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The Brothers Grimm, a review by Rich

The Brothers Grimm



Matt Damon (The Bourne Supremacy, Ocean's 12) and Heath Ledger (The Patriot, A Knight's Tale) team up to bring you one of the year's most fantastic adventures in this magical tale based on the lives of the legendary storytellers. Will and Jake Grimm (Damon and Ledger) dazzle small towns with their imaginative folklore and elaborate illusions. But when the brothers journey into a real enchanted forest, they encounter many of the fantastic characters and thrilling situations found in their beloved fairy tales! From the award-winning director of Twelve Monkeys, Brazil and Monty Python And The Holy Grail, this fabulous motion picture is sure to leave you living happily ever after!

A true spectacle of a film, amazing effects, effective cast, humour and truly oddball script. However despite a lot of promise it fails to meet the mark, in fact at times it became boring. Terry Gilliam is written all over the production and delivery, some dark moments, with a touch of cheese thrown in. The sets were fairly spectacular, but I found so much was going on at any one time the screen felt cluttered.
Quirky and entertaining at times, this gothic fairy tale is better in principle and concept than receipt.
 

**Monica Bellucci mini-marathon



(From Riches Random Reviews on August 22nd, 2009)

Giant, a review by Hal

Giant: Special Edition (1956/United States) Warner Home Video (United States) Director: George Stevens Writing: Edna Ferber (Original Material By), Fred Guiol (Original Material By), Ivan Moffat (Original Material By) Length: 201 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.66:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Elizabeth Taylor as Leslie Lynnton Benedict
Rock Hudson as Jordan 'Bick' Benedict
James Dean as Jett Rink
Carroll Baker as Luz Benedict
Jane Withers as Vashti Snythe

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned
• NY Premiere, Newsreels, Stills, Interviews

I had actually never seen this movie before, mainly because I had picked up the impression somewhere along the way that it was a long, single episode soap opera.  It turns out, that's exactly what it is.  I have a feeling that this film benefits from the "James Dean" effect, as it is the last film he starred in before his tragic death in a car accident in 1955.  Somehow, Hollywood actors who die young seem to acquire a certain mystical aura which seems to work retroactively, and perhaps sometimes affording a film a greater stature than it would have otherwise enjoyed had the tragedy not occurred.

Hudson, Taylor and Dean were excellent in their roles, but I have to believe that Texans of the day were not overjoyed with this movie as it is not a very flattering portrayal of its residents, showing them as steeped in tradition and clearly full of prejudice not just of Mexicans, but of women as well.  The stark contrast between rich and poor and educated and ignorant was strikingly painted.  Given that this was released in 1956, some of these themes were pretty daring, even if they seem tame today.  Rock Hudson's reversal in the end did not strike me as particularly realistic, since in my experience, people who harbor these type of prejudices rarely change.

If I have any complaint it is that it was too long with several scenes that could easily have been shortened or eliminated without losing anything from the story.  Secondly, even as an American, and one who has lived in the South for 35 years, I had a hard time with the dialog at several points, especially Mercedes McCambridge and James Dean.  Once again, Hollywood was trying a little too hard for that "authentic" Texas drawl, I guess!

Although nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, it only took home the Oscar for George Stevens as Director; well deserved in my opinion.

Rating: 3.5

(From The Movies From Within My Lifetime on April 11th, 2011)

Twilight Zone, a review by addicted2dvd

61. The Silence (4/28/61)
Archie Taylor (Franchot Tone) offers incessant talker Jamie Tennyson half a million dollars if he can keep quiet for a year. That's a bet that Tennyson can't resist.

My Thoughts:
Another episode I never seen before... and a very good one. I enjoyed every minute of it. Attached to the end of this episode was a TV Spot for The Ed Sullivan Show. Unfortunately there was no extras what so ever for this episode.

62. Shadow Play (5/5/61)
Trapped in a recurring nightmare, a man (Dennis Weaver) tries to persuade those who are sentencing him to death that the whole scenario is not real. Will they ever listen?

My Thoughts:
This is yet another episode I never seen. Was a good episode. Attached to the end of this episode was a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. The extras along with this episode include an Audio Commentary with Dennis Weaver and an Isolated Score.

63. The Mind and the Matter (5/12/61)
A book on the power of thought enables an irritable worker (Shelley Berman) to recreate the world exactly as he wants it. But what he wants and what he gets are two different things!

My Thoughts:
Another episode I never seen. Wasn't much more then an OK episode. I mean there was nothing wrong with it... but was nothing special either. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for The Ed Sullivan Show. Extras to go with this episode are an Audio Commentary by Shelley Berman and an Isolated Score.

64. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up (5/26/61)
State troopers follow tracks from an unidentified flying object to a diner where they try to determine which of the seven bus passengers stranded inside is really a Martian.

My Thoughts:
This is yet another one I never seen before.. but this one I enjoyed very much. So far this one would rank as one of my favorites. I not only got a kick out of the crazy old man that kept cracking those stupid jokes... but also really liked the twist ending. Attached tot he end of this episode was a TV Spot for The Ed Sullivan show. And extras included with this episode are  an Isolated Score and The Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Richard Kind.

65. The Obsolete Man (6/2/61)
In a future state where religion and books have been banned, a librarian (Burgess Meredith) is judged obsolete by the Chancellor (Fritz Weaver) and sentenced to death.

My Thoughts:
This is an episode that I have seen before. Is a really good episode. this is about the 3rd episode I know of with Burgess Meredith in it. I don't know if he is in any other episodes.. but I hope so as I always enjoy him in this show. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for the series Gunsmoke. Extras included with this episode are an Isolated Score and The Twilight Zone Radio Drama, starring Jason Alexander.


Episodes I seen for the First time on this set include:

   1. Judgment Night (Episode 10)
   2. And When The Sky Was Opened (Episode 11)
   3. What You Need (Episode 12)
   4. I Shot an Arrow into the Air (Episode 15)
   5. The Hitch-Hiker (Episode 16)
   6. The Purple Testiment (Episode 19)
   7. Elegy (Episode 20)
   8. Mirror Image (Episode 21)
   9. A World of Difference (Episode 23)
  10. Long Live Walter Jameson (Episode 24)
  11. People Are Alike All Over (Episode 25)
  12. Execution (Episode 26)
  13. The Big Tall Wish (Episode 27)
  14. A Nice Place to Visit (Episode 28)
  15. Nightmare as a Child (Episode 29)
  16. The Chaser (Episode 31)
  17. Mr. Bevis (Episode 33)
  18. The Mighty Casey (Episode 35)
  19. A World of his Own (Episode 36)
  20. The Man in the Bottle (Episode 38)
  21. A Thing About Machines (Episode 40)
  22. The Howling Man (Episode 41)
  23. A Most Unusual Camera (Episode 46)
  24. Dust (Episode 48)
  25. Back There (Episode 49)
  26. The Whole Truth (Episode 50)
  27. Twenty-Two (Episode 53)
  28. The Odyssey of Flight 33 (Episode 54)
  29. Static (Episode 56)
  30. The Rip Van Winkle Caper (Episode 60)
  31. The Silence (Episode 61)
  32. Shadow Play (Episode 62)
  33. The Mind and the Matter (Episode 63)
  34. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up (Episode 64)

(From Twilight Zone on February 5th, 2008)