DVD Collectors Online

Live and Let Die, a review by Jon

I only have a handful of Bond films. They're on every Bank Holiday in the UK! So I've seen all of them several times while growing up and found I was sturggling to keep up with this marathon, even though I don't have many. But then I saw, apart from Richie, a lack of love for my personal fave, Live and Let Die. So...

Live and Let Die
4 out 5

For me this is the most memorable Bond film. A fantastic change of pace for the new Bond in Roger Moore. Somehow I can't see Connery managing to pull off this story.

First, Moore himself. Richie said Connery could have him in a scrap; I'm not so sure. I love the way he plays him as an arrogant prick, wandering around like a lost English business man and well out of his depth. But just try something and he'll snap your neck as soon as look at you. That line to Rosie is a classic, when he threatens to kill her and she say's "you wouldn't after what we just did". "Well, I wasn't going to before..." 

Witness possibly my favourite moment in any Bond film: when the booth spins and he realises he's in a trap. Impossible odds, but he still flirts, still teases the bad guys. Moore's style is brilliant as he walks in with an icy glare and theatrics for the thugs and a wink for Solitaire. And his grin while they drag him off! I do think Connery was the definitive Bond overall, but nobody else has come close to Moore since. Daniel Craig, much as I like him and he's perfect for the current mould, looks like an identikit agent compared, and no way would Matt Damon's Bourne been able to handle that situation.

This was a Bond back from the days when they were trying to be different and stand out, rather than play to the masses. Moonraker will change all that, though I do rate Octopussy pretty high. Therefore it is dated, it does drag in places and can be a bit too silly, with several contrivances that simply don't make sense, but I repeat, it is the most memorable for me.

I'm in full agreement on that bloody Sheriff. He's a poor character, badly played. I like the idea of him taking the lead throughout the chase sequences (Bond is a background character for a bit), but he's so awful it doesn't work. Really the whole film is dragging at this point. After the cracking mood of the opening hour or so, it just loses momentum. Still, the crocs are classic Bond and we finish with an underground lair and sharks! Sadly without frickin' lasers on their heads. Shame Kananga (bloody great villain) had to go in such silly fashion.

(From James Bond Marathon on April 8th, 2009)

Flesh for Frankenstein, a review by Danae Cassandra

Flesh for Frankenstein
Year of Release: 1973
Directed By: Paul Morrissey
Starring: Joe Dallesandro, Monique van Vooren, Udo Kier, Arno Juerging, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Srdjan Zelenovic
Genre: Horror

Overview:
Maverick filmmaker Paul Morrissey's Flesh for FrankensteinMy Thoughts:
"To know death, Otto, you have to fuck life in the gall bladder!"

Well, that was weird. I'd have expected an exploitation/art film mashup from a company like Redemption or Blue Underground. Seems an unusual film for a Criterion release.

I'm not even sure how to review this. A lot of the shots, lighting, and sets are quite good, but the acting is ... well ... Udo Kier is so completely over-the-top as the Baron Frankenstein, I think he's aiming to jump the moon. I think they wanted him to go that way, though. Monique van Vooren is over-the-top as well, but at least her snobbishness is more believable. At the other end of the spectrum, Joe Dallesandro delivers his performance completely wooden, while I've seen mannequins with more emotion than Srdjan Zelenović.

This is likely supposed to be a parody, but they play it straight. That works for me, because I'm not a big fan of parodies. It's a genre that's so easy to get wrong. I don't know who I'd recommend this to - at least, beyond Criterion completists. There's quite a bit of gore, so horror fans might enjoy it, but its art film aspirations come off in certain sections as pretentious. Yet the either flat or exaggerated acting may turn off serious film fans.

Horror+sex+art film is done much better by Jean Rollin, so if you're interested in that sort of genre, check him out first.

Watched For: Hoop-tober 3.0, Horror/Halloween Challenge 2016, Scavenger Hunt 19

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 2.5/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 33/52 (31 reviewed)

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on October 20th, 2016)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Moonlight: Season One (2007/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United Kingdom) Length: 664 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, German

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Plot:
Any private eye knows a lot about other people's secrets. L.A. private eye Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) has a secret of his own. He's a vampire, dwelling in a covert netherworld complicated by friendship with an undead finance honcho (Jason Dohring), memories of the alluring ex-wife (Shannyn Sossamon) who turned him into a vampire, and a relationship with a human (Sophia Myles) he feels drawn to protect - and maybe to love. But no matter how tempting, Mick knows a vampire-human romance is eternally dangerous.

This 16-episode, 4-disc set of the series voted the 2008 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama is a sure entertainment bet for all who like their vampire stories sleek, intense and passionate.

When going in I thought this would be just another vampire doing redemption by helping people series. But this series surprised me. I really enjoyed it. Also some ideas to the vampire mythos were refreshing (though some were more like going back to Bram Stoker, like stake through the heart only paralyzes the vampire).
The ongoing romance storyline was good, as where the cases they were working on. Also nice to see a vampire series, where vampires stay the only supernatural thing. And not introduce magic, werewolves etc.
This is a thing which bothers me with such series or superhero movies and series: First the hero is the only thing different to the "real" world. But then they introduce more and more "super" and extraordinary stuff. This is probably the reason why I never got into superhero comics.
Too bad this series was cancelled so soon. It really would have had the stuff to continue.
The only thing I didn't like about this series was the need for vampires to sleep in freezers. These are a fairly recent invention. What did the vampires do in the past then?

#	Episode	Rating
01	No Such Thing as Vampires
02	Out of the Past
03	Dr. Feelgood
04	Fever
05	Arrested Development
06	B.C.
07	The Ringer
08	12:04 AM
09	Fleur de Lis
10	Sleeping Beauty
11	Love Lasts Forever
12	The Mortal Cure
13	Fated to Pretend
14	Click
15	What's Left Behind
16	Sonata

(From Tom's Random Reviews on February 17th, 2011)