DVD Collectors Online

My Neighbour Totoro, a review by dfmorgan

Title: My Neighbour Totoro
Original Title: Tonari no Totoro
Year: 1988
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: G
Length: 88 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Noriko Hidaka
Chika Sakamoto
Shigesato Itoi
Sumi Shimamoto
Hitoshi Takagi

Plot:
Critically acclaimed as one of the most delightful and charming family films ever, My Neighbor Totoro is a stunning animated treat full of magical adventure from Hayao Miyazaki.

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro, who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters -- including a cat that doubles as a bus! -- and takes them on an incredible journey.

Full of wonder and heart, this spectacular film features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning. My Neighbor Totoro is a magical experience for the whole family!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Multi-angle
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned


OK I won't beat about the bush here this is my favourite Miyazaki film. I first saw it in 1995 on the Fox laserdisc release. This was a Pan & Scan release and was also dubbed, I'm not too sure but it may also have been slightly cut, but even with that hardship I fell in love with the film. I managed to tape a version that Sky Movies showed, still dubbed but now in widescreen. Finally Disney released a proper DVD in 2006 which was widescreen and subbed. Apparently Disney had their own dub created and the only components to remain from the Fox release was the opening and closing songs.

Satsuki and Mei, two young girls, move to the country with their father to be nearer to the hospital where their mother is recovering from an undisclosed illness. The first magic occurs when the girls open various rooms and we see dustbunnies, also known as soot spirits, leaving the rooms from the light in the trademark way that Miyazaki has with small creatures and insects. That evening we see another of the Miyazaki trademarks with the wind blowing the fields and trees. This leads to what I understand was a slightly contentious scene with Disney. We see Mei and her father in the bath and Satsuki beside the bath washing herself and then after completing her washing she jumps in the bath with Mei and her father. The wind is still blowing so they laugh to show that they are not scared. My understanding is that Disney, as a "family" company, didn't like the idea of young children sharing a bath with adults, let alone just their father. However, when they asked Studio Ghibli if they could remove that scene, Disney were reminded that one of the clauses in the contract they had signed was that Disney could not cut any of the films that they agreed to distribute for Studio Ghibli. As an aside there is one film from that original agreement that Disney still hasn't released Only Yesterday, I will cover my understanding of the reason for that when I reach that film in this marathon. When Satsuki is at school Mei wanders off following a couple of small creatures eventually finishing up in the nearby forest under a tall camphor tree with a giant creature Mei calls a Totoro, the Studio Ghibli logo.

There is more in the film but if I carry on as I was above then I would be writing the complete story so I'll stop here. It is magical and even has pathos when they receive some news from the hospital.

This is a magical and wonderful film a double 5 .

Dave

ETA original title

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on June 23rd, 2010)

Cremains, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Cremains Year: 2000 Director: Steve Sessions Rating: NR Length: 107 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: : Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Dick Dyszel
Eleanor Herman
Rhiannon
Martin Richard Campbell
Chester Delacruz
Debbie Rochon

Plot:
Cremains is a macabre, twisted and sexy horror anthology in the tradition of Tales from the Crypt, Asylum, and The House That Dripped Blood !

A funeral director accused of mixing the ashes of cremated bodies faces interrogation from his sinister captors. He is forced into telling them other frightening, real-life tales of terror and gruesome goings-on that he has collected during his years in the death business. What ensues is a foursome of horrifying stories featuring demented serial killers, lesbian vampires, brutal bondage murders, town sacrifices, and a resurrection gone unspeakably wrong, ending with a creepy little monstrosity called "The Cremainder."

Prepare to descend into the ghastly world of Cremains...where being scared to death will never make you feel so alive.

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:
This is one of those extreme low-budget films. It was one of the DVDs that was recently given to me. I expected it to be worse then what it was. Sure it was basically like watching a student film. But I found it entertaining all the same. I liked the final story in this anthology the best. Though it seemed like while the writers had good ideas of each of the stories themselves... they had a bit of trouble getting a decent ending for the most of them.




Count:
Movie Count: 25
TV Ep. Count: 12
Other Count: 2
Time Started: 12:00pm

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2010 on October 8th, 2010)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Kingpin

Pilot
As the family leader Tio Jorge deteriorates in exile, the next generation of a powerful drug cartel family strategizes to take over 'La Corporacion', a multi-million dollar business. Stanford-educated Miguel Cadena is poised to take the reigns, but Jorge's son Ernesto presents a challenge that requires the efforts of Miguel as well as his brother Chato and wife Marlene to confront. Meanwhile, DEA agent Delia Flores faces setbacks as she works her contacts within the drug world to close in on the massive cartel.



After the death of his drug lord uncle, Stanford-educated Mexican-American businessman (Yancey Arias) finds himself in the position of the leader of his criminal family. Throughout their dealings, he and his wife (Sheryl Lee) attempt to keep the facts of their business away from their 8-year-old son while they dodge the efforts of relentless U.S. authorities who want to take them down. Originally aired on US television, this six-part mini series, from NYPD BLUE writer/producer David Mills, received critical acclaim.

Overly glitzy, Hollywood glamour taken to mexico gangsters, this felt a bit too unbelievable and the leads were much too clean and perfect.
It was pretty graphic in places, the violence stronger than I anticipated, and the backdrops expensive and locations varied.
Unsure whether this is a stinker or a hit, will need to view a few more of these and see how the finale from the pilot evolves.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 28th, 2009)