Topic: The little known movie review depot

[addicted2dvd]

Then I definitely don't have it yet.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Land of the Minotaur (1976)

Genre: Horror
Director: Kostas Karagiannis
Rating: PG
Length: 1h26
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Donald Pleasence
Peter Cushing
Luan Peters
Kostas Karagiorgis
Dimitris Bislanis

Plot:
A small Greek village is the last known place where a group of youths were last seen while they looked for a hidden temple dedicated to the Minotaur. A Catholic priest and a New York police detective team up to search for the missing youth and uncover a terrifying cult devoted to sacrificing their victims to the Minotaur. Will our heroes be in time to save the youths from their sacrificial fate?

My Thoughts:

I hate that when I watch a movie with a good cast and a story that looks interesting, that finally turn not so good. The big problem is the fact that we know right from the beginning who is the leader of the cult wich removed all the suspence and the mystery about the Baron character. Also Peter Cushing doesn't seem interested at all with this film and his performance isn't as good as usual. Donald Pleasance is in the overacting mode, but to be honest this is his usual one. Luane Peters do anything in this film, she's the useless girl in trouble nothing else than that. It was a nice surprise to see many actors from Island of Death with small role in this film (Robert Behling, Jane Ryall and Jessica Dublin to name them), but of course there was not an handfull of english talking actors living in Greece at that time. The end is quite laughable also...

Too bad because it could have been a good movie.  

Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)

Genre: Horror
Director: Jeffrey Obrow / Stephen Carpenter
Rating: NR
Length: 1h28
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Laurie Lapinski
Stephen Sachs
David Snow
Pamela Holland
Dennis Ely

Plot:
On the eve of Christmas vacation, a college dormitory stands condemned the dark halls now vacant and unsafe. Student Joanne Murray and her close friends volunteer to help close down the building, unaware a psychopathic lunatic is hiding in the shadows. As the students disappear one by one, Joanne discovers the horrifying reality that if she is to survive, she alone will have to find a way to slay the brutal murderer.

My Thoughts:

Nice little horror movie, not something I would call original since I found who the killer was really fast (but maybe I've seen too many of those films). The cast is mostly composed of unknown, watching you often say I'm sure I've seen him/her in something else, so it won't be surprise if I write that the acting talent is really variable. Also this movie is the first one of Daphne Zuniga. The special effects done by Matthew W. Mungle (this is one of his first movie) are really good, the second murder is the most effective you really feel like it was real. But the big plus of this one is the end, best ending I've ever seen in an horror films. I'm almost sure it wasn't the original ending since the studio don't like to end a film like that. We often say that a bad end can destroy a film and the inverse is also true since it made a great film of an average one.

I think you could like this one Pete... Don't worry the dvd is also included.

Rating :

[Achim]

might have to wish-list that...

[addicted2dvd]

Thanks Jimmy... that is another one I don't think I ever seen.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Rituals (1977)

Genre: Survival drama
Director: Peter Carter
Rating: R
Length: 1h40
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Hal Holbrook
Lawrence Dane
Robin Gammell
Ken James
Gary Reineke

Plot:
Adventure-seeker Mitzi (Lawrence Dane, SCANNERS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME) invites fellow Doctor Harry (Award winning Hal Halbrook, INTO THE WILD, CAPRICORN ONE) and three other physician friends to go on their annual camping trip in middle of the unexplored Canadian mountains. The five of them thought that they were alone in the muddle of nowhere on their ritual camping trip, but this time someone was watching them. A crazed psychopath wants to play a psychological game of survival with the five campers and it soon becomes a horrifying game of kill or be killed.

My Thoughts:

This film like many canadian's films made in the seventies is not known at all, since they were made as tax write-of no effort were made to did a profit with them. So except in our country most people never saw them in their real form and most of them were only local success. To be honest this is almost criminal since the movie in our country at this time were as good as those made in the USA. But enough ranting....

This one is often compare to Deliverance, but to be honest I don't understand why since the only common thing between those two is that it happen in the wood (great location by the way, I don't know if Batchawana Bay always look like that 35 years later but what an awesome looking natural place) and the protagonists are target by an enemy. This is not Deliverance... We don't see the follower untill the end and they don't fight him because he never made his precence known. In fact what we have here is a survival story of how five friends deal with the difficulties with no one to help them, stranded in an hostile location (seriously by experience I can tell you that mountain, forest and river aren't friendly places if you don't know them), no idea of what will happen and when, how it will affect their friendship and the heartbreaking decision they must choose.

Hal Holbrook in this film give the performance of his career, we aren't used to see him in leading role and he is sure able to carry a strong film like that on his shoulder. The four other principal actors are well known if you watch frequently canadian cinema (they were all big stars in the seventies in our country) and they do a good job too with their character. Lawrence Dane being the best, since he almost outshine Hal Holbrook on the screen.

The film is shot in order, so none of the usual continuity errors is present. Also the actors did all their stunt themselves and some of them are really dangerous like when they are in the river.

A film that I recommand strongly. I know most of the films I review here aren't that great for anyone except me, but I'm sure this one would please Jon, Achim, Pete, KC, Kathy and certainly more people. To be honest this is certainly the more crowd pleasing film I've ever reviewed on our website.

It is a little hard to find because Amazon doesn't carry it. I've seen it on Axel Music, Diabolik DVD, Deep Discount DVD and some other webstore.  

Rating :

[Achim]

A film that I recommand strongly. I know most of the films I review here aren't that great for anyone except me, but I'm sure this one would please Jon, Achim, Pete, KC, Kathy and certainly more people. To be honest this is certainly the more crowd pleasing film I've ever reviewed on our website.

It is a little hard to find because Amazon doesn't carry it. I've seen it on Axel Music, Diabolik DVD, Deep Discount DVD and some other webstore.

I put it on my wish list at Axel. But the limited availability does have it's price....which I'll wait to drop some.

[Jimmy]

It is not in stock at DVD Pacific as almost everywhere, but new shipping will be done soon, and the price is better that it is at Axel Music. I've Never ordered from the main store, but did often from the adult section and never had a problem.

Important
Don't go for the boxset option since it's the Mill Creek release taken from an incomplete dark video tape (more than 10 minutes missing) and the All Movie Guide rating is for this version.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)

Genre: Drama
Director: Richard Robinson
Rating: R
Length: 1h25
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Leslie Uggams
Shelley Winters
Michael Christian
Ted Cassidy
Dub Taylor
Lou Joffred
Slim Pickens

Plot:
A wrong turn on a jazz singer's road trip results in her car breaking down near an isolated lodge run by a faded starlet and a young, homicidal Elvis impersonator.

My Thoughts:

I did go on this one with very high expectations, since I have waited for its release for more than two years. Usually this is the perfect recipe for an huge deception but it wasn't... This is probably one of the weirdest movie I've seen (how many films intercut an interacial rape scene with one of dogs mating?), but at the same time full of incredible artistic scenes. All the violence is shown in slow motion just like in a Sam Peckinpah's films and most of the principal photography is incredible (by exemple a scene at a waterfall is a little jewel for the eyes). You add to the mix strong acting performances from Michael Christian (Peyton Place), Leslie Uggams (Roots) and Shelley Winters with some well known character actors like Ted Cassidy (The Addams Family) and Slim Pickens as a result you got a perfect southern backwood dangerous redneck type of film. The synopsis do a comparaison with Deliverance but I've to disagree since the only common point is that it happen in the south.

Really this one is recommanded and it isn't as graphic or violent that you could believe it is. But of course this is a product of its time and you will never see anything like this ever made. 


Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Visitor (1979)

Genre: Science-Fiction
Director: Giulio Paradisi
Rating: R
Length: 1h49
Video: Widescreen
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
John Huston
Joanne Nail
Paige Conner
Shelley Winters
Mel Ferrer

Plot:
Katy Collins (Paige Conner, LITTLE DARLINGS) is no ordinary 8 year-old girl. Indeed, she is unique, carrying within her the power of Sateen, an inter-spacial force of immense magnitude. Katy's primary mission on earth is to carry these genes forward, a task accomplished by convincing her mother, Barbara (Joanne Nail, SWITCHBLADE SISTERS) to bear a similarly endowed male child with whom Katy would eventually mate. Opposing this scheme is The Visitor (John Huston, Academy Award winner, CHINATOWN, AFRICAN QUEEN, THE MALTESE FAMCON), a sage of galactic stature who has come to this world not to kill Katy, but to end her "confusion". Find out what happens in this unforgettable, supernatural, suspense thriller from the maker of the box office hit BEYOND THE DOOR.

My Thoughts:

I feel like I'm on fire this week, it's been a while I did 2 reviews in 2 days

It took me a while for buying this one and now that I've watched it the only thing I can say is why... To be honest it's one of the best movie I've seen for quite a while. The story took a little bit of its inspiration from The Omen in the sense that it's about an "evil" child kind of, but it's much more than that. The real driving force of the film is the fact that Kathy's mother must carry the seed of the new incarnation of Sateen. As you could see this movie had an extremely talented cast (Lance Henriksen, Glenn Ford, Franco Nero and Sam Peckinpah are also in this) and contrary to many italian films none of them are there only for a fast check. You see they give all they have to give in this film (John Huston is especially great whatever it is by his voice acting or his physical acting). But the real revelation of this film is Paige Conner, what an incredibly talented child actress! Usually child annoy me in movie because they have no purpose except to be cute, but this is sure not the case here... This little girl, who is cute by the way and aged quite beautifully, carry the film on her shoulders wich is quite impressive when you consider all the great names in this production. You got also some pretty good special effects since it's an italian films, but don't expect a lot of blood this isn't that kind of film. You got a lot of action with live birds (BTW I now know where he took his inspiration for the birds role in The Dark Half). The soundtrack is really powerfull and impressive too. Be ready to do some jump scare while watching  

Seriously this one is probably the best dvd release of 2010 and I can do nothing else than recommanding it.


Rating :

[Achim]

I didn't watch the trailer yet, but your review is quite intriguing and I might want to check this out myself. Maybe I'll wait for a price drop...

(BTW I now know where he took his inspiration for the birds role in The Dark Half)

The Dark Half was written in 1989, so that is entirely possible. Stephen King is quite knowledgable in regards to movies (I very much enjoyed reading his book Danse Macabre). I did somewhat forget what the meaning of the birds was ; I do remember their role at the end though

[Jimmy]

I didn't watch the trailer yet, but your review is quite intriguing and I might want to check this out myself. Maybe I'll wait for a price drop...

One thing I can told you is that the trailer give no explanations at all on the movie (I put it in my review because I think it's a pretty cool one). I've seen it many times on different Code Red DVDs and I've never understood what this movie was about untill watching it yesterday

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Manson (1973)

Genre: Documentary
Director: Laurence Merrick/Robert Hendrickson
Rating: R
Length: 1h22
Video: Full Frame
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Jesse Pearson (narrator)

Plot:
Meet ONE MAN'S FAMILY REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME outside the courtroom - the staggering details of the most hideously bizarre murders in the annals of crime SURPRESSED UNTIL NOW and NOT PERMITTED on TV, Radio or Family Newspapers!

My Thoughts:

Time to get back for some reviews and what better to do so than with an unrelease documentary that was nominated for an Oscar. Pretty much everybody know about this case, so I don't feel it's necessary to explain what happen. What we have here is a documentary about the familly who is not 100% focussed on the Sharon Tate murder as it is usually the case with most of the documentary I've seen, of course they talk about it but not for a long time. This is much about the familly and its way of life... To do so the movie use footages filmed by the Manson Familly themseves doing what they do in their normal life (OK there are some scary talks here) and relied on interview with less known members like Brooks Poston and Paul Watkins, some of the cellmate of Susan Atkins and Charles Manson and some news broadcast.

Of course if you are familliar with the events you won't learn anything new, but it's one of the few time where you can see them as "normal" people.

Rating :

[Jimmy]

A question for you, because I ain't sure that would be of any interest for most of you.

I was able to get some french canadians movies today who are long OOP and I want to know if you want to see them reviewed. The important fact is they are OOP (impossible to find on DVD) and they are the original french canadian version released in theatre (no subtitles and no dub).

I know I review mostly obscure stuff, but I don't want to write about stuff that are not really interesting for anyone except me and the other french speakers here.

I'm waiting for your answer and don't worry I won't be butt hurt if you say you are not interested...

[Kathy]

I don't know if I want to read about them if the movie is really good because I'll want to watch them. Since they aren't available maybe you should only review the crappy ones!