Topic: The "What I watch when I don't watch TV shows" thread

[DJ Doena]

Enemy Mine

Dennis Quaid    ...    Willis Davidge
Louis Gossett Jr.   ...    Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
Bumper Robinson   ...    Zammis
Brion James   ...    Stubbs

Synopsis: At the end of the 21st century the Humans are at war with the Dracs, another space-faring race. Then one day the pilot Willis E. Davidge pursues an enemy craft but crashes on a planet that can barely sustain life. But he is not alone. The enemy pilot has also crashed. At first they try to kill each other, then they work together to survive and in the end they become friends.

My Opinion: Great movie. While I like the crash-boom-bang Sci-Fi movies of recent times, I also like the story-driven classics. This movie has hardly any special effects but that doesn't matter at all. This movie is about people. First Davidge and "Jerry" and later Davidge and Zammis. The story is very well written and I love to see how Davidge and Jerry bond over the time and how Davidge cares for Zammis. Everyone who loves a good story and characters to care for should watch this, even when he/she doesn't like Sci-Fi in general.

[addicted2dvd]

I haven't watched that movie in years... but I do remember enjoying it. It is one I would like to add to my collection.... matter of fact thanks for the reminder... just made one of my B'day wishlists!

[DJ Doena]

WarGames

Matthew Broderick    ...    David Lightman
Dabney Coleman   ...    Dr. John McKittrick
John Wood   ...    Dr. Stephen Falken
Ally Sheedy   ...    Jennifer Katherine Mack
Barry Corbin   ...    General Jack Beringer

Synopsis: During the Cold War the young and intelligent, but underachiving David Lightman tries to hack into a computer game company. But the games he finds are not the usual arcade games: "Air-to-ground Assault", "Biochemical Warfare" and "Global Thermonuclear War". Of course he plays the last one and of course he plays the russians. But the computer plays against him when it is asked "Is this a game or reality?" it answers "What's the difference?".

My Opinion:: Great movie from the dawn of home computers. And what he did on the computer even felt realistic compared to other "hacker movies". But I'd never start Tic-Tac-Toe in the middle field.

[addicted2dvd]

Another really good old movie I haven't seen in years!

[Jimmy]

One of the first dvd that I've bought, one of my favourite from my younger years with "D.A.R.Y.L." and "Short Circuit". Ally Sheedy is great in this. An anniversary edition will be release in july with a really low price.


25th anniversary edition

[DJ Doena]

One of the first dvd that I've bought

WarGames is one of the four DVDs I've ever entered in DVDP. The "purchase date" is May 04th 2002 but I have it longer than that.

The other three are Air Force One, Braveheart (my very first DVD) and Hackers, all "purchased" on that date.

[DJ Doena]

After I was done I was in the mood for a battle. Thus I started a mini-marathon under the theme

The Way of the Warrior: Strength & Honour

The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

[Najemikon]

I enjoy Braveheart too. I can't understand those who complain about it being historically inaccurate. No-one else was rushing to make it, and they should. William Wallace was an incredibly important figure and I had barely heard of him before Mel Gibson told me!

If you like The Last Samurai, try The Twilight Samurai as well. It's a drama set around the same time and dealing with similar angles. Wonderful story.

Nice touch with the poem by the way...

[mpengle]

Really nice selection of movies there. I really liked all of them as well....and who doesn't love Braveheart. 

"Are you not entertained!"

[DJ Doena]

Gladiator

Russell Crowe    ...    Maximus
Joaquin Phoenix   ...    Commudus
Connie Nielsen   ...    Lucilla
Oliver Reed   ...    Proximo
Richard Harris   ...    Marcus Aurelius
Derek Jacobi   ...    Gracchus
Djimon Hounsou   ...    Juba

Synopsis: General Maximus who has just conquered Germania is supposed to take the leadership of the Roman Empire after the emperor has died. But the emperor's son kills his father assumes the throne for himself and tries to kill Maximus. He can escape but becomes a slave and is being sold as "fresh meat" for the arena. There he makes a name of himself as "the Spaniard" until the day he faces the new emperor again.

My Opinion: Great movie. Loved it from the first time I ever saw it. Had to buy the extended version at once. Has a lot of quotable scenes in it that I can recite both in english and in german. While I am oppsosed to dubbing in general they did a great job with this, the german voice of Maximus is well chosen. I loved the battles in the arena, especially the "battle of Carthage".

[DJ Doena]

A Knight's Tale

Heath Ledger    ...    Sir William Thatcher / Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein from Gelderland
Rufus Sewell   ...    Count Adhemar of Anjou
Shannyn Sossamon   ...    Lady Jocelyn
Paul Bettany   ...    Geoffrey Chaucer
Laura Fraser   ...    Kate the Farrier
Mark Addy   ...    Roland
Alan Tudyk   ...    Wat Falhurst

Synopsis: Will, Roland and Wat have a problem: their master, a former over-the-hill champion has just died during a tournament of jousting and they haven't eaten for three days. Will decides to finish the joust in his master's stead and succeeds. But what now? Now Will impersonates a knight and competes in the tournaments throughout France until he meets his greatest challenge at the World Championships in London.

My Opinion: I've decided to switch between more serious movies and more funnier ones. A Knight's Tale is also a very good movie and watching it made me sad that Heath Ledger has already gone. The music is great and the story is funny and yet bears a certain seriousness, It asks a very important question: "What makes a man 'noble'", a question that will come up again in Braveheart. I also liked how they used the music in the certain scenes (e.g. the dance scene).

[DJ Doena]

Braveheart

Mel Gibson   ...    William Wallace
James Cosmo   ...    Campbell
Brian Cox   ...    Argyle Wallace
Patrick McGoohan   ...    Longshanks, King Edward I
Peter Hanly   ...    Edward, Prince of Wales
Sophie Marceau   ...    Princess Isabelle
Angus Macfadyen   ...    Robert the Bruce
Catherine McCormack   ...    Murron MacClannough
Brendan Gleeson   ...    Hamish Campbell
David O'Hara   ...    Stephen, Irish Fighter

Synopsis: William Wallace's father and brother haven fallen in battle while he was young. His uncle has taken him to France and Rome but now he has returned home: Scotland. Scotland is ruled by the english king Longshanks but when an english magistrate kills Wallace's wife he starts a rebellion and that rebellion escalates into a war for the freedom of Scotland.

My Opinion: The very first DVD I ever bought and one of the first movies I've watched in english. The movie isn't historical correct but hey - it's a movie and history is written by those who hanged their heroes. What I also liked about this movie was the fact that the people bled when they received blows by swords, axes and other sharp objects while in the sword-fighting movies of the fifties and sixties no wounds were to be seen. The good guy usually stabbed the bad guy in the belly and then the bad guy fell from a wall or a cliff. But not in Braveheart. Here throats are slit, extremeties hacked off and skulls are cracked open. But in the end, they've won their freedom.

[DJ Doena]

The Three Musketeers

Charlie Sheen    ...    Aramis
Kiefer Sutherland   ...    Athos
Chris O'Donnell   ...    d'Artagnan
Oliver Platt   ...    Porthos
Tim Curry   ...    Cardinal Richelieu
Rebecca De Mornay   ...    Lady Sabine DeWinter

Synopsis: The Musketeers are disbanded and the protection of the french king is done by the Cardinal's personal guard. But he plans to assassinate the young king and take his place. But there are three Musketeers that won't give up: Athos, Porthos and Aramis - and a young man who wanted to join the Musketeers: d'Artagnan. Together they fight to protect the king: One for all and all for one.

My Opinion: I've been loving sword movies for a long time. Scaramouche, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Count of Monte Christo. I watched them all long before they were remade in the nineties. This one I also enjoyed very much, but mainly due to the three original Musketeers and the brilliant Tim Curry. And I love the song sung by Brian Adams, Sting and Rod Stewart. I can listen to it every day. The Three Musketeers was one of my favourite childhood books.

[DJ Doena]

The Last Samurai

Ken Watanabe    ...    Katsumoto
Tom Cruise   ...    Nathan Algren
Tony Goldwyn   ...    Colonel Bagley
Masato Harada   ...    Omura
Timothy Spall   ...    Simon Graham
Shichinosuke Nakamura   ...    Emperor Meiji
Shin Koyamada   ...    Nobutada
Hiroyuki Sanada   ...    Ujio
Shun Sugata   ...    Nakao
Koyuki   ...    Taka

Synopsis: Captain Algren is a war veteran and a drunk. But then the japanese offer him 3 years of Captain's pay for 6 month of work. His job is to train the new japanese army in the use of firearms. But although it isn't ready this new army has to fight against the acient protectors of Japan: the Samurai. Many die in that battle and Algren gets captured by the leader of teh Samurai: Katsumoto. During the winter he stays with them and learns about them. When he returns the next spring he has become a Samurai.

My Opinion: Another great movie about honour. I admire strong yet honourable warriors, that's why I love the Klingons in Star Trek (from The Next Generation onwards) and the Jaffa like Teal'c in Stargate SG-1. The movie was a bit unrealistic in regards to wounds (especially Algren's) but the battles were great. I adore the Samurai Katana. When I learned that Ken Watanabe would play the general in Letters from Iwo Jima I was excited.

[DJ Doena]

Dragonheart

Dennis Quaid    ...    Bowen
David Thewlis   ...    King Einon
Pete Postlethwaite   ...    Gilbert of Glockenspur
Dina Meyer   ...    Kara
Jason Isaacs   ...    Lord Felton
Brian Thompson   ...    Brok

Synopsis: When the young prince Einon is dying, his mother persuades a dragon to give him half his heart. Although Einon has been taught about the old ways both by his mother and his sword teacher Bowen he becomes as ruthless as his father was. Bowen blames the dragon and becomes a dragon slayer. But then he meets Draco, the last of his kind. Then they take the fight to Einon because Draco has also a score to settle with him.

My Opinion: Sean Connery has done a marvellous job in voicing Draco (although the german voice of Mario Adorf isn't that bad either) and Dennis Quaid is a great knight of the old ways. I enjoyed it very much and often forgot that Draco is "just an animation". Funny thing is, this was the first time I ever saw David Thewlis and when he was cast as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter I was sceptical (because he was a bad guy here) but it worked very well (the fact that I don't like the third Harry Potter movie that much aside).