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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sherlock Holmes - DVD Release

I first saw Sherlock Holmes in the theater.  I loved the movie so I decided to pick up the movie on DVD when it came out. I picked up the Blu-ray that also has a DVD copy of the movie.

I think I've seen some other movies featuring Sherlock Holmes, but I can't remember much of anything from them.  I think the story for this version is original, though I don't know for sure that it wasn't in one of the short stories or books.  I think the story works very well and is interesting and entertaining.  There is a decent amount of action throughout the movie without things getting too violent.  There is some comedy too, usually in how Sherlock and Watson interact or react to certain things.  The cast, especially Robert Downey Jr. is wonderful.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions.

Sherlock Holmes

Maverick

Maverick is based on the television show.  I'm not sure I saw the show, though I did know things about the characters before seeing the movie version.  Anyway, the movie version is really good and has a great cast.

The plot seems fairly simple at first, dealing with Maverick trying to get to a big poker game and get the last of the entry fee he ends.  He keeps ending up in complicated situations though, something because of Annabelle, sometimes because of marshal Zane Cooper and other times by his own fault.  Maverick is a con man, though he does have his own sense of honor about what he will and will not do.  As the movie progresses, more things happen, making it more complicated.  There is some action and a good amount of comedy.  It is a fun, entertaining movie that is definitely worth watching.  The cast of Mel Gibson, Jodi Foster, and James Garner are wonderful in their parts.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions recently.

Maverick

Facts of Life - The Complete Third Season

I loved The Facts of Life when it originally aired.  Unfortunately, the reruns haven't aired that much over the years.  I've found it on a few different stations over the years, but it was never on that long.  I picked up the DVD sets that were out last year.  One DVD set has the first two seasons and the second set has the third set.

The main group of characters is firmly established in the third season.  The girls have issues dealing with each other, but the dynamic works better than when there were more girls during the first season I think.  Some things tied to school are brought up, though the girls usually aren't shown in class.  They each have to deal with different things over the course of the season, and their friendship is tested a few times.  The plots are mostly self contained and resolved by the end of the episodes, though there are a few two part episodes.

I'm glad that I have the third season on DVD even though there are no extras for the set.  That is disappointing.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions.

Facts of Life - The Complete Third Season

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season

Veronica Mars is a television show that I've heard about for years before finally watching it.  I had read a few positive reviews of the seasons on Epinions.  In the last few years, I've heard more about how good the show is on a movie board I joined.  Earlier this year, I tracked down some episodes online.  I really enjoyed them and decided that I wanted the DVD sets.  I tracked down a sale and got all three seasons.

Veronica Mars is a wonderful show about a teenager, Veronica Mars, who works with her father Keith in his detective agency.  Even though the main character is a teenager and much of what happens is tied to high school in some way, this show isn't just for teenagers.  I actually think it is more for adults than teenagers because of the different subject matters that pop up every so often.  The show is set in Neptune, a fictional southern California town.

Most of the episodes have a mystery of some sort that Veronica works on and solves by the end of the episode.  The season also has a few season long mysteries that Veronica is trying to solve.  The main one involves the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane.  Keith was the sheriff at the time of the murder.  People in Neptune, especially the Kane family, weren't happy with how he handled the investigation and it wasn't long before he was recalled.  After that, Veronica lost her popular friends at school, they had to move to a small apartment, and Keith's wife left.  Someone was arrested, but Veronica doesn't believe he is the killer, so she does her own investigating.  She is also trying to find her mother during the season.  The mystery elements work very well to the make episodes entertaining.  Time is also taken to deal with other issues Veronica has, like with her friends and love life.

The characters are all interesting, though not all likable.  A few of them are jerks, but that works for what is going on.  None of the characters are all good or all bad, which makes them more believable.  Even Veronica has some flaws.  Kristen Bell is wonderful in the part.  The rest of the cast does well with their parts too.

I'm very glad that I decided to start watching Veronica Mars.  I loved the first season and will probably start on the second season before long.  It is too bad that such a good show was canceled after only three seasons, though it is probably lucky that the show had the chance to last that long.  I have a feeling if it had been on a different network, it may not have lasted as long as it did.

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions.

Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Princess Bride

I don't remember now when I first saw The Princess Bride.  I do remember wanting to see the movie after seeing the trailers when the movie first came out.  I'm not sure when I first saw the movie, but I have seen it many times and I love it.

The plot is very entertaining, telling what I consider a fairytale story.  It has things set up like a grandfather is reading the story to his sick grandson.  They pop up every so often throughout the movie.  That works for what is going on.  The characters and situations are interesting and make for an interesting movie. The cast all fit their parts really well.  Some parts of the story are predictable, but that doesn't keep the movie from being very entertaining overall.  The movie is definitely worth watching.

I got the movie on DVD several years ago.  Since then, one or two new DVD versions have been released with new extras.  My version does have a few extras on it that are entertaining. 

I recently got a longer review posted on Epinions.

The Princess Bride

The Sound of Music

I really like musicals, though I didn't like them as much when I was younger.  I avoided watching The Sound of Music for years before I had to watch it during choir in 8th grade.  I loved the movie and have watched it many times since then.

The movie is based on the true story of the Von Trapp family.  From what I have read, things were changed for the movie.  Sometimes that did add a bit more drama to what was happening.  Even with the things that were fictionalized, the movie is very entertaining.  It works well as a family friendly movie, though it could be a bit long for children.  The movie does deal with serious things, like the lead up to World War II.

The music is wonderful and even though it had been a few years since I last saw the movie, I still remembered the words to most of the songs.  Having characters break out in songs works a little better with this movie since it is shown that Maria loves music.  She uses music and songs as a way to teach the children things, so it flows a bit better when they start singing.  Julie Andrews is wonderful as Maria and I did like Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp.  The children are all fine, though some of them don't act as well as others.

There have been a few different DVD versions of the movie released. Unfortunately, the one I have doesn't have any extras.

I did post a review of the movie at Epinions.

The Sound of Music

The Bounty Hunter

I decided to go see The Bounty Hunter last week.  The previews looked like the movie would be entertaining, so I decided to give it a chance.  My expectations weren't that high, which may be why I ended up enjoying the movie overall.

The plot for the movie is fairly simple, dealing with a bounty hunting having to take his ex-wife to jail.  The two of them don't have the best relationship, so that causes problems.  Some other conflict also pop up.  That does add a tiny bit of mystery.  The plot could have been stronger, but I still think the movie is entertaining overall.

Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler handle their parts fine, though there isn't really anything about either performance that stands out.  Both of them do show off a bit of skin, though neither of them are fully naked.

This isn't one of the best movies I've seen, but it is far from the worst.  I don't think it is as bad as many others seem to think it is.  I think the movie is entertaining overall.  Fans of the cast might find something to like about it.

I did get a review posted on Epinions.

The Bounty Hunter