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Faces of Death, a review by Jimmy

Title : Faces of Death (1978)

Overview
Possibly one of the most talked about video series of all time, Faces Of Death examines the many guises of death in extreme close-up. Sure to shock, horrify and even repulse, these brutal films are not meant for the faint of heart. The classic series is the one true original Faces Of Death. Accept no substitute!

My Impression
The first one of this genre that I've seen in my life and my mother beat me (not too hard) for one of the first and only time in my life because I've let my younger sister watched it with me. I can understand why my mother was really angry since my sister was only 6 years old and had made nightmares for week after that experience. The first time I've seen it I was impress and shock, but since them I've realized that much of it is fake. Except for some autopsy footage and the animal scene everything is fake or modify. So the more know moments (the electric chair, the monkey restaurant, the aligator attack and the bear attack) are fabricated and really obvious if we take the time too think : multiple angle, camera place at impossible place if hidden (by exemple a camera under the table in the monkey scene. Don't forget the camera were big 30 years ago), peoples who didn't speak naturally, many continuity errors...

Sure there are a lot of real footage that can be not for anyone : a pitbull fight, a normal day at a slaughterhouse, autopsy procedures, seals clubbing, ...   
 
Rating :

(From Shockumentary/Mondo Week Marathon on February 2nd, 2009)

Babylon 5: The Gathering, a review by Tom

Babylon 5: The Gathering (1993/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (Canada) Director: Richard Compton Writing: J. Michael Straczynski (Writer) Length: 95 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Michael O'Hare as Jeffrey Sinclair
Tamlyn Tomita as Laurel Takashima
Jerry Doyle as Michael Garibaldi
Mira Furlan as Delenn
Blaire Baron as Carolyn Sykes

Plot:
The Gathering: Alien envoys come to the giant space station in the pilot that launched the five-year TV Series.

Awards:
Nominated:

Hugo Award (1994)

Dramatic Presentation

Extras:

• Commentary
• Scene Access

This TV movie serves as the pilot of the series. They are some changes between this one and the series. Some of the cast changed and also some of the characters behaved a little different than we are used to in the series. I think it was a good choice to replace the doctor. I never liked the acting of the one in the pilot. As for the replacement of Takashima with Ivanova: I love Ivanova and Takashima was a little wooden here. But you never know. She could have worked out also.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on March 27th, 2011)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

EPISODE 16: WHO ARE YOU
After magically switching bodies with Buffy, Faith pays a visit to Riley - leaving Buffy in the hands of the Watcher Council Special Ops Unit who've come to take Faith back to England.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode. If I am not mistaken this is the last we see of Faith till the final season of the series.

EPISODE 17: SUPERSTAR
Buffy suspects reality has somehow been altered after an unpopular former Sunnydale High student named Jonathan becomes the coolest and most popular person in town.

My Thoughts:
This is another one of those I just didn't care much for... I realize the whole alternate reality was supposed to be ridiculous... but it was a bit too ridiculous for my taste.

EPISODE 18: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
While Adam is recruiting an army of vampires and demons, Riley and Buffy's passionate lovemaking unleashes a group of poltergeists inside a frat house.

My Thoughts:
This episode was good... I enjoyed it quite a bit. I really liked the whole haunted house feel to it... as that is one of my favorite horror sub-genres.

EPISODE 19: NEW MOON RISING
Oz's surprise return to Sunnydale causes complications in Willow's current love life and leads to his transformation into a werewolf and subsequent capture by Riley.

My Thoughts:
How couldn't I enjoy this one? The return of Oz... him realizing the truth of how Willow's life has changed. very enjoyable.


EPISODE 20: THE YOKO FACTOR
As Spike and Adam plot to drive a wedge between Buffy and her friends, Angel returns to Sunnydale, only to be attacked by Riley and a group of Initiative commandos.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode... Spike does a great job of pitting the group against each other.... playing to each of their fears.

EPISODE 21: PRIMEVAL
Xander, Willow, and Giles join forces to magically imbue Buffy with supernatural powers in order to do battle against Adam and overthrow his plans for creating a "demonoid" army.

My Thoughts:
The final show-down between Buffy (and the gang) and Adam. We finally pretty much see the end of The Initiative. And we get one huge battle that is just fun to watch all the chaos of.

EPISODE 22: RESTLESS
After battling Adam, an exhausted Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles all experience dreams in which they encounter a strange, savage woman - and The Cheese Man.

My Thoughts:
Let's see.... what do I say other then "huh?"... you get some homages to the past seasons... and a few nice hints into the upcoming season all thrown together in one huge dream of an episode.... all jumbled into an episode where you really aren't sure what it is you are seeing. And what about "The Cheese Man".... talk about no sense what so ever! I think I would have personally preferred the last episode to have been the season finale... but this is definitely an episode to get you to scratch your head over.

OK... this has to be my least favorite season of the series... As I have touched on before I never thought much of the new boyfriend, Riley... and I just couldn't stand the whole Initiative story line. Sure... there was some really good episodes in this season... especially one of my all time favorite episodes, hush... but when you dislike the season long arc so much... it makes it hard to enjoy that season on a whole.

(From Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon on November 22nd, 2007)