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Frances, a review by Eric

Frances




Summary: Jessica Lange delivers the performance of her career as Frances Farmer, the notorious 1930's movie star whose impassioned opinions and outspoken behavior created scandal throughout the industry. But when she was betrayed by the studio system and committed to an insane asylum by her domineering mother, Frances descended into a madness that revealed the most horrific abuses of mental illness and exposed the cruelest consequences of Hollywood fame.

Kim Stanley and Sam Shepherd co-star in this tragic true story that shocked the world. FRANCES is now presented in a stunning new transfer from original film materials and is packed with startling new bonus features exclusive to this edition.

My Thoughts: This is the typical story of a woman who was born in a time where she couldn't settle for what society allowed her to be.  Truly beautiful, intelligent, opiniated and strong minded, she became an actress in a Hollywood who wanted nothing else from women than be beautiful and do as they were told.  Unfortunately for her, Frances was not of that type and she lived a life full of frustrations and deceptions.  Child of a controlling mother, probably schizophrenic, who wanted to live through her daughter the life that she never had, the only place where Frances could ever seek refuge ended up to be the most damaging to her.  Unable to control her emotions, she often had outbursts of rage which got her labeled as mentally sick and institutionalized.  After receiving monstrous treatments that were common in her time she had a lobotomy and was released from the institution.  She worked in television and died in 1970.

That is a very good movie, for me it was one of those blind buys that turn out to be such a nice choice.  Jessica Lange and Kim Stanley both give extremely good performances.  Some of their scenes together are shockingly good.  I really really liked that movie and very strongly recommend it.

My Score: 10/10, I want use my regular scoring system because this movie is worth much more than just a stupid smiley with a thumb up (But that comment is worth a stupid smiley with an eye closed).


A featurette on the DVD shows pictures of Frances Farmer, the film doesn't when painting her a very beautiful woman, see for yourself.





(From Eric's DVD watching. on June 2nd, 2008)

Alice in Wonderland, a review by Danae Cassandra

Alice in Wonderland
Year of Release: 1951
Directed By: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson
Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Musical

Overview:
Experience the magic and majesty of this ultimate collector's dream. For the first time, Walt Disney's timeless classic bursts into brilliance in Blu-ray High Definition! Featuring Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, this remarkable digital restoration boasts pristine sound and unparalleled picture quality. Plus, bonus features including "Through The Keyhole: A Companion's Guide To Wonderland" and an exciting interactive game, "Painting The Roses Red," have been designed for this landmark release.

Join Alice as she chases the White Rabbit and journeys into a topsy-turvy world that gets "curiouser and curiouser" as her fantastical adventures unfold. Meet the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledee & Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and more unforgettable characters, all set against a backdrop of awe-inspiring splendor.

My Thoughts:
Aptly captures a lot of the nonsense of Carroll's work while ultimately ignoring the true whimsy of it. Still, Disney's film is a lot of fun - colorful, silly and creative. I do wish the film struck more of a balance between the world of logic and rules and the world of imagination and nonsense. That's the one thing that the newer Alice films do better than this one, IMO.

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 3/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 27th, 2016)

The X-Files Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

7. Ghost in the Machine
Original Air Date: October 29, 1993
Mulder and Scully must stop a sophisticated computer system, that has taken control of a building and kills anyone who tries to stop it.

Guest Stars:
Jerry Hardin as Deep Throat
Rob LaBelle as Brad Wilczek
Wayne Duvall as Jerry Lamana
Blu Mankuma as Claude Peterson
Tom Butler as Drake

My Thoughts:
Another good one! I liked all the things they made happen just from control from a computer. It is another interesting story.  I tell you... a real plus to not watching these episodes in so long... I really don't remember that much about most of them... making even more fun to watch again.

My Rating:

(From The X-Files Marathon on March 29th, 2010)