DVD Collectors Online

Fiend Without a Face, a review by Danae Cassandra

Fiend Without a Face
Year of Release:  1958
Directed By:  Arthur Crabtree
Starring:  Marshall Thompson, Terry Kilburn, Kim Parker, Kynaston Reeves
Rating:  Not Rated

Overview:
A scientist's thoughts materialize as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters (complete with spinal-cord tails!) who terrorize an American military base in this nightmarish chiller, directed by Arthur Crabtree (Horrors of the Black Museum). This outstanding sci-fi/horror hybrid is a special effects bonanza, and a high-water mark in British genre filmmaking.

My Thoughts:
What a fun little horror film!  So obviously a B-movie, but also so well done for a B film.  I loved their choice to keep the monster invisible for most of the picture.  I think it really added to the terror of them.  The cast was good, the camera work effective, the sound guy obviously having a great time with the fiend's noise.  It's a 50's film set on a military base, so there's naturally a nod to keeping an eye on the Russians.  Also there's the not-subtle-at-all fear of atomic power and science run amok.  But that's what makes a good 50's monster movie!  If you like these sorts of films, this is highly recommended.

Also, who wants to bet Gary Gygax saw this film?  The fiend is so obviously the inspiration for the intellect devourer. 

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall:  3.5/5

(From Danae's 2012 Horror on October 4th, 2012)

Band of Outsiders, a review by Antares

Band of Outsiders (1964) 3/5 - This was my first Godard film and after it was finished, the first thought that ran through my mind was a scene from the movie Amadeus. After Mozart's first royal commissioned opera, is finished, Emperor Joseph II comes on stage to praise Mozart for the work. He is at a loss for words, but manages to blurt out that it was 'quite new', but with slight trepidation in his delivery. Mozart retorts It is new...isn't it your Majesty? as if being new instantly makes it praise worthy. But sometimes, being new doesn't make something a masterpiece, and I felt that Godard was more interested in being fashionably different as opposed to making an interesting film. Sure, it does have it's share of crafted shots, but as a whole the story was lacking in creativity. I will admit that just looking at Anna Karina was worth the effort of watching this film, but aside from her, the rest was pretty shallow and a bit self exalting on the part of the director. It won't stop me from seeking out his other films, but now at least, I know what I can expect and hopefully, this was just an aberration, and not the norm.

(From Antares' Short Summations on July 13th, 2012)

Samantha Who?: The Complete Second and Final Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Samantha Who?: The Complete Second and Final Season (2008/United States)

---

Stars:
Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly
Jean Smart as Regina Newly
Jennifer Esposito as Andrea Belladonna
Kevin Dunn as Howard
Melissa McCarthy as Dena
Barry Watson as Todd
Tim Russ as Frank
Cybill Shepherd as Paula Drake

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• Closed Captioned

This completes this series. It isn't a bad series.. I did enjoy it. But at the same time I am not surprised it got canceled as quickly as it did. There is far better sitcoms out there. The finale does a fairly good job at closing the series out... but at the same time it does set up a 3rd season... in case it got one. The way they put the episodes on the discs is a bit confusing. Instead of running the episodes as they aired... 1 through 20... they for some reason pulled 3 episodes out of the middle of the season. Numbered the rest 1 through 17... and then put the three they pulled under it's own menu option entitled "More Sam." No idea why they did this.... makes no sense to me what so ever. There is some decent (though all very short) extras added to the set as well.




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on June 20th, 2012)