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Dinoshark, a review by GSyren

Dinoshark (5-060020-701207)

United States 2010 | Released 2011-05-09 on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment

90 minutes | Aspect ratio Anamorphic 1.78:1 | Audio: English Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, English Dolby Digital 5.1

Directed by Kevin O'Neill and starring Eric Balfour, Iva Hasperger, Aaron Diaz, Dan Golden, Humberto Busto

My thoughts about Dinoshark:

I give this 1/2 star for the film itself, plus 1 1/2 star because it had Roger Corman in a "real" role, rather than just a cameo, which is all that I have seen before. And I knew coming to this what a Corman produced monster movie was likely to be like, so I was well prepared. Sometimes you just want a silly monster movie, and this is just that. So no regrets.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on December 26th, 2014)

The Old Man and the Sea, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Old Man and the Sea
Year of Release: 1958
Directed By: John Sturges
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Felipe Pazos Jr., Harry Bellaver
Genre: Drama, Adventure

Overview:
Ernest Hemingway's choice for the lead in the film version of his The Old Man and the SeaThe Old Man and the Sea is a colorful cinematic ode to the indomitability of the human spirit.

My Thoughts:
Hemingway wrote a wonderful story, and this is a good adaptation, though it has its flaws.

On the good side:  The film hews closely to the story, and Spencer Tracy gives a powerful, moving performance as the old man.  Filming this story would always hinge upon casting that role, and he carries the film marvelously.  He is completely believable as this aged fisherman, worn down by life but still struggling, not giving up, still living.

On the other hand, while one can (and must) overlook the technical issues of a movie made in 1958 when watching almost sixty years later (such as the obvious composite shots and patchwork film sources), it is much harder to overlook the problem with the voice-over narration.  Someone needed to tell the director that "less is more."  A truth in writing is 'show, don't tell,' and that's equally true in movies.  Narration is a useful tool in telling a story like this, but the director overuses it to the point where this almost becomes an audiobook with visual. 

Worth seeing for Tracy's performance, but slow moving and very, very talky. 

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3.25/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on November 20th, 2015)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Twilight Zone: Season One (1959/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia CBS DVD (United Kingdom) Length: 1163 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
The Twilight Zone's timeless episodes featured stories of the bizarre and unexplained, blended with humour and often with an unexpected twist to the tale. Created by the legendary Rod Serling, its eclectic mix of fantasy and sci-fi has helped to define it as one of televisions most original and celebrated series.


The Twilight Zone
Season 1.01 Where Is Everybody? 02.10.1959
Writer: Rod Serling (Writer)
Director: Robert Stevens
Cast: Rod Serling (Narrator), Earl Holliman (Mike Ferris), James Gregory (Air Force General), Paul Langton (Air Force Colonel), James McCallion, John Conwell, Jay Overholts (Reporter Two), Carter Mullaly, Gary Walberg, Jim Johnson

As this is an anthology series, you cannot really conclude by one episode to the rest of the series. But as a first episode it is a good one. Also it includes a twist ending for which the series became famous for.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on November 12th, 2012)