DVD Collectors Online

Black, a review by dfmorgan

Black

Year: 2005
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Shernaz Patel
Overview: I know now that there is God... He is not in the Holy Spirit we pray to... He isn't written about in religious texts... He is someone who is a part of our lives... Whom we live for...
Because of whom we live...

Michelle McNally is "special" in more ways than one. She cannot see... nor hear...  nor speak... She inhabits a world of infinite black... of a seamless, endless void where nothing reaches her and she reaches nothing. Her world is frightening in its complete remoteness. On the sheer will of her ferocious rage against destiny, Michelle struggles to stay afloat in the impenetrable whirlpool her life has become.

Into this devastating isolation enters a battle weary teacher, Debraj Sahai, life's wounded but arrogantly insolent warrior. With a single minded obsession, Debraj takes up a challenge that is next to impossible - to lead this wild, uncontrollable child into the light of knowledge.

Thus begins a journey of two headstrong individuals. They will overcome  what they seek is that moment of miracle -  when the ray of knowledge will penetrate through the dense black of Michelle's life... Black is the cathartic tale of a deaf, mute and blind girl who saw what people with sight fail to see - a vision of her God. Michelle McNally saw what other lesser mortals could not. She saw her God... heard Him... and walked with Him... into the light...

Watched: 6th Jun 2010
My Thoughts: Thank You Tom and Thank You Jon for recommending this wonderful film.

This film takes us through the life of Michelle McNally (Rani Mukherjee) from a few months after birth where she has now been diagnosed as both deaf and blind, through feral childhood onto a fairly confident young womanhood and finishing with a very confident woman. The bulk of the story is told in flashback but this doesn't detract from the storyline as it was easy enough to follow. One area I thought the director handled well was the sibling rivalry and reconcilation. When he chose to show the rivalry it was understated just enough to ensure that you were aware of it until he brought it to its head at the pre-wedding dinner. In the middle of all this was the teacher Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan) who brought Michelle out of herself and into the light. The film is top and tailed with Michelle seeing/visiting Debraj in hospital after finding him and finding out that he is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

My Rating: It has to be 5

Dave

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on June 6th, 2010)

The House by the Cemetery, a review by Jimmy

Title : The House by the Cemetery (1981)

Overview
A young family moves from their cramped New York City apartment to a spacious new home in New England. But this is no ordinary house in the country: the previous owner was the deranged Dr. Freudstein, whose monstrous human experiments have left a legacy of bloody mayhem. Now, someone -- or something -- is alive in the basement, and home sweet home is about to become a horrific hell on earth.

My Impression
Not one of the best Fulci's film. The film had a good start but the story take a turn in the nothing department for most of the running time, untill the end when finally we get some great Fulci's effect. It's evident that the ghost movie isn't one of my favorite horror genre, so for me 2/3 of this movie is boring. Sure the dubbing doesn't help at all, the boy's voice is so annoying (why take an adult to do a whining girly voice like that?). Not that the movie is that bad, but for a Fulci's movie this isn't really impressing.

Rating :



(From Jimmy's 2009 Horror Marathon on October 7th, 2009)

"Due South" marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Pizzas And Promises

Another really good episode. This time around I liked the entire storyline. Though I couldn't get over how ugly the outfit that Ray's sister was wearing in this episode. I also think it would have been better if they followed through on the storyline of the pizza delivery kid a little more. Like how he found out that his car was repainted and up for sale again or if he had to face the other kid waiting for him back in jail. Though they really didn't have time for it.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on June 29th, 2009)