DVD Collectors Online

The Green Man, a review by Antares

The Green Man (1956) 74/100 - I love Alastair Sim, he's one of my favorite English actors and comedians. I bought an R2 DVD set of his films a couple of years ago, and haven't really explored it yet. This was the first film I've watched in the set, and if it's any indication, I'm going to enjoy the others immensely. Sim plays an assassin named Hawkins, famous for his ability to kill anyone, anywhere with his meticulously crafted time bombs. His latest job is the elimination of a member of Parliament, who will be at the the Green Man hotel for a weekend with one of his secretaries. Hawkins knows of his plans because he has been romancing the MP's head secretary, to find out the information he needs to carry out his assignment. But when he finds out the MP's itinerary, he mistakenly writes the info on some typing paper on the secretary's desk, not knowing that a few pieces below is a piece of carbon paper. When the secretary returns to work after Hawkins leaves her office, she finds the paper under the carbon and deduces that Hawkins has been using her for information. She calls Hawkins and demands an explanation, and when he is not forth coming, she heads over to his home to confront him. Hawkins is about to leave for the hotel and has his assistant change the signs on his and the neighbor's newly purchased house, so the secretary will think that he has left. But the assistant isn't quick enough and he has to kill the secretary when she warns of going to the local constabulary. At this moment, a door to door vacuum salesman, who has an appointment with Hawkins' maid, makes the same mistake as the secretary and rings the wrong house. The salesman tries to demonstrate the vacuum for Hawkins' assistant, who is visibly rattled by his predicament, and he finds a way to exit through the back door. The salesman spots blood on the carpet and when the woman who owns the house returns, he explains about his appointment, and asks her about the blood on the carpet. From here on out, the madcap hijinks and dry, dark British humor comes fast and furious as the salesman and the woman, deduce Hawkins plans to assassinate the MP, and set off to warn him. It's a quick, fun little film, and if you're a fan of this kind of British humor, I'm sure you'd enjoy.

What the color coding means...

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on October 12th, 2013)

The Witch's Mirror, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Witch's Mirror (El espejo de la bruja)
Year of Release: 1960
Directed By: Chano Urueta
Starring: Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona, Dina De Marco
Genre: Horror

Overview:
A benevolent witch (Isabela Corona) enchants a magic mirror to protect her adopted daughter Elena (Dina de Marco) from her cruel husband (Armando Calvo). When the incantation fails and the girl is murdered, the witch vows revenge using every unholy principle of the supernatural that she can conjure. An unforgettable foray into black magic, high spookery and dazzling storytelling, CasaNegra is proud to present The Witch's Mirror restored and remastered for the first time on DVD in a brand new transfer - including the blasphemous resurrection of the slain Elena!

My Thoughts:
The first half of this seems like a low-budget but well-scripted gothic. At the midpoint it turns to gothic meets mad scientist horror. This is by no means bad, as the script holds together with the thread of supernatural vengeance running through all of it. It is a film of witchcraft, and the witch is a powerful force of evil. Nonetheless, she is not the villain of the film.

The budget is low, and the script derivative (Eyes Without a Face is an obvious influence) but the filmmakers create enough atmosphere and the performances are good enough to overlook that. If I've one major criticism, it's that the witch, Sara, targets the innocent second wife as much as the guilty husband. Too often women are pitted against each other by society, and Sara labels Deborah an 'evil woman' for actions outside her control. That aside, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to fans of gothic horror.

Watched For: Scavenger Hunt 19, Hoop-tober 3.0, Horror/Halloween Challenge 2016

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 6/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on October 6th, 2016)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Sugar Rush: Series One (2005/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia (United Kingdom) Length: 239 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English

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Plot:Sugar Rush
1.01 Episode 1
Writer: Katie Baxendale (Writer), Julie Burchill (Original Material By)
Director: Sean Grundy
Cast: Olivia Hallinan (Kim), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar), Richard Lumsden (Nathan), Sara Stewart (Stella), Kurtis O'Brien (Matt), Matthew Vaughn (Dave), Daniel Coonan (David), Neil Jackson (Dale), Andrew Garfield (Tom), Adam Deacon (Darren)

This is a series I enjoyed watching. The first episode sets up the series well. You can find my review here.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on July 27th, 2012)