DVD Collectors Online

20 Million Miles To Earth, a review by Rogmeister

20 Million Miles To Earth (1957)  B&W
Special Effects: Ray Harryhausen
Director: Nathan Juran
Cast: William Hopper, Joan Taylor

A spaceship returns from a trip to Venus and lands in the sea just off the coast of Sicily.  Only one lone U.S. astronaut (William Hopper) survives.  A young Italian boy discovers a container that contains a lifeform the ship has brought from Venus, setting in motion events that will result in the ever-growing Venusian beast going on a rampage in Rome.

I think this movie proves that kids in monster movies are evil...evil!  He finds the container and what does the dope do right away?  You betcha, he opens it!  Luckily, unlike many monster movies, the kid isn't there till the end...once they leave Sicily for Rome, we don't see him again.  This is a first-rate sci-fi flick from the 1950s, aided by first rate special effects by the king of stop-motion effects, Ray Harryhausen.  I got this in a set of 5 of his films...it's since been released in a 50th Anniverary Editiion...that includes a colorized version of that film.  We certainly don't need that.  This just has the original black & white version and the print looks great.  If you like good science fiction films from this era, you know you want this one.   

(From DCO fourth Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on July 12th, 2010)

Asylum Erotica, a review by Jimmy

Title: Asylum Erotica
Original Title: La Bestia uccide a sangue freddo
Year: 1971
Director: Fernando Di Leo     
Rating: Restricted
Length: 1h26
Video:  Full Frame 
Audio:  English (Mono)
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Klaus Kinski - Dr. Francis Clay   
Margaret Lee - Cheryl Hume 
Rosalba Neri - Anne Palmieri
Jane Garret - Mara   
John Karlsen - Professor Osterman   

Plot:
Dr. Francis Clay (Klaus Kinski, Herzog's Nosferatu) is the head doctor at an upstate asylum that house suicidal and mentally disturbed women. However, the asylum turns into a house of horror when a cloaked killer begins brutally murdering the patients using medieval weapons and torture devices, and Dr. Clay find himself among the suspect.

Who is the killer ? When will he strike again ? Will the nightmare ever end ? Find out in this horrific tale of terror that will keep you at the edge of your seat untill the climstic conclusion !

Extras:
None, not even a menu

There one fact that I've learned from horror movie watching : dreaming can kill you... Wait this have nothing to do with this movie. The more relative fact is that an asylum is not a good place to stay and who you are is not important. You are at risk if you are a patient, a nurse or a doctor. Now if the asylum is an old castle with a collection of medieval weapon and an iron maiden (not the metal band, but the torture instrument who are less fun), the idea of be there doesn't seems really interesting. But if you want a positive point for the asylum, the patients and some nurse loose their clothes easilly and Rosalba Neri is treated because she's a nymphomaniac.

So does this sound interesting? Sure, but... Sadly the version of the movie that I own is incomplete (11 minutes are cut) and that make the movie quite bad. Everytime that something interesting happen (violence or sex) the movie cut and it's evident since the editing job is not very professional. All the cast look bad, but that's the fault of the dubbing job (I've seen Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee, Rosalba Neri and  John Karlsen in other movies and I know that they are talented). The end make no sense, it looks like the director had forgot that he need a killer and he had decided to choose the guy who was in the movie for 3 minutes in the beginning. Just to give a concrete exemple it's like if in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre the killer would have been the drunk man in the cemetary (hopes that I don't spoil it for you  )

But the movie looks certainly interesting and I will try to find a complete version. I'm sure that a version was release somewhere in Europe. So keep in mind that my rating is for the edit version that I own and not for the complete original Italian movie.


Rating : 2,0/5

Movie trailer
Not the one for the movie cut here, but the original Italian one.

(From My review - unseen and unwatched january marathon on January 25th, 2008)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: As promised, after an abydosian year Daniel returns there. Unfortunately he returns with empty hands, both Sha're and Skaara are still Goa'ulds. Surprisingly Sha're/Amonet is already there - and advanced in pregnancy. Meanwhile Jack and Sam are about to receive a medal by the president himself in Washington, D.C..

My Opinion: They have found a good way to rejoin Daniel and Sha're without removing the Goa'uld. I also liked the sham they did to Amonet, Apophis and Heru-ur.
But the most emotional moment of the episode was when you see something break in Jack. The moment, when General Hammond points out to Jack, that "It was an accident!" - you simply know, that it isn't true.

Synopsis: On an uninhabited planet - that was once inhabited - Teal'c is stung by a bug that rewrites his DNA. Colonel Maybourne from the NID takes Teal'c to a research institute to have him examined.

My Opinion: I liked this episode, too, especially the interaction between Teal'c and the little girl. The end was cool, when Teal'c runs through that old building, equipped with sun glasses and a water rifle.

Synopsis: After a dream/recollection of Sam's, SG-1 visits a planet where they supsect to find the Tok'ra - enemies of the System Lords - and they indeed find them. The Tok'ra create tunnels and caves with the help of crystals that give them cover and protection. But the Tau'ri (Goa'uld name for the Earth humans) have nothing to offer to the Tok'ra that would benefit them and that would justify an alliance.

My Opinion: The Tok'ra need hosts and Sam's dad Jacob is terminal ill. It is obvious what will happen in the second part. I liked the episode nonetheless and Martouf/Lantash is a very likeable person.

Synopsis: General Jacob Carter is visited by his daughter and General Hammond in the hospital. He finally learns why his daughter refused his proposal to get her into NASA. The host of the Tok'ra Selmak is dying and Jacob is supposed to take her place. But then the Tok'ra planet is attacked by Goa'uld motherships.

My Opinion: The introduction of Jacob/Selmak was a good idea, SG-1 has now a close connection to the Tok'ra. But it happens surprisingly often that the "primitive" Tau'ri have to save the butts of the higher developed races, in this case the Tok'ra. This was a very good two-parter.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on March 6th, 2008)