DVD Collectors Online

Mahanagar, a review by Antares

Mahanagar (1963) 95/100 -

"Not to have seen the cinema of Satyajit Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon." - Akira Kurosawa

I guess until today, I've never seen the sun or the moon. This is my first film by Satyajit Ray, and while it's only my first, I have to wonder if my favorite director of all time was right. At around the ten minute mark, there's a scene where Arati, who's in bed with her husband, tells him while he's half sleeping, that she will try to find work to help with the family's financial situation. There's a sense of pride in her eyes, and a new found confidence in her demeanor, that you can't help but want to see her succeed. Then, just a few minutes later, Ray shifts the focus to the other end of the emotional spectrum, to a scene where the son tells the father that his daughter-in-law is getting a job. In the span of a brief few minutes, you see the son's embarrassment when he tells his father the news that Arati has found work, juxtaposing it with the guilt and shame that the father feels for being a burden to the family. What makes this scene so powerful is the subtle way that Ray shoots it. The son is off screen, giving his father the news, all the while admitting to his fault at not being able to provide for the whole family. While the son is talking, the camera stays focused on the father's face as Ray slowly and softly, moves into a close up of the father. As the tears start to trickle down the old man's face, you sense a realization that he and his wife are a burden, and have nothing left to offer this world. The pain is painted across his weathered features and he looks down deflated and defeated. In just a few short scenes, Ray runs the gamut from self-confidence, to guilt, to worthlessness. The film really hits its stride when events transpire that put Arati in the role of sole provider for the family. The anguish that the husband feels, coinciding with a simmering jealousy that's boiling just below his emotional surface. Can his pride survive against the progression of time and its changing social structure? In the end, Arati will make a decision which will show her integrity, but may lead to harder times for the family. A somewhat ambiguous ending, but the whole film is done with such craftsmanship that it's pretty close to a work of art. An amazing film that registers so many emotions, on so many levels. I highly recommend this film.

What the color coding means...

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on April 2nd, 2014)

The Wrong Man, a review by Tom

Title: The Wrong Man
Year: 1956
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: PG
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, French: Dolby Digital Mono, Italian: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, Italian

Stars:
Henry Fonda
Vera Miles
Anthony Quayle
Harold J. Stone
John Heldabrand

Plot:
The Wrong Man is like 'and' unlike any other Alfred Hitchcock movie. The story packs tension, the images are spellbounding and the dilemma genuinely frightening. But this time the master of suspense dramatizes the harrowing true experiences of a man tried for crimes committed by a lookalike robber.
Henry Fonda plays musician Manny Balestrero, a man full of visible but unspoken rage at his wrongful arrest.
Vera Miles is his distraught wife Rose, driven to madness by the ordeal. And the right man to bring the unsetting facts of the case to vivid screen life with documentary precision is Hitchcock. He made New York City a star of the film and cast real-life Balestrero case witnesses in small roles. He shot in many actual locations, among them the Stork Club, Manny's jail cell and Rose's sanitarium.

Awards:

AFI

1956

Nominated

100 Years... 100 Thrills (2001)

Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers

I just don't seem to get into the Hitchcock movies. This movie executed well, even though I feel that the female lead is overacting. In many scenes I feel like she is the embodiment of the many parodies you see about bad acting. Henry Fonda is great though.

Rating:

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on October 10th, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Knight Rider (1982)
Gear up for action with Superstar David Hasselhoff and his supercar, K.I.T.T., as they throttle crime in every high-octane episode from the first season of Knight Rider, finally available to own for the first time on DVD.

The series follows the thrilling adventures of Michael Knight, a detective thought to be dead, who's been given a new face and identity. His assignment: to fight crime with the help of an artificially intelligent, talking car named K.I.T.T., a high-speed, futuristic weapon outfitted with high-tech gadgets and a personality of its own. Driven by justice, they set out to take down criminals who operate above the law in this 21-episode DVD set tricked out with loads of Special extras, including a bonus disc featuring the movie sequel, Knight Rider 2000.

Knight of the Phoenix
Michael Long, a policeman, is shot and left for dead. The shot is deflected by a plate in his head, but ruins his face. He is saved and his face reconstructed. He is reluctant, but agrees to use K.I.T.T. to help the Foundation for Law and Government fight.

My Thoughts:
Another series that I grew up watching. And one I always loved. The pilot episode does a great job of introducing the characters. And offers a few laughs. I loved the running gag in this episode of the crooks trying to steal K.I.T.T. And the demolition derby was a fun way to show off things K.I.T.T. could do.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on February 23rd, 2010)