DVD Collectors Online

The Funhouse, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The Funhouse: Widescreen
Year: 1981
Director: Tobe Hooper
Rating: R
Length: 95 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Elizabeth Berridge
Shawn Carson
Jeanne Austin
Jack McDermott
Cooper Huckabee
Largo Woodruff

Plot:
It seemed to be a carnival funhouse just like any other: mysterious, eerie, scary, but all in good fun. Yet it wasn't just any funhouse. In this one there was murder. And the horror became real.

The story concerns four teenagers who visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement. They soon discover, however, that there is nothing innocent or amusing there at all. Instead, they find absolute terror when the four are trapped inside the maze of the funhouse. One by one, each victim is taken by a monster who tauntingly stalks them.

Extras:
None

My Thoughts:
I just got this movie the other day in the Cult Horror Classics: 4 Movie Marathon DVD set. This is the first time I ever seen this movie. Which in of itself is a surprise... because as a teen I lived on the '80s horror. I enjoyed this one. I have seen better... but it did a pretty good job of entertaining. I enjoyed the story... but I wish they would have did a little better job on designing the deformed look of the killer. I am not quite sure why they chose an evil looking clown for the cover image. There really wasn't much of any clown scenes. So my daughter (who is very afraid of clowns) has no reason to worry about this one.



(From The Movies From Within My Lifetime on March 29th, 2011)

The Phantom of the Opera, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Phantom of the Opera
Year of Release: 2004
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson
Genre: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Musical

Overview:My Thoughts:
I love Phantom.  I'm not sure that this is my favorite version of the story - I think that's still the 1990 TV movie - I still think this is an excellent version.  I love Lloyd Webber's music.  I listened to the Broadway soundtrack for years before this came out.  This is a beautiful, lush, romantic film, with gorgeous costuming and sets.  I enjoy all of the cast, even if Gerard Butler's voice isn't quite as good as it probably should be for his role.  The Phantom here is manipulative and cruel, and it's creepy when you think about him knowing Christine since she was a child.  He's also still quite a sympathetic character, and you feel quite bad for him in the life he has led.  I don't find Christine or Raoul to be as well-developed, but the Phantom is the central character of the story no matter how you look at it. 

Recommended with the caveat that this is almost entirely music, so if you don't like Lloyd Webber's sound this is not a film for you.  I thought the story would be enough to carry Pete through, but we lost him an hour into the film.

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 11th, 2016)

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

Synopsis: SG-1 attends the funeral service for Omac on Tollana. Omac died recently iof a heart attack. But a few days later the Tollans offer one of their ion cannons in exchange for a rare metal. SG-1 is both pleased and sceptical about this offer.

My Opinion: A very sad episode because you have to assume that most of the Tollans have been exterminated and that Narim is most probably dead. It happened before that entire races have been killed but that were no-names and you've never heard of them before nor have you seen them. This is different.
Ironically the actor who played Narim - Garwin Sanford - will reappear as the boyfriend of Dr. Weir in the Stargate Atlantis pilot.

Synopsis: After a piece of paper came through the Stargate (supposedly from the future) to never to visit a certain planet, the address is locked out of the computer. But on another planet SG-1 meets this race nonetheless: The Aschen. And once again the Aschen have a lot to offer and it seems hard to resist.

My Opinion: Interesting approach to continue the story from 2010. I especially liked that they worked in the smaller storylines, like the beginning relationship between the ambassador and Sam and Kinsey's ambitions to become president.
But it was sad that they killed off the ambassador so soon.

Synopsis: After Sam has been kidnapped by unknown forces on Earth, SG-1 tries to find out what happened and where she has gone. For this Jack has to ally himself with Maybourne once again because the trails lead to the NID, the russian Stargate program and a terminal ill selfmade millionaire.

My Opinion: Another episode I liked because they've managed to combine a spy story and science fiction. And that people are willing to make a pact with the devil when the death is near.

Synopsis: Martin Lloyd has once again "forgotten" who and what he is. But now he is a creative consultant on the set of a series: "Wormhole X-treme!". It's about three humans and an android who go through an intergalactic portal and fight against aliens. But simultaneously a real spaceship is closing in on Earth that was hidden behind Mars.

My Opinion: One of the funniest episodes (and the 100th) of the entire series. Maybe only the 200th episode is even more fun. Many of the crew of SG-1 had a cameo appearance but the best were Peter DeLuise as director and his brother Michael (who also played in SeaQuest) as the actor of the Colonel. It was also brilliant to point out some typical errors in science fiction series ("If I am out of phase and can go through walls, why don't I fall through the floor?").

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on April 2nd, 2008)