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Crimson Tide, a review by Dr. Hasslein

Crimson Tide



Director: Tony Scott
Year: 1995
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Rated: M
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

Plot
When a Russian Rebel Army lead by an unstable dictator take control of a nuclear facility, the United States deploy a nuclear class submarine, to retaliate if any missiles are launched. One board is Capt. Frank Ramsey, one of the few sub commanders left with combat experience. And Lt. Commander Ron Hunter who is a last minute replacement due to the previous Lt. Commander succumbing to illness. Both men have different methods of management and clash when orders are given to launch their missile against the Russian target.


My Thoughts

(From Crimson Tide on December 29th, 2010)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a review by Jon

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
5 out of 5



Five kids in a van pass by an old deserted house that used to belong to one of their families. The neighbours house isn't quite so deserted. And so the scene is set for one of the most influential horror films, loosely based on the exploits of Ed Gein, also the inspiration to Psycho amongst others.

The most shocking thing about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is I liked it! I've seen it before and didn't understand the fuss. It was on TV though so maybe it was still cut. Certainly some of it's more surreal moments originally threw me, but this time I understood it's deserved reputation.

It's really very cleverly put together and although it's served as inspiration for so many films that came after, those pretenders really miss the point and have none of the attention to detail in both setting and narrative, while dragging themselves down with unnecessary exposition. The recent remake is a case in point. As a slasher, it's adequate, but this original was never supposed to be a mere slasher.

The five teens have very little backstory. From beginning to end we learn very little about them. No angst, in other words. A sulky cripple feeling left out is the most we get. This actually makes them more human and the eventual attacks more savage. Normal people on a road trip don't pick that moment to play out all lives tragedies, so these regular kids seem more real. Other characters in the early part of the film are also given only the barest material to get through the scene, meaning there might be genuine surprises toward the end. And even if you do see them coming, the film never tried to trip you up in the first place so it feels right. There's also a surprising amount of humour. Again there's no over-playing the irony, but it's there and should make you laugh albeit guiltily!

That commitment to it's own story is old fashioned film making. As are hints at what's to come. Instead of the modern style of talking about feelings and morals, these teens discuss how the old slaughterhouse despatched the cattle, worry about trivial meanings in horoscopes or find evidence of ritualistic killing, all of which subtly screams "run!", but they pay it no heed. Instead of opening their hearts, we learn how their hearts will be opened! It's a fascinating example of just how good cinema was in the 70s; old fashioned methods with new independence. Why modern versions can't see that balance, I'll never understand.

Everything is in the preparation in this film. The house they wander up to to ask for help (not the wisest move) is astonishing in the detail. Bones and feathers, grime and decay, all litter the place. It looks like they've wandered into a pit of death, and the host ain't too friendly either. Leatherface's entrance is simple but devastatingly effective. His massive frame suddenly fills the a doorway and he immediately clobbers his first victim with a sledgehammer then slams the door shut! No music here and throughout the film also just let the images linger. That's right for this film, but I'm not saying music isn't right in general; Hitchcock's take on the Gein story in Psycho racks up the tension using the exact opposite method.

More killings follow and none are gratuitous. Leatherface kills like a slaughter man kills cattle (as we learned earlier) and we don't really see much. With that setting, the marvellous sound design and simple reactions from the victims, our imagination fills in the blanks. I don't about you, but I need to have words with my imagination; it's far too descriptive...

The last act of the film, which I previously hated, is actually a further descent into depravity in perfect keeping with the rest of the film. Grandad's the best killer of all apparently, but his decrepit efforts are hilarious and disturbing at the same time. The shot of the victims desperate eyeball is fantastic as she makes a last desperate bid for sanity.

Those perverse final images of Leatherface whirling his chainsaw around confirm what the earlier scenes suggested. That he is scarier and more tangible than almost any other screen horror villain I can think of. I reckon if you check his fridges you'll find both Jason and Freddy! But not Michael. He is another matter entirely.  

(From October Marathon: Horror! on October 15th, 2008)

The Brady Bunch: The Complete Series, a review by addicted2dvd

CAST:
Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Florence Henderson as Carol Brady
Ann B. Davis as Alice
Maureen McCormick as Marcia
Eve Plumb as Jan
Susan Olsen as Cindy
Barry Williams as Greg
Chris Knight as Peter
Mike Lookinland as Bobby

This past Friday I watched the TV Movie Growing Up Brady. This instantly put me in the mood to watch this complete series set again. This is the second time for me to go through this set since I bought it 3 years ago. In only 6 days I watched all 5 seasons of the series.... and the bonus disc with contains 2 reunion movies and  2 episodes of the animated series The Brady Kids. This series started in 1969... the same year I was born. So while I never saw the original run of the series... like many people I grew up watching reruns. When I was a kid I never considered this to be a favorite series of mine... but good enough to watch. Then many years went by without me seeing any episodes. One day I walked in to find my daughter watching some episodes on TV with her grandmother. And she was enjoying it. So I decided to buy this set so she would have a chance to see the entire series. Ironically in the 3 years I have owned it she never bothered to watch the set. But as I was watching the set I found that I oddly enjoyed it more now then when I was a kid. I don't know... maybe it is a strong nostalgic thing. Maybe a reminder of simpler times. But it really grew on me.

Now, about this set...

The first thing to notice is the gimmicky packaging. In my opinion the packaging fails on all levels. It is not pleasing to the eye (come on... green shag carpeting!?!?). All the discs are housed in one (flower shaped) cardboard accordion envelope (Much like the two in the I Love Lucy complete series set). So I am always worried that the discs will scratch. In my personal opinion... the person that designed this packaging should have been fired as soon as he suggested it!

The discs themselves are the same discs that are in the individual season sets. So that means the only thing that makes this Complete Series set worth it is the addition of the bonus disc with the reunion movies and cartoons. Which I enjoyed the reunion movies a lot... so  that made it worth getting the set to me personally.

Of course the show itself is basically what you would figure from the time. A half an hour sitcom where all their problems are solved with a happy ending by the end of each episode (except for the handful of multiple part eps. of course.) The series did bring in quite a few familiar faces...

The Brady Bunch Guests:
- Marion Ross (Happy Days)
- Herbert Anderson (Dennis the Menace)
- Desi Arnaz, Jr.
- E.G. Marshall (The Defenders)
- Marcia Wallace (The Bob Newhart Show)
- David "Deacon" Jones
- Julie Cobb (Charles in Charge)
- Jackie Coogan (The Addams Family)
- Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island)
- Jay Silverhills (The Lone Ranger)
- Davy Jones (The Monkees)
- Don Ho
- Vincent Price
- Nicholas Hammond (Amazing Spider-Man)
- Joe Namath
- Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie)
- Ken Berry
- Natalie Schafer (Gilligan's Island)

The Bonus Disc...
As I said... there is 2 reunion movies which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately the whole gang wasn't completely brought back together for neither one of them. In the first reunion movie, A Very Brady Christmas, Susan Olsen didn't come back so the part of Cindy Brady was played by Jennifer Runyon. And then in the movie the Brady 500 (Which is actually the first 2 episodes of The Bradys edited together to make a movie) Maureen McCormick didn't come back... so the part of Marcia Brady was played by Leah Ayres.

While the 2 episodes of the animated series The Brady Kids was entertaining enough... they are my least favorite of the included extras. It isn't a cartoon I watched much as a kid.... so the interest just wasn't there for me as much.

Over-all I am glad I did add this set to my collection. The bonus disc makes the purchase worth it in my opinion. Though I don't know if I would double-dip this series just to get this bonus disc. If I already had the season sets I doubt I would have bothered.



(From The Brady Bunch: The Complete Series on November 17th, 2011)