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Night of The Living Dead, a review by Jon

Night of The Living Dead
4 out of 5



Gritty, daring and trailblazing, George A Romero's 1968 masterpiece NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made. It's spawned numerous sequels, a colour remake and is the direct inspiration for all our modern zombie films, teaching a whole generation that great movies can be made whilst bucking the traditional studio system.

It’s fun watching Night of The Living Dead on Blu-Ray. For one thing, the quality is excellent, but also this is possibly the first time I have actually seen this film properly!

Due to naivety on original release, the film was not properly protected. Director George Romero helped Tom Savini remake it in the 90s simply so they could finally hold the rights on the title. Meanwhile the original has been re-released a dozen times in various quality and cuts, especially in the UK where the film had been cut anyway. So, I’ve seen grainy, cut, the awful 30th Anniversary extended version (not by Romero), but never the proper original. Here it is.

Even now it’s confusing because there are two Blu-Rays. Avoid the Network version, which despite having the only absolute correct ration, apparently looks terrible and is still cut. This is the Optimum release and looks really good.

But after all the messing around, is it actually worth it? Absolutely yes. It really stands the test of time, clearly a milestone for several reasons and perhaps most importantly, it’s still fun. The low budget is perhaps most obvious in the sometimes clunky acting, but a clever production overall hides it otherwise and Romero’s tight direction makes for claustrophobic and intense action.

The story is a classic set-up of a handful of survivors defending their base (a farmhouse) from being over-run and is a twist on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. Only a year after In The Heat of The Night, we have another black lead in Duane Jones as the resolute and resourceful Ben, the only one who keeps a clear head throughout. Duane is excellent too. The rest of the cast are fine, but largely typical of the era and mood the film embodies, so it's more than possible this was by design, not talent. Despite being released in 1968, Romero chose to film in black and white and the plot unfolds like typical b-movie paranoia of the 50s (not unlike Hitchcock using a 40s style to make a very fresh Psycho in 1960). It sets up a sense of security and makes it easy for the clichés and standards to be gleefully smashed, as well as a handful of moments, which while not gratuitously gory, still make you wince. Apparently Tom Savini found a new lease of life creating fake corpses after all the real horror he saw in Vietnam and that subversively political and bleak tone make the film painfully sharp and potent even today.

Since the 50s at least, it seems American’s make the best films about themselves when they’re bruised, hurting and cynical. Romero used the paranoid tone of the anti-Communist era and freshened it with a big dollop of seething anger, the same anger that might have led to Dirty Harry. It makes the brutal and ironic ending one of the most brilliant of all time, enforced by the credit sequence made to look like typical photojournalism. The message to the audience was clear.

And the really cool thing? It’s help the film attain a cult status, enjoyed by generations since who don’t understand why the film was made, they just like awesome zombie action! Shaun’s Granddad still has a bit of a kick.

(From Jon's Horror-thon 2010 on October 17th, 2010)

The Golden Compass, a review by RossRoy

Original Title: The Golden Compass Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom Director: Chris Weitz Rating: PG Length: 113 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround EX, English: Dolby Digital Stereo, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, French

What they say
In a marvelous parallel world where witches soar the skies and Ice Bears rule teh frozen North, one special girl is destined to hold the fate of the universe in her hands.When Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) becomes the keeper of the Golden Compass, only she has the ability to read its portent messages and prevent her world - and all others - from slipping into an evil darkness.

My Thoughts
That was an underwhelming experience if there ever was one. Underused stars, overused child actor who obviously can't carry a movie alone, overused CGI, bland and routine direction, etc.

My main gripe about the movie though, is the lead child actress. Not that she's a bad actress or anything, but who the hell decided to greenlight a project where a child actor has to carry a whole movie with only 2 CGI animals as support? I've yet to see a single child actor who could pull that off.

And the animals.. Well, they are well animated and very well done. But the thing is, it is at times painfully obvious that there's nothing there. You'll see someone petting the animal, but not even touching it. Or, holding it in their arms, and it just becomes way too obvious.

The stars? Oh sure, you can put Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, even Kathy Bates on the promo material and posters! But, each one of them is on screen for about, oh, 5 minutes each? And two of them are only doing voices anyway (Ian and Kathy)!

But it's a shame really. Because the story itself could have been so much more. It really feels like an introduction of this world, with little regards to an actual coherent story, in the hopes it'll prove "good enough" to warrant sequels that will actually tell the story. Thing is, they leave so much open, and so little actually happens here, I'm not even sure people would want to see a sequel.

Rating:

(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on July 24th, 2008)

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season: More Moments (2008/United States) Live for the moment. The hottest show on television burns even brighter in its explosive fifth season. Dive deeper into the lives and loves of Grey's Anatomy in this sensational seven-disc set! Your favorite characters struggle and thrive as they enter uncharted territories of life. Discover what happens in the on-again, off-again world of Derek and Meredith, and witness the budding relationship between Cristina and Owen, Seattle Grace's newest doctor. Experience every heart-stopping moment of prime time's sexiest, star-studded drama, complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including one extended episode available on DVD. It's a must-have for any Grey's Anatomy fan! EPISODES: 1. Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 1) 2. Dream a Little Dream of Me (Part 2) 3. Here Comes the Flood 4. Brave New World 5. There's No 'I' in Team 6. Life During Wartime 7. Rise Up 8. These Ties That Bind 9. In the Midnight Hour 10. All By Myself 11. Wish You Were Here 12. Sympathy for the Devil 13. Stairway to Heaven 14. Beat Your Heart Out 15. Before and After 16. An Honest Mistake 17. I Will Follow You Into the Dark 18. Stand By Me 19. Elevator Love Letter 20. Sweet Surrender 21. No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance) 22. What a Difference a Day Makes 23. Here's to Future Days 24. Now or Never

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Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
Katherine Heigl as Dr. Isobel "Izzy" Stevens
Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

I just finished watching season 5. An excellent season. Possibly my favorite season of the series so far. My favorite episodes in this set is the multi-part season finale. What a cliffhanger at the end. So much so that I couldn't wait to start season six!




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on November 30th, 2011)