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20,000 Years in Sing Sing, a review by Antares

20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932) 3/5 - Of the films I've seen starring Spencer Tracy made prior to his Oscar winning role in Captain's Courageous in 1937, he comes across as trying too hard put a specific spin towards the characters he's playing. It comes across, at times, as awkward or amateurish and it is full display in the Michael Curtiz film 20,000 years in Sing Sing. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he doesn't seem believable for a second as the tough hoodlum sent to prison by a back stabbing accomplice. The film itself, is pretty straightforward and doesn't deviate from the prison films of the time. The only saving grace has to be Bette Davis as Tracy's love interest Fay. This was probably her first starring role and she makes the most of it. Nowhere to be seen is the grande dame persona she would emanate in future films and it is refreshing to watch her in her unfettered glory. This is the Bette Davis that I like, not the Margot Channing diva that she would become just a few years later. I also have to give a nod to Arthur Byron as the sympathetic warden. When people write about the films of the golden era, they all tend to mention the main stars. But what makes most of these films golden, is the supporting cast of great character actors. This is something that I feel is sorely missing today from mainstream films. Today, all of the supporting cast are all so plastic, interchangeable Stepford facsimiles. Actors such as Byron, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Meek, Roscoe Karnes and Gene Lockhart gave film making it's rich depth.

(From Antares' Short Summations on October 9th, 2013)

We Are Together, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are: South Africa
wikipedia

What We Watched:


We Are Together
Year of Release: 2007
Starring: The Children of Agape
Directed By: Paul Taylor
Genre: Documentary

Overview:
WE ARE TOGETHER tells the remarkable and moving story of a group of children who use music to overcome hardship and loss.  Filmed over a period of three years, it is the story of an orphanage unlike any you've ever seen, where the young singers of the Agape Choir lift their voices to create the home and family they so very much need.

Life has not been easy for 12-year-old Slindile and her siblings living at the Agape Orphanage in South Africa, where most of the children have lost their parents to AIDS.  These toddlers and teenagers squabble and stumble just like other youths, discovering themselves, and craving stability.  Having already borne great hardships, Slindile along with her sisters and baby brother must endure the fact that their elder brother Sifiso has been diagnosed with AIDS and is slowly wasting away due to lack of medical care.  And yet, when they lift their voices in song, something extraordinary happens they overcome their fears, band together as a family, and find opportunities for hope.

My Thoughts:
We've all heard about the epidemic of AIDS in Africa.  Here we have a look at the children left behind.  This is a heart-wrenching story of a family broken up by AIDS but still holding together, still loving and supporting each other.  It's also a story of hope and giving and what people can do for one another.  Worth watching if you don't mind sentiment.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall:  3.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on March 12th, 2013)

Twilight Zone, a review by addicted2dvd

Slowly watching this series... finally finished the first disc of season 3...

66. Two (9/15/61)
Two lone survivors (Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson) of a nuclear holocaust must start the world anew - a difficult prospect since they are from opposing sides in the war!

My Thoughts:
This is an episode I enjoyed a lot... one that I have seen once or twice before. I really enjoyed both actors in this episode... so that was a plus. Attached to the end of this episode was a TV Spot for The Ed Sullivan Show. Unfortunately the only extra with this one is an isolated score. I would have liked to see some more extras with this one.

67. The Arrival (9/22/61)
A plane lands safely, but all its passengers, pilot and crew are missing! When a veteran FAA investigator is called upon to solve the mystery his own past provides the answer.

My Thoughts:
Another really good episode...  this is another one I never seen before. I really liked the mystery in this one... it is one that I wasn't able to figure out before they revealed it. Attached to this episode was a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. Once again... the only extra to go along with this episode is an isolated score.

68. The Shelter (9/29/61)
When a UFO invasion appears imminent, several suburban friends and neighbors are reduced to selfish, conniving animals in a fight over one family's bomb shelter.

My Thoughts:
This is another really good episode.... one that I have seen before. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. Unfortunately there wasn't any extras with this episode what so ever.

69. The Passersby (10/6/61)
On the road home from the Civil War, a Confederate soldier stops at a house. He and the owner, a recent widow, soon realize that all who pass are dead! Including them!

My Thoughts:
This one I have seen before... good thing since the write-up that came with the disc contains such a big spoiler. Of course they hint extremely hard towards the beginning... so that is probably the reason for it. It was a very good episode though. I enjoyed every second of it. attached to the end of this episode is a commercial for The United Way. Extras for this episode include an isolated score and The Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Morgan Britanny.

70. A Game of Pool (10/13/61)
Jesse (Jack Klugman) is a brilliant pool player whose dream of a showdown with the legendary (and dead) Fats Brown (Jonathan Winters) comes true. The stakes: his life.

My Thoughts:
Another one I have seen before... and a really good episode. I enjoyed every minute of it. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. This episode has a lot of extras with it as well... with this episode you get... Audio Commentary with Jonathan Winters... Marc Zicree Interview with Buzz Kulik and Buck Houghton... Jonathon Winters reads the Alternate Ending Scene from the Original Script... and a Clip from the 1989 Remake.

71. The Mirror (10/20/61)
After a poor, but ambitious Central American farm worker (Peter Falk) overthrows his country's tyrannical leader, he discovers that he may be his own worst enemy.

My Thoughts:
This is an episode I never seen before. Not one that I would call a favorite.. but not really bad either. I didn't even recognize Peter Falk in this one! Attached to the end of this episode is an advertisement for a booklet called The Promise of America. This episode had no extras what so ever with it.

72. The Grave (10/27/61)
Before he died, notorious badman Pinto Sykes put a curse on hired-gun Conny Miller (Lee Marvin). If Miller ever sets foot on his grave, he will kill him - a threat Sykes carries out!

My Thoughts:
This one I have seen before. And is one I enjoyed very much.I really liked the ending of this western story. Other then Lee Marvin it was cool to see James Best in this episode... who later plays Roscoe in "The Dukes of Hazzard. Attached to the end of the episode is a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. The only extra with this episode is an Isolated Score.

73. It's A Good Life (11/3/61)
He knows your every thought, can feel your every emotion. He can eliminate all you hold dear. Who is he? A six-year-old boy (Billy Mumy) from Peaksville, Ohio!

My Thoughts:
Another one that I have seen before... and is one that has always been one of my favorites. Attached to the end of this episode was a advertisement for Religion in American Life. The extras included with this episode are an Audio Commentary by Bill Mumy, an Isolated Score and a Clip from the 2003 sequel It's Still a Good Life with optional commentary by Bill Mumy


Episodes I seen for the First time on this set include:

   1. Judgment Night (Episode 10)
   2. And When The Sky Was Opened (Episode 11)
   3. What You Need (Episode 12)
   4. I Shot an Arrow into the Air (Episode 15)
   5. The Hitch-Hiker (Episode 16)
   6. The Purple Testiment (Episode 19)
   7. Elegy (Episode 20)
   8. Mirror Image (Episode 21)
   9. A World of Difference (Episode 23)
  10. Long Live Walter Jameson (Episode 24)
  11. People Are Alike All Over (Episode 25)
  12. Execution (Episode 26)
  13. The Big Tall Wish (Episode 27)
  14. A Nice Place to Visit (Episode 28)
  15. Nightmare as a Child (Episode 29)
  16. The Chaser (Episode 31)
  17. Mr. Bevis (Episode 33)
  18. The Mighty Casey (Episode 35)
  19. A World of his Own (Episode 36)
  20. The Man in the Bottle (Episode 38)
  21. A Thing About Machines (Episode 40)
  22. The Howling Man (Episode 41)
  23. A Most Unusual Camera (Episode 46)
  24. Dust (Episode 48)
  25. Back There (Episode 49)
  26. The Whole Truth (Episode 50)
  27. Twenty-Two (Episode 53)
  28. The Odyssey of Flight 33 (Episode 54)
  29. Static (Episode 56)
  30. The Rip Van Winkle Caper (Episode 60)
  31. The Silence (Episode 61)
  32. Shadow Play (Episode 62)
  33. The Mind and the Matter (Episode 63)
  34. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up (Episode 64)
  35. The Arrival (Episode 67)
  36. The Mirror (Episode71)

(From Twilight Zone on March 16th, 2008)