DVD Verdict reviews: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: PLATINUM COLLECTION (VOLUME 7) and more!

Today, DVD Verdict posted reviews of ALMOST PEACEFUL (UN MONDE PRESQUE
PAISIBLE), CLASSIC ALBUMS: SIMPLY RED: STARS, DECISIONS, GANTZ: KILLED
OR BE KILLED (VOLUME 2), HINDLE WAKES, MAGICAL MEOW MEOW TARUTO: THE
MAGIC CAT (VOLUME 1), NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: PLATINUM COLLECTION
(VOLUME 7), THE SANTA FE STRETCH: PERFECTING THE BALANCE BETWEEN
STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY, and STAR OCEAN EX: THE DRAGON'S TEETH
(VOLUME 2):


ALMOST PEACEFUL (UN MONDE PRESQUE PAISIBLE) (reviewed by Joe Armenio,
overall score 82/100):
"I wouldn't make excessive claims for Almost Peaceful. It's a small,
slight film that's content to be small and slight, and most of the
themes mentioned above are sketched out and suggested rather than
explored deeply."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/almostpeaceful.php

CLASSIC ALBUMS: SIMPLY RED: STARS (reviewed by Amanda DeWees, overall
score 93/100):
"Combining concert footage, new studio and performance footage, and
clips from music videos with new interviews with the band members and
producers as well as other members of the music industry, Simply Red:
Stars gives us the complete skinny on how Stars came about."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/simplyredstars.php

DECISIONS (reviewed by Bill Gibron, overall score 80/100):
"What separates this simple piece of homemade cinema from the rest of
its camcorder brethren is a desire on the part of co-writer/co-director
Master P to instill a semi-positive message on top of all the posing."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/decisions.php

GANTZ: KILLED OR BE KILLED (VOLUME 2) (reviewed by Mitchell Hattaway,
overall score 45/100):
"There, that's everything that happens in these two episodes, so now you
don't have to watch them. Why do you want to avoid watching them?
Because Gantz continues to suck and because Gantz continues to be
pointless."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol2.php

HINDLE WAKES (reviewed by Mike Pinsky, overall score 80/100):
"Elvey makes it clear that this is his film, and that the camera is in
control. Indeed, the narrative actually seems a bit of a distraction
here. I found myself waiting eagerly for plot points to end so that I
could see more of the sets and locations."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/hindlewakes.php

MAGICAL MEOW MEOW TARUTO: THE MAGIC CAT (VOLUME 1) (reviewed by Bill
Gibron, overall score 90/100):
"The storytelling here is intricate, without being confusing. Divergent
narrative strands, some from the royalty story, some merely occurring as
part of everyday happenstance, are woven together flawlessly, without
once leading to bewilderment or disorder. And although it packs a great
deal of exposition in each short episode, the pace never seems rushed."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/magicalmeowmeowtarutovol1.php

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: PLATINUM COLLECTION (VOLUME 7) (reviewed by Rob
Lineberger, overall score 70/100):
"Sean McCoy, EVA lecturer and frequent contributor in the Platinum
Collection extras, says that if you freeze the DVD and advance frame by
frame you will pick up on a lot of images, words, and concepts buried in
the animation. He says that reading Kabbalah texts and other Judeo-
Christian sources will fill in more of the story. I say that I should
not have to pause a DVD frame by frame just to get the most basic
orientation to what is taking place in an episode, nor should I have to
rely on intimate knowledge of religious texts to understand the basics
of the plot. That should be provided by the animators and writers who
are creating the episodes."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/ngeplatinumcolvol7.php

THE SANTA FE STRETCH: PERFECTING THE BALANCE BETWEEN STRENGTH AND
FLEXIBILITY (reviewed by David Johnson, overall score 85/100):
"Sue West is the host, and I believe she's made out of Silly Putty. This
is an intermediate stretching program, but as far I was concerned it may
as well have been AAA Gold Medal Black Belt Expert level."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/santafestretch.php

STAR OCEAN EX: THE DRAGON'S TEETH (VOLUME 2) (reviewed by Mac McEntire,
overall score 88/100):
"These five episodes show a definite improvement over the first volume.
The animation is bright and colorful, and the characters' movements are
much more fluid and lively."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/staroceanexvol2.php

Mike Jackson
Editor & Webmaster, DVD Verdict
www.dvdverdict.com