KILL BILL - VOLUME 1 & 2 (2003/2004)

This is actually a two-part movie. In Vol 1 we meet Beatrix (Uma Thurman) who is part of an international assassination squad, headed up by Bill (David Carradine). But when she tries to start a new life, she is betrayed by them and gets shot at her wedding rehearsal. After four years in a coma she vows to kill them all, one by one and the rampage starts. Vol 2 is more of the same and concludes with her ultimate revenge on the man that ordered the hit on her.

Now, I am not a big fan of the work of Quentin Tarantino. His movies are far too talkative and the violence much too graphic for my taste. However,I know he is revered by many and maybe I am a bit too squeamish for their taste. Be that as it may, that is my opinion. Rather give me a good fantasy with good old fashioned swash-buckling sword fights without all the blood and guts. But if blood and guts are what you are in the mood for, you cannot go wrong with this peace by one of the masters of this genre.

For reasons that are obvious from above, I rated it at only two out of five stars for my DVD collection.

Trailer links: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kSuas6mRpk

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2h6EFk36kI

   Uma Thurman in action

BOY INTERRUPTED (2009)

This is one of the few five star DVD's in my collection. You might have heard about the 1999 movie Girl Interrupted which is a story based on true events. Well, this 2009 film is not just a story based on the truth, it is a documentary and therefor the actual truth itself!

It is an account by renowned documentary film makers, Dana and Hart Perry of the life of their own son, Evan, who was born with bipolar disorder. From a very early age he was obsessed with death and dying and, despite life long therapy, tragically took his own life at age fifteen. The bulk of the footage was shot during his lifetime with the aim to assist other parents faced with the same situation.

It is difficult to watch this film, especially to see the boy going through wild mood swings and how it affects all those close to him. But you cannot but admire the parents for sharing what must have been a very tough thing for them to deal with. In the end your heart goes out to everybody whose life has been touched buy Evan in some way or the other. However, this DVD is highly recommended, especially for anyone that suffers from depression or has to deal with someone that does. As already mentioned, I gave it five out of five stars.

Trailer link:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDNoWdyoGFY&list=PLpC3XPdmmMp74Xp49A0Ey0dHiJWE7ylI_

    Young Evan with his mom

DAVID COPPERFIELD

I remember reading the book by Charles Dickens when I was still at school as part of our required reading for English literature. Obviously, as a teenager growing up during the latter part of the twentieth century, I thought it to be a bit boring. Although, to be fair, I think everyone at that age (even today) finds it to be somewhat boring. Fortunately, with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes a new appreciation of the classics.

The story of David Copperfield is thought by many to be a semi-autobiographical depiction of the author's own life. In short, young David is snatched from his idyllic life with his widowed mother into a life of misery in Victorian England by his evil stepfather after she got remarried for all the wrong reasons. But the lad then slowly claws his way back to a life of respectability with a little bit of help from his eccentric aunt and some friends he makes along the way.

This particular adaptation of the popular book is a BBC production that was first broadcasted in two parts on the 25th and 26th of December 1999. The DVD is therefor on the longish side; almost three hours. But the star studded cast with names like Maggie Smith, Ian McKellan and Bob Hoskins makes it all worthwhile. By the way, this movie was also the film debut for Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) as the young David. He was only 10 at the time.

Again, I can really recommend this DVD for anyone with a liking of the old romantic classics. I rated it at three out of five stars. 

Trailer link (unfortunately no official trailer is available online, only some clips):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP3Xvzw5CtA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKqkSORQals

 Daniel Radcliffe and Maggie Smith

THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (2000)

Over the years there have been many film versions of this popular Mark Twain story, some of which I have seen (including the one with the Spouse-twins). But of them all, this 2000 English version is my favorite.

It tells the familiar story of two look-alike boys that switch places. However, because one is a prince and heir to the throne and the other is a common beggar boy, the results of their 'prank' have far reaching consequences for both boys as well as all those around them.

The title roles are played by Jonathan and Robert Timmins, real life identical twins and they are simply adorable. The story of this movie also stays very close to that of the original book which was first published in 1881. This DVD is strongly recommended to everyone with a bit of imagination and a sense of adventure. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt7W_R8CNNk

Jonathan and Robert Timmins as the prince and the pauper ... and in real life