V/H/S/2 [DvD]

"No Safe Haven From The Ghosts, Zombies, and Aliens"
I can't lie, I absolutely loved "V/H/S [DVD]" so checking out part 2 for me was a no brainer. This go around is definitely a step up from the first and brings us stories that deal with a man who receives a bionic eye implant that lets him see ghosts "Clinical Trials", a bike ride in the park as a zombie outbreak occurs "A Ride In The Park", a trip to a religious cult "Safe Haven" and a sleepover that results in alien abduction "Alien Abduction Slumber Party". As I watched it seemed to me that each segment just got better and better except I wish they would of switched the last two segments with "Safe Haven" being the final tape before the wrap around.

"Clinical Trials" directed by Adam Wingard "A Horrible Way to Die" takes us into the last days of a man who receives a bionic eye implant due from damage to his original eye as part of...

Ghosts, Zombies, Cults, and Aliens... A Terrifying and Creative Horror Anthology...
(The following review may have potential spoilers, although most descriptions are as brief as possible.)

V/H/S 2 is a found-footage horror anthology. "Tape 49" is the frame story which follows two private investigators searching for a missing college student. When they arrive at the house, they find and view several VHS tapes hoping to track the young student. Instead, they find the following short movies:

"Clinical Trials Phase 1" follows a man who has received a new eye after a car accident - an eye with a built-in camera. When he gets home, he begins to hallucinate - things are misplaced, odd figures are seen, etc. This story works superbly as a jump-scare ghost story. It uses great suspense and the claustrophobic tunnel-vision to create effectively unexpected and consistent jump-scares. Some of the visuals are also eerie, and very creative. The acting of the lead was a bit off at times as his dialogue delivery felt unnatural - he didn't seem frightened...

Awesome!
It's a fun film for someone with an interesting taste in the unusual. Anyone who is tired of watching a Saw film every year would love the uniqueness this film offers.

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Day Of The Dead (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

"The Darkest Day of Horror the World Has Ever Known"
The third--and possibly the final--entry in George Romero's DEAD series, 1985's DAY OF THE DEAD was initially panned by both critics and horror fans. Many complained that, in spite of the much improved special FX, the film did not live up to the creepiness and the literacy of the groundbreaking first film of the trilogy, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), nor was its content equal to the offbeat humor and satirical subtext of the second film, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). Thus, it was simply written off as another exercise in shock value. But in the time that has passed since the initial release of DAY OF THE DEAD, many fans and critics alike have grown to regard the film as a worthy entry in the series, with many claiming it has become their favorite of the three.

DAY OF THE DEAD is a claustrophobic character study set almost entirely in a secured underground military bunker. The story picks up some months after the end of DAWN OF THE DEAD, with the earth now nearly overrun by the...

Horror fans should seriously consider watching this film
If you haven't see Day of the Dead and you're reading the viewer reviews of this film, it's presumably because you're either a zombie fan or you loved Night of the Living Dead and/or Dawn of the Dead. But you're not sure whether or not to watch this film because of the mixed reviews it received. My recommendation is that you should rent this film and watch it twice and if you liked the film buy the Anchor Bay remaster widescreen version.

The plot to Day of the Dead is simple. The world has been conquered by zombies, as seen in Day's predecessors. There are only 12 survivors left in Florida and they've taken refuge in an underground salt mine and silo. There's heated conflicts between the soldiers and the scientists and civilians and by the end, thousands of zombies pour into the silo and wreak graphic havoc.

Yes, Day of the Dead is extremely graphic and gory (It's probably the most violent and gory American horror film ever made) as most zombie films are. But this...

Mmmmm.....apocalicious!
A fine horror film in its own right, but it suffers in comparison to "Dawn of the Dead". Where "Dawn" thematically succeeds on its criticism of consumerism, it's hard to find where "Day" fits in the trilogy. And George Romero himself has stated that this was only a shadow of the original "dead" grand finale he envisioned. But the good news is that maybe we'll see a another sequel some day? It's time...the world needs another Zombie film!

But no matter...it's creepy, apocalyptic nightmare that probes a primal fear, i.e. being eaten. It's quite well-acted (in a yelling and screaming sort of way) in spite of its other shortcomings. Lori Cardille and Jarlath Conroy stand out; too bad they haven't done more film work (both are very active in indie/theater work). Josef Pilato has gone on to character roles, including Dean Martin in "Pulp Fiction".

One note regarding the special effects...they're *really* disturbing, especially Sarah's...

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Scenic Route

Kafkaesque Buddy Survival Flick
In the 20th century the term, "Kafkaesque" was commonly used to describe literature and films that were reminiscent of the writings of Franz Kafka. The term seems to have dropped out of common usage in the current century. Scenic Route should rightfully bring it back. Here we have a film that gets under the skin and leaves a transcendental bruise on the psyche.

Reviewers on other sites have noted Josh Duhamel's incredible depth in performance. He certainly has proven his chops as a serious actor in this role. However, Dan Fogler's performance was equally if not more impressive. Fogler's cherubic style as seen in such role's as Franklin in the Hannibal TV series is also present in Scenic Route. But Fogler goes even further here as he explores more dark elements of man's depravity.

Indeed, this film in general considers not only the evils man is capable of but just how close the darkness is to the surface. You may watch this film and question how easily you...

A fantastic movie that is very much worth seeing but won't get the audience that it deserves. I highly recommend. I say A-
"You stage a breakdown in the middle of the desert so we can talk?!" Mitchell (Duhamel) and Carter (Fogler) are best friends we have started to drift apart when they decide to go for a ride. When the truck they are in breaks down in the middle of a desert they start to argue about the directions their lives have taken. The argument starts to escalate and their friendship is pushed to its limits. Before I start I have to admit that the plot doesn't seem exciting or interesting at all but this is a perfect example of you can't judge a book by it's cover. While the plot isn't all that intriguing the acting is so brilliant that it gives the movie a tenseness and excitement that the idea alone can not. You really begin to feel for the friends and are so invested in them that you find yourself living and dying with them with every passing minute. It's to talk to much about the events without giving something away because each event builds on the one before it but I will say that this was a...

Stirs the Emotions
I enjoyed this movie. I hope it's a big commercial success because people need the message that it conveys, it seems to me. It's about friendship, anger (even murderous anger), betrayal, and survival. That's a lot for a cast of two to handle; the few others in the film played no significant role.

Two men, about thirty years old, find themselves stranded along an isolated stretch of desert road. One of the men, Carter (Dan Fogler) decided to take this remote route as a way to spend some time with his long-time buddy, Mitchell (Josh Duhamel). Their friendship goes back many years, but in recent times the two have grown distant.

Carter's old pickup truck dies on them. It dies in the wrong place: the nearest town appears to be sixty miles away. Lesson: stay on the main drag if you're driving through an area that looks like the surface of the moon.

It's very hot by day and bitter cold by night. They run out of water. It becomes an ordeal. And the two men...

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War of the Buttons

A Great Foreign Film.
There was an older film of this same title, but it dealt with Irish schoolboys and had much the same plot. But this one I think is better because it shows a side of the World War (1939-1945) from a child's point of view. Also, the title in French translates to "The New War of the Buttons," possibly from the fact of the previous film of the same name. As foreign language films go, this one has English subtitles that actually give you enough time to read them. My French is cursory at best, but I did detect the English translations to be slightly off, adding more words than were actually spoken but still maintaining the gist of the conversation. The period clothing is perfect and none of the children had ever acted before which is very surprising by their performance. Some of the scenes of the French countryside are breathtaking. This is a very delightful film and highly recommend for those who are weary of war movies bathed in blood and gore. Imdb website gave it only 5 stars, but...

War of the Buttons (French version) Seen in the Big Screen
Beautiful and sensitive Movie about pre-teens set in France during
the Nazi ocupation, around 1944.
Made with Love, Humor and Patriotism.
I wish all France, should had reacted
this Way. THEN, WE WOULD LOVE FRANCE.
Otherwise, the Acting and the Story
is Excellent. SEE IT.
Jose Cymerman.



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Matilde Di Shabran

Bel Canto Perfection!!!
After three Rossini Opera Festival releases were marred by questionable staging, it is a huge delight to have one of Rossini's last Neapolitan opera seria available in an exciting, more traditional staging. And sung to near perfection, as well! In fact, not one member of this cast did less than a five star job on some extremely demanding music.

Osborne ("The Bel Canto Operas")refers to the plot as "senseless and complicated", which it is, truth to tell. But the music, gentle reader is sublime, in the main, but demands a first rate cast to realize the beauty and complexities of the score.

Juan Diego Florez is a favorite at our home; whether on CD or (preferably) DVD, JFD has the range, skills and intelligence to bring life to roles that have been abandoned for decades, in part, because there was no one who could handle the tessatura and coloratura demands they present. Tenors who sing Verdi, Puccini and the later great Italian composers simply cannot navigate in...

Perfect Cast .. a Rossini delight
One of my most favorite operas and having seen several version going back to the very early quite bizarre Pesaro production with a young Florez - this one is a delight to watch. There are no poor performers in the cast - both in voice and acting. The staging is the recycled double helix stairs set from several prior Pesaro productions but this version moves with more confidence and slickness. Florez is in commanding style and being that much older - more believable in his role, but the Neapolitan poet role of Isidoro is very well handled as is Matilde and Edgardo.
People say the story is odd - but not really. It's essentially a reverse Taming of the Shrew but also a parody of characters with exaggerated personality aspects. The 3 CD Decca recording of 2006 if superior musically as some of the music on this DVD is a wee bit muted and less energetic, possibly a result of the live recording pick-up.
There are English subtitles but speaking Italian I enjoyed watching with...



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Drift

Surfing in West Australia 1972: Nice Surf Scenes and Clichéd Storyline
Set in 1972, West Australia, a 2013 Australian film "Drift" follows the story of two brothers with conflicting personality traits. Andy Kelly (Myles Pollard, who also produces) and Jimmy Kelly (Xavier Samuel) are surfers who start a surf shop in their garage. While their business goes well, their childhood friend Gus (Aaron Glenane) gets involved with a local biker and drug dealer Miller (Steve Bastoni).

Sam Worthington plays JB, a hippie-like surf photographer travelling with a beautiful Hawaiian girl Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt). Third-billed Worthington, known for Hollywood blockbusters like "Terminator Salvation" and "Avatar," appears in a comparatively smaller role.

Though the film claims the story is "inspired by actual events," I think most of it is very loosely based on facts. The film's drama is not very interesting with stock characters and a familiar storyline. Conflicts arise between the characters in a predictable way, and then they are easily...

Good movie: nice plot, realistic acting, simplicity without unnecessary effects
I recently watched this movie and thought it was very interesting. It has a good plot and interesting characters. Simple filming, realistic expectations. I liked the fact that it did not have extra effects or complicated relationships evolving between the characters just to keep the plot going. It deals 60% with entrepreneurship and 40% with surfing. Maybe they should have marketed it that way, it would probably 'sell more'. A disadvantage is that in the beginning of the movie the relationships between the characters are not explained well, and the viewer gets confused. But apart from that I enjoyed the movie.

Really Enjoyable Movie
All the actors were amazing! I was expecting to see more of Sam Worthington, but Myles Pollard made up for it.

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Disconnect [Blu-ray]

Doesn't Anyone Talk Face to Face?
Doesn't it seem like everyone is wired these days? Doesn't anyone talk face-to-face anymore? This recent trend has permeated everything we do; if you don't believe me, take a look: LOL; BFF; OMG; W8; BTW; BYOB (kidding...); FYI; ETA; ASAP; RSVP (well, okay... not EVERYTHING is recent)....

With this in mind, brace yourself for an exciting film that addresses our digital world, with grief counseling chat rooms, cyber bullying, on-line sex, and identity theft, plus general e-mails, texting, GPS units and Facebook. It is NOT boring; there isn't a wasted scene, an unnecessary line or a plot hole left unfilled. Kudos to director Henry Alex Rubin ("Murderball" - a terrific documentary) and scriptwriter Andrew Stern ("Return to Me" - one of my favorites), for a movie about moral dilemmas and ethical quicksand that keep us engaged and involved every step of the way.

We see:
* Jason Bateman ("Identity Thief") is a successful attorney named Rich, whose adolescent son...

Powerfully Disturbing Portrayal of the Disconnection in Today's World
"Disconnect" may be one of the most thought-provoking films to come down the pike in recent years that paints an accurate and frightening image of what life looks like now, due to our dependence on the internet, and where it might lead if people don't realize the damage that is being done. The internet is a powerful, useful tool, but the daily abuse of it is almost beyond the scope of comprehending. "Disconnect" gives us an idea about how widespread and frequent that abuse is.

There is a certain amount of irony that our world has become so much closer in the way we communicate. We can literally converse with almost anyone on the planet. I grew up during a time when pen-pal letters from school was about as "close" as I ever got to talking to someone from another country. However, the closer we have become with our communication, the larger the chasm in our connections with others.

"Disconnect" focuses on three main story-lines. The first involves, Ben Boyd,...

It's Better to be Connected than Disconnected
You really need to take a long shower after watching this one. Disconnect contains two basic messages...the Internet is certainly not your friend and you better start "connecting" with friends and family or plan on losing them. Exploitation of young adults for on-line sex sites, cyber-bullying and identity theft are the Trinity of what is essential peril of our Internet usage. Good acting and a tension filled narrative really drove this movie to a good place. Most of the characters in this you just wanted to haul off and hurt. Disconnect reminded me a lot of my reaction after seeing the 2002 movie Thirteen...dazed and scared in my ignorance of not knowing the sick reality in this big bad world of ours.

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