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Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, a review by dfmorgan

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

Year: 2001
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne

Overview: Queen Victoria's India. The year is 1893. Champaner… a small farming village in Central India. On the outskirts of the village stands a British cantonment, commanded by Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne) - an arrogant and capricous man who wields the power of life and death over the villages under his jurisdiction.

'LAGAAN' - a story of a battle without bloodshed.

Fought by a group of unlikely heroes led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), an enigmatic young farmer with courage born of conviction - and a dream in his heart. Helped by Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), an English rose who came to India and lost her heart, and Bhuvan's pillar of strength, Gauri (Gracy Singh), the young and perky village girl who dreams only of a home with the man she loves.

A story of extraordinary circumstances thrust upon ordinary people. Adversity faces with fortitude and injustice with dignity. Faith and courage come face to face with arrogance and ruthlessness… and the human spirit triumphs.

Watched: 11th. Aug 2010
My Thoughts: An enjoyable film. I thought that maybe I had seen it before but was pleased to find that I hadn't. An over-bearing boorish English army officer, Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne), takes pleasure in belittleing the locals. The local villages are in the middle of a long drought and Captain Russell decides to double the taxes (Lagaan). When challenged by the local villagers, led by Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), he decides to play them in a game of cricket with an important condition, the penalty being triple taxes if the Army win and no taxes for 3 years if the locals win. There is also a sort of love triangle for Bhuvan between Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), the sister of the Captain, and Gauri (Gracy Singh) a local village girl.

My Rating: A very enjoyable 4

Dave

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on August 11th, 2010)

The Haunting, a review by addicted2dvd

The Haunting (1963/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Warner Home Video Director: Robert Wise Writing: Nelson Gidding (Screenwriter), Shirley Jackson (Original Material By) Length: 112 min. Rating: G Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance
Claire Bloom as Theodora
Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway
Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson
Fay Compton as Mrs. Sanderson
Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs. Dudley

Plot:
"It was an evil house from the beginning, a house that was born bad." The place is the 90-year-old mansion called Hill House. No one lives there. Or so it seems. But please do come in. Because even if you don't believe in ghosts, there's no denying the terror of "The Haunting."

Robert Wise returned to psychological horror for this much admired, first screen adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House." Four people come to the house to study its supernatural phenomena. Or has the house drawn at least one of them to it? The answer will unnerve you in this "elegantly sinister scare movie. It's good fun" (Pauline Kael, "5001 Nights at the Movies").

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned

I must say... I liked this one more on the second viewing. On first viewing I found it to be a little too slow for my taste... and was expecting more. On this second viewing... knowing ahead of time what to expect I enjoyed it much more. Very good story... great cast and wonderful atmosphere. Definitely well worth watching.


Scorecard:

TV Eps: 6
Movies: 3

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on October 3rd, 2014)

Veronica Mars Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Episode 21: A Trip to the Dentist
"You want to know how I lost my virginity?" Veronica once asked. "So do I." Determined to discover who drugged and assaulted her at a party months earlier, she sifts through conflicting stories to find the truth.

My Thoughts:
This disc is where it really gets good... These are the 2 episodes where she puts together the 2 season long mysteries. This episode solves the mystery of who drugged and rapped her at that party. It also does a very good job at setting up the final episode of the season. I have never been a fan of Logan... so the Logan/Veronica relationship is something I never liked.

Episode 22: Leave It to Beaver
Sex, lies and videotape. Veronica solves the murder of Lilly Kane, but not without betraying someone she cares for -- and putting her own life at risk.

My Thoughts:
This is it... the final episode of the season... the one with all the answers (well mostly). This was a great episode. I think they did a great job at putting everything together.



(From Veronica Mars Marathon on August 26th, 2007)