DVD Collectors Online

The Uninvited, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Uninvited
Year of Release: 1944
Directed By: Lewis Allen
Starring: Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Alan Napier, Gail Russell
Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Horror

Overview:The UninvitedMy Thoughts:
This is a sophisticated, romantic take on the haunted house story. It has a beautiful, mysterious setting at a mansion overlooking the Cornish coast and a wonderful score, including the now-classic "Stella By Starlight." Like a lot of old films a lot is left to the viewer's imagination. The ghostly activity, for instance, is very understated.

The performances are all good. Veterans Milland and Hussay anchor the film, but fragile Gail Russell is it's soul. She's perfectly cast as Stella Meredith, and her luminous beauty here makes knowing her real-life fate all the more tragic. There's some obvious age differences in the film's romances, but nothing that shouldn't be expected from films of this age.

Which brings this point: do you like classic Hollywood movies? Because that rather predicates whether you'll enjoy this one. Highly, highly recommended if you enjoy films of this age.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 4/5

2015 Horror Movie Count: 6

(From Horror/Halloween Marathon 2015 on October 10th, 2015)

Monsoon Wedding, a review by Tom

Title: Monsoon Wedding
Year: 2001
Director: Mira Nair
Rating: 15
Length: 109 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Naseeruddin Shah
Lillete Dubey
Shefali Shetty
Vijay Raaz
Tilotama Shome

Plot:
An exuberant family drama set in Mira Nair's beloved Punjabi culture, where ancient tradition and dot-com modernity combine in unique and perfect harmony.

As the romantic monsoon rains loom, the extended Verma family reunites from around the globe for a last-minute arranged marriage in New Delhi.

Monsoon Wedding traces five intersecting stories, each navigating different aspects of love as they cross boundaries of class, continent and morality. The film celebrates a contemporary India never seen before.

Awards:

BAFTA	2001	Nominated	Film Not In The English Language	Caroline Baron, Mira Nair
British Independent Film Awards	2002	Won	Best Foreign Independent Film - Foreign Language
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2003	Nominated	Best Foreign-Language Film
European Film Awards	2001	Nominated	Screen International European Film Award (non-European)
Golden Globe	2001	Nominated	Foreign Film
Satellite Awards	2003	Nominated

Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers

As soon the movie started, I was reminded of "Rachel Getting Married". It has a similar style and theme. The cinematographer is even the same in both movies. Looking at a few reviews on the internet, "Rachel Getting Married" is even often compared to this movie.
Personally I enjoyed this one more. I liked the characters more.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 25th, 2010)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
It's the third show in the Whoniverse (after Doctor Who and Torchwood). In the UK Doctor Who itself is aimed at (older) children ("The story and the monsters for the kids, the Doctor for the mums and the companion for the dads" as the saying goes) but The Sarah Jane Adventures is aimed at young children (and those who stayed young ). Sarah Jane used to be a companion to the Third and Fourth Doctor in the 70s and she had a few adventures with the Tenth Doctor. Now she has adventures of her own with her adopted son and his friends and the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor visited her on her own show.

"Invasion of the Bane"
The kids of the neighbourhood start to notice that something weird is going on in Miss Smith's backyard because she's visited by what looks like fairies. Sarah Jane - she is a newspaper reporter by day - on the other hand investigates a factory that gives away free soft drinks to all the children that visit the factory. When she discovers that there's a young boy who appears to have been created in that factory, she knows that something otherworldly is going on.

My Opinion
I enjoyed the show. It took existing aliens from the Whoniverse and adapted them for the show (e.g. where the Doctor has to deal with adult Slitheen, Sarah Jane gets to deal with their offspring). But it also invented their own races and told stories about them.


Sadly the show came to an end when Elisabeth Sladen died from cancer a few years ago.



(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on April 4th, 2013)