DVD Collectors Online

Black Sabbath, a review by Danae Cassandra

Black Sabbath (I tre volti della paura)
Year of Release: 1963
Directed By: Mario Bava
Starring: Michele Mercier, Lydia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Jacqueline Pierreux
Genre: Horror

Overview:
One of the great horror anthology films, and Bava's personal favorite of his works, BLACK SABBATH solidified the director's reputation as Europe's maestro of the macabre.

In "The Telephone," a woman is haunted by menacing phone calls from a former lover. "The Wurdulak" stars Boris Karloff as a vampire hunter whose family is stalked by the wandering spirit of an undead ghoul. "A Drop of Water" involves a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse-not realizing the curse that is carried with it.

This Kino Classics edition showcases Bava's original European cut of the film (I tre volti della paura, or Three Faces of Fear), before it was re-edited and re-scored for American release.

My Thoughts:
On second viewing, I still think this is one of the best anthology horror films. Each of the stories is a good one, and each is better than the one before. "The Wurdulak" is still my favorite, but I also still think that "The Drop of Water" is actually the strongest story. Having seen two other fine films from Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace and The Whip and the Body), I appreciate even more his art direction and use of light and color. He really knows how to create a great atmosphere, tell a spooky story, and get a great performance out of his cast. Well worth watching.

The one thing I do wish is that there wasn't the epilogue. i had forgotten about it, and it rather detracts from the great thing Bava has going on here. I'm knocking the film down half a star for it's presence.

Watched For: Hoop-tober 3.0, Horror/Halloween Challenge 2016

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 3.5/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 46/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on November 1st, 2016)

The River: Legend Of La Llorona, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The River: Legend Of La Llorona
Year: 2005
Director: Terrence Williams
Rating: R
Length: 77 Min.
Video: Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Will Morales as Miguel
Mary Sanchez as Ann Marie
Denise Gossett as Mary
Joel Bryant as Sam
Carrie Wallace as Luciana

Plot:
The urban legend of La Llorona (Spanish for The Weeping Lady), comes to life in this morbid tale about a monstrous and vengeful boogey woman. This sad and love-scorned woman wanders near bodies of water and wails into the night for her lost children, who she drowned after being spurned and deserted by their father. Miguel, a mercenary, soon learns that La Llorona is anything but a legend, discovering that cashing in might mean cashing out.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
This is from another cheap horror boxset I have called Hostile Hauntings. So of course I went into this one expecting much of nothing. Though the overview did sound interesting... as I liked the idea of the storyline. But unfortunately they just weren't able to pull it off. Not the writing, not the acting... not even the cinematography as most of the movie was so dark that you could barely see what was on the screen. It basically felt like a homemade movie done in someone's back yard with a camcorder. It is a shame as I did like the idea for the story. I would like to see what a cast and crew with a decent budget could do with the basic idea of this movie. Rating this movie the best I can do is give it a half of a point for the idea. The rest of it is snooze-worthy.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs on March 12th, 2010)

Grey's Anatomy: Season One, a review by addicted2dvd

Grey's Anatomy: Season One (2005/United States) Grey's Anatomy is "a winner," raves the New York Daily News. Both a critical hit and fan favorite, season one burst onto the television landscape with gripping plot lines, a sensational soundtrack and hot stars, including Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, and Sandra Oh. Now you can experience all the drama, romance and excitement of Grey's Anatomy from the very beginning. Meet Meredith Grey, a brilliant first-year surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital. Together with her fellow residents in training, Meredith navigates her way through the daily traumas and social landmines of life inside the hospital and out in the real world. Grey's Anatomy is a smart and witty look at young people struggling to be doctors and doctors struggling to stay human. EPISODES: 1. A Hard Day's Night 2. The First Cut is the Deepest 3. Winning a Battle, Losing the War 4. No Man's Land 5. Shake Your Groove Thing 6. If Tomorrow Never Comes 7. The Self-Destruct Button 8. Save Me 9. Who's Zoomin' Who?

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Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
Katherine Heigl as Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens
Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

In honor of Katherine Heigl's birthday today (Nov. 24th) I just watched the entire first season of this series. Granted it is only nine episodes. I have always been a huge fan of medical dramas... and this is definitely one of my favorites. It has a good mixture of medical cases and stories on the doctor's personal lives. Definitely one I would recommend. Especially if you like a good medical drama. After watching this first season I have a strong urge to continue to watch through the rest of the six seasons that I own.




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on November 24th, 2011)