaiting review.
The 80's TV show rather than the film version. Remembered for it's soundtrack and it's helicopter. Deservedly forgotten for its plot and acting.
Ali
G, Aiii
The Channel 4 four series. Excellent in small doses, too much for one sitting.
Alien Legacy, The
Alien 1,
2, 3
& 4
box set. Unfortunately I don't have the extra bonus 5th disk. As good as you've hear it is.
Angel Heart
Atmosphere 50's detective story with a supernatural twist.
Army of Darkness
Third in the Evil Dead Trilogy. More mainstream and humorous that the other
instalments. Extras include an excellent alternative ending.
Old-school screwball comedy in which Cary Grant deals with various homicidal relatives.
Avengers
- The Definitive Dossier, The
From the crest of the series (circa 1967) rather the trough. Don't mention
this in the same breath as the 1990's remake.
B |
Bad Taste
This film defines gross and should be seriously avoided by anybody
who doesn't think that after a certain point you go through gross and emerge
into laughter.
Battle
of The Planets - Volume 1
Mandatory viewing when I was at primary school, now merely a disappointment. The
show was made up of scenes cut from the Japanese original linked together by a
talking robot. This avoided problems with culture clashes (for example, one
character commits suicide in the Japanese version because he failed to beat the
bady) but when watched with an adult eye nothing makes sense. It also doesn't
help when you find out the main character is voiced by Casey Casum!
Blade
Worthy attempt at a vampire classic, although they did feel the need to cover a
room in several hundred gallons of blood for no apparent reason. Not that such
an act is out of place in a horror film, its just out of character with the rest
of the films more plot orientated approach to action-scenes.
Possibly as good as they say it is. Recommended if you prefer your scares to be built up from you imagination and apprehension (rather than via buckets-of-blood), this is the film for you.
This black helicopter's blue! Conspiracy drama with a proto-type crowd control helecopter.
Bowfinger
Hit and miss comedy vehicle for Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. Their best stuff
for years, but that isn't saying much.
Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, Season 2
I must admit, I only bought this because Electronic Boutique had priced it online at about 30% of the correct price for this 6-disk box set. Good extras (including audio commentaries), but Buffy's not a show you can really watch repeats of. As there are 20 something episodes here, the two sheep represent an average score.
C |
Callan:
The Movie
Extended remake of the original Play-For-Today story about a government "fixer" who (prior to the start of the film) developed scrupled about his work and "left". He's then given one more chance when a special job comes up... Excellent 70s atmosphere and supporting class from this thriller that made a star of Edward Woodwood. Don't expect any strong female roles though.
Cave
of Androzani (Dr Who)
Would have been 4 stars, but its go that really, really annoying assistant in it. What do you mean which one?
Celebrity
Deathmatch: Greatest Hits
The animations as show over here on C4 but unfortunately the characters selected aren't all that well known in this country. Extras include a director's commentary which contains some interesting behind-the-scenes detail.
Charade - Criterion Collection
Criterion edition of the 60's thriller starring Carry Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
Latest Aardman claymation extravaganza. Not up to the quality of the Wallis & Gromit series, but what is? Extras include a very funny "Chicken Impossible" trailer and a kids school project.
French weirdness about a mad
scientist who lives on an oil platform and steals children's dreams. You'll
either love it or loath it
Watered down animated follow up to the excellent Clerks film. Only two episodes were ever shown on American TV and, like Dilbert, the show was cancelled mid season. The 6th episode is by far the best because by then they knew they were being cancelled and the humour gets slightly stronger. The excellent commentary track on the 6th episode implies they didn't get on with the network's legal advisor...
D |
Danger
Man: Episodes 1 - 4
Forerunner to James Bond, UN Special Agent Drake (Patrick MacGooen xxToDo) takes on various cases. The 30 minutes-per-story format really isn't long enough to do the story lines justice and the plots tend to have Des-Ex-Machinea endings.
The ultimate cartoon secret agent. Apparently they put all those "white-of-the-eyes moving in pitch black area" because they were on a very tight budget and it was the quickest time filler they could achieve! To be honest though, the format does pale rapidly if you try an watch Danger Mouse in more than 15 minute sessions.
Muppet-type fantasy from the 80s with a surprising number of extras on the disk given it's age. Am I the only person to realise Gelflings are conveniently kebab sized?
If you haven't watched U-571 or Das Boot, watch U-571 first otherwise you'll spend all your time wondering why U-571 is so big on the inside. Although outside the sub the walls and acting are a bit wobbly, Das Boot really conveys something special when the universe shrinks to the size of German U-boat. Much like I, Claudius you spend the first 15 minutes worrying about the lack of eye candy, but once the story grips you it simply doesn't let go. Number 40 in IMDBs top 250 films.
Decade
of Classic Hits - The 80s
Appalling DVD.
The sound quality is sub-AM band, the picture looks like it was sourced of a 7th generation pirated NTSC VHS tape and its not even a collection at all. In fact its simply a copy of some American TV chart show broadcasted in the mid-80s!
The sharks no longer look plastic, but the actor's still look wooden.
The sharpness of the comic-strip is still there, but the format just doesn't pack the same punch.
Drunken Master
Jackie Chan does violent things to violent people. For a laugh, turn the
English sound track off and select the original one instead. Its still dubbed!
Apparently the cast didn't share a common language so the sound-track was
recorded afterwards. In the same vein, turn the subtitles on because they don't
match the voice track.
E |
Probably David Lynch's best film. An excellent and compassionate (though apparently not very accurate) telling of the story of John Mellick, who was referred to as the Elephant Man due to his horrific deformities.
Eurythmics
- Greatest Hits
All their main videos. Obviously great if you like their work and not great if you don't.
Dated gore-fest. Add two additional sheep if you're listening to it with Brue Campbell's commentary turned on as this makes it a totally different experience.
Bigger budget (but not big-budget) remake of Evil Dead. Supposedly more humorous, but I couldn't tell. There is supposed to be a special edition out soon with another Bruce Campbell commentary. Do yourself a favour and try that version instead..
British retelling of the Arthurian legend. Respect due for giving Arthur a proper west-country accent!
F |
Basically staring the cast of "A Fish Called Wanda", John Cleese decides the only way to keep the Zoo he runs open is to get rid of all the boring animals, keeping only the Fierce Creatures of the title. Most people rate "A Fish Called Wanda" much higher than this film, whereas I must admit to thinking the reverse.
Fight Club - Special Edition
An excellent and disturbing account of the phenomenon of the cult of personality. It starts out distasteful (man gets "high" from visiting support groups for the dying) but as the two leads begin to fill out their roles their actions become understandable, though still morally unacceptable. Having found out what the best soap is made from, I'll no longer be buying the best!
Time-travel / catch-the-serial-killer-mystery. Strange weather conditions result in a son speaking to his long-dead father. As the son gives life saving information to his father, a serial killers victims change...
G |
Galaxy Quest
Sci-Fi parody. If you are a Sci-Fi fan you'll have heard all the jokes
before ("I'm wearing a red-shirt... I'm going to die!"), but if ever
suffered knowing a true Sci-Fi addict you'll love it. This is the first DVD I've
seen with menus that justify being listed as a special feature.
H |
A film (more of a soap actually) about the modern drugs culture. It goes nowhere, talks about nothing and in which nobody every achieves anything yet presents compulsive viewing. This is one of those films that divides the audience into those who find it a worth-while and those that think it a waste of space.
Henry V
Cancelled due to DVDBoxOffice error.
I |
Importance of Being Earnest, The
"A Haaaannd-baaaaaag?!?". The definitive version of Wilde's play makes up for the somewhat disappointing sound and picture quality with a razor shape script that hasn't aged a day. The lines are so vivid if you turn the picture off you can listen to the soundtrack as if it was a play on the radio.
Not quite as many a schoolchild of my generation will remember it, but still a high-production value animation of Ted Hugh's classic cold-war boy-meet-car-eating-robot story.
J |
Jeffrey
Bernard Is Unwell
Peter O'Toole's interpretation of the modern classic stage play about Jeffrey Bernard's life, near-death and cat racing antics. Jeffrey Bernard was an alcoholic newspaper columnist and the title comes from what the text editor's used to place at the end of reprints of Bernard's column when he'd missed yet another deadline through drink.
K |
Classic British black comedy, famous for being the film in which Alex Guinness plays all eight of the murdered relatives. A word of warning, although this region 2 release has an English sound track all the text in the film (signs, credits, title sequence, notices etc.) is in French!
The original stop-motion classic. King Kong dominates over the other actors, whose acting style and world view-points haven't aged well at all.
Silly fantasy film that hasn't ages well. "... And their son to rule the universe!" - yeh, they were desperate to make that sequel weren't they? The technical specification of the DVD is quiet good though, featuring a original idea of presenting the rendition of the comic they released with the film with extracts from the sound track of the film.
L |
"He's not the messiah. He's just a very naughty boy". Python at is best.
Musical horror with it's tongue placed firmly in its cheek. Worth seeing purely for Steve Martin singing "To be a Dentist". Be aware however that the picture quality is sub-VHS.
Surprise hit about a shy girl who has an amazing talent for imitating famous singers. Apparently not as good the stage play.
Modern remake of the 60's mom-and-apple-pie Sci-Fi series. A sometimes week plot is saved by well executed special effects and a commitment from the cast to simple go with it.
M |
Madonna:
The Ultimate Collection (Disk
A, Disk B)
Although I have an extensive collection of 80s CDs for some strange reason I never had any by Madonna. Purchasing this two DVD set was actually cheaper than buying the equivalent CDs! Counting the image changes through the years also adds to the fun.
Probably the second best Sci-Fi film of the 90s (I rated Men In Black just a smudging higher as, to me, it is the more original).
Men Behaving Badly: Series 1
The rarely seen first series originally broadcast on ITV.
Men Behaving Badly: Series
2 & 3
Series 2 from ITV, Series 3 from BBC.
Men Behaving Badly: Series
4 & 5
Series 4 & 5 from the BBC.
Men Behaving
Badly: Series 6
The last series as often repeated on
the BBC 
Men Behaving Badly: Last Orders
The three 45 minute specials broadcast by the BBC after the "last" series.
Men in Black (Limited Edition)
For my money, the best Sci-Fi film of the 90's. Men-in-Black has the budget to provide all the special effects a film like it needs, but also has the restraint so lacking in modern blockbusters to actually attach them tightly to the plot. "Elvis isn't dead kid, he just went home."
Monkey:
DVD #1, Episodes 1-3
Funky Japanese live-action TV series from the late 70's / early 80's following the travels of Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy & Tripitaka to collect ancient holy scriptures from China. Features some of the cleverest dubbing ever seen in this country. Only available in this country on VHS, you have to order from Australia to get the superior DVD versions.
Monkey:
DVDs #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13 (Episodes 4 to 39)
More of the same. In fact, if you watch too many episodes in a row they actually appear the same! Unlike the first Monkey DVD, these DVDs are all region 0. A word of warning, as the series progresses the picture quality (which isn't particularly high to start with - its a 70s TV show after all) gets noticeably worse.
Another 3 stories from the Michile Palin & Terry Jones. Each story is based around a exceptionally good idea, but the execution is poor and after the main joke is exhausted the rest isn't worth watching.
Mr
Bean #1, #2, #3, #4
Very clever rather than very funny. About £5 each when bought from Australia!
Kev's otherwise excellent production of Will's play is unfortunately hampered by some serious miscasting and overlong musical numbers. Also, why is everybody so damn happy all the time?
Boring, boring, boring. Apart from the bit where Ms Piggy takes out the bag-snatcher.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
Mickey-taking movie version of the long running American TV series. The dialog in the film-viewing sections is as sharp as expected, but the links segments are simply boring, childish and way, way, way too long.
N |
One of the funniest and most spot-on (at the time) TV series ever. Highly recommended even to those who can't remember what it was like when the Tories run things.
Nightmare Before Christmas, The
Tim Burton's classic-to-be fairytale of Jack the Pumpkin King's takeover of Christmas.
One of Hitchcock's best and generally accepted as one of the greatest cinematic works ever (provided you don't require "greatest works" to be "socially worthy"). The commentary track is a bit poor as it's obvious they had trouble finding people still alive and the one they did (the original screenwriter) spends much of the track complaining about how he never got the credit he deserved. If you've only seen this film on the telly, it really does benefit from a wide-screen presentation present on the DVD.
Look. It was on special offer. OK?
O |
OK comedy drama set in 1930's America. Saved from mediocrity by original direction and a good performance by the lead character.
P |
It starts as a really, really soppy fairytale being read to a sickly child... but rapidly turns into something special. Venture into the Fire Swamp and face the ROUS (Rodents of Unusual Size) in the company of Wesley and Buttercup. Behold the Cliffs of Despair, learn of the Dread Private Roberts and set loose the Brute Squad...
The first four episodes from the cult classic TV series (before it got silly!)
Q |
Q The Winged Serpent
Aztec flying serpent bites the heads off New Yorkers. Well, you've got to
have a hobby I suppose...
Classic 50's Sci-Fi. Strange things are found buried in under London and call into question the origin of the human race...
Disappointing drama set in the asylum where the Marques De Sal is imprisoned - who continues to smuggle out his depraved writings. The array of characters is excellent, but they are all wasted on this undemanding pseudo-historical account.
R |
Remembrance
of the Darleks (Dr Who, 1988)
This is the one where Darlek technology has advanced to the point where they can float up the stairs. By the time this Dr Who story came out (1988) audience focus had well and truly been reset by the BBC to point to children. For the good stories, return to the 70s and early 80s.
Richard III
Faultless production of the Bard's work set in an alternative 1930s. With a
single exception the Shakespearean dialog fits surprising well into the
1930s. (The exception being near the end when Dickie's jeep brakes down and the
line "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" is uttered).
Michael Palin and Terry Jones's "Boys Own" stories. "Tomkinson's Schooldays", "Escape from Stalag Luft 112B" and "Golden Gordon".
An early comic outing for Tom Cruise.
Robots
Of Death (Dr Who, 1977)
Classic Sci-Fi recommended to anyone for whom plot and ideas are more important than whether the walls shake when actors bump into them. Borrowing ideas from Asimov and 30's decor this story comes from the time when this children's show wasn't just targeted at children.
Well presented special edition of the cult-classic. Some of the features are a bit fussy about what players they work on (i.e. they don't all work on mine!)
S |
Interesting premise (that the vampire filmed in Nostrougto was so convincing that... perhaps he really was a vampire?) with an interesting cast, but there is no plot to speak of and the ending is exceptionally weak.
Jackie Chan's Western. If you've seen one of Chan's Hollywood outings, you've seen them all.
Sherlock
Homes Consulting Detective (Interactive)
At some point, you weaken and by an "Interactive" DVD just to see what they are like... don't.
Underrated British caper movie. Complete lack of extras on this disk.
Tim Burton's telling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is as visually stunning as you would expect. The acting matches the style of the production perfectly, but I would have to say this is not for those who like Oscar-nominated acting styles.
Above average geriatrics-get-back-in-the-saddle comedy.
Spaced
- The Complete First Series
The excellent and comparatively original C4 comedy. Much of the humour is based on pop culture references (including many Sci-Fi ones), so if you don't like referential humour this isn't the series for you.
Often compared to the Usual Suspects this film isn't as clever, the characters are not so interesting and the lack of detail in some places is annoying. The film more than stands on its own merits however and the plot is certainly it's own.
Spearhead
From Space (Dr Who, 1973)
Shop dummies plan to take over the world. Classic stuff if you don't mind low-brow special effects.
Starship
Troopers (WARNING:
FLIPPER)
Very good film, very poor DVD. Its a flipper (so the movie stops halfway through and you have to manually flip the disk over to continue) and zero extras. Exhibits the same tongue-in-cheek view of the future as the director's other Sci-Fi hit, Robocop. Remember: The only good bug is a dead bug. Update 03/08/2002: Now released over here as a non-flipper.
T |
Extremely dated and sexist rending of the Shakespeare play (although the later complaint is really the fault of the play itself). Novelty viewing factors include the cast (Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton) and that it won a few Oscars.
By far the best of the current wave of crude(ish) humour.
Classic 80s horror film which itself
is a remake of a classic 50s horror film. The story and pacing is good enough to
keep Sci-Fi fans as well as horror fans gripped. The disk comes with an
excellent selection of extras as well.
Third Man (50th Anniversary Edition), The
Criterion edition of the B&W Orson Wells classic that was recently voted
the best film of the 20th century. I must admit I haven't got round to watching
it yet!
Oscar winning adaptation of Harper Lee's famous book. Not a touch on the book itself, but still winning a few Oscars in its own right this is classic. Today's child actors would do well to look at the acting ability of the children in this film - and weep.
Tom
& Jerry's Greatest Chases
A selection of old Tom & Jerry cartoons. All excellent, but you wonder why they had to include a "clips" episode, 85% of which is contained in other episodes on the disk. This disk has been mildly censured to remove stuff that is inappropriate when judged by today's standards (i.e. stuff that is frankly racist).
Arnie saves the planet. The planet in question this time is, however, Mars. Classic Sci-Fi in the blockbuster vein.
Setting the standards for animation into the new millennium. Comedy that works both for children and adults.
U |
Clever production that unlike so many "what's the twist?" thrillers is totally re-watchable. In fact it demands at least 2 separate viewings.
V |
Classic Sci-Fi with the "we come in peace - can I get fries with you?" approach to intergalactic relations.
W |
Wallace & Gromit: The First Three Adventures
"Cracking animation Gromit!". Extras include the BBC2 interlude animations from the original Christmas broadcasts. Why Region #1? BECAUSE THIS IS ANOTHER BBC TITLE YOU CAN'T GET IN EUROPE!
(About 8 months after I wrote this review Wallace & Gromit have been release on Region 2. The Region 1 is still preferred though because it has better extras - Dave 01/12/2000).
Weird Al takes the mickey out of well known music videos (plus a few of his own creation). Worth the money for "Amish Paradise" (originally Gangster's Paradise) alone.
An excellent period piece that shows you don't need alien invasions or life-and-death struggles across continents to have drama. If you can tell a good story (as is the case here) all you need is a boy accused of stealing a £5 postal order.
X |
Recent comic book fantasy blockbuster in which the special effects are actually relevant to the plot. Expect a sequel as several loose ends are deliberately left untied.
Y |
Young Frankenstein: Special Edition
Mel Brook's highly distinctive Frankenstein
parody. This DVD comes with plenty of extras.
Key |
All Regions
Region #1
Region #2 Region #4
Unknown / Other
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