DVD Collectors Online

Ivan's Childhood, a review by Antares

Ivan's Childhood (1962) 4.5/5 - This is my first film by Andrey Tarkovskiy and if this portends what I can expect from his other works, then I await with baited breath further exploration of his canon. Usually with the first film from any director, you can expect choppy editing or clumsy camera work, but this film looks like the work of a master craftsman. The first time I watch a film, I'm generally watching it for the story. But in this case, I was mesmerized by the framing, elaborate camera angles and the wonderful cinematography. I found myself replaying certain scenes because of how amazing the scene looked and played on screen. Another plus is the first rate work of Nikolay Burlyaev as Ivan. This has to be one of the greatest performances for a child actor ever. After the film was over, I popped over to IMDB to see what else he has been in, and was glad to see that he has had a storied career in the film industry.

If I had to find one fault with film, it would be this...I wish that a little time would have been spent on Ivan's sojourns and exploits behind enemy lines and less with the subplot involving Mascha.

(From Antares' Short Summations on August 7th, 2011)

Mortuary, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Mortuary
Movie Count: 54
TV Ep Count: 18
Time Started: 11:30am
Plot:
The director of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Poltergeist', and 'Toolbox Murders' is back with his latest horrifying creation...

In the small town of Santa Loraina, California, the decrepit, long-abandoned Fowler Funeral Home has become a local legend. As the story tells it, Zeb Fowler bought the land to start up a ranching business, but something killed off all the cattle. To make ends meet, Zeb became the town mortician, and the Fowler house was turned into a funeral home - complete with a cemetery for a yard. But the strangest part of the story is the Fowler's son Bobby, whose face was so hideously disfigured it was hidden beneath a burial shroud. At age eight, Bobby mysteriously vanished, and ten years later his parents were found murdered - their faces smashed in. Locals believe that Bobby is still alive.

Today, the Fowler Funeral Home is the stuff nightmares are made of - backed-up sewage pooling the yard, a house of filth, decay, coffins, embalming equipment, and a strange black fungus growing on everything - and now the Doyle family is moving in.

Having recently lost her husband, Leslie Doyle ('Denise Crosby') is relocating her two children, Jonathan ('Dan Byrd') and Jamie ('Stephanie Patton'), to Santa Loraina so she can become the town's new mortician. But the Doyles have no idea of the horror that they're in for. Soon they'll uncover what happened to the Fowlers - what evil inhabits the grounds of the estate and what happens to anyone who steps foot there....

My Thoughts:
After watching "Pet Sematary" I felt like watching the only other horror movie I have with Denise Crosby in it. I enjoyed this one... but not the best I have seen out there. It definitely worth the time put into it. Though it is one of those horrors that leaves you wonder what the heck was that? Not that it is a big deal... as a lot of horror movies will leave a big question mark on that.



(From My Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2008 on October 15th, 2008)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (1998/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia Ember Power (Malaysia) Length: 569 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: Chinese, English, Other

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Great Teacher Onizuka
1.01 Great 1
Cast


(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 28th, 2011)