Al Adamson, responsible for such timeless classics of cinema history as Hell's Bloody Devils and Cinderella 2000, decided to combine his affinities for bad horror and bad softcore in Nurse Sherri, which is the story of a horny young thing who gets possessed by an evil spirit and then, well, stays a horny young thing. Except that the evil spirit takes over every once in a while and drives Sherri to kill people. (Never mind that, when the evil spirit's agenda is revealed, the murder in which she's been caught in the act has nothing to do with said agenda.) While there's certainly something to be said for seeing the gorgeous Jill Jacobson (in her second onscreen appearance; she has since gone on to be a famous television character actress) alternating between poolside dalliances and running around wielding a pair of cleavers like some sort of butcher ninja, this is about what you'd expect from an Al Adamson joint. The acting ranges from bad to horrible, the direction is barely coherent (an aspect the script lacks), the lighting and sound are pedestrian at best, and the music sounds like it's straight out of the Scooby-Doo fakebook.
I should probably note that not just horror and softcore make their way in here; this is a conglomeration of just about everything Independent International ever tried their hands at. There's a bit of sci-fi (and that section contains some of the funniest effects you will ever see), a bit of blaxploitation, a bit of romance. Really, it's got just about everything. It makes absolutely no sense, but then, does burgoo? It's silly fun, and taken as silly fun, it's immensely satisfying. **
』
(Another bad one from Al Adamson) 『Al Adamson made some truly awful movies (Blood of Ghastly Horror) and some that provides decent entertainment (Brain of Blood, Blood of Dracula's Castle). "Nurse Sherri" falls somewhere in between but closer to the awful section. It starts out about some cult and after that it's about some nurse that gets possessed by a demon and starts killing patients. Like several other Adamson movies, I guess this must be one of those movies that were patched together using pieces of other unfinished movies. It is not worth spending money on nor spending the time to watch.』
(Adamson's Blaxploitation Whammy) 『No one watches an Al Adamson movie with high expectations, but the director has been known to turn out some entertaining movies despite modest talents and miniscule budgets. With "Black Voodoo," things get off to a promising start as we join a religious cult out in the Southern California desert (I've only recently started watching Adamson's work, but it seems like ALL his movies start in the SoCal desert). At the guidance of their leader, Reanhaur (toothy Bill Roy), cult members are trying to bring a dead member back to life by chanting "Rise, William, rise!" Then Reanhaur suffers a heart attack. Rather than chant "Rise, Reanhauer, rise," an ambulance is called. But the old kook dies on the operating table. His body may be dead, but Reanhauer's spirit is very much alive. After Sherri (Jill Jacobson)--a nurse at the hospital where the cult leader was taken--is left alone by her doctor/boyfriend, an animated green blob emerges through Sherri's bedroom door and has its way with her. Perhaps the worst special effect ever for its time, this scene in which Sherri gets possessed is the movie's laugh-out-loud high point.
Things go downhill from there. Possessed by the Reanhaur's spirit, Sherri goes on a killing spree that would make Andy Milligan proud. Her doctor/boyfriend (whiny-voiced Geoffrey Land) thinks she's having an affair, but a blinded football player (Prentiss Moulden) who was raised by--get this--a voodoo priestess knows what Sherri's *real* problem is. He knows how to stop Sherri, if Nurse Tara (Marilyn Joi), who's got the hots for him, is willing to do some grave robbing for the good of mankind.
Supposedly this movie was originally conceived as a ripoff of Roger Corman's sexploitation pic "The Student Nurses," but after producer Sam Sherman saw "Carrie" he decided to turn this into a horror movie. To make room for the spooky stuff, the sex scenes were cut, which explains why all the nurses in "Black Voodoo" are particularly libidinous ("Beth, you want to put Ed's stethoscope back in his pants?"), yet seldom act on their spoken desires. It probably explains why the busty Jacobson got the lead: She was expected to open her blouse, not her mouth. Unfortunately with the new horror story, she has to summon up some emotions but is unable to find any. Land, who delivers all his lines as if making an aspirin commercial, isn't much better. And it's obvious scenes were made with minimal takes as there are several instances were actors stumble over their lines. The pace is leaden through much of the movie (sex scenes were cut to make room for Reanhaur's three-minute ambulance ride?), and there is one scene that's so dark the viewer has no clue what's going on. With this type movie I expect bad acting, silly dialog and ridiculous narratives, but I can't forgive its being boring. And to think this was actually a hit with drive-in audiences!
Furthermore, "Black Voodoo" isn't really blaxploitation. Oh, there are some African American characters (and Xenon Entertainment is sure to use all their pictures on the box cover), but they're supporting players. No, this was originally titled "Nurse Sherri," and just retitled to get a few extra dollars from black audiences. The movie has been retitled again, as "The Possession of Nurse Sherri," in its DVD incarnation and is perhaps the better version to see. Not only does it feature commentary by Sam Sherman, but the disc also includes an unreleased cut of the movie featuring the excised sex scenes. Maybe that cut restores the movie's entertainment value as well.』
(dont buy this DVD) 『i was led astray thinking that the show might be something worth seeing,unfortunately not. I really regret buying this show as the story line sucks and there was only one nude scene. What a joke. Dont buy this and u have been warned.』
(Sam Sherman commentary makes this a Great! DVD!) 『Great movie! Really has stood the test of time! I originally saw this movie under the name "Black Voodoo". But this is the version you want! This DVD has all the bells and whistles! A very creative TV spot, kind of a strange one, but very different. The Sam Sherman commentary really adds to it, you are let in on the process of the making of the film. It is a honest commentary, from a visionary, inspiring, great man. I can listen to Sherman talk all day! If you have seen this movie before, get this version for the commentary, if you haven't seen it, get it for actors Marilyn Joi and JC Wells. A truly inspired film! Sam Sherman is a person I would like to meet and chat with in my lifetime. Great all around DVD, worth every penny...』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (The emphasis on the drama of the situation allows these episodes to wear well over time) 『The first of these two episodes is by far the best. In it, William Shatner plays a man just released from an institution where he was recovering from a nervous breakdown that occurred on a plane. His wife is with him and they are now on board a plane back home. Shatner has a window seat and the plane is flying through a powerful storm. He looks out and sees a creature on the wing. However, no one else can see it so in desperation he steals a gun from a police officer and shoots the creature. In this episode we see vintage Shatner, the facial expressions and the push towards overacting. From this episode, it is clear that he did not develop that style just for Star Trek, it was a part of his acting persona well before he became Captain Kirk. The second episode is weaker. A jet flight due to land in New York suddenly experiences a dramatic tail wind that causes their speed to exceed all normal barriers. After a flash of light and some turbulence, they find themselves unable to contact any airports on the radio. Having no other choice, they descend to a level where they can make visual contact with landmarks. While they can identify the geographical structure of New York City, they see only dense foliage and dinosaurs. The captain then makes the decision to fly back up into the tail wind and try to go forward in time. This maneuver succeeds, but they arrive back approximately 30 years too early. The episode closes with the plane low on fuel and the pilot making one last attempt to get back into their normal time. While the technology of special effects has improved dramatically since "The Twilight Zone" aired, the episodes have held up well. That is due to the fact that the emphasis was always on the drama of the situation rather than the appearance of the situation. This is evident in these two classic episodes of a classic series. 』
(Nervous Airline Passengers&Crew Abound In 2 TZ Favorites!) 『These two "aircraft"-related episodes of "The Twilight Zone" are two of my favorites from the Rod Serling-created TV series.
These black-and-white shows look quite good on this VHS videotape. Hi-Fi Mono audio is provided. At the beginning of the tape, there's a "CBS / FOX Collector's Preview", which consists of trailer ads for the first four VHS "Zone" volumes. Short clips from the eight episodes on those four tapes are included. This volume (#3) is one of those shown in the "Preview".
The first TZ program offered up here is a Season-Five episode -- "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet". It stars William Shatner as a very (very) nervous airline passenger aboard a commercial propliner. Bill thinks he sees a gremlin on the wing of his airplane while in flight! Is Bill plain nuts? He's had a mental breakdown aboard a plane in the past. Is it happening to him again? Or is there really a furry-looking beast fiddling around with one of the engines on the aircraft's portside wing?
Nobody can see the creature except Bill (who portrays "Bob Wilson" here). The beast jumps away each time a stewardess or anyone else looks out the window to catch a glimpse. This has gotta be slightly annoying for Bob/Bill. Kind of like seeing a UFO and having nobody believe you!
But, thankfully, for Bob Wilson that is, Rod Serling's final remarks are uttered at the end of this program, letting us know that ..... "Tangible manifestation is very often left as evidence of trespass -- even from so intangible a quarter as ... The Twilight Zone". The camera then pans across the wing of the airplane, revealing the damage caused by Bob's wing-walking creature.
"Nightmare" was first seen on CBS-TV on October 11, 1963. It was episode number 123 of "Zone", and the third program shown during the series' fifth year on the air.
Main "Nightmare" guest star Bill Shatner appeared in multiple TZ episodes, and also made guest appearances on dozens of other television programs throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. He has made nearly 200 guest shots in TV shows since 1956; plus a roster of movie appearances that number more than 100 (beginning in 1951, when he was 20). These TV and movie appearances, of course, are in addition to Bill's career-defining role as "Captain James T. Kirk" on "Star Trek".
"Nightmare" Trivia ....... The fur-covered "gremlin" was played by Nick Cravat, who was Burt Lancaster's acrobatic circus partner. Cravat made just 19 films in his career, nine of those co-starring with Lancaster. Nick's TV appearances were even a rarer event -- just 5 total, including his silent role as the hairy airplane-smashing gnome/alien on "Zone".
In this tape's second episode, "The Odyssey Of Flight 33", a Boeing 707 commercial jetliner is heading straight into the "Zone", at record speeds. The jetliner hits "one lulu of a jetstream" (or so the flight crew thinks) when their 707 begins to pick up speed for no discernible reason. But the plane has actually gone back in time -- millions of years! It's a great premise for a TZ episode, and a very good script, which was written solely by Rod Serling. The scene where the bewildered flight crew looks out the window and gazes upon the rather unexpected sight of .... of all things .... a dinosaur! .... is a very memorable moment in Mr. Serling's tension-filled manuscript. The reptile we see is just a tiny toy (moved via stop-motion photography), and can hardly rival the reptiles of "Jurassic Park" on the realism scale -- but Mr. Serling's toy beast still conveyed its message well enough.
One thing that strikes me as rather humorous in this "Odyssey" episode is the large number of flight-crew members that are working in the aircraft's cockpit. There are five men on the flight deck on this Boeing 707 flight from London to New York. However, Mr. Serling evidently does have his facts straight in this regard -- because I believe that a cockpit crew on a long-haul overseas flight back then (1961) did consist of five people.
But looking at that episode today, it does appear strange to see that many people needed to fly one aircraft. Today's modern jetliners, with the "fly-by-wire" technology and "glass cockpits" (e.g.: the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777, Airbus A330, and Airbus A340, among others), only require a mere two-man team of pilots to operate them. (Although on super-long flights of more than 10 hours or so, a back-up set of pilots is always on board to relieve the first team part of the way through the flight.)
The "Odyssey" episode contains an underlying quality of restless uneasiness, that is only accentuated by the effective use of the background music. In fact, both of the TZ eps. on this VHS tape sport good musical scores, which complement the material on screen nicely.
"Odyssey" is a show from TZ season #2 (the eighteenth installment from that season). It aired on February 24, 1961 on CBS. It's the 54th overall episode in the series, and stars John Anderson as the Captain of the airliner. Other guests: Harp McGuire, Paul Comi, and Sandy Kenyon.
Kenyon was a highly-visible character actor during the 1950s and 1960s (and even into the '70s and '80s as well), popping up on numerous TV shows, including three guest shots on "The Twilight Zone". Sandy's career roster of TV roles is a lengthy one indeed, with more than 100 total appearances, beginning in the very early days of television with a role in a "Hallmark Hall-Of-Fame" program in February of 1952.
Interestingly (and coincidentally), John Anderson -- Kenyon's co-star in this "Odyssey" TZ ep. -- also made his first TV appearance on the "Hallmark Hall-Of-Fame" series. The very same year as Kenyon's debut, in fact (1952). And Anderson, like Kenyon, also was cast several times as a guest on "The Twilight Zone".
Anderson, prior to his death at age 69 in August 1992, logged 198 TV guest appearances, plus roles in more than 80 movies. Whenever I see Mr. Anderson in something, I'm always reminded of the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film "Psycho", in which Anderson appears as a used car salesman (he sold the fleeing Janet Leigh a car near the beginning of the picture). Oddly, however, several Internet sources that list movie casts claim that Anderson played a "hardware clerk" in "Psycho", which is inaccurate.
Anderson is given some compelling dialogue by Mr. Serling in "The Odyssey Of Flight 33". I like his succinct and to-the-point declaration to the rest of the flight crew when it is discovered that his airplane is a tad ... shall we say ... off course --- "The real estate is there ... it's just that the city and 8 million people are missing".
Anderson also issues a couple of announcements to the passengers of "Flight 33", one of which includes a comment about the aircraft experiencing some "atmospheric phenomena" -- how would you like to hear those words coming from your airline Captain?! I think I'd be a bit worried if I heard that. I'd probably start frantically searching out the windows for flying saucers, or possibly even large-sized furry beasts that might be taking up residence out on the wings. :-)
Additional thoughts / notes / trivia / goofs regarding "The Odyssey Of Flight 33" ............
>>In the final act of the episode, the airline Captain makes a statement to the passengers over the intercom, in order to (as he said) "let them in on it". But that seems a bit odd to me -- because didn't the Captain think the passengers might have been even the slightest bit concerned or alarmed when they, too, saw the dinosaur(s) below them? Surely the huge reptilian beasts weren't visible to JUST the flight crew. The time for the Captain to have made his cabin announcement to "let them in on it", in my opinion, would have been right after the dinosaur incident -- don't ya think?? Rather than only after the aircraft has "returned" part of the way back to their current time of 1961 (they go through the "time barrier" a second time and find themselves in the year 1939).
I'll tell ya one thing though -- I'd sure as heck rather land in New York, circa 1939, than take my chances co-mingling with pre-historic dinosaurs from millions of years ago. For, somehow, via that latter option, I don't think the humans are going to win that one-sided struggle. (LOL.)
>>Rod Serling's brother, Robert J. Serling, who was an "aviation writer" for UPI, helped write the pilot's technical dialogue, which was integrated into the "Odyssey" script.
>>The dinosaur scene was the most expensive single scene ever filmed for a "Twilight Zone" episode. The dinosaur shots cost $2,500 to film.
>>The toy dinosaur used in this TZ episode is one of the same miniature brontosaurus models that can be seen in the 1960 movie "Dinosaurus".
----------------------------
In-a-nutshell Summary ..........
This third VHS volume of "The Twilight Zone" won't disappoint fans of the series at all. On tap are two outstanding "themed" episodes that contain all of the elements that made Mr. Serling's fantasy anthology series so captivating -- The Unknown, Suspense, Preying on man's fears, and a Creature or two thrown in for good measure (pre-historic and otherwise).』
(the best movie) 『it was a good movie i would reccamond it for other people.』
(THE SKY IS THE LIMIT IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE) 『These are two of the best episodes from this great TV series. In one episode a commercial airliner Captained by veteran actor John Anderson goes back in time in THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33. Writen by Rod Serling this modern-moody episode is both memorable and entertaining. In the other episode, William Shatner gives a dazzling performance in NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET written by Richard Matheson from the 5th season. As a just-released mental patient on an airplane flying home with his wife (Christine White), Shatner peers out the window and sees a wooly creature on the wing, dismantling one of the engines. This is one of my favorites and is probably the most recognizable episode from the entire series. Richard Donner ingeniously directed it.』
(Great Stocking Stuffer from the Twilight Zone) 『From the 2nd season "THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33" is a good episode about a commercial airliner that goes back in time to a prehistoric era and that's only the beginning. John Anderson is very good as the plane's pilot. William Shatner gives a brilliant performance in "NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET" from the 5th season and directed by Richard Donner. As a newly recovered patient from a psychiatric institution, Shatner peers out the window of commercial airliner and sees a bestial creature on the wing, tampering with one of the engines. One of the best scenes is when Shatner has to remove a gun from a sleeping passenger. Only Shatner could have pulled this one off. This is one of my favorites and still holds up to repeated viewing because it is so well crafted.』
price：$1.74
Soho Crime
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (The potters Tale) 『SoHo continue to delight by re-issuing Nabb's superlative Florentine novels ( although why they aren't being put out in chronological order defeats me ).
The story revolves around Guarnaccia's gradual unravelling of a decades old feud and it's tragic echo in the present.
As ever with Ms. Nabb the story is told with wit and compassion , there are no car chases ( there is a bus ride in the rain ), no shoot-outs ( in 20 years Guarnaccia's Beretta has remained firmly in it's holster ) and no lack of compellingly drawn believable characters.Yet again the atmosphere of Florence is brought out ( apparently ) efortlessly and adds enormously to the success of the book.
These are among the finest ctime novels to be written in the last 25 years.』
『A young Swiss art student who commutes to a small town near Florence is reported missing. Then her body is found. Was it a sex crime? Guarnaccia suspects a local feud with its roots in World War II. 』
price：$3.74
Faber
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (An Essential Piece of Horror history) 『David J.Skal's The Monster Show is one of the most important works on the cultural impact of horror ever written.
His book follows the roots of our fascination from the beginning of the twentieth century,through the silent era,Universal pictures in the 30s,World War 2,the 50s,60s and into today.
The symbolic links the genre has to our own history is underlined throughout,and it's amazing how much is uncovered.
Skal does not just provide a history of the growth of human culture throughout the twentieth century,but also alot about the horror film. His research into the early horror cinmema was groundbreaking and has been imitated greatly ever since.
This recent reprint adds an excellent afterthought by Skal on the meaning of Horror today,taking a quote from the film,"Gods and Monsters" to sum up it's endless appeal to the filmgoer.
If any criticism must be made,it's that Skal does get too "Freudian" sometimes,and seems to lose topic,but his points are made and for the horror intellectual this does indeed,make a very good read.
Reccomended.』
(Thick as a Brick) 『David Skal writes like a genie on acid, his mind a stack of tottering file drawers in Bartleby's littered office. His magnum opus, THE MONSTER SHOW, piles on the gore and, in addition, tries harder than Freud to make sense of our need for ritual bloodletting as entertainment. Though it's clear his forte is old Hollywood, particularly the great Universal horrors of the 1930s and 1940s, he knows just about everything on a range of other allied topics. I found his section on the French theatrical phenomenon of Grand Guignol to be the best short account I have ever read of it.
His judgments on individual films and performances are always on the mark; whether or not you agree with his grading system, you must bow to his expertise and the felicity with which he makes his points. He takes his examples not only from mass media but from the fine arts, explaining that the feminist slogan "Your Body is a Battlefield" made famous by Barbara Kruger had its cinematic enactments in any number of 1970s and 1980s child/birth/mutant films from CHILDS PLAY to IT'S ALIVE and DEMON SEED.
I actually think there's not much point discussing Universal's FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA movies without considering the studio product as a whole, for what kept Deanna Durbin from acting in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, but for Skal, horror is a ghetto into which only rhe big events intrude--the Depression, the fleeing Weimar emigres, the Cold War, the Bomb.Skal doesn't have much of a sense of humor (maybe that's why he has, as so many have noticed, so little stomach for Hammer horror), but he has all the gifts of a born researcher and popularizer. THE MONSTER SHOW is rich and dense as a chocolate cheesecake, and it's a little crazy too, so what more can you ask for?』
(An excellent history of the American horror film) 『I felt compelled to write a review to counter some of the complaints by other reviewers that Skal leaves out the work of many influential European directors. This is true, but I think largely misses the point of the book, which is mostly a history of the development of the *American* horror film. The first part of the book is a comprehensive history tracing the roots of the Universal horror films from book to stage to, finally, their classic film versions. Given so much of the book is devoted to the establishment of the earliest film horror, it's inevitable that the other, oh, SEVEN DECADES won't get quite the same amount of attention. Whether or not you agree with Skal's politics or approach to the cultural history of horror, I still think "The Monster Show" is a must-read for any horror fan and a great place to start for the fan who wants to learn more about the history of their favorite genre.』
(First Half is Great! Second Half is Silly.) 『This book starts out great! It was so interesting to read about the old fashioned horror films and the people who created them. The author made it so easy to read, and I was flying through it all! I could tell that the book was very well researched, and it was nice to see how the author made connections and observations of his own. It is a very good beginner book for anyone interested in historical horror cinema.
The second part of the book is ridiculous. It goes on about silly people who think they are vampires, dumb connections that the author just threw in, and the writing starts to get really silly. It is almost as if the author was told to make the book longer, and he stretched it as far as it could possibly go. It wasn't exactly boring, but unresearched and juvenile.
I would recommend this book for people who are just starting to read about the history of the horror movie. It was really easy to read, and the first half was great! Although the second half let me down, I still think this book is worth the read. (Maybe from the library, though!)』
(The Madness of Movie Monsters) 『It sometimes seems that the history of horror films began with Universal's Frankenstein and Dracula, with an occasional nod to some silent film. It doesn't make much research to find out that there is much more to this history, as David Skal illustrates in The Monster Show. In fact, it is till almost the one-third point in the book that these landmark films are really discussed.
What happened earlier were such crucial films as Nosteratu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Phantom of the Opera. Skal also relates stories of early figures, including Lon Chaney and Tod Browning and some of the literary and dramatic predecessors to the horror film. Only after laying this foundation does Skal really get into the iconic movies of Dracula and Frankenstein. There were other horror landmark films in this era, including The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Island of Lost Souls, and between the early 1930s and 1940s, others would appear as well, most prominently the Wolf Man.
These films are quite tame by today's standards, but to many overly sensitive and self-righteous souls of the era, these movies practically heralded the end of civilization, leading to de facto censorship. The genie, however, was out of the bottle, and like any good movie monster, it could never be truly killed.
Skal zips from this era to the age of early television, when a new audience got to see these movies (often introduced by figures like Vampira) and the fan base expanded to a new, ardent generation. Then it's on to the era of more modern horror, ushered in by Psycho: not only is horror more gruesome (the result of better special effects and more relaxed ratings standards). As earlier films could be allegories for war or the Depression, newer films could provide symbols for AIDS and birth control. And new or old, sex and religion were always entangled in the themes.
This book is subtitled A Cultural History of Horror, but as fascinating as it often is, perhaps it should be a Cultural History of American Horror made by Major Studios. There is a lot that is omitted here that should be found in any reasonable history of cinematic horror. Val Lewton, the influential horror producer of the 1940s, has only one of his movies really described (Cat People) and only gets a couple pages of text. Roger Corman and his Poe movies are hardly mentioned at all. Most glaringly, Hammer Films, which reinvented horror in the 1950s (when American horror was at its nadir), is discussed in little more than a couple of scattered sentences (let alone any non-English films after the initial German movies).
Despite these omissions, this is still a pretty decent book, but the flaws keep it from earning more than four stars. If you're a horror movie fan, this is worth reading. Skal is pretty knowledgeable on the subject and can add an extra level of appreciation for this film genre.』 『This study of the visual horror genre from Dr. Caligari to Dr. Hannibal Lecter starts with a discussion of Diane Arbus's photographs of freaks. David Skal then suggests that he will seek to "explain why the images resonated in the culture ... [and] why so much of our imaginative life in the 20th century has been devoted to peeling back the masks and scabs of civilization, to finding, cultivating, and projecting nightmare images of the secret self." Whether or not you agree with his thesis that horror is a symptom of society's ills (war, disease, poverty), you will find much of value in this thorough, highly readable history--especially the detailed accounts of the work of filmmaker Tod Browning, and of howFrankensteinandDraculamade their way from books to plays to films. The book is handsomely designed (hardcover has dust jacket by Edward Gorey), with illustrations, footnotes, and index.』 『Illuminating the dark side of the American century,The Monster Showuncovers the surprising links between horror entertainment and the great social crises of our time, as well as horror's function as a pop analogue to surrealism and other artistic movements.
With penetrating analyses and revealing anecdotes, David J. Skal chronicles one of our most popular and pervasive modes of cultural expression. He explores the disguised form in which Hollywood's classic horror movies played out the traumas of two world wars and the Depression; the nightmare visions of invasion and mind control catalyzed by the Cold War; the preoccupation with demon children that took hold as thalidomide, birth control, and abortion changed the reproductive landscape; the vogue in visceral, transformative special effects that paralleled the development of the plastic surgery industry; the link between the AIDS epidemic and the current fascination with vampires; and much more. Now with a new Afterword by the author that looks at horror's popular renaissance in the last decade,The Monster Showis a compulsively readable, thought-provoking inquiry into America's obsession with the macabre. 』 『
Illuminating the dark side of the American century,The Monster Showuncovers the surprising links between horror entertainment and the great social crises of our time, as well as horror's function as a pop analogue to surrealism and other artistic movements. With penetrating analyses and revealing anecdotes, David J. Skal chronicles one of our most popular and pervasive modes of cultural expression. He explores the disguised form in which Hollywood's classic horror movies played out the traumas of two world wars and the Depression; the nightmare visions of invasion and mind control catalyzed by the Cold War; the preoccupation with demon children that took hold as thalidomide, birth control, and abortion changed the reproductive landscape; the vogue in visceral, transformative special effects that paralleled the development of the plastic surgery industry; the link between the AIDS epidemic and the current fascination with vampires; and much more. Now with a new Afterword by the author that looks at horror's popular renaissance in the last decade,The Monster Showis a compulsively readable, thought-provoking inquiry into America's obsession with the macabre.
price：$11.70
Broadview Press
Usually ships in 24 hours 『Based on Leonora Sansay's eyewitness accounts of the final days of French rule in Saint Domingue (Haiti), Secret History is a vivid account of race warfare and domestic violence. Sansay's writing provocatively draws comparisons between Saint Domingue during the Haitian Revolution and the postrevolutionary United States, while fluidly combining qualities of the eighteenth-century epistolary novel, colonial travel writing, and political analysis. Laura, Sansay's second novel, features as its protagonist a beautiful impoverished orphan who throws herself headlong into a secret marriage with a young medical student. When her husband dies in a duel in an effort to protect his wife's reputation, Laura finds herself once more alone in the world. The republication of these works will contribute to a significant revision of thinking about early American literary history.
This Broadview edition offers a rich selection of contextual materials, including selections from periodical literature about Haiti, engravings, letters written by Sansay to her friend Aaron Burr, historical material related to the Burr trial for treason, and excerpts from literature referenced in the novels.』
price：$4.00
Touchstone / Disney
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Reign of Fire) 『The last part of this movie would not play and it had glitches throughout the movie. Wasn't real impressed with this one!』
(This is a good movie.) 『This is one of my favorite movies. I like the action and the special effects. Actors are ok.』
(Tea: I'll have more, thanks!) 『Overall, I love this movie and watch it every time it comes on. It's the perfect movie for a wintry cold day all bundled up drinking some tea with some freshly baked cookies. It's the story of a man, played by Christian Bale (pre 'Batman' and 'Terminator'), with help from his best friend, played by Gerald Butler (pre '300' and 'P.S. I love you') lead a make-shift group of men, women, and children, in England trying to survive in a world where dragons have taken over the skies. Enter Matthew McConaughey, who has tracked down the origins of the dragons to England, and who flew over with this band of dragons killers from America. Great story, loved the characters and the alternate futuristic story. Nice Visual Effects too (remember this movie was made in 2002).. Matthew's acting was awesome! And a great edge of your seat battle at the end! 』
(Pretty Straightforward Stuff) 『 This was a bit different than one expected. There was no nonsense, no tongue-in-cheek humor or special-effects just for the sake of it: this was simply a humans vs. dragons story taking place in the future. No laughs and nothing hokey, which is what I expected. They played it straight, simply as a fight story between the two parties.
Yes, there were credibility problems with the story but overall, it was good escapist adventure. The dragons were realistic-looking, the scenery dreary but the story interesting and intense in spots.
I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a night of adventure on film. You could do a whole lot worse, especially with two young actors who have arrived as stars: Christian Bale and Matthew McConnaughey.』
(Not interesting enough) 『Although the CGI effects looked fantastic, and McConaughey and Bale were excellent, I found Reign of Fire to be very dull. Other people liked this film and that's fine, but personally I wasn't really entertained when I watched this movie. The action sequences weren't that exciting, and the dragon fights weren't really interesting. Maybe it's because of the old and tired stereotypes of the dragons that annoy me. Oh well, at least I enjoyed "Equilibrium".
Grade: C』 『Movie DVD』 『The Road WarriormeetsDragonslayerin the briskly entertaining post-apocalyptic action thrillerReign of Fire.Reign of Fireexists primarily to give us a bigger and better dragon than the Vermithrax Pejorative of 1981's classicDragonslayer, and in that regard, the special effects are mightily impressive; the reptilian fire-breathers are stupendously convincing. While the earlier film offers a richer, more whimsical medieval adventure,Reign of Fireis a fast-moving tale of man versus dragon that takes place in the charred England of 2020, after Earth has been scorched by rapidly multiplying dragons and the aftermath of a futile nuclear counterstrike. Mixing high-tech gadgetry with primitive survivalism,X-Filesalumnus Rob Bowman makes the most of his midlevel budget, establishing a lavish castle base for the rugged, adversarial teaming of Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey as dragonslayers on the brink of extinction. With a steady supply of crowd-pleasing highlights,Reign of Fireis a pyrotechnical treat.--Jeff Shannon』
price：$5.99
Universal Studios
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Extremely Funny!!!) 『After hearing Mike Nelson's hilarious commentaries on 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Carnival of Souls' I wanted more. Mike, Crow, and Tom are stuck in space on a ship and forced by Dr. Clayton Forrester to watch bad movies from the 50's. This time, they must watch This Island Earth. They come up with witty and wacky comments as they spoof the movie. This Island Earth is about a doctor named Cal Meacham who is asked for help from an alien named Exeter. Exeter and his group are from the planet, Metaluna. Cal and his ex-girlfriend try to help defend their planet in a war against the evil Zagons. If you love making fun of old movies, you'll love MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE!!!』
(Well worth the wait!) 『Glad to see that this finally came back on DVD. Excellent quality, fun movie, great price. I highly recommend it.』
(overall satisfied) 『My only complaint is I waited way too long before receiving the movie I ordered. (Purchased Sept 1, received Oct 6)』
(Decent incarnation of MST3K) 『The Bottom Line:
The film version of Mystery Science Theater 3000 has some great lines and can produce gales of laughter, but the scenes on the Satellite of Love are boring and never funny and the movie starts feeling a bit long even at under 80 minutes; if you're a fan of the show check it out but expect a bit of an uneven performance from everyone's favorite wisecracking movie-watchers.
2.5/4』
(Soooo funny!) 『This movie is hysterical. It stays true to the original show and is just great in general.』 『The cult television show (in which a hapless space explorer and his robot pals are forced to watch and deliver a hilarious running commentary on bad movies) makes a successful transition to the big screen as Mike and the 'bots lay waste to the '50s sci-fi yarnThis Island Earth(a painfully stiff would-be epic that's actually a cut above the usualMST3Kfare). While ardent fans may be a little miffed that more advantage isn't taken of the expanded theatrical venue (aside from a tad more scatological humor than usual, the content here would fit in comfortably as a regular episode of the series), the nonstop, hyper-literate salvo of comedy riffs that run the gamut from references to Tommy Chong's backyard to Yes album covers more than make up for any conceptual complacency. Be prepared to laugh till it aches. --Andrew Wright』 『From the makers of the highly successful cult classic TV series comes Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - one of the most outrageous, most irreverent, and most hilarious big-screen spoofs ever! A mad scientist, in his quest for world domination, concocts a diabolical scheme to subject the human race to the worst movie ever made: 1955's This Island Earth. It's up to one test subject's quick wit, sharp sense of humor, and utter intolerance for cinematic garbage to foil the plans of the scientist and to save the Earth. Experience the hijinks and low jabs of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie - where the worse the movie is, the better time you'll have!』
price：$10.00
Lions Gate
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review ("The Knowledge Of Death Changes Everything") 『When it comes to filming sequels there's a strong tendency to proceed with the philosophy "more is better". More gore, more special effects, more characters in jeopardy, etc... In doing so one takes the risk of losing that intangible element that made the first film a success. Well the film 'Saw II' did just that, more of everything. But you know what? It worked beautifully!
'Saw II' was successful in taking all the successful elements from the first film; expanding the cast, improving the effects, intensifying the psychological angst and physical gore while maintaining a strong narrative continuity with the original movie. Even more impressive was the manner in which they were able to have so many new things going on and still add psychological depth and breath to an already great protagonist (Jigsaw played by Tobin Bell).
There are a lot of clever and unexpected twists and turns in this one that really leave an already strong storyline up to many more sequels to come!
Almost forgot, I loved Shawnee Smith in the role of Amanda.』
(SAWesome !!) 『We are huge horror fans, and if you liked the first one, you will love saw II. When saw one came out in theaters it brought a totally different type of scare to horror fans. It is not just your typical slashers movie that's has been done to death !! no pun intended,, It's mind bending horror you will enjoy!! I really don't want to say to much. The Saw Movies are going to be classics! Jigsaw will be the next Freddy Krueger, Thanks, Robert.』
(SAW II) 『Look, I know that a lot of people discredit the Saw franchise because a) they can seem to be normal slasher flicks or of the like, b) it is a franchise that seems to be in it for the money, not necessarily the development of the plot. However, if you happen to have a more conservative outlook on crime and punishment, then these movies might be for you, if you do not mind extreme blood and gore that is. However, if you do decide to get these movies, just watch it from the first one, otherwise you kinda kill the thrill, but that's just me.』
(Sequel Served, Which Leaves You Hungry For More) 『People often complain that sequals sometimes hurt a series by adding more of a story, depleting of what power the original movie had. ANd plus, let's face it, it takes a real genius to not have an intial movie idea go stale. Hey, look at the Alien series. Was it really necessary to add a story about a cloned Ripley? But unlike those movies, Saw 2 has a purpose. And it also, with every movie, gives more characters to dissect and hate upon, even if they are FICTION (very important). And besides, one of the best things about Saw is the torture scenes, and Saw 2 does that very well. So therefore, I think a follow-up to the first one is necessary.
Anyway, Saw 2 is roughly the same premise. The Jigsaw killer has recruited a whole new batch of people, who once again share something similar with one another. Aside from some cool shots of the lair and the backstory of John Kramer Of course, this isn't great, so once again, we all get to watch with glee as each character gets hostile with one another (hehehe). Of course, that means watching more people get into torture traps, which are anything but repeated. More torture traps are actually shown in motion, unlike. Sure, it's not the focal point of it (unlike Hostel, which is lame), but, hey, the traps rule.
Saw 2 also has some character development. Besides giving more characters to chew upon, this is the first time in the series than I have developed hatred or feelings towards the characters. Virtually everyone is negatively portrayed, which, in my opinion, makes all the suffering and fighting these people are going through a lot more pleasureable to watch. I love to hate the brawn over brains We get to know a bit about The Jigsaw Killer, which is, valuable information, kind of eeire to see how he became a "killer". And one other thing, after watching this (I just started 3), I HATE ERIC MATTHEWS. WHAT A JERK!
The basics of the series remain the same, although once this movie is done, you will once again be begging for more. So pick up Saw and come for second helpings. And when your done, you will be wanting a third helping.
B-』 『Lionsgate Saw II (Blu-ray)Jigsaw, the diabolical criminal who captured the imagination of horror fans in the 2004 hit Saw, returns in this equally bloody sequel. Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is a police detective who, after discovering the aftermath of a particularly gruesome murder, is convinced that Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is up to his ugly tricks again. Matthews's hunch turns out to be correct, but the master criminal proves to be disconcertingly easy to capture. As it happens, Jigsaw is eager to beput behind bars in order to throw the authoritiesoff his trail as he once again punishes people who in his eyes have transgressed the boundaries of acceptable moral behavior. But instead of trappingtwo people in a filthy dungeon where they must engage in a terrible contest in order to win their freedom, eight people have been locked away by Jigsaw, and they must torture their bodies and minds to achieve the terrible justice Jigsaw seeks. Saw II was written by Leigh Whannell, who also scriptedthe first film. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide』 『Saw IIbrings back many features of the originalSaw: elaborate sadistic scenarios designed to "test" the victims' will to live; Tobin Bell as the Machiavellian (yet doomed) serial killer Jigsaw; Shawnee Smith as Amanda, a survivor of one of Jigsaw's "games", forced to play again; Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers), whose role as a detective is considerably expanded; and the stunningly godawful dialogue of screenwriter Leigh Whannel. The set-up this time is even more preposterous than before, as a rough-and-tumble cop named Eric (Donnie Whalberg,Band of Brothers) watches, on video monitors, his son trapped in a house filled with nerve gas and a handful of other victims, all of whom are mysteriously connected. Eric has captured Jigsaw, but the implacable killer refuses to reveal where the cop's son is being held... unless Eric will play by Jigsaw's rules. Fans ofSawwill loveSaw II, as the tortures are more gruesome than before; viewers who foundSaweither detestable or laughable won't likeSaw IIeither, as the characters rarely behave like actual people (even when a moment's explanation would solve a conflict, no one bothers to communicate, even though their lives are on the line). It's a festival of body fluids, agonized grimaces, and shrieks of pain--and if that's your thing, this is your movie.--Bret Fetzer』
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