DVD Collectors Online

Dracula: Dead and Loving It, a review by addicted2dvd

Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Mel Brooks, the unhinged movie parodist whose 'Blazing Saddles' sent us Westward ho-ho-ho and whose 'Young Frankenstein' electrified with mad-scientist nuts and jolts, now stokes the Bram Stoker vein with the comedy transfusion: 'Dracula Dead and Loving It'. Leslie Nielsen plays the title role, and what's not to love?

His Count is a pratfalling evil prince of a guy who believes in long relationships. Brooks portrays vampire hunter Van Helsing who won't give a bloodsucker an even break. Stakes, garlic, mirrors and more - they're all part of vampire lore. And along with top supporting players Steven Weber, Peter MacNicol and Harvey Korman, they're all part of Brooks' tricks and shticks assuring that from dusk to dawn, the hilarity's on.

My Thoughts:
This one I watched next because my daughter, Brittany wanted to watch one with me... but at the same time she was in the mood for a comedy.... so she picked this one. I always liked this movie... always thought it was funny... but then of course that may be because I do like Leslie Nielson and Mel Brooks.  Yes.. this is a very stupid style in the same tradition as Airplane... but at times these movies are just fun to watch... to sit back and just enjoy without having to put to much thought into the movie. The DVD release is a decent one... nice picture... good sound... but only a couple of extras... a Commentary Track and the Theatrical Trailer.

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Vampires on September 8th, 2007)

Dom za vesanje, a review by goodguy

Dom za vesanje (Yugoslavia 1988, AKA Time of the Gypsies) Written by: Gordan Mihic & Emir Kusturica Directed by: Emir Kusturica Starring: Davor Dujmovic, Bora Todorovic, Ljubica Adzovic, Husnija Hasimovic, Sinolicka Trpkova, Elvira Sali DVD: R2-FR Carlotta (2007) My rating:

I decided to re-watch (and review) this before getting into the opera adaptation I recently bought.

Time of the Gypsies is a film entirely in Romani, the Gypsy language. The literal translation of the original title is "house for hanging".

The film tells the story of Perhan, a Gypsy orphan who lives with his grandmother, his crippled younger sister and his womanizing uncle in a Gypsy village on the outskirts of Skopje (Macedonia). Perhans days are filled with caring for his sister, working a small lime oven, practicing his telekinetic skills and adopting a turkey. A blossoming first love between him and Azra, a neighbor's girl, is strongly opposed by Azra's mother due to Perhan's lack of wealth. As the grandmother heals the son of the Gypsy king Ahmed, she wants him to take Perhan's sister to a hospital in Ljubljana. Perhan insists on accompanying her.

In Ljubljana, Ahmed persuades Perhan to follow him to Italy and slowly draws him into his shady business, which consists of child trafficking and running a small gang of burglars, beggars and prostitutes from a camp outside of Milan. The promise of making a fortune to provide for his sister and grandmother, to build a house and to put up the dowry for Azra causes him to departure more and more from values and beliefs he was raised upon by his grandmother.

When Ahmed has a heart attack, he sets up Perhan as the new boss. That however results in a fallout between Ahmed and his brothers and he sends Perhan back to Yugoslavia to acquire new members for the gang. But upon return to his home village Perhan finds that nothing is as he has hoped.

Kusturica weaves his tale of love, family, lost innocence and revenge in wondrous and magical images, with a rich symbolism deeply rooted in Gypsy mythology, while at the same time maintaining a gritty and unjudging realism in depicting the Gypsy life. Humor and comedy, sometimes venturing into the grotesque, are balanced seemingly effortless with touching tragedy and moments of uninhibited joy.

As in Kusturica's mesmerizing images, deep sadness and extreme exaltation, melancholia and euphoria, not as opposites, but synthesized are also the key elements of Goran Bregovic's magnificent score. To a large part it is based on a few Gypsy traditionals, but developed with great variety.

More superlatives are needed to describe the actors. Almost all of them are not only amateurs, but also actual Gypsies. Wonderful fresh and captivating performances throughout, even in minor roles.

Time of the Gypsies is such a poetic and beautiful film; it is a film not to be watched, but to be experienced, to be completely immersed in its images, music and sound. To me it is, ever since I've first seen it and without the shadow of a doubt, the greatest film ever made.

DVD Notes

The French release of 2007 is the first DVD release of the film in the western hemisphere. The film has been remastered and both a single and a 2-disc special edition are available, but sadly with French subtitles only.

The only English friendly version I know of is the VHS released in the US in 1995, although I've also heard of (but never seen) a Laserdisc. While searching for the trailer and a clip from the film on YouTube, I also found out that the entire film seems to be available there in 10min pieces. Hardly the proper way to watch it, but still...

Aside from the theatrical version I talked about here and which runs about 02:20h, there is also a 5h TV version. I've seen it once in the mid-90s, and a few years ago it became available on a Russian DVD (with Russian subtitles).

Trailer and Clip from the Film

Below is the international theatrical trailer and a clip from the film, showing the famous sequence of the St. George's Day celebration (Ederlezi).







(From goodguy's Watch Log on December 29th, 2009)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series
Year: 1997
Director:
Rating: NR
Length: 295 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo , Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo

Plot:
As an inventor living in a secret subterranean workshop, Weird Al's world includes his pet (Harvey the Wonder Hamster), his superhero neighbor (The Hooded Avenger), the twisted animated "Adventures Of Fatman" and a roster of friends and guests, including: Drew Carey, Dick Clark, Dr. Demento, Stan Freberg, Teri Garr, Gilbert Gottfried, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael McKean, Bill Mumy, Patton Oswalt, Dick Van Patten, Emo Philips, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Judy Tenuta, John Tesh, Fred Willard and Dweezil Zappa.

Plus live musical performances by Barenaked Ladies, Hanson and of course, Al himself make THE WEIRD AL SHOW a must-have, timeless delight for all his fans.

Extras:
Animated Storyboards
Commentary
Photo Gallery
'The Weird Al Show Theme' Karaoke
Trailers


This one is hard to rate. Obviously made for children but I think a lot of the jokes are beyond their heads. And as a kid's show it is sometimes hard to watch as an adult. I watched it with the mindset that it tries to lampoon average kid shows and then it's often quite fun to watch 
Interesting to listen to are the commentaries by Weird Al and company on each episode. Like they said on the first commentary track, these recording sessions are like a therapy session for them  . According to them they had a hard time making a show they want and to fullfill the networks requirements to make this a kid's show.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on March 24th, 2008)