Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (STICK WITH ANALOG) 『In this derivative scifi misfire, a digital man has been created, something of a terminator-type of machine/man. He is indestructible and he has been secretly programmed to steal some codes to set off nuclear bombs. The special team assigned to stop this digital man is led by Ken Olandt. Ed Lauter and Paul Gleason are on hand as the bad guys and Adam Baldwin plays the inept captain. Matthias Hues is the Digital Man, and he equals Schwarzenegger in his blandness. Nothing new and unusual, except for a shotgun wielding old woman who becomes more annoying with each scene. Bland and ineffective.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Baloney? Probably Not!) 『What a fun movie! It starts out on a train with an American married couple who decide to honeymoon (in typical Hollywood 1930s style) in Hungary (don't ask). But darn it they have to share their cabin with Dr. Vitas (Bela Lugosi). I'm sure Lugosi loved this part, being able to speak several lines in his native Hungarian tongue.
Due to an unfortunate bus accident they end up in Poelzig's house (played by Karloff). It seems these two guys have some history, Poelzig escaping some wartime prison time and instead makes time with Vitas' wife and as we find out later, makes time with Vitas' daughter Karen!
Several cool scenes: Karloff lays down for some night-time reading, and tells the gorgeous blonde sleeping next to him to stay in her room for the duration of the day. He picks up a book for some light bedtime reading -- Rites of Lucifer! The devil you say.
Karloff keeps Vitas' wife on display in a plastic coffin hung off the ceiling. Never explained how he does that.
The chess game: You would expect a duel to the death or something. No, it's a dare to play chess! You win, the American couple goes home. You lose, we use the girl for some rites under the dark moon. Lugosi is no Bobbie Fisher, and so loses. The guests are coming and she's our special star.
The servants: One looks like a caveman and the other keeps on ticking, even with a bullet in him. Fun stuff.
Karloff has presence in this film, on par with his Mummy and Frankenstein pictures, which were made not that long before this one was made.
Not much about the Black Cat or why Vitas has an aversion towards them. So yeah, there were a few plotholes, but an enjoyable romp with Universal's best stable of actors.
There's a silly scene with the police inspectors, similar to the earlier Universal pictures I've seen shot in the same time period. I guess this is what audiences want, but the forced humor falls flat for the modern viewer. The music is not original, but they are great renditions, classics by Beethoven, and a mean pipe organ reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera!
The cinematographer did a great job with the dark, broodign atmosphere, the cool '30s architecture, the torture and the victims of a ritualistic devil's cult. Karloff's presence as the demonic priest, especially when he's leering at the fiance, is just excellent. And oh so loosely based on E.A. Poe's classic, The Black Cat. The Black Cat
Best to buy the DVD series of these great Lugosi and Karloff films:
The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday) Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive (The Black Cat / Man Made Monster / Horror Island / Night Monster / Captive Wild Woman) Karloff&Lugosi Horror Classics (The Walking Dead / Frankenstein 1970 / You'll Find Out / Zombies on Broadway)Festival of Fright 3』
(Moving, complex performance by the underrated Lugosi) 『What I love best about "Black Cat" is the beautiful, sad performance of Bela Lugosi as the suffering, kind-hearted and vengeful bereaved husband and father, Dr. Vitus Werdegast.
Many people don't know that Bela Lugosi originally came to the US hoping to be a serious dramatic actor; he was a much-admired Shakespearean in his native Hungary, and had performed the role of Hamlet to excellent reviews in Bucharest. Unfortunately, his huge success as "Dracula" in 1931 set him up for horror roles, and he never managed to break out of that stereotype.』
(Bela Vs. Borris) 『The Black Cat is One hour and six minutes long and was released on May 7, 1934. This would be the first time that Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff team up. They would team up together another five times. Bela Lugosi the star and reluctant hero of the movie (though he did not get top billing) is Dr. Vitus Werdegast who is on his way to visit an old friend, Hjalmar Poelzig. Dr. Vitus Werdegast is returning reclaim his wife and daughter, whom he claims Hjalmar Poelzig stole 18 years ago. The story is full of suspense and eerie music to go with it a well. Even for a brief five minutes The Black Cat has a sense of humor. There is one minor flaw to this movie. When we see Boris Karloff playing the organ, there is music to be heard. The only exception is that he has not touched a key yet. Also the music that he is playing or not playing is the theme from the Phantom of the Opera. The movie end with Bela Lugosi blowing up Fort Marmorisch and taking Boris with him. The movie gets an A++ for the scares.』
(Bela Lugosi is a sympathetic madman with a desire to use a scalpel to flay alive Boris Karloff) 『"I go to visit an old friend," says Dr. Vitus Werdegast to Peter and Joan Alison, the young newlyweds he meets on the train moving through a rain-swept night. Their destination is the small, picturesque village of Vizhegrad that had been the site of a horrendous battle during the Great War. They board a bus and the driver tells them, "All of this country was one of the greatest battlefields of the war. Tens of thousands of men died here. The ravine down there was piled twelve deep with dead and wounded men. The little river below was swollen red, a raging torrent of blood. And that high hill yonder where Engineer Poelzig now lives was the site of Fort Marmorus. He built his home on its very foundations. Marmorus, the greatest graveyard in the world." Then the bus swerves and crashes in the driving rain, leaving the driver dead and the young wife injured. Dr. Werdegast takes them to Hjalmar Poelzig's home...his "old friend." Just who are Dr. Vitus Werdegast and Hjalmar Poelzig?
Werdegast (Bela Lugosi), says Poelzig, "is one of Hungary's greatest psychiatrists," He was captured in the Great War and thrown into a dank prison to rot for 15 years. He lost his wife, his young daughter and, as we shall see, his sanity. Yet he will be deeply touched by the newlyweds.
Poelzig (Boris Karloff), says Werdegast, is "one of Austria's greatest architects." He designed the great monolith of a home that sits atop what was Fort Marmorus. Poelzig has a muscular body and a slab of a face, with cruel, mocking eyes and a widow's peak that would make Robert Taylor cry with envy. We also will learn that he is a traitor, a murderer, a seducer, a Satanist and a talented embalmer.
The Black Cat has nothing to do with Poe's story. It's about evil, madness, love and obsession. That this all takes place in a terrific art deco setting keeps us smiling...but down in the dungeon, where we meet the wives of Engineer Poelzig and watch how a keen scalpel can slowly flay the skin from a man's face...well, we don't turn away.
What makes this movie one of my favorites is the character of Dr. Werdegast and the performance of Bela Lugosi. Werdegast may go mad, but he's been driven mad by terrible injustice, by the loss of those he loved and by the final knowledge that their fate was worse than he ever believed. "Is she not beautiful?" says Poelzig to Werdegast, deep in the preserved caverns of Fort Marmorus. "I wanted to have her beauty, always. I loved her too, Vitus." Though Werdegast tips over the edge to exact a terrible revenge, he still responds to the love the two newlyweds have for each other. He realizes the evil in Poelzig, and he counters it to protect and finally save the young couple. A game of chess, if lost, may lead to death for Peter Alison and a much worse fate for Joan Alison. Lugosi is quite touching in those moments he shows tenderness to young Peter and Joan and in his determination to save them from the equally mad Poelzig. And Boris Karloff? He was a fine actor, and studying his style is time well spent. All this in just 65 minutes, and with art deco, too.
If I had to choose a few of Hollywood's more-or-less classic old horror movies to take with me to a deserted island, this and The Body Snatchers would be among them. Both have a sympathetic protagonist caught up in horror partly of his own making, with just enough cheese to keep the stories entertaining and not so much "human condition" redemption as to make them tiresome.』
(A Must Have) 『Half-camp, half-horror, all stylish imagination, this is a one-of-a-kind. It's about as wacked-out as any film of that era, even mocking itself in the very last scene about getting too carried away. Nonetheless, it's mandatory viewing for film buffs of any age. Lugosi, Karloff, and the ineffable David Manners are together at last. Scope out that first scene in the railway car. The newly-wed cuddling between Manners and Wells is about as sappy as a pair of over-ripe corn stalks and likely an in- joke among the movie-makers. Aside from the occasional silliness, there are moments of genuine horror as when Wells steps out zombie-like after the bus accident to the crashing accopaniment of a Schubert symphony. It's a startling moment.
The true stars are the set designer and art director. Most horror movies exploit old dark houses. Not this one. Karloff's mansion looks like a mix between Art Deco and Flash Gordon, with its spiral staircases, angular decor, and loony partitions. And let's not forget the preserved bodies of the lissome dead that Karloff uses as wall decor. Yes indeed, don't look for Century 21 to advertise this bargain anytime soon. Then too, there's Karloff's make-up that was apparently spooned on with a shovel, along with a futuristic hair-do that looks like it could stab you. And check out that weird satanic altar, all x's and o's, as if a tic-tac-toe board exploded. It's a real visual grabber.
In fact, there is something of a plot-- something about Lugosi trying to avenge his wife's murder at the hands of the mad architect Karloff who would also like to turn Wells into an embalmed addition to his wall decor. And to appease fans of Poe, a black cat occasionally wanders in and out, that's about as scary as a kitty looking for its milk. Also, for fans of deeper meanings I expect there's something symbolic about Karloff using a bloody battlefield as a home improvement site. But who cares. The movie's really a chance for stylish Europeans like Lugosi and director Ulmer to indulge their sense of the goofy macabre. Thank goodness, they succeed-- and in gloriously wacked-out fashion.
』 『Edgar Ulmer's baroque masterpiece is the pinnacle of expressionism of Hollywood, a beautiful melding of gothic antiquity and modernity in the shadow of World War I. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff square off in their finest film together as decades-old nemeses who meet for a fateful showdown on the very battlefield where Karloff's devilish dark priest sacrificed his own army and framed Lugosi's good doctor for the crime. Karloff plays the most evil character of his career, a mesmerizingly demonic architect (inspired by the notorious real-life Satanist Aleister Crowley) who stole Lugosi's wife and daughter and built his shrinelike home, a stunning piece of Bauhaus-inspired glass and steel architecture, on the graves of his victims. His intensity and hypnotic understatement is a revelation, a genuine monster in human guise far more insidious and evil than the creatures of Universal's more famous horror classics. Lugosi delivers his finest performance ever as a Van Helsing-like hero whose simmering hatred and rage finally boils over into madness and sadistic revenge. A pair of silly American honeymooners become but two more pawns in their game of vengeance. John Mescall, who shot the gorgeousBride of Frankenstein, beautifully delivers eerie unease and sinister imagery, from the Caligari-like black church of slanting beams and slashing shadows to the tomb of glass-lined caskets displaying victims held in suspended animation. One of the finest horror films to emerge from Universal's golden age of horror.--Sean Axmaker』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review ("OOOHHH SCAAARRRY!") 『AN ALL TIME CLASSIC, ABOUT A SCARY WAXWORK! I NEVER LIKE TO DIVULGE TO MANY PLOT POINTS, HATE TO SPOIL, BUT IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN, DEFINETLY WORTH A "CLOSER LOOK". I HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE, OVER A DOZEN TIMES AND IS A CLASSIC 80'S CAMPY HORROR FLICK, IT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, BUT YOU BETTER HAVE SOME ONE TO WATCH IT WITH, OR ITS KINDA SCARY!』
(Smarter than most teen horror movies) 『A group of college students become involved in a plot to resurrect the 18 most evil people who have ever lived by means of a waxworks museum.
It's sad that this horror movie from the 1980's has been more or less forgotten, since it is smarter and better than most of the other teen horror movies of its time (and of today). The format of the film is somewhat episodic - a large proportion of the film is made up of segments in which the various characters enter into the waxwork tableaux - and normally this would annoy me, but in this case, each of the episodes (featuring such classic horror villains as vampires, werewolves, the mummy, zombies and the Marquis de Sade) is so well made that I actually found myself looking forward to the next waxwork episode. They're just like something out of an old horror movie, only gorier. What really makes this film stand out, however, is the sub-plot involving the virginal heroine of the story, Sarah (Deborah Foreman), and her fascination with the Marquis de Sade. Traditionally the heroines of horror movies are portrayed as "good" and "innocent", and for the most part Sarah is. She just happens to have masochistic tendencies. It's something that I haven't seen in a teen-targeted horror film before or since and it is one of the main reasons why I keep coming back to the film (I've seen it three times now)... That and the fact that it's a lot of fun. I strongly recommend this film. 』
(Good Flick) 『I was amazed on how well this movie was put together. There was well thought out plotline. good acting and a the budget money was put to good use with the special effects. A must see movie.』
(Great Flick!!) 『I have seen this movie at least 20 times and it gets better each time I watch it! Who can resist David Warner in anything?? This movie has everything. Gore, sexuality, and comedy. Who can forget Dana Ashbrook's classic line "Who put the acid in my drink again, China!" Too funny for words.』
(Waxworks Review) 『I thought this movie was good!I've seen it about 3 times....but only once all the way through. Honestly....I don't know how people can dislike it. If you didn't think the movie itself was good,you at least had to like the scenes with Marquis de Sade in them. Not only is he one of the villians that actually are interesting, the acting is really good. He's one of the reasons that I liked the movie. That and I've known him in a past life......but that's a different story all together.』
Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Just like a transaction should be.....) 『Good price, great service, product delivered without any damage, and quickly! Would definetly buy from again.』
(Good Stuff) 『I orderd this as a replacement for one that my friend "borrowed" and never returned to me before I moved. I am happy with the transaction, the only difference that I noticed between my previous copy and the one that I ordered was with the exterior case/box. The design is slightly different, it makes the case look like a well loved/read leather bound book a little tattered, but this had no effect on the DVD's playback.』
(Summed up in one word...PERFECT.) 『
Lord of the Rings, the `Gone with the Wind' of the sci-fi fantasy film. The name of these 3 legendary novels has weaved itself deeply into our modern day culture. Whether you read `The Hobbit' in grade school or have read the Tolkien lore time and time again there is no doubt that this original saga is a treasure of that last century.
Turning this epic novel saga into a full length feature film was something that probably every major name in directing wanted to do. Yet, Lord of the Rings may be the most difficult film saga to be created. The story is abundant with characters of all kinds. The plot is rich with detail and the pages of the book themselves describe everything from the way a person walks to a town or landscape down to the last grain of soil. So it was Peter Jackson who decided to rise up and take the task of creating this film. In a time where film making technology has reached a golden age it was time not just to make one film but make a trilogy. It was decided not to film each piece at a time but rather film all three simultaneously and it was something that Mr. Jackson could not accomplish alone. There is a long list of writers, artists, actors editors, and yes millions of fans that lead to the completion of this project. The Lord of the Rings can be summed up in one word. That word is PERFECT.
I have seen a great many films in my life and my favorites would have to be the saga pieces. This saga is a mind blowing masterpiece and getting Oscar for best picture in 2003 sealed its page in the book of fantastic films. I will not review each film individually because they are not meant to be seen individually. The cast is brilliant and the fact that not a single actor was singled out for an individual performance only made it better. The creation of these films was a team effort. Yes there are a few major plot points removed from these films and there are some things that were changed around. I feel as a person who has read the novels and seen the films, feel that these changes were for the best. The books themselves have some dead spots that could be done without and there are characters that really have no place in the story as a whole, but it was very admirable of Jackson to pay homage to the fan favorite Tom Bombadil in the extended edition of `The Two Towers'. The extended editions of these films only make them better as they do make them lengthier. Jackson and the crew really wanted to make these films special so once they did their job in the theaters they called the cast and crew back to add new scenes and extend old ones to make the films truer to the story and enhance the development of the characters. The score done beautifully by Howard Shore is also extended and you can even purchase extended edition soundtracks. The special effects played a major role in this film and they worked the creatures looked extremely lifelike especially Gollum. By using a brand new kind of CGI technology called motion capture, Andy Sirkis was transformed into the somber, mysterious creature that LOTR fans love. The battle sequences in breathtaking and so intense there were moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. The ability to make actors like Elijah Wood and John Rys-Davis look like they were pint size compared to a towering Orlando Bloom or Ian McKellen was done flawlessly. The make-up on all the cast members be it Orc or Elf really brought the Tolkien world off the pages and into reality. Still, I feel that what truly made this film beautiful was the location. New Zealand is a lost world most of the country still untouched by industry. The land still looks like something out of a fairy tale. Through computers and sets, The Shire, Minas Tirith, Rivendell and all the other major cities were brought to life exactly as they are described in the novels.
Even if you are not a fan, I would still suggest seeing these three films. It has nothing to do with the fact that they are fantasy or anything to that extent. It's just because this cinematic marvel goes up there with films such as Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, and Lawrence of Arabia to the more modern day greats like Dances With Wolves and Braveheart. There probably will come a day where a film graces the big screen with this degree of grandeur, but I am quite sure it will be a long time until then. 』
(Great movies.) 『Nnot completely accurate to the books, but let's face it, each movie would be as long as the combined trilogy if they were. Good movies.』
(Lord Of the ring - Extended Edition) 『I got the product before I expected it. I ordered the DVD and received within two days. The quality of the dvd is flawless; without any scratches or dents :-)』 『Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 08/29/2006 Rating: Pg13』 『Peter Jackson'sLord of the Ringsfilms gave "double-dipping"--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This "triple-dip" 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans.
What do you get? Both the theatrical and extended versions ofThe Fellowship of the Ringare on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes that are common to both versions are stored on the disc only once. If you choose to watch the extended version, the disc "branches" out to the added or extended scenes. What does this mean to the viewer? Not much. The viewing experience is the same because the branching is imperceptible. But because both versions of the film don't have to be stored on the disc in their entirety (which would be six and half hours total), both versions together fit on two sides of one disc. The downside is that whichever version you watch, you have to flip over the disc halfway through; the film breaks at the same spot it did on the Extended Edition, right after the council at Rivendell. Also lost are the meager features included on the theatrical edition, plus the four commentary tracks, two discs of bonus features, and DTS 6.1 ES sound from the four-disc Extended Edition.
What's new? The second disc has an 85-minute documentary directed by Costa Botes, who was personally selected by Peter Jackson. Rather than the formal documentary structure of other editions, it consists of off-the-cuff interviews with Peter Jackson, Alan Lee, and others, and random bits of behind-the-scenes action and special-effects work. Those who have worked their way through the many hours of bonus content on the other editions might recognize some of this footage, such as the Hobbit actors mocking whichever of them is not around, then greeting him warmly when he shows up. Other things--Liv Tyler riding a fake horse, a snowfall during shooting, interviewing the rank-and-file cast members, touring Peter Jackson's trailer--seem new. And some bits seem geared to those who've watched the other material--for example, some of the visual tricks explained there are only glimpsed without explanation here. It's entertaining, but because there's no structure (there are chapters, but no menu or chapter listing), it's not as convenient to watch, and go back to, as a documentary broken up into bite-size pieces. Oddly, the documentary is in widescreen, but not anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. Note: New Line Home Entertainment couldn't release this material on its own a là theKing Kong Production Diariesdue to contractual restrictions.
Bottom line: Do you need this edition? This Limited Edition combination of theatrical and extended versions plus new documentary seems likely to appeal to two camps. One is the devoted fan, who already owns both editions buthasto have everythingLOTR. The other is the casual fan who liked the movie in theaters, heard good things about the Extended Edition, and doesn't need a ton of bonus material. This edition is attractively priced for that buyer, and the packaging is quite handsome. In between is the devoted fan who already owns both editions but doesn't feel the need to watch more bonus material. When watching the whole movie, that fan will always choose the Extended Edition, but keeps the theatrical edition for (1) watching with guests, (2) the music video, or (3) the convenience of skimming through favorite scenes without having to change discs. That fan can safely skip this edition, as can home-theater fans who love DTS.--David Horiuchi』
price：$9.19
Warner Home Video
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (My Favorite Of The Lourie Dino Trilogy.) 『Eugene Lourie (pronounced Lure-YAY) was a Russian born French art director and production designer who worked with such directors as Jean Renoir, Charlie Chaplin, and Clint Eastwood. Out of the nearly 50 feature films he was associated with, he directed only 4 of them and they all had a science-fiction background. 3 of the 4 are giant monster films beginning with THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) and ending with GORGO (1961). The fourth is COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (1958). Right after COLOSSUS is BEHEMOTH THE SEA MONSTER (1959) or as it is known in America, THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (Department of Redundancy Department anyone?). This is usually and somewhat understandably ranked third in the so called "Dino Trilogy" but it is my favorite of the three.
While it is essentially a British recycling of 20,00 FATHOMS shot on a much smaller budget, it is those two elements that make it more appealing to me. Because of the budget, there is lots of location shooting particularly around Cornwall that is beautiful to look at and effective to the storyline. Being made for British audiences it has a no nonsense approach to the material that makes it seem more important than it is and makes the late appearance of the monster that more effective. Most of the criticism is directed against the monster and while it is somewhat justified it misses the point. Willis O'Brien (who did the original KING KONG) supervised the effects for the Behemoth and he and his team did a creditable job considering the lack of money they had to work with. However it did result in reusing several of the same shots (just as in 1957's THE BLACK SCORPION which O"Brien also did) and repetition weakens their effectiveness.
Looked at today it will seem crude to the CGI generation as well as very slowly paced but for those of us who appreciate stop motion animation and don't mind dialogue where the characters speak in complete sentences and impart information as well, then THE GIANT BEHEMOTH has much to offer. The scenes of the radiation burned victims that gave kids nightmares on the film's original release and when it first played on TV, are still effective today. Unfortunately today's kids are made of sterner stuff and have seen so much more that it probably wouldn't faze them at all which is a shame. You can purchase the individual DVD for a ridiculously low price or as part of a CULT CAMP CLASSIC set (where it doesn't belong) which also includes ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN and QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE.』
(Never received product) 『Sorry that I can't review the product but i never received it! The seller/merchant cancelled my order without even telling me and kept me waiting a whole month for a product it never intended to send! A very lousy way to do business!』
(Another above average Giant Monster on the loose) 『I thoroughly enjoy this movie. Its filmed in a deliberately slow pace to keep a little suspense. This is a lie down/curl up in bed relax and enjoy picture, if you are in the mood, this is a mild B movie thriller done in such a way that the monster that doesn't appear right away , for if it had it would have ruined the atmosphere it tries to have. No, the monster doesn't come at the very end either. To me the monster came at the right time. Some people might gets antsy waiting for the monster, but if you relax and follow the story, you will enjoy it before Behemoth shows. Basically its a radioactive Brontosaurus that burns people. Somewhat like Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. That movie and Behemoth were both directed by Eugene Lourie. Willis O Brien did the SPFX for this and while not up to King Kong, this is still a cool monster. I also enjoyed the cost with Gene Evans, Andre Morell,etc. If you like giant monsters&think you can get into this movie while waiting for his grand appearance, check this out. This is the kind of movie you shouldn't multi-task and watch or it will lose its affect. Sit back and watch and you will enjoy - Trust me :)』
(I HATE PHONY WIDESCREEN) 『There is true widescreen and there is false widescreen. This is one of the many (And I do mean many) dvds released under the latter. Amazon lists this as being 1:66.1. That's when a good print of 2:35.1 the most common of the widest scope is not available they work with something reasonable that loses some of the sides, but it is livable. This Movie looks like it was filmed at 1:33.1 fullscreen (TV shaped) then cropped at 1:85.1. I mean how do you explain why the Behemoth's head keeps disappearing behind the upper black bar way too often. This movie should have been presented in a fullscreen format. I would really love to know who was the person who came up with the idea and said "Hey! lets cut the top and bottom of the picture of a movie and we'll call it WIDESCREEN!" As for the movie itself, EH.. it aint so good. It's ok, but it aint so good. It so so, but it aint so good. Maybe I'd have a better opinion of this movie if the Behemoths head wasn't coverered up by the added black bars.』
(the music, the lighting, the sound! whoa) 『to say this movie is underrated is well an understatement. I'm amazed that all the astute fan reviews have not noted the magnificent spine tingling music score the dramatic lighting in many scenes and the juicy sound effects not to mention the distinctive memorable roar of the monster. There was only one perfect giant monster picture and that was the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms but while the Beast is equivalent to the technical polish of say TVs Twilight Zone the Giant Behemoth is like TV's the Outer Limits, rich with atmosphere and it scares the hell out of you. Those hair raising closeups of the monster with those piercing, hypnotic Plutonian eyes. The superbly played out Sherlock Holmes style hunt for the creature in sharp B&W photography filmed mostly on location. Finally the grippingly presented theme of radioactive fallout was never portrayed to such dramatic effect not even in Godzilla 54'. The ferry scene is chilling because it plays like a commercial almost, seemingly out of place int he movie with a tame documentary style routine and then a female passenger sees somthing big and funny looking in the water and starts to point at it with mild amusement until we hear a woman's scream and the rest is horror movie history. This scene although flawed has taken a famed life of it's own by the infamous deletions it faced in many releases. Like it was banned for being too grim perhaps which is likely because the movie was given an x certificate in it's first uk release which in a way makes sense because the film does scare children for real. but from the opening heaving shots of the deep atlantic to the,eyepopping shots of the monster chewing dock cranes ,industrial power lines and incinerating farm boys on piles of hay to the daring underwater climax the Giant Behemoth will make you say WHOA! one way or another before it is over. It's a true classic.』 『Radioactive waste dumped in the Atlantic Ocean awakens a prehistoric monster than can project electric shocks and radioactive beams. After the beast terrorizes the English coast officials decide against attacking the creature with conventional weaponry because such a strategy would spread a dangerous amount radioactive contamination over the entire country. Meanwhile the monster approaches London...Running Time: 90 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: NR UPC: 085391145080 Manufacturer No: 114508』
price：$2.49
20th Century Fox
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Keeper) 『This is a great timeless movie to have in your library. I have never tired of it. When one wears out -- I get another just to keep on hand for the week it rains "all week."』
(Poor definition and grainy not suitable for 60" tv) 『I was disapointed in how poor the definition was on this "special edition". the scan lines were often clearly visible and distracting when people were talking or when displaying graphics like the text sent on the deep dive.
If you have a large TV even with a good DVD player that upscales well, it will make for poor viewing. Too bad because this was a spectacular special effects movie.』
(Crushing Depth...) 『Having now seen both the theatrical and extended versions of THE ABYSS, I must say that I love them equally. While the shorter cut condenses the action, leaving out some of the geo-political turmoil and epic disaster happening topside, its focus is on the small-scale war being waged below. In the longer cut, we get the fleshed-out, more globally aware "cold war" story. Having both together is a real treat. Loaded w/ interesting personalities and intense situations, director James Cameron melds action, suspense, and sci-fi flawlessly. The three main characters played by Ed Harris (A History Of Violence), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Scarface), and Cameron regular Michael Behn (The Terminator, Aliens) carry the movie brilliantly. Things happen fast and w/ explosive impact, so that by the time the aliens truly make themselves known, we're already teatering on several brinks! Highest recommendation...』
(NON-ANAMORPHIC?!) 『The Abyss (Special Edition) is not the set that a proper cinephile would appreciate.
I was so excited that this DVD was on sale at Best Buy for $9.99 that I immediately bought it. I put it in to play on my widescreen TV to find out that Fox did not set this DVD up to be played on HDTVs! I have to set the picture in a 4:3 image to watch a film that is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This set is utterly disappointing! I would recommend that everyone wait for this to be released on BluRay. Only then will Fox actually make good on their "special edition" promise. At least, I hope they will...』
(The Abyss (Special Edition)) 『So SAD, yet another BLUNDER by the folks who released this version. Like many folks today I now own a Widescreen TV, I have 3 actually. I think all movies released today should be WS Anamorphic and NOT 1.85 or 2.35 LETTERBOX !!!!!
Please stop producing LETTERBOX formats, unless the original film was produced in 1.33:1, period !!!』 『Movie DVD』 『Meticulously crafted but also ponderous and predictable, James Cameron's 1989 deep-sea close-encounter epic reaffirms one of the oldest first principles of cinema: everything moves a lot more slowly underwater. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some "issues" to work out, are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) with a top-secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on earth, and the petro-techies have the only submersible craft capable of diving down that far. Every image and every performance is painstakingly sharp and detailed (and the computerized water creatures are lovely) but the movie's lumbering pace is ultimately lethal. It's the audience that ends up feeling waterlogged. For a guy who likes guns as much as Cameron (his next film after all, was the body-count masterpieceTerminator 2: Judgment Day), it's interesting that the moral balance here is weighted heavily in favor of the can-do engineers; the military types are end-justifies-the-means amoralists, just like the weasely government bureaucrats inAliens.--David Chute』
price：$19.95
Lulu.com
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Excellent Fairy Tales) 『These are the German stories that were translated into French, read by Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Polidori that fateful night in 1816 at the Villa Diodati on Lake Leman that resulted in the writing of FRANKENSTEIN and "The Vampyre."
The stories were translated into English in 1812 by Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth as "Tales of the Dead," but the selection of stories was not the same. The type of story, Kunstmarchen, or folk tales, were often adapted into novels or short stories (See novels like THE MONK, THE MIDNIGHT BELL, and THE NECROMANCER, all of which will be available from Valancourt Press, and THE MONK is also available from Oxford with an Introduction by Stephen King) and was being devoured by the British public.
When I had first purchased this book, I was expecting something as horrific and grotesque as the novels mentioned above; instead I found that the content was more like the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, but written to an adult audience.
Certainly the highlight of this book is the essay "Searching for the Muse" that parallels passages of FRANKENSTEIN with passages from FANTASMAGORIANA; and it also draws some interesting conclusions about the origin of FRANKENSTEIN from the life of the strange alchemist, Conrad Dipple.』
(Rather in the style of E.T.A Hoffman...) 『If you love 19th centuryEuropean horror/ghost stories you will like this. The new new translation is quite good. Take it as it is meant, forget the whole Byron incident. It's a good book for anyone who likes ghostly barbers, haunted portraits and rich landowners who INSIST on tearing down that old family tower despite a family curse on anyone who does so...
If you enjoy these stories check out the gothic novels now being published by Valencourt Books. Here is one for example...
Mystery of the Black Tower (Gothic Classics) (Paperback) by John Palmer (Author), 』
(A classic of literary ghost stories) 『This is a great book that answers lots of questions surrounding the mysterious 'party' where Mary Shelley got her idea to write Frankenstein. I had heard , and read, so much about the famous ghostly gathering at the Villa Diodati but couldn't lay my hands on a copy of the 'Fantasmagoriana' that everyone mentioned (though no-one I spoke to had ever actually seen a copy).
The book has all of the stories that Lord Byron and Mry Shelley read. Some of them are quite creepy if you read them late at night. I particularly liked 'The Family Portraits' and 'The Gey Room' which was both creepy and kind of funny (you have to read it to see what I mean).
The essay 'Searching for the Muse' was really an eye-opener. I would never have guessed that Mary Shelley based some of her novel on real people, visited castle Frankenstein and used tiny snippets from these stories in her own famous novel!!
A great book to curl up in-front of the fire on a cold winter's evening.』 『It was on adark and stormy night, during the summer of 1816 that an eccentic group of English literati gathered at the Villa Diodati. The atmosphere at the Villa was charged by the violent streaks of lightening that licked at the mountain tops and split a black sky. As the wind outside whipped up the surface of lake Leman into a cauldron of waves the occupants of the Villa; Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Dr John Polidori, Percy Shelley and Claire Clairmont, whipped themselves into a gothic frenzy with recitals of haunting poetry and ghost stories. The stories that they read came from a book, originally written in German, that had recently been translated into French. The book that they read from was 'Fantasmagoriana' which now claims a unique place in literary history. This is the first ever full English translation of the all of the stories that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Dr John Polidori's The Vampyre.
This unusual book also contains an academic essay that explores the influence that these stories had upon Mary Shelley's writing and demonstrates some marked similarities between precise extracts of 'Frankenstein' and the 'Fantasmagoriana' stories.』
price：$19.95
Dark Regions Press
Usually ships in 24 hours Core2Duoノートレビュー 's review (Valuable survey of the career of CJ Henderson) 『Degrees of Fear by CJ Henderson was published by Dark Regions Press in three editions, a trade paperback, a limited edition hard cover and a lettered leather bound version. Somehow, I ended up with all but the leather bound version; both are signed by the author. The cover art and the generous number of interior illustrations are by Mr. Henderson's long time collaborator, Ben Fogletto. The cover, in particular, is a beautiful /horrific Lovecraftian image of purple worms or polyps devouring some fair damsel. This book is not a collection of new stories, is not an omnibus (alas, but such a work would run into multiple huge volumes for the prolific Mr. Henderson) and is not a themed collection (as was, for example, The Tales of Inspector Legrasse). Instead it is a retrospective survey or sampling of the author's dark fiction from the last three decades. As a consequence, if you are a CJ Henderson fan, there is likely to be quite a bit of overlap with your library. Production qualities were high; I cannot recall any typographical errors. Page count is a generous 267, counting a 2 page introduction by William Jones, a 3 page afterward by Joe Mauceri and a very brief biography of the author and artist; text starts on page 13. The publication history at the beginning was very useful. Production qualities are high in both editions I have.
One of Mr. Henderson's favorite devices is to take a character created by a popular write of yore and flesh out their life's history with some more stories the original author never got around to writing. Another is his love of the genre of noir supernatural detective. That makes it no surprise that we see stories concerning HP Lovecraft's Inspector Legrasse and Thomas Malone, or Lin Carter's Anton Zarnak, or even Mr. Henderson's own Teddy London. Although not all of these stories are Cthulhu mythos, the majority are, or are at least Lovecraftian. On the whole I very much enjoy CJ Henderson's prose and highly recommend this book. I must admit, however, with the degree of overlap with anthology appearances in years past, I was much more enamored of the tales new to me than the ones I have read in three or four previous books. Completists take note: Pragmatic, and Body and Soul are published here for the first time.
The Gardener - A wealthy businessman visits his eccentric parents in Kingsport, and discovers reality isn't what it used to be. I really liked this story, a fine opener for the book.
Admission of Weakness - I don't know if chronologically this was the author's first Anton Zarnak story, but it does serve nicely as a first event in Zarnak's chronicle in New York. Fans of occult detectives will be pleased.
Hope - Not mythos but actually a very insidious horror story. I bet Mr. Henderson chuckled as he wrote it.
Misery and Pity - Jhong is a Chinese warrior who fights a demon. I do not know if he appears in other stories but the narrative makes it seem that way; I know I would be happy to read more in this particular series. This was a very enjoyable read.
Incident on Highway 19 - This was a great Lovecraftian tale, retold in the diary of a highway worker who slowly goes off the deep end after seeing an unusual type of road kill. It may have been my favorite story in the whole book.
That's the One! - A brief trip through the rabbit whole into an unpleasant Wonderland. Very nice twist!
A Happy Mother Takes Away Pain - This is a story featuring the psychometrist, Lai Wan. She helps some clients wrestle with their (all too literal) demons. Compared to some other stories here I was not as enamored as I might have been.
Body and Soul - Thomas Malone meets Herbert West in a scenario so unlikely but so true to both characters, and each learns something about himself. This was very good indeed.
The Horror - True horror occurs in the mind more than anywhere else. A very good short.
A Forty Share in Innsmouth - A Fort share refers to the portion of the TV audience this broadcast receives, as a TV host revisits an unholy ritual that took place originally in a Brian Lumley story. Those of you who don't think it could occur like this have never seen Jerry Springer's TV show.
Sacrifice - This was very disturbing story, as ordinary people try to make a difference in the amount of suffering in the world.
Pop Goes the Weasel - Another well written disturbing story, where the in crowd finds thrills at the club of the moment, Uproar. The audience provides the show and the peer pressure is intense.
The Questioning of the Azathothian Priest - This was, I dunno, the fourth time I've read this Anton Zarnak yarn. It's pretty good, but I liked the stuff new to me.
Pragmatic - In a story from the Piers Knight series, the hero makes extraordinary efforts to save a just-about-to-be-baby with perfect pitch from the otherworldly horrors that fear it. Pretty good stuff.
The Laughing Man - I enjoyed getting reacquainted with this fine story of Vikings, valor and Valkyries.
The Soul's Right Hand - This was an excellent Teddy London story. The images of the demon Jack O'Lantern, Saman, were quite horrific and the denouement was great.
So Free We Seem - Another very good occult detective story, this time featuring Inspector Legrasse from The Call of Cthulhu. So Free We Seem is one of Mr. Henderson's best in this series.
The Longest Pleasure - My, my, revenge must be sweet. I liked this nasty little story.
Juggernaut - Here is another Teddy London story but I didn't like it so well. One reason is, at his best, the author shows how ordinary men and women find the strength within themselves to fight the unthinkable. By now Teddy London is turning into a superman, able to thwart the entire pack of the Hounds of Tindalos.
Degrees of Fear - Why would a very promising psychiatrist throw away his entire career to administer an asylum for the criminally insane, while not seeming to help any of the inmates? There has to be a reason for such a sacrifice, for such behavior, right? You find out why in the wonderfully morbid close to a wonderful collection.
So my final impression is that Degrees of Fear is a terrific book. For completists there is something new here, for CJ Henderson fans it is a smorgasbord of delight and for readers new to the author it is a perfect introduction. If you like what you see here you can branch off to his many other collections or anthology appearances. Ben Fogletto's art adds the perfect spice. Best of all, CJ Henderson has not hung up his word processor yet, so we can expect more dark delights in the coming years. Highly recommended. 』 『Introduction and story introductions by William Jones. Afterword by Joe Mauceri. For Over thirty years C.J. Henderson has brought the reading public the widest array of entertainment possible. hardboiled and hard-hitting, whether writing fantasy, mystery, science fiction, or horror, this one-of-a-kind storyteller has created multiple well-received series containing scores of memorable characters and hundreds of page-turning stories. Culled from his near infinite storehouse of tales, this volume contains twenty of his best, including eighteen of his classics plus two new stories created exclusively for this edition. In one, he returns to H.P. Lovecraft's mythos to write the newest tale of Herbert West: Reanimator. And, in the other he previews his latest series character, giving the world their first glimpse of the enigmatic museum curator, Piers knight. With eight illustrations by long-time collaborator, artist Ben Fogletto, this is the finest single edition of C.J. Henderson stories ever produced.』
price：$1.95
Samhain Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours 『
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Or is that wicked seductions? Annie Theophilus is used to life not going her way, but now the future is looking bright. She's engaged and finally getting her happily-ever-after-until she catches her fianc cheating. The garage seems to be the safest place for a well-deserved crying jag. Instead, it proves to be a portal from hell, out of which a sexy denizen of the underworld has just emerged. Namtar, one-time death-bringer to mortals, has come through an Earth portal for one thing-power. If he can convince a human to willingly sacrifice mortality for eternity in the Underworld, he will gain the power he needs to get the queen off her throne and secure a future for his people. But Annie's seduction doesn't go as smoothly as planned. Somehow she steals a piece of his heart, and he finds himself struggling with a depth of feeling he's never known. Now, thanks to his own hesitation, they're on the run from a murderous ex-fianc and a few enraged demons. How can he ask her to give him her soul-when all he can offer her is pain? Warning: This book contains sex in a garage, sex on the run, and shades of BDSM experimentation between willing partners as well as graphic depictions of an insane demon queen punishing her male and female lovers with stuff that put the ick in icky.I mean kinky.
The scallop of large satisfactory ! northern countries and - [ of how much ] botan shrimp are ! tightly.
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