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Life of Pi, a review by GSyren

Title	Life of Pi
Year	2012
Director	Ang Lee
Stars	Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Adil Hussain
Overview	Embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this visual masterpiece from Oscarr winner Ang Lee*, based on the best-selling novel. After a cataclysmic shipwreck, young Pi Patel finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with the only other survivor - a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Bound by the need to survive, the two are cast on an epic journey that must be seen to be believed.
My thoughts	You are probably going to disagree with me on this... After all the rave about this film, I was quite disappointed with it. To be sure, it's a marvellous technical achievement, and the acting and direction is excellent. I just didn't like the story. Unlike most viewers, I see in the moral of the story (or rather the extension of the moral of the story) just what is one of the biggest problems in the world. The film tells one, admittedly beautiful, story. Then at the end, we get another, not so beautiful story, and we are asked "Which story do you prefer?". Well, that's religion in a nutshell. And on the surface there's nothing wrong in believing in a beautiful fairy tale, as long as you accept that other people may believe in something else. The problem arises when you get so absorbed in your chosen story that you are willing to kill people just because they don't share your story. Don't get me wrong, though. There is nothing in the story that encourages hating people. It's just the idea of chosing to believe in a basically unbelievable story that rubs me the wrong way. So, if you are a cynic and an agnostic, like me, maybe you'll react as me. If not, chances are that you'll love this film. Please don't hate me for my views, though. I'm giving this film 3.5 out of 5 for its technical excellence.
Rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on May 14th, 2013)

The Corpse Vanishes, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Corpse Vanishes
Year of Release: 1942
Directed By: Wallace Fox
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Tris Coffin, Elizabeth Russell
Genre: Horror

Overview:My Thoughts:
This was a pretty standard Poverty Row film starring Bela Lugosi. Lugosi made quite a few of these low-budget films for studios like Monogram and PRC. He's always the best thing in them, and he doesn't disappoint on that score here. He has the best dialog and the only memorable scenes, and the rest of the film suffers from a lack of him.

Everyone else is very so-so. Luana Walters's reporter character is all tough talk but faints at the actual clench of danger. Tris Coffin's doctor is supremely bland. At least Elizabeth Russell's Countess is deliciously evil, even if we learn nothing about her background. The dialog is pretty bad, and the director plays the whole thing very seriously, even when the script could benefit from a touch of camp.

Recommended only to fans of Lugosi or devotees of B-movies.  Sadly not nearly as good as Strangler of the Swamp despite the presence of the always-wonderful Lugosi.

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

Bechdel Test: Pass
Mako Mori Test: Fail

Overall: 2/5

Horror/Halloween Challenge Films: 29/52

(From Horror/Halloween 2016 Challenge on October 16th, 2016)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

20. The Prom (1999-05-11)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: David Solomon
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Brad Kane (Tucker Wells), Emma Caulfield (Anya/Anyanka), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Bonita Friedericy (Mrs. Finkle), Andrea E. Taylor (Sales Girl), Mike Kimmel (Harv), Tove Kingsbury (Tux Boy), Michael Zlabinger (Student at Mic), Monica Serene Garnich (Pretty Girl), Joe Howard (Priest), Damien Eckhardt (Jack Mayhew), Stephanie Denise Griffin (Tux Girl)

I liked how Buffy gets the "Class Protector" award at the end. This episodes makes way for the Angel series with Angel's decision to leave Sunnydale. In my opinion a good move. I got tired of the whole Buffy/Angel drama.


Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 6th, 2009)