DVD Collectors Online

They Might Be Giants, a review by Antares

They Might Be Giants (1971) 3.5/5 - Boy, I really wanted to rate this one higher, but all in all, it wasn't what I was expecting, and a bit less than it has been acclaimed. The opening half hour was fantastic with the story trying to stay on a course of competent drama, but then, just as you would turning a light switch, it went off in a completely different direction. At first you think that maybe Scott's character Justin Playfair, isn't crazy at all and his power of deduction is truly amazing, but then when Dr. Watson starts to accompany him in his search for clues as to what the $20,000 note means, it destroys your notion by instilling Playfair with eccentric quirks that make him appear completely off his rocker. I wish it would have stayed more along the theme it started with, because that's when the film is interesting. By the time the blackmailers are shown, the story has devolved into early seventies madcap farce, and it looks extremely dated now. It does for a few moments at the end of the film, steer its way back to the original concept, but by then, it's a case of too little, too late. It's still an entertaining film, but probably could have used some re-writing. Kudos to Scott as he gives another of his stellar performances and I also have to give a shout out to Rue McClanahan, who does a wonderful job as Playfair's sister-in-law.

(From Antares' Short Summations on April 25th, 2012)

Kwaidan, a review by Danae Cassandra

Kwaidan
Year of Release: 1965
Directed By: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring: Michiyo Aratama, Rentaro Mikuni, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiko Kishi, Katsuo Nakamura
Genre: Horror

Overview:
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, KwaidanKwaidan in a new ravishing color transfer.

My Thoughts:
This is a lyrical, poetic piece of horror, if you want to call it horror. It's horror only in the sense of it being stories of ghosts and spirits. The stories are actually tragedies, especially the first two which deal with the loss of love. It's a haunting film, but not a scary one.

It's a film of deep, rich color, in places almost more like a painting than a film. This is an artistic film, a film of elegiac beauty. Yet it is not just an art-house film, it's a film that would appeal to anyone who enjoyed old style horror. I think if you like Vincent Price's horror films you'd enjoy Kwaidan. The only thing I didn't like about the film was the framing story of "In a Cup of Tea."  I wish they had simply removed the section about the writer and gone forward with telling the story of the tea spirit.  Aside from that, excellent film. Highly recommended.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on December 8th, 2015)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

19. Choices (1999-05-04)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), David Fury (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder), Keith Brunsman (Vamp - Lackey), Jimmie F. Skaggs (Courier), Michael Schoenfeld (Security Guard #1), Seth Coltan (Security Guard #2), Jason Reed (Vamp - Guard), Bonita Friedericy (Manager/Mrs. Finkle), Brett Moses (Student)

A good episode. Willow facing of with Faith. Willow making her choice to stay in Sunnydale. I also like how Oz decides for the group to do the trade-off.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 6th, 2009)