Sauna ( Sauna - Wash Your Sins ) ( Filth ) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Interesting foreign language film (subtitles) based on a late 1500s storyline of a joint Finnish/Russian expedition working to define the border between their two countries. As they walk the actual disputed line, they commit a few unchoice acts that come back to haunt them, and also discover a village that is not on any map. Eerie things follow (trying to avoid giving a spoiler).
Overall, this was generally enjoyable. The mood maintains a dreary and eerie feeling throughout, but perhaps too much. It almost never lets up, as strange acts continue and the actors engage in several savage acts. This could be a negative; the story unendingly plods through dark territory with interspersed horror moments that more abruptly arise rather than be built up. Also, its kinda slow. The story unfolds somewhat discontinuously (which, at times, is very well done), but generally it moves from one slowly developed scene to another, all of which are more notable for the human-human brutality (which is more often implied than actually shown) than the paranormal horror.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sauna ( Sauna - Wash Your Sins ) ( Filth )

Click here for more information about Sauna ( Sauna - Wash Your Sins ) ( Filth )

Read More...

Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This one's a mixed bag--but Sela Ward and Michael Woods are AWESOME in every scene they have together. I wouldn't spend the money that this website is charging for the video, however. Seventy bucks for a made-for-TV movie? Come on. Even the hot, hot theatrical releases don't cost that much on DVD when they first come out. That's gotta be a typo. . .but I digress.
I caught this one on ABCFamily Channel the other night, and while the setting is beautiful and the actors do a great job with the material they're given, something about the whole thing was just. . .off.
Sela Ward--who stands with Jennifer Aniston and Susan Sarandon as one of the most beautiful women in show biz today--has the title role. We also see Roscoe Born--who played Joe Novak in "Ryan's Hope"--as the childhood friend who's always been in love with Sarah and still is, even though she's chosen another man to marry. And Morgan Fairchild--another beautiful lady who, alas, always gets stuck with the second banana, duplicitous friend role. Michael Woods--a man with a very familiar face, maybe from print or TV ads--is Sarah's sexy new husband. (Someone give this man a starring role of his own--he's worth watching!!) Veteran actress and former cosmetics executive Polly Bergen is almost unrecognizable here as a longtime secretary/housekeeper to Sarah's family.
This film is lovely to look at. Most of the action takes place at the mansion where Sarah grew up and has now returned to live as a newlywed. Both Sela and Morgan are elegantly dressed--although Morgan's clothing is always flashier, where Sela's is more understated and everyday elegant. And don't get me started on Michael Woods again--the man is a hunk:)
The problems with this film begin in about the last half-hour to 45 minutes. It seems as though the directors took too much time setting things up, and then had to race to the finish, leaving out some things in the process. At the end of the film, you realize that there are two main characters who simply vanished from the storyline--and this would have been out of character for them, given the established plot. This is a real problem in the final scene, when it's implied that the previous scene happened early in the day and now it's night-time. The character who does not show up in the last scene would have definitely had time to get there and possibly change the outcome. Hello? What happened? Is there something we didn't see on the cutting room floor?
This needs a sequel or to be re-released with the Director's cut. Like I said, it's just out of whack in some way. Again, I wouldn't pay anything to buy or rent it. But next time it's rerun on TV, I would watch that first half-hour or so again just to watch Sela Ward and Michael Woods in the wedding and newlywed scenes. Someone give that man a show of his own!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989)

Click here for more information about Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989)

Read More...

The Package (1989) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Bravo MGM; you've managed yet again to screw up a great movie with a terrible DVD. -It's actually an ORION picture, and I'd hoped that they would've cared more about its appearance, but no such luck. Of my 100+ DVDs, this is one of the worst looking with dull colors and a fuzzy image. (Let's hope they're more careful with their upcoming Woody Allen ORION collection.) This is a rather oldfashioned straight-ahead action suspenser like they just don't make them anymore in Hollywood, but it's difficult to be thrilled about that when you know you can enjoy a much sharper version on TV. Hackman, Heard, Cassidy and Jones lead a good cast, but in order to see them clearly we desperately need a remastering of this otherwise wonderful movie. Until then, avoid like the plague.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Package (1989)

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Italian ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), Danish ( Subtitles ), Dutch ( Subtitles ), English ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), German ( Subtitles ), Italian ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Polish ( Subtitles ), Portuguese ( Subtitles ), Spanish ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES:Interactive Menu,Scene Access,Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: From the director of The Fugitive comes a brilliant, explosively entertaining action/thriller featuring powerful performances by Oscar winners Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. Featuring a superb cast that includes Dennis Franz, Pam Grier and John Heard, this is one package that really delivers!Sergeant Jonny Gallagher (Hackman) thinks he's been given a routine assignment: to escort a rebellious American soldier (Jones) from Europe to the U.S. for a military court martial. Gallagher soon learns, however, that the assignment is anything but routine, when he uncovers a terrifying military conspiracy. The clock is ticking down to a historic superpower summit, and Gallager must stop the deadly plot before it's too late... for him and his country.

Click here for more information about The Package (1989)

Read More...

Summer of Fear (1978) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)To be truely correct: Wes Craven's "Summer of Fear". Actually, "Wes Craven Presents Lois Duncan's Summer of Fear".
18 year old Rachel Bryant is getting used to the fact that her aunt and uncle have died in a car crash. But mostly, her cousin Julia who was at boarding school at the time. It's summer, and Rachel thinks she can deal with her cousin Julia. But there is something funny about Julia....
Rachel finds strange artifacts in her room that she is sharing with Julia such as a picture of herself with red splotches all over it. Wait a minute....Rachel suddenly suffered from hives a few days ago. And Rachel's horse has acted strangely around Julia until it suddenly had to be put down. And there is a strange figure with her horses hair on it....What is going on with Julia?!
I enjoyed "Summer Of Fear" since I first saw it on TV several years ago under the title "Stranger in Our House". It's creepy and some good plot twists help make this a winning horror flick for the ages.
RECCOMENDED TO FANS OF:
Witchcraft (1988)
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The Craft (1996)
CAST
Linda Blair .... Rachel Bryant
Lee Purcell .... Julia
Jeremy Slate .... Tom Bryant
Jeff McCracken .... Mike Gallagher
THE MOVIE: 3.5/4
THE PICTURE QUALITY: 7/10 In 1.33:1 full screen. That's probably the original aspect ratio since it's a tv movie. There is a large amounts of specs and grittyness thoughout the movie.
THE AUDIO QUALITY: 9.5/10 You can choose from 5.1 Dolby Digital or 2.0 dolby Stereo. The commentary is in 2.0 Stereo. Great listening!
THE SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio Commentary with director Wes Craven and producer Max Keller, director and cast filmographies and sneak peeks.
SUBTITLES: English.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Summer of Fear (1978)

Item Name: Summer of Fear; Studio:Live / Artisan

Click here for more information about Summer of Fear (1978)

Read More...

Disclosure (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For those of you who have not seen disclosure you are missing quite a bit. It is the story of a business man(Michael Douglas) who's ex girlfriend(Demi Moore) comes to work at his office. In the coarse of events she become his boss and tries to further the relationship. One night in his office she tries to seduce him, even as far as having oral sex with him. After a little foreplay he turns her down and goes home to his wife. Well the next day he is charged with sexual harassment. Douglas proceeds to counter the suit. The movie shows the double standards between men and women concerning sexual assult. The audience watched as a once well thought of man becomes a outcast and a devious woman gets placed on a pedistal. What really makes this moving worth watching is the knowledge that the higher the pedistal the longer the fall. When Demi Moore's character falls, she falls hard. It's an excellant movie with a lot of surprises and a sweet kind of justice.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Disclosure (1994)

Get 70% OFF

Click here for more information about Disclosure (1994)

Read More...

The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Three Stooges recorded so much material during their decades in show business, it's no wonder that plenty of it has remained elusive, even in the DVD era. The release of The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities delves into this vault of material to offer up a little bit of something for everyone.
This DVD contains shorts, live appearances on talk/variety shows, interviews, movie trailers, home movies, commercials and many other materials which defy categorization. If there's a Stooge lover in your life, they'll definitely enjoy this DVD, and it may be the one to turn the non-Stooge lover around. I find myself firmly among the first group, so the abundance of entertainment on this collection that I had never seen before proved quite enjoyable.
Most of the rarities that comprise the Main Feature of the movie were either recorded originally in color or have been colorized, whereas the bonus features have not been colorized. Those of you who dislike the colorization you may have seen before, I can assure you that this job has been done well. In fact, the colorized footage looks even better than some of the footage that was shot in the early days of color TV.
The Main Feature of the DVD includes:
-Hollywood on Parade (A short with the Stooges and other stars of the day)
-Screen Snapshots (Another short with the Stooges and other stars of the
day)
-Heavenly Days (Stooges Short)
-Joe Besser Interview (Very interesting, about how Joe became a Stooge)
-The Stooges on the Steve Allen Show (Moe, Larry and Curly Joe perform three separate times on the show)
-Stop! Look! and Laugh! Trailer (Trailer for a Stooges movie)
-Simoniz Commercial (Stooges shill for Simoniz car wax)
-Snow White and the Three Stooges (Trailer)
-Danny Thomas Presents Comics (Live appearance on his show, the Stooges try to "go legetimate", funny stuff)
-Star Spangled Salesman (Promo short for The US Treasury department)
-Dickies Jeans CommercialThe bonus features include:
-Heavenly Days in Black and White (the short from the main feature in its original B&W)
-Larry Fine Interview (A rare interview after his stroke)
-Knife of the Party (Shemp Documentary and footage)
-Three Stooges Hand Puppets
-Three Stooges on Stage with Curly (rare home movie footage)
-Gentlemaniacs (Clips of Stooge impersonators, very interesting)
-Celebrity Charity Baseball Game (The Stooges go to Wrigley Field)
-On Stage with Curly Joe (A rare home movie clip)
-Three Stooges Arthritis Commercial (funnier than it sounds)
-Strictly for Laughs (Clips from a talk show pilot)
-Four for Texas (Movie Trailer)
-On The Go (Tv Show with Jack Linkletter)

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities

Click here for more information about The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities

Read More...

Mother Lode Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I don't think the critics cared much for this film but I remember seeing it when I was younger and thought it was pretty intense. Charlton Heston does a great job with his role. Kim Basinger also does a good job in an early role for her. The story line is tense and leaves the viewer guessing up until the end. I was also very impressed with the locations and the sets used in the film. The scenery of the British Columbia location is impressive and the scenes in the mine set a great tone. All in all I really enjoyed this film and hope to see it re-released in the future.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mother Lode

Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 03/29/2011Run time: 101 minutes

Click here for more information about Mother Lode

Read More...

The Tribe Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Jamie (Jeremy Northam) is charged by the head of his firm with removing a mysterious group from some property he wants to develop. This `tribe' is a sort of cult, which barricades itself inside a gated mansion in a seedy part of London. Local, would-be hooligans are afraid of this group for no particular reason, especially considering the group is comprised of feeble, malnourished models. To earn a living, the Tribe sells electronic gadgetry on the street. How they obtain the gadgetry in the first place is a bit of a secret, though the group suspects it involves an exchange for sex between a desperate Japanese businessman and their leader, Emily (Joely Richardson). All of this is peripheral to the real crux of the group, which is free love. Jamie penetrates the group (quite literally) in the name of procuring the land that houses the group's fortress, though he finds himself increasingly both enamored of the Tribe's charm and disillusioned by his career ambitions. Made for the Beeb, there are certainly some silly moments, such as several scenes of the group strutting down the street or over meadows in their black robes, or barging into the compound of a competing sect and trying to form an alliance. Nonetheless, this film certainly provides enough mystery and allure to hold one's interest for most of its runtime. I initially wanted to watch it for Kate Isitt (of `Coupling' fame), though her role is very, very small. Not to fret, Northam and Richardson prove to be charming attractions. Anna Friel, however, practically steals the show as the wayward and free-spirited (read: loose) Lizzie. Fans of Jonathan Rhys Meyers probably will not be disappointed to find him fully nude in a couple scenes as well. There is also a series of this show, though I am not familiar with it. The DVD is presented in widescreen and the transfer looks great, though it lacks in all other departments; no subtitles or extras of any sort. This is not rated by the MPAA since it was made for TV, though it is the equivalent of an `R' rating due to full frontal nudity, profanity and a wee bit of violence.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Tribe

Click here for more information about The Tribe

Read More...

Cold Sweat (1993) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Judging from the cover, and Shannon Tweed's name above the title, this is another one of those mediocre, straight to video "Erotic Thrillers." Granted, there's a time and a place for those movies (specifically Cinemax at 3 a.m.) But "Cold Sweat" is miles ahead of its competition. Ben Cross is a hit man who is haunted by the ghost of an innocent victim. At the same time, he tries to balance family life, with a wife and kids, and the extreme violence his job requires. Enter Dave Thomas, a vicious little man who wants his wife, Shannon Tweed, offed. A whole plethora of complications follow, none of which you ever honestly expect. Granted, the film is still low budget, and the production values hurt the quality. But the witty script and expert direction, and most of all, the acting make up for that. Ben Cross is an engaging leading man, a solid actor who really makes you believe he's haunted by demons. It's a real shame that his career took such a nose dive after "Chariots of Fire." Dave Thomas is given a chance to create a fully dimensional character, and prove that he's also an underrated actor. Certainly, he never got that chance on "Grace Under Fire." You'll have to hate him, but you'll never be bored by watching him. The biggest suprise is Shannon Tweed, who proves in this movie that she can actually act. She steals the last scene of the film. Her fans won't be disspointed, eithier. She looks great, and has her own share of erotic moments, check out the growing lotion scene. And finally, the film has a well used "theme song," "Too Much Pride," by Chris Rea. It's used five or six times in the movie, yet I never tired of hearing it. It perfectly describes the "worn out" mindset of the charcters. All in all, there is some superior trashy entertainment for another lonely Saturday night, solid entertainment.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cold Sweat (1993)

Click here for more information about Cold Sweat (1993)

Read More...

The Secret (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"The Secret" stars David Duchovny as Ben Marris, a successful ophtalmologist who is happily married to Hannah [Lili Taylor of The Haunting]who is a housewife. They have a rebellious 16-year-old daughter Sam [Olivia Thirlby]and from the beginning we can see the antagonism Sam feels towards her over-protective mother. Both mom and daughter head out on a weekend trip and an accident causes both to be critically wounded, eventually resulting in a bizarre occurence in which Hannah's spirit transfers over to Sam's body whilst Sam's spirit lingers somewhere in limbo-land.
The rest of the movie deals with how Ben comes to grips with this bizarre turn of events and how Hannah struggles to cope not only with having lost her material body, but having to try to 'find' her daughter's spirit within Sam's physical self, whislt at the same time traversing the tension-fraught life of a high school teen. Both Ben and "Hannah as Sam" also have trouble dealing with the weirdness of their situation as being deeply in love, they come to certain realisations about the impossible situation they are both in. Ben is torn between wanting to satisfy his and Hannah's emotional and sexual needs whilst not wanting to cross the boundaries presented by his own daughter's material body.
The leads do a credible job of portraying three individuals trapped in an intolerable situation, though it is Duchovny's Ben and Thirlby's Sam that carry the movie for the most part. Olivia Thirlby's performance as Samantha/Hannah is commendable as she portrays both mother and teen credibly. Viewers can really tell when she is playing either mother or daughter. Thirlby is definitely a young actor of promising talent based on this performance.
This is supposedly a remake of a Japanese movie titled Himitsu, and though I haven't watched the original, this movie can stand alone on its own merits. Though it has a supernatural premise, it never really delves too deeply into that aspect for the movie deals more with how individuals cope under strange circumstances. Ben and 'Hannah' do seem to accept the situation way too quickly [which did strike me as very odd], but at 1.5 hrs long, the movie really didn't have the luxury of time to go in depth into the topic of spirit transference/possession.
On the whole, I found "The Secret" to be quite an engrossing drama and well carried by credible acting.
SPOILER ALERT
For those viewers who are very much concerned about the taboo aspects of this movie, i.e. a dad having to deal with a daughter who has her mother's spirit residing within her and the physical issues of dealing with that, do not fret. The movie never crosses the line towards actual physical consummation nor any explicit displays of affection between Ben and "Hannah as Sam".

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Secret (2008)

In the spirit of Ghost and Birth, Hannah and Benjamin (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under and David Duchovny, The X-Files) are a happily married couple whose love is tested in ways they never could have imagined in this touching supernatural drama. But when Hannah is killed in a car accident, the couple's strong bond may be responsible for an unusual twist of fate that keeps their love alive -- at the expense of their daughter (Olivia Thirlby, Juno).

Get 57% OFF

Click here for more information about The Secret (2008)

Read More...

Children of the Corn 3 - Urban Harvest (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)'Children of the Corn 3' is pretty damn entertaining. Not as good as two, but still superior to the original and well worth watching. It's certainly never effective as a straight horror movie, but it's got plenty of camp appeal and some amusing gore. This one is sorta vaguely related to the original central story, as it's about little creepy Eli and larger, normal Joshua who are adopted brothers. At the films beginning Eli murders his adopted father so they have to move in with a foster family... IN THE CITY!!!!! Eli is some sorta evil corn warlock and he starts killin' people for no particular reason and works on a scheme to feed tainted super-corn to all the world with the unwitting help of their foster father, who is some sort of corn magnate. What's worse, Eli starts preaching at the toughest Catholic school in the hood and starts converting everyone, to create a whole new pack of corn children! That all sounds pretty silly, I'm sure, and it is, but they try to take is seriously, which is nice. Intentionally camp movie do work sometimes, but they can rarely compare to something which was meant to be taken seriously. Though actually, I don't wanna be to hard on it, as it's actually more competent than a lotta films of this caliber. I get the feeling that the director could manage a pretty decent horror movie if he had a decent script and a moderate budget. But this is what we got, and there ain't much they can do with this plot, and the dude who plays Eli just ain't menacing, like Malachi was in the first one. Still, it's pretty awesome, with a nice scarecrow attack, a corncifiction, a big scary corn monster that eats a doll, some computer generated fireballs, a crazy agitated priest, a chick totally melting, a corn-thieving hobo who gets his comeuppance, icky bugs, a scary corn-bible and a glimpse into the mysterious world of international corn trade. If all that hasn't convinced you that you need to see 'Children of the Corn 3', that I don't think it's gonna happen. Also, Charlize Theron has a small role as one of the new Children of the Corn towards the end. Not that I can imagine why you'd care, though it does show how life really can change- in ten years she went all the way from 'Children of the Corn 3' to... ... .... ...'Aeon Flux'. You've come a long way, baby.
Grade: C

Click Here to see more reviews about: Children of the Corn 3 - Urban Harvest (1994)

Click here for more information about Children of the Corn 3 - Urban Harvest (1994)

Read More...

The Sixth Sense (1999) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Have you ever watched a scary movie in the dark, and almost swore you saw someone moving out of the corener of your eye? I have, and after seeing this movie it happened a lot more.
"The Sixth Sense" has great performances from Bruce Willis (who plays Malcolm, an emotionally wounded psychologist)and Haley Joel Osment (who plays Cole, a little boy with a remarkable gift:he sees dead people) The screenplay is wonderful.
"They don't know they're dead," laments Cole."They think they're alive.They see what they want to see." Malcolm is determined to help him. His marriage has been failing ever since an old case that showed almost the same symtoms shot him in the side and then killed himself.Malcolm is determined not to let that happen to Cole.
This is a remarkable movie with a Hitchcokian twist at the end.Watch it, and you'll be doing double takes next time you feel that strange presence behind your back.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Sixth Sense (1999)

Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis (ARMAGEDDON, THE SIEGE) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (Oscar(R)-nominee for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) that critics are calling one of the greatest ghost stories ever filmed. When Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a distinguished child psychologist, meets Cole Sear (Oscar(R)-nominee Haley Joel Osment, Best Supporting Actor), a frightened, confused, eight-year-old, Dr. Crowe is completely unprepared to face the truth of what haunts Cole. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling, the discovery of Cole's incredible sixth sense leads them to mysterious places with unforgettable consequences!

Get 70% OFF

Click here for more information about The Sixth Sense (1999)

Read More...

Stockholm Syndrome (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This might ave been a good movie, had it had more money spent on it.
Unfortunately its shortcomings are all too obvious. The acting is beyond cretinous, the camerawork shoddy, and the picture grainy and wobbly.
Sound is also chronic in parts with voice sound volume decreasing abruptly when actors walk away from the boom mike.
Although the gore is plenteous and quite well delivered, it seemed that Mr Cavalline was just direcing a series of horrific scenes to shock.
There was no cohesion and it came across like he was trying just that bit too hard. There is not much (if any)storyline, so all in all not a success.
I'd recommend this film to horror boneheads who can understand gore when they see it, but would be confused by any semblance of plot or realistic acting. Strictly Amateur Hour i'm afraid.
PS Ignore Todd Proesl's review. Not only does he "act" in this film, he is the worst "actor" in the entire thing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Stockholm Syndrome (2009)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Stockholm Syndrome (2009)

Read More...

83 Hours Til Dawn (1990) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I enjoyed the movie and couldn't get this movie at blockbuster online. I received my dvd very quickly in 3 days and had no troubles with the used dvd. This dvd had the late Robert Urich,and Peter Struass. The daughter of Robert Urich was kidnapped and held for ransom. The movie explores the rescue attempts by the family and authorities and why and how the kidnapper chose his victim. It was a tv fact-based movie.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 83 Hours Til Dawn (1990)

Synopsis:Based on a true story-An heiress is kidnapped for ransom and buried alive in a special capsule that within 83 hours will become her tomb. So begins the race for time and sanity as her father, knowing the conditions of his daughter's incarceration, faces the reality of trusting his own instincts and paying the ransom or putting his faith in the FBI.

Click here for more information about 83 Hours Til Dawn (1990)

Read More...

Monroe: Class of '76 (2005) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Everyone else thinks Pat Fisher was a suicide. Detective Inspector Tom Monroe (Robert Carlyle) isn't so sure. A paranoid, stumbling man, Fisher finally eased his pain one night by running onto a highway into the path of a truck.
In Fisher's room, Tom finds a class photo of a group of 10-year-olds taken in 1976. Fisher had circled three of the children's faces. They were part of a small group of the kids who played together. Then there was the tape recording Tom discovers with Fisher's frightened voice rambling on..."Amy was the first. It happened on a Sunday. She was picking bluebells. The place where they found her was always a favorite. We built our tree house near there then, our sanctuary." With Amy the first in 1976, those whose faces were circled have all died, some when they were adults. Another odd thing; the photo shows 33 children, but there were only 32 in the class of '76. One of the children in the photo is smaller than the others. His face is blurred. Tom, a gloomy sort of lonely man, starts investigating.
Monroe: Class of '76 is a British two-part television mystery that leaves port with great promise and then slowly sinks. At times it seems to take forever to get to the conclusion, which turns out to be a flat, disappointing letdown. The writers created an eerie, intriguing and puzzling story...and then evidently realized they needed to find a way out of the set-up they'd created. They took a hurried, easy and unlikely route. It doesn't help that they had to fill about 150 minutes of screen story time. There's a lot of talk. There's a lot of watching Tom staring off into the distance while he reflects on his own sad issues. There's a major red herring that adds nothing to the plot but eats up time.
Why bother with this? First, Robert Carlyle. This Scot is an outstanding actor. He's not handsome. He's small and on the scrawny side. He's so good and so versatile that he brings interest to just about any movie he's in. He does here. Second, the movie's gloom and eeriness comes through. Monroe: Class of '76 is well photographed and edited. Third, the set-up: People murdered after a class picture was taken of them as school kids...a mysterious additional child in that picture no one seems able to identify...and the murders are continuing. For me, these three elements were hard to resist.
I stayed with the movie to the end. The conclusion, plus the sluggishness, turns the movie to two stars from four. Still, I like Carlyle. I'll make it three stars.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Monroe: Class of '76 (2005)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Monroe: Class of '76 (2005)

Read More...

Murder 101 (1991) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)MURDER 101 written and directed by Bill Condon (who would later grab an Oscar for GODS AND MONSTERS) is a great little movie that I had never heard of. Suffice to say, Condon's neat little script gives us two big surprises at the end. The murderer is hard to spot and the ending is just "Wow, did I just see what I think I saw?"
At any rate, Pierce Brosnan in his pre Bond days stars as a best-selling crime writer who teaches a class in how to write the perfect crime novel. Brosnan gained famed writing a true crime thriller that sent his friend to prison for murdering his wife. Brosnan returns to teaching, to meet his estranged wife, played sweetly by Dey Young, who has taken up with another professor, played smarmily by Mark L. Taylor (Fangs). Another friend of his is Detective Mike Dowley (played with a surly masculinity by Antoni Carone). Soon, though, things take a demonic twist when Pierce is set up for murder by one of his students. Rachel Sbarge in a crafty performance seems to be the one who is setting him up.
The pace is good; the script witty and inventive; and overall, a tidy, surprising mystery.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Murder 101 (1991)

Click here for more information about Murder 101 (1991)

Read More...

Above Suspicion (1995) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This movie was Christopher Reeves last movie before his freak accident that left him paralyzed. The acting is what makes this movie great, but you must get by your emotions during the brother's affair with Reeves' wife. Definitely not for children.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Above Suspicion (1995)

Click here for more information about Above Suspicion (1995)

Read More...