DVD Collectors Online

Baron Blood, a review by Achim

Title: Gli Orrori del castello di Norimberga
Year: 1972
Director: Mario Bava
Rating: NR
Length: 98 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Joseph Cotten
Elke Sommer
Massimo Girotti
Rada Rassimov
Antonio Cantafora

Plot:
An American student's family curse, an ancient Austrian castle of torture and a demonic incantation that resurrects the infamous 16th Century sadist known as 'Baron Blood'. Director Mario Bava returns to his gothic roots -- albeit with a modern day Technicolor twist -- in this indelibly atmospheric thriller that pays tribute to the sumptuous horror classics of the '30s and '40s while delivering the black humor and grisly shocks of the drive-in '70s. Joseph Cotton, Elke Sommer and Massimo Girotti star in one of the most visually haunting films of Bava's later career, now presented in its uncut European Version featuring footage not seen in the original American release.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Radio Spots

After the previous film (Four Times That Night, produced the same year) Mario Bava goes back to the genre he fells much more at home in. While the look follows a lot what the Hammer films looked like, Bava very much makes it his own. The camera work is inventive, the atmosphere tense, the make up effects are top notch (for its time, obviously) and the story telling, while most of the time rather conventional, has some inspired moments.

Joseph Cotton is the token film star, mostly phoning in his performance in. It seems in those days it was common for aging film stars to appear in small horror films, supposedly to pair their bills (see also Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, heck even Christopher Lee did it for a while in the early 90s). Elke Sommer, who you may have seen in the Dr. Clouseau flick A Shot in the Dark, does her usual overacting. No complaints about the other members.



(From Mario Bava marathon on July 14th, 2009)

Kids, a review by Jimmy

Title: Kids (1995)

Genre: Drama
Director: Larry Clark
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h31
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish

Stars:
Leo Fitzpatrick   
Justin Pierce
Chloe Sevigny
Yakira Peguero
Michele Lockwood

Plot:
Powerful and passionate, colorful and compelling, Larry Clark's KIDS is 24 frenetic hours in the life of a group of contemporary teenagers who, like all teenagers, believe they are invincible. With breathtaking images from one of the world's most renowned photographers, KIDS is a deeply affecting, no-holds-barred landscape of words and images, depicting with raw honesty and experiences, attitudes and uncertainties of innocence lost. KIDS gets under the skin and lingers, long after it is viewed. The kids at the core of the story are just that: teenagers living in the urban melee of modern-day America. But while these kids dwell in the big city, their story could, quite possibly, happen anywhere.

If you think the teenagers are annoying today check this film and you will see what is the meaning of useless and annoying. It doesn't mean that I think this about the movie, but about the way the teenagers are presented in it. This is probably a good representation of how the kids are in a big city (we talk of New York here), but certainly not how they were here than or even now. Most of the cast fall on my nerve (this is normal since I find the stupid teenagers annoying), but Chloe Sevigny really shined in this film and the fact that it was her first one is incredible (seriously, I can't understand why she doesn't go to bigger and better movies). Don't expect a feel good movie, in fact this is a depressing presentation of the young generation, but I have no problem to recommend this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Z_C4NXE2c

Rating :

(From F***** Up Teenagers Marathon on April 19th, 2009)

Firefly Marathon, a review by Tom

04. Shinding
Writer: Jane Espenson (Writer)
Director: Vern Gillum
Cast: Nathan Fillion (Mal), Gina Torres (Zoe), Alan Tudyk (Wash), Morena Baccarin (Inara), Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Jewel Staite (Kaylee), Sean Maher (Simon), Summer Glau (River), Ron Glass (Shepherd Book), Mark A. Sheppard (Badger), Edward Atterton (Atherton Wing), Larry Drake (Sir Warwick Harrow), Carl Bresk (Wright), Larry Pennell (Murphy), Michael McMillian (Younger Hopeful), Joshua Grenrock (Porter), Kim Onasch (Banning), Janora McDuffie (Cabott), Casey Piotrowski (Older Farmer), Hunter Cochran (Younger Farmer), Roy Werner (Gentleman)

I like how Kaylee gets enjoyment out of the ball even though she is put down by the snobby rich girls.
It is nice to see the relationship between Mal and Inara develop, but the episode takes the "period" setting a little to far.
The other crew came too short, but at least River stole again one scene.

Rating:

(From Firefly Marathon on February 25th, 2010)