DVD Collectors Online

Being Julia, a review by Silence_of_Lambs

Summary:
Tale of amorous folly and revenge set in the world of the London stage in the late 1930's. Reigning diva Julia Lambert's (Annette Bening) success and fame grow suddenly wearisome. She falls head over heels for a young American, Tom (Shaun Evans), and begins a passionate May - December affair. When she realizes that Tom is just a young social climber whose real passion is ambitious young starlet Avice Crichton (Lucy Punch), Julia begins to plot a delightful revenge.

My Thoughts:
The summary really (nearly) says it all, the original material is by W. Somerset Maugham, so no real surprises in the plot are to be expected.
The first time I partially watched this movie was when I accidentally zapped into it on TV. I arrived to enjoy the preparations for the revenge with the final execution of the career of a young actress. Until I finally watched the complete story on DVD I had to ask myself: "What might this girl have done to deserve this?"
What really is great about this movie is the extremely good and ambitioned acting starting with Annette Bening as aging actress over Jeremy Irons as her husband and Michael Gambon as ... let's call it "the spirit of inspiration". The whole cast is extremely well chosen and all down to the tiniest supporting role are doing an amazing job here, which alone is worth watching.

Highly enjoyable

My Rating: (out of possible 5)

(From Michael's random reviews on October 31st, 2010)

Black Sabbath, a review by Danae Cassandra

Black Sabbath (I tre volti della paura)
Year of Release: 1963
Directed By: Mario Bava
Starring: Michele Mercier, Lydia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Jacqueline Pierreux
Genre: Horror

Overview:
One of the great horror anthology films, and Bava's personal favorite of his works, BLACK SABBATH solidified the director's reputation as Europe's maestro of the macabre.

In "The Telephone," a woman is haunted by menacing phone calls from a former lover. "The Wurdulak" stars Boris Karloff as a vampire hunter whose family is stalked by the wandering spirit of an undead ghoul. "A Drop of Water" involves a nurse who steals a ring from a corpse-not realizing the curse that is carried with it.

This Kino Classics edition showcases Bava's original European cut of the film (I tre volti della paura, or Three Faces of Fear), before it was re-edited and re-scored for American release.

My Thoughts:
On second viewing, I still think this is one of the best anthology horror films. Each of the stories is a good one, and each is better than the one before. "The Wurdulak" is still my favorite, but I also still think that "The Drop of Water" is actually the strongest story. Having seen two other fine films from Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace and The Whip and the Body), I appreciate even more his art direction and use of light and color. He really knows how to create a great atmosphere, tell a spooky story, and get a great performance out of his cast. Well worth watching.

The one thing I do wish is that there wasn't the epilogue. i had forgotten about it, and it rather detracts from the great thing Bava has going on here. I'm knocking the film down half a star for it's presence.

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

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 3.5/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 46/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on November 1st, 2016)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Madame Ex (9/18/94)
Lex Luthor is ended...but the malady lingers on. His vengeful ex-wife uses psychology, plastic surgery and Kryptonite! - in a devious plat to vanquish Lois Lane and Clark Kent.

My Thoughts:
A Good start to the new season... but it could have been better. It was only mildly entertaining. I did like that Denise Crosby had a minor roll in this episode. I have always liked her... since I seen her in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.


2. Wall of Sound (9/25/94)
A crook develops a sonic weapon that stuns citizens into slumberland. He even has a special frequency for Superman. Will Superman triumph, or is it time to say good night to the Man of Steel.

My Thoughts:
This is pretty much an average episode. There is really nothing here that is all that special. It is a good idea for a story... but I don't know... just feels like it could have been better.



3. The Source (10/2/94)
A timid technogeek blows the whistle on corporate corruption. Lois gets the story, then gets a bad case of the guilts when she can't protect the whistleblower from corporate goons.

My Thoughts:
This one is a good episode. They had a lot going on in it... especially considering it is a normal length episode. I enjoyed it quite a bit.



4. The Prankster (10/9/94)
'Tis better to give than to receive. Lois accepts a series of booby-trapped gifts. The sender: an evil genius who spent five years in prisone, compliments of Lois' investigative reporting.

My Thoughts:
This one is a very good episode. I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only is it a good story it has a lot of laughs as well. This one has Bronson Pinchot guest starring as The Prankster... and I thought he did a great job with it.




(From Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon on July 21st, 2009)