DVD Collectors Online

Glory, a review by Antares

Glory (1989) 4/5 - I hadn't seen this film for close to fifteen years, but I remember being surprised at how good a war drama it was. I've never been much of an Edward Zwick fan, but this time, he got it pretty much right. The battle scenes have a realism that shocks the viewer and which is pretty much transparent in other Civil War films such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. The gore and horror which is so invisible in those two films hurts the credibilty of the narrative. Not so with Glory. From the moment we witness the horrors of the cornfield at Antietam, a true sense of believabilty is created. As a way to placate the Northern abolitionists, the 54th Massachusetts regiment was comprised of ex-slaves and free blacks and led by white abolitionist officers. But the northern politicians never conceived of letting them go into battle, as they were afraid of alienating the white soldiers of their own ranks, who weren't fighting for emancipation. But after the costly battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and coinciding with the New York draft riots of July 1863, the 54th fought their baptism of fire at Fort Wagner, just outside of Charleston harbor. In their desperate attack and repulsion from the breastworks of the fortress, the seeds of a new fighting force would be sown in the sandy soil of South Carolina. With the influx of new recruits from this untapped segment of the population, it was a foregone conclusion that the war would soon swing in favor of the Union.

If I could change one thing in this film, it would be to have Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher switch roles. I'm used to seeing Washington play these angry young black man roles, it would have been interesting to see what Braugher would have done with the role. As good as Washington was in this film, I always felt that Braugher's performance was better.

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 11th, 2014)

Kill, Baby...Kill!, a review by Achim

Title: Operazione paura
Year: 1966
Director: Mario Bava
Rating: NR
Length: 83 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: Italian: Dolby Digital Mono, English: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
Erika Blanc
Fabienne Dali'
Piero Lulli
Max Lawrence

Plot:
'Giacomo Rossi-Stuart' and 'Erica Blanc' star in 'Bava's' final gothic masterpiece, the hallucinatory tale of a remote village tormented by the specter of a dead little girl. Despite it's threadbare budget, Bava creates an unprecedented world of baroque dread, mesmerizing disorientation and explosive color whose direct influence would be seen in films by 'Fellini', 'Scorsese', 'Argento', 'David Lynch' and 'Guillermo Del Toro'. More than 40 years later, it remains one of the most beautiful and unnerving horror experiences of all time.

Alternately known as CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD and OPERAZIONE PAURA/OPERATION FEAR, Bava's 1966 stunner has been plagued for decades by inferior public domain transfers. This presentation has now been remastered from all-new elements to create the highest quality ever seen in North America.

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Production Notes

Wow, what just happened here...? The story was a big mess to me (not that I didn't get it, just the way it was told was all over the place) and I best leave it to Jon & Jimmy to either find the thread that made it all beautiful or to properly rip it to shreds. The whole thing just didn't click with me.

There was, however, several wonderful moments in this film, where cutting, cinematography and whatnot came together nicely. The best example to me is that scene near the end when the doctor is giving chase to someone at the Villa...



(From Mario Bava marathon on June 28th, 2009)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

2. Just Rewards
Original Air Date: 10/8/2003
Spike struggles with the fact that he has returned as a ghost and finds himself tempted by a promise made by a necromancer that he and Angel have gone to confront.

Guest Stars:
Victor Raider-Wexler
William Utay
Bill Escudier
Joshua Hutchinson

My Thoughts:
This one I enjoyed a bit more then the last episode. It is always fun watching Angel and Spike go at it. And there was also a decent storyline for this one as well.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 22nd, 2010)