DVD Collectors Online

Slither, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Slither
Movie Count: 84
TV Ep Count: 34
Time Started: 7pm
Plot:
Prepare youself for this terrifying, twisted and chilling film that critics are calling ' the most entertaining horror movie in years' (Joe Williams, St Louis Post-Dispatch).

From the writer of 2004's Dawn of the Dead comes the deliciously demented story of an unnamed evil wreaking havoc on a small town. Intent on devouring all life on Earth, this dark force is infecting anyone in its path. Now it's up to the local sheriff, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion, Serenity), and his team to stop the spread of rampant devastation - and shocking mutilation - before it's too late.

My Thoughts:
This is a movie I just got today in a DVD Care Package from a good friend of mine. This is a movie that I have never seen.... it is one I have heard good and bad about. And one that the friend of mine did not like at all. So I am going into this movie with fairly low expectations. After watching this one I have mixed feelings. I really like Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity)... and thought he was good in this movie.... and I liked the main premise of the movie. But I do think that some of the stuff they added into this movie was a little to overboard for the storyline. So even though I did enjoy it... and sure I will watch it again... it could have been better. I think I would rate this one at about 7 out of 10.

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OK... And this bring my 2007 Month-Long Horror/Halloween Marathon to an end. I really had a great time watching all this horror. Sure some of it was better then others... and yes... some of it was pretty bad!.. but over-all I had a great month! What really made this month even more enjoyable is that this year I got to watch a lot of movies I have never seen before.... and of course that is always a good thing!

I met both my goals this year... I watched at least one show for the marathon every single day of the month... and I beat... ok destroyed my record of 63 movies from 2 years ago. My new record is this year... with 84 movies within this month!

(From Month-Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on November 1st, 2007)

Book of the Dead, a review by Danae Cassandra

Book of the DeadOverview:
In this ravishing film of mystical beauty, master animator Kihachiro Kawamoto's tour de force adventure tale tells the story of a young noblewoman in 8th-century Japan who leaves her home to follow the apparition of an executed prince.

The Book of the Dead takes place as Buddhism is being introduced to Japan from China. Iratsume, a woman of noble desent, becomes obsessed with this mysterious new religion. One night, in a rapturous trance, she sees a luminous vision that she believes to be the Buddha, compelling her to leave home and journey to a sacred temple. Once there, she sees Otsu, a young prince who was executed 50 years earier. While Iratsume mistakes the prince's spirit for the incarnation of the great Buddha, the ghost mistakes Iratsume for the last woman he saw at the moment of his death. As an act of great devotion, she decides to make a giant shroud for the prince to heal his soul, after which he begins to haunt the young woman and those around her. The pair embark on an impassioned battle of wills, one longing for the material world, the other striving for the spiitual.

This strange story of outherworldly romance is the work of stop-motion animator and puppet-maker Kihachiro Kawamoto, a former student of the master Czech animator Jiri Trnka. Already a legend in his own right, with The Book of the Dead he has created an intricately detailed magnum opus, a summation of themes explored in all of his work: the transience of existence, the ambiguity of human behavior, and the search for perfection and beauty in an imperfect world.

One final note for animation buffs: The film also features the work by the acclaimed Russian animator and director Yuriy Norsheteyn, who was involved in The Book of the Dead as a "guest animator."

My Thoughts:
This would be a better film if any of the stories here got resolved. The model work, the stop motion animation, the visuals of the film are simply gorgeous. I mean, seriously beautiful. But the strands of stories here - the men who wish to court Irartsume, her quest for enlightenment, the desires of the ghost for release and an heir, none of this ever feels truly resolved. The closest any of them come is Iratsume - her weaving that depicts the Bodhisattvas feels like movement toward Buddhist enlightenment, but the ending doesn't really confirm this either. I'm guessing the filmmakers ran out of money, and rushed a finish. It's too bad, because there was so much potential here. Recommended for lovers of stop-motion animation - you'll want to see it just for the work put in. It's a beautiful but ultimately frustrating view.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 3/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 11th, 2016)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Friends



What's the show about?
A group of mid-20 New Yorkers lives in close proximity and spends much time either at Monica's or at the nearby coffee house "Central Perk". We see how their life developes until the mid-30s.

"The Pilot" or "The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate"
Ross' wife has just moved out because she found out that she's a lesbian and Ross is devastated. The others (Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey) try to chear him up but then Rachel steps in their life (again) who has just left her to-be-husband at the altar.

My Opinion
As I said before I love that show and I will re-watch it definitively this year.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 5th, 2008)