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Creature from the Black Lagoon, a review by RossRoy

Original Title: Creature from the Black Lagoon Year: 1954 Country: United States Director: Jack Arnold Rating: NR Length: 241 Min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo Subtitles: French, Spanish

What they say
Who knows what undiscovered life forms inhabit the bodies of water on our planet? When scientists exploring the Amazon River stumble on a "missing link" connecting humans an fish, they plan to capture it for later study. But the creature jhas plans of his own, inspired by the lead scientist's (Richard Carlson) beautiful fiancee, Kay (Julie Adams). This classic thriller is a genuine tribute to imaginative storytelling and an exceptional showcase for the legendary makeup artistry of Bud Westmore.

My Thoughts
Continuing on my journey through the classic monster movies. This time, is was Creature from the Black Lagoon. I enjoyed the film. I found it to have some nice underwater imagery. The gill man suit is well done. The story is kept interesting, with the discovery of a fossilized amphibian hand leading to the expedition to the black lagoon, but it's still a pretty standard monster story. It thrives on its imagery and atmosphere, though this movie is a lot less atmospheric than say Dracula or The Wolf Man. But they still manage to build some tension, especially during the underwater scenes.

I'll say this though. If you ever go through the classic monsters one after another, don't watch Creature from Black Lagoon right after The Wolf Man, Dracula or Frankenstein. On its own, it's a pretty good film, but when compared to the classic three, it pales in comparison and shows flaws you may not notice otherwise.



(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on October 17th, 2008)

Mixed Nuts, a review by Dragonfire

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, the only creatures stirring were a transvestite, a homicidal Santa, a serial killer, the staff of a suicide hot line and a very crazy pregnant woman.

My Thoughts

I know that many people don't like this one, but I really do.  It is dark and rather twisted, which is probably why so many don't care for it.  I thought it was really funny and was a more unique Christmas movie.  The movie had a great cast and there was an interesting group of characters.  In addition to be a bit dark and twisted, some of the humor was also silly or slapstick, which also won't appeal to everyone.  This isn't a typical happy, festive Christmas movie.

 

(From 25 Days of Christmas on December 22nd, 2008)

Angel Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: A group of youngsters fights on their own account and with self-made weapons against vampires. But the vampires intend to strike back and to strike back hard. Angel has to intervene to prevent a bloodbath.

My Opinion: The words "gang warfare" gets a whole new meaning. But the leader of the humans had to learn the hard way that the price can be high and that it is sometimes too high. This episode shows that very impressively.

Synopsis: A young woman attacks Angel and she can practically anticipate his moves. But there is a catch: she is blind and shouldn't be able to see anything at all.

My Opinion: This reminded me a bit of Daredevil with the exception that she went blind voluntarily. Why? To be able to see more. Unfortunately the attempt of Lindsey to return to the path of righteousness didn't last long.

Synopsis: A demon is summoned by Wolfram & Hart to retrieve the scroll that Angel stole. Additionally he is supposed to hurt Angel's friends.

My Opinion: I wasn't aware of the fact that Darla - Angel's Sire (the vampire who created another vampire) - was dead. If they've mentioned it in "Buffy" I must have missed it. But aside from that the season finale wasn't that interesting. The reason for that is that Angel didn't have a season enemy like it was usual in "Buffy". But at least Lindsey was punished for his betrayal.

The Season - My Opiniotn: To be honest, I am not very thrilled. That it would be different than "Buffy" was a given. But the show hasn't fully taken off yet and I would say this season was weaker than any "Buffy" season. But at least they have given Angel a goal. Now they have to make sure that he gets there.

(From Angel Marathon on February 15th, 2008)