Werewolf Of London [HD]

Werewolf Of London --Good Universal Horror
Warner Oland is simply wonderful as the mysterious Dr. Yogamiand Henry Hull plays the other unfortunate victim of lycanthropy withperfection.This was Universal's first attempt at the werewolf story, and it is too bad that this film is attacked by many critics.The old London, foggy atmosphere is erie setting,music(which was used in other Universal films of the period) is good, set pieces are beautiful, plot is interesting(remember"2 buds from the marafasia lupina will save 2 souls tonight......").Early transformation scene is interesting as Hull becomes harrier as he walks by each wall.Beautiful Valerie Hobson is a good Universal Scream Queen.There is even a scene involving 2 gin-swilling old ladies that is reminiscent of the Bride of Frankenstein(I swear I thought one of those old ladies was Una O'Connor!).One complaint I have is what was that weird final shot of that old bi-plane flying with the triumphant music blaring in the background? Highly recommend this film!

The Wolf Man Prequel that launced the Werewolf films
The film Werewolf of London, produced in 1936, was Universal Studio's first werewolf feature. The studio had released many horror films, and it's horror department was making money. Henry Hull, starring as the Werewolf, is a wonderful actor, but would not agree to the make-up that Jack Peirce had invisoned. Emotion is noticable only because Hull had no latex appliances.
Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull), a noteable botanist who enjoys solitude, searches for the rare Marifasia flower in Tibet. After finding the blossom, he is attacked by a wolf-like beast. Back in London, Doctor Yogami (Warner Onald) warns Glendon that his "moon flower) is the only known antidote for Lycanthrophobia, or werewolfry. He also claims that two werewolves are in London. Glendon scoffs at such claims-until that night of the full moon, where he transformes into a sinister, super-intelligent werewolf. Attempting to protect his wife Lisa (Valerie Hobson), Glendon hides in an old, abandoned peice of property...

Universal's first werewolf film is too often overlooked
Mention a werewolf, and you immediately think of the afflicted Larry Talbot played by Lon Chaney, Jr., in the classic monster films of the 1940s. Not only was Chaney not the first Wolf Man, he was not even Universal's first Wolf Man - that distinction goes to Henry Hull, who played a werewolf in Universal's 1935 classic Werewolf of London. This film, residing as it does in the shadows of Chaney's memorable werewolf films, is often overlooked; it is also unduly dismissed by some reviewers and horror fans. This is a much different type of movie than 1941's The Wolf Man, but it is really quite an enjoyable viewing experience.

Forget gypsies, wolf bane, pentagrams on the hands of victims, and the other werewolf staples Curt Siodmak put into his script of The Wolf Man. In Werewolf of London, botanist Wilfred Glendon (Hull) sees his troubles begin in - of all places - Tibet, where he traveled in search of a very special flower, the "Marifasa Lupina." This particular flower...

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Beautiful Creatures [HD]

An unpredictable dark comedy Pulp Fiction fans will love!
I saw this movie with a little hesitation. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I had read sounded all too interesting. And from the beginning, I was completely enjoying it.

The dark comedy stars Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Chain Reaction) and Susan Lynch (Waking Ned Devine) as two women trapped in bad relationships. The two meet by accident, when Dorothy (Lynch) stumbles across Petula (Weisz) being beaten by her boyfriend. As the boyfriend begins choking Petula, Dorothy realizes she must help her. Acting on instinct, Dorothy grabs a large pipe and whacks the man in the head. The two take the unconscious man back to Dorothy's apartment. There, the two introduce themselves. When the boyfriend wakes up, he falls from the bathtub (where Petula and Dorothy had placed him for the time being) he bangs his head. Now Petula and Dorothy have a dead body to deal with. Not just some man either. Petula's boyfriend is the younger brother of a very wealthy and very powerful...

Dorothy & Petula Have A Body To Die For
While this movie had a promising start, it sort of crumbled like a cookie by the middle. Billed as a black comedy/suspense thriller, Beautiful Creatures stars Rachel Weisz and Susan Lynch and Petula and Dorothy, respectively. At the outset we find both women are involved in abusive relationships with very despicable men. Through a chance meeting, Dorothy intervenes, with an usual choice of a weapon, while Petula's boyfriend, Brian, is throttling her, and he is knocked unconscious. Fearful of legal entanglements and repercussions, they drag him back to Dorothy's apartment and try to decide how to best proceed. Brian regains consciousness, and while still suffering from too much drink, he falls and hits his head, ending his own life. This sets up the rest of the movie, as the women have to now deal with a dead body.

Now Brian, who is well off, works for his brother Ronnie, who is even more well off, so the women concoct a scheme to make it appear as if Brian has been kidnapped,...

Don't underestimate these women!
There is a myth in Hollywood that strong women characters have to be strong women (i.e. Erin Brockovich). What I liked about the film "Beautiful Creatures" is that the lead female characters, Petula and Dorothy, are not strong women initially. They have allowed themselves to be dominated by physically, mentally and sexually abusive men. Neither seem to be capable of helping themselves out of these relationships. But, ironically, they each have the ability to help the other. And in helping eachother, they find the strength that had been beaten out of them. Even though the film addresses a serious subject, I found it to be very funny without making light of the domestic abuse issue. Susan Lynch is terrific as Dorothy, the fed-up heroine who comes to the aid of a stranger and finds herself facing murder charges. And "Mummy" fans will hardly recognize Rachel Weisz from her most familiar role as "Evie." Weisz is proving herself to be one of the most versatile...

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Isn't She Great [HD]

Nope, she's Divine!
The hilarious Miss M does it again! Her timing is fab and she nails the delivery. Nobody can tell off God quite like Bette as trash novelist, Jackie Susann. While the movie was not a knock-your-socks-off hit, the critics are wrong. With perfectly cast supporting players, a super-ditzy 70s-style score by none other than Burt Bacharach, and wonderful costuming and sets, the film was very enjoyable and I recommend it to those who actually have a sense of humor.

Stockard Channing (who really shines in over-the-top roles) is incomparable and a perfect match to Bette. Her best lines are second only to Bette's conversations with God and her editor. Master of the stage, Nathan Lane, delivers his usual outstanding performance as the endearing, funny, supportive husband and handler of Bette's wacky, exceedingly self-centered Susann. Bette and Nathan are like cream and sugar. David Hyde Pierce brings Niles' charm and wonderful sensitivity to his character as Bette's editor. John Cleese,...

A PARTY, WITH LOTS OF HEART
This movie was so good,funny, and affecting that I ended up seeing it twice in the cinema. Now, I'm a BIG Bette Midler fan. I mean BIG.But I can't really say that I am biased, because ANY film with her radiates such warmth, and energy, and this one is no different. This movie isn't very thought-provoking, but it is sincere,hilarious, but at the same time very, very fragile.All the costars did a solid job, but this is Bette's party, this is her movie. I won't give away the plot, but it's about a writer, Jackie Susan (she wrote 'Valley of the Dolls"), in the 60's, and she is in every sense of the word a rockstar.Over the top,dramatic, in your face, flashy, but with lots of heart and soul.She keeps getting rejected, 'till she finally gets her chance at becoming what she aspires to be- a writer. Then Jackie gets a punch, she's diagnosed with cancer. But she gets ten more years, and on those ten years, she takes you on ana entertaining and delightful ride, without ever once losing...

I Think,I Read About The Wrong Jackie
Jacquelyn Susann was a well known author of best selling books. Until she came on the scene, her kind of book, down low and dirty,were not to be found. She changed the culture, and she helped to change the way books were marketed.

Jackie met Irving Mansfield in a coffee shop, she was looking for a job and her husband, Irving Mansfield, was looking for someone to represent. After a not so secure life as a TV ad actress, her husband convinced her to write a book. That book, 'The Valley of ThenDolls' became the best selling book of the year. Hernlifebhas been immortalized in this film, it is OK, but does not represent the vibrant woman we came to know. Bette Midler does a passable job of playing Jacquelyn. Nathan Lane plays her husband, not with a subtle touch, I might add. The film did not hold my interest, and I found myself fast forwarding. The scenes of New York were fascinating, the film colorful.

Recommended. prisrob 03-22-13

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Smokey and the Bandit II [HD]

I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Daddy, look at that big ugly alligator...
"Daddy, look at that big ugly alligator.", "That reminds me, I gotta call your moma tonight." THIS MOVIE IS FUNNY!!!
The first thing I noticed about SMOKEY and the BANDIT 2 was the quality of the digital transfer to DVD. It is done so well, I felt like I was watching a movie made a year ago(aside the old cars and clothes).
I'm 36 and this movie brought back tons of memories. "Son, why isn't your gun loaded?", "It's too heavy when I put bullets in it, Daddy." This movie is full of hilarious one liners. I found myself to be in a great mood after watching this movie. There's a semi-sentimental tone that is, at times alittle cheesy but still, touching and not too overboard.
Everyone is fantastic in this movie. Even the gas station attendant is brilliantly funny. I really can't think of one negative thing to say about SB2.
It's as good, if not better than, the first BANDIT. I give it 2 thumbs up and a MUST SEE for anyone who...

Why would anyone not like this movie if they liked the first
So this movie was different than the first Smokey and The Bandit. Was it really? If it's fast cars wanted, this has just the same as the first. If it's chase scene spectacular, this is just as much. If it's "bubble gum machines" getting wasted in a pile of heep by semis, this movie has just as much if not more so than the first as well. The same Burt Reynolds style, the same Jackie Gleason style, pretty much the same movie with a twist. Instead of hauling bootlegged beer, it's a pregnant elephant headed toward the Republican convention in Texas. Dom Deluise is hilarious in this second installment, making an added character for additional humor. Jerry Reed continues being the sensible one of the cast, always being the mediater in solving a problem as usual. If a person truly liked and is a real fan of Smokey and The Bandit original film, they would like this just the same. True, not the same as the first but equally as good even with the slight differences.

Bring it out on DVD!
I keep wanting to see this movie on DVD. To be honest I think this one is the funniest of the three, maybe not the best overall but the funniest. The banter between the Sheriff and his son take this movie over the top. Now if this movie and Used Cars could just be put on DVD...

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Road to Utopia [HD]

A Great Set
If you don't like classic comedy, you're not going to like this either. But for me, this is my first stop when I need to take a break from the Marx Brothers (who I watch way too much). These films are exhibit A for Bob Hope's comedic talents, and Bing's cooler than you or I will ever be. Plus with Bing around, I'm actually happy to listen when the songs come, which is not the case for most 30's and 40's Hollywood films. Morocco is my favorite, but any of these four films can brighten a dark day. There are a few decent extras on this set, and for $20 it's a steal. If you're willing to watch a comedy made before "Animal House," you should go ahead and take the plunge into Hope and Crosby's world.

Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake, Baker's Man...
Wow! The first four Hope and Crosby road pics on one DVD! What can you say? The first two, ROAD TO SINGAPORE and ROAD TO ZANZIBAR (though still funny) are still trying to flesh out the chemistry of the duo and the two actors adhere to the scripts. Then, they hit their stride of hilarity and break out in ROAD TO MORROCCO and continues in ROAD TO UTOPIA. However, in ROAD TO ZANZIBAR evidence of what is to come in Hope and Crosby's future pairings comes near the end of the film. The two are captured by cannibals in Africa and are tested to see if they are gods (sort of a variation of THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING). Hope's character is forced to wrestle a gorilla in a caged match. This is very funny as Hope shows his ability for physical comedy. Then, the climax is when they are about to be literally cooked for dinner. They use their patented "patty-cake" routine to escape from the cannibals. This is even more hilarious than the gorilla scene. Then, in ROAD TO MOROCCO, the...

Great Collection, But Where Are the Other Three?
This collection of the first four Road pictures is well worth having. The picture quality is excellent and all four films are loaded on one double-sided disc. But where are the remaining three Road pictures? This would have made the ultimate Road collection. Disappointing.

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George A. Romero's Land of the Dead [HD]

Extension of Romero's original "Dead" trilogy fun and inventive
The dead are mad as heck and aren't going to take it anymore! When we last caught up with George Romero's "Dead" films, "Day of the Dead" focused on the military trying to train the zombies for combat and experimenting on them. Romero takes the next step introduced into a world divided by the dead and the living each sharing space reluctantly with the other. That is until a gas station attendant zombie shows an inkling of intelligence and decides to go after the living in a sealed off skyscaper while those less fortunate live on the streets of the sealed off metropolis. Run by Kaufman (Dennis Hopper in perfect looney mode), the city is supplied by "employees" who can't live in the beautiful people's skyscraper. These scavengers led by Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo) pillage the landscape around them for essential items for the wealthy. Riley has a conscience decides he will no longer lead the crew of his "tank" Dead Reconkening and work for "the man" anymore. Cholo, on...

George A. Romero proves that zombies still creep us out
We should have known that if George A. Romero was going to go back to the well of the living dead another time he was going to come up with something different. What "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" (the director's name goes up top so you know this is not merely another remake of one of his zombie films, like last year's "Dawn of the Dead") offers is two variations on the familiar theme. The first is in this brave new world humanity has found a way of perpetuating the old divide between the "haves" and "haves not," even when there are all those zombies out there suggest it should now be "us" versus "them." Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) has set up Fiddler's Green, a luxury high rise on an island between a couple of rivers (think the location of Three River Stadium in Romero's old stomping ground of Pittsburgh even though the movie is shot in Toronto). There the "haves" live while the rest of the island has the "have nots," some of whom are hired as mercenaries to go out into the world...

Romero's Still Got It
I've read several reviews for Land of the Dead in the past week. Some praised it, while some dismissed it as a "rehash" or "uninspired" film, saying it does nothing to further the Romero legacy. I've heard it's not funny. I've heard it's character's sucked. I've heard lots. I'm here to let you know that Romero's new addition not only fits like a glove to the original three - it's hillarious, well acted, well concieved, and looks beautifully-dirty at that!

When I hear people say LAND is "unoriginal", it makes me chuckle. No other horror filmmaker can mix social commentary, humor, and gore like Romero, and if there is one out there, he'she probablly got the idea from Romero anyway!

I saw LAND last night, at a midnight show here in Chicago. From the opening old-school UNIVERSAL logo, to watching KAUFMAN say things like "We don't negoitate with terrorists," to watching a population of zombies appear from under the water in what, to me, is one of the creepiest moments...

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Juguetes

Juguetes es un cortometraje increible ...
El cortometraje Juguetes es una producción hecha 100% en Caicedonia Valle, Colombia. Felicito a Hector, Yovanny y todos los demas participantes de este maravilloso proyecto, que marco el inicio de un vertiginoso avance hacia el convertir a Caicedonia en pionera en cuanto a producción de cine y efectos especiales se refiere.

Me agrada de sobremanera saber que este tipo de proyectos esta manteniendo una continuidad en la producción de Polaco Studios y esperamos con ansias su próxima obra "Sarah".

Este tipo de proyectos mantiene los jóvenes Caicedonitas ocupados, invirtiendo su tiempo y energía en asuntos productivos, hacia un futuro mas promisorio.

Caicedonitas, apoyemos a Caicedonia.





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