DVD review: LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN

by David Blackwell

The movie is loosely based on the comic book written by Alan Moore. The movie is a mess that stays around for too long with the climatic battle scenes going on and on the last 30 minutes. 12 deleted and extended scenes on the DVD show the movie even got the shaft when it came to editing it. The extra scenes show some interesting details left out like extra character bits focusing on Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, and Tom Sawyer. The deleted and extra scenes lack color correction and they are of poor quality compared to the clean transfer of the movie. There are so many cool ideas thrown in this movie, but the script doesn't hold them together and what is up with the Nautilus being the size of an ocean liner. If you loved the comic book the movie is based on, you will be secerly disappointed with the movie.

As for the acting, Stuart Townsend is basically playing Lestat again (when he is supposed to be playing the chracter of Dorian Gray) while Peta Wilson does a good job as Mina Harker (when she isn't worrying about Dorian Gray). Sean Connery acts his best in this movie as he does in any movie. The chemistry between some of the characters work, but the characters sadly are dilluted or changed versions of the chracters in the comic book. To make matters worse, Dorian Gray and Tom Sawyer weren't even in the comic book.

DVD review: ABSOLON

by David Blackwell

ABSOLON is an entertaining sci-fi B movie that is held together by the actors and some interesting ideas despite the script being too preachy at time and finally the script falls apart in the last 30 minutes.

Christopher Lambert plays Detective Scott who is investigating the death of a scientist that was working on the cure for Neurologial Degenerative Syndrome (or NDS) . NDS is responsible for 5 billion dead around the year 2010. People must take a drug call Absolon to keep NDS at bay and to prevent NDS from going into stage two which leads to death within 72 hours.

Scott is put on the run after he drinks the first half of the cure that is destroying the Abosolon in his body and Scott must find the second half of the cure to NDS within 72 hours. Lou Diamond Phillips is Walters, a federal agent out to kill Scott on the order of the head of the company, Murchison(Ron Pearlman) that makes Absolon. Scott is helped by Claire (Kelly Brook), a beautiful scientist who worked with the scientist who was developing a cure to NDS.

I will keep mum on wether there is any subtext to why all the female characters have big breasts. I do think Scott's partner, Ruth, does look pretty cool for a detective with that read streaks in the dark hair look. There is a certain broken down look to everything in the movie as life is measured out in units of time.

The picture and sound are good. There are no extras beside 4 trailers that play once you put the DVD in instead of having an option to play them through the menu. It is a little irritating. Other than that, the DVD isn't a bad way to pass 90 minutes.

DVD review: BAD BOYS 2

by David Blackwell

BAD BOYS 2 isn't a bad sequel. There is a good mix of humor and action in this sequel. This time Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back as the cops from the first movie with the addition of Martin Lawrence's character's sister who is a DEA agent. Oddly enough, the two cops and the DEA agent happen to be working on the same case from different angles that collide. the DEA is tracing drug money of a Cuban drug lord while the Tactical Narcotics Team are trying to stop Ecastcy coming from the same Cuban drug lord. The Cuban drug lord is using coffins to smuggle drugs and cash.

The sound on the DVD is great compared to other Michael Bay directed movies which suffer from the background noise (and music) being too loud. The picture transfer is OK with no picture artifacts.

On the second disc, there are seven deleted scenes that are all funny and they don't add anything to the movie including a short bit with the shrink Mike was seeing (ina sexual way) and the Cuban drug lord who wants a hit taken out on a dog. The production diary featurettes show raw production dailies. The first one (Genesis) tells the 5 minute story of how the dirst movie started with a bad script, a studio that worried about the money being spent, and Michael Bay fighting the producers to get the shots he wanted included one essential scene he made a $25,000 check to Columbia Pictures to get it filmed (Columbia did pay him back after BAD BOYS made $60 million). Other things on the second disc include featurettes on visual effects and stunts, and scene breakdowns of certain scenes in the movie.

VERDICT: Skip LXG, watch ABSOLON if you have time to burn (and if you're a low budget sci-fi fan), and BAD BOYS 2 isn't a bad DVD at all.

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