DVD Collectors Online

Dark Water, a review by Danae Cassandra

Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara)
Year of Release: 2002
Directed By: Hideo Nakata
Starring: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiya Kohinata
Genre: Horror

Overview:My Thoughts:
This was a really well-crafted film. Everything works together so well. We find our story centers around an increasingly desperate and unsettled mother, who fears the loss of the only thing that gives her life meaning - her young daughter. Hitomi Kuroki plays her beautifully, showing the deep love she has for her child and the lengths she is willing to go to for her. Rio Kanno, the little girl who plays her daughter, is also really great.

The film also has great atmosphere. Yoshimi works hard to make the apartment a home for them, but the oppression of the building and the menace of it will not be denied. So many details contribute to this - lighting, cinematography, sound - everything comes together so well to create this palpable aura. This is the same director as Ringu, which I watched earlier in the month. That is by far the more famous film, but I think this one is better.

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

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 4/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 30/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on October 19th, 2016)

Pacific Rim, a review by GSyren

Title	Pacific Rim (5-051892-123969)
Director	Guillermo Del Toro
Actors	Charlie Hunnam, Diego Klattenhoff, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day
Produced	2013 in United States
Runtime	131 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles	Chinese, English, French, Italian, Korean, Dutch, Thai
Overview	When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenceless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes - a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) - who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
My thoughts	Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. That's from Macbeth, but it sums up this film pretty well, I think. I must admit that I had some misgivings before viewing it. A friend of mine thought it was absolutely perfect. And I know that his taste and mine are often diametrically opposed. Anything with lots of CGI, and he's all over it. But when I offered him a free copy of The Guns of Navarone Luther, and I thought he was very good here as well. So, if you're impressed by CGI special effects, this is a good movie for you. If not, well maybe not so much. I'm giving it three stars because it was darn impressive, but that's being generous.
My rating	3 out of 5

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on November 16th, 2013)

Smallville Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

EPISODE 5: NOCTURNE
The poems of a secret admirer leaves for Lana are heartfelt and eloquent, but are they harmless? Perhaps not when the writer is a reclusive youth who mysteriously turns monstrous when forced into the light of day.

My Thoughts:
This was a pretty good episode... their take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I really like how they did the make-up of the character... it was a slight change that had a massive result.

EPISODE 6: REDUX
Clark and Lana are confronted with family secrets from the past. And a spirited cheerleader has a secret of her own: she's a geriatric fiend who hides her age by sucking the youthfulness out of teens.

My Thoughts:
Not a bad episode... but not a favorite. I think the ending could have been better.... think she was beaten way too quickly.

EPISODE 7: LINEAGE
If she's Clark's mother, Lex is his half-brother! A woman claiming to be Clark's biological mother sparks a revisiting of events that brought Clark to Smallville and mysteriously linked the Kent and Luthor families.

My Thoughts:
In a TV Series about the teen years of Clark Kent.... of course they had to do the supposed Real Parent comes to town type show. I think they did this one really good though. It not only gives a decent story... it also sets up a good story for later.

EPISODE 8: RYAN
Clark uses his powers to free his young mind-reading friend Ryan. But Ryan's plight leads Clark to realize there are some things even a fledgling superhero can't do.

My Thoughts:
Cool... The return of Ryan... the boy from the episode "Stray" (Season 1 episode 16). This is a good... but sad episode.... which also sets up something for later this season... when he tells Clark's mother he knows her secret and asks when she will tell the family. Definitely a good episode.

(From Smallville Marathon on August 1st, 2007)