The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London) (1943) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had never really thought of The Wolf Man as being in the same league as Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster - I was wrong. Watching Lon Chaney, Jr.'s portrayal of Larry Talbot in The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man has opened my eyes. Chaney's Wolf Man is by far the most sympathetic of Universal's three major monsters. Dracula loves being Dracula, Frankenstein's monster is a full-time monster made out of dubious body parts, yet Larry Talbot is a victim of cruel fate. Rushing in to help a damsel in distress, he sustains a bite from a werewolf - hardly the type of reward a hero deserves. Doing the things a werewolf does is bad enough, but Talbot knows he is a werewolf and has to spend all of his normal waking hours wallowing in mental agony, knowing he can do nothing to contain the hairy monster lurking within. Beginning with his resurrection in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Talbot's overriding ambition and sole wish is to die and be freed from the curse forever, yet he now knows he can never die- not by conventional means, anyway. He truly is a lost soul trapped in a nightmare from which there seems to be no escape. This was the role Chaney was born to play, and he delivered one amazing performance after another in his five werewolf films. The Wolf Man Legacy Collection contains only two of them, the original The Wolf Man from 1941 and the sequel/monster crossover film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1942). Chaney's Wolf Man also appears in House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, each of which can be found on the Frankenstein and Dracula Legacy Collections, respectively.
The Wolf Man has exerted a huge influence on the art of horror for over six decades now, thanks to the heralded make-up prowess of Jack Pierce, the tight and powerful script of Curt Siodmak, some impressive photography work, a moving musical score, and wonderful performances from a truly stellar cast of actors and actresses (including Claude Raines in the role of Larry Talbot's father, Maria Ouspenskava as the gypsy woman and surrogate mother figure to Larry, and the great Bela Lugosi in a somewhat minor yet crucial role). Chaney's Wolf Man appearance is amazingly vivid and, one supposes, somewhat frightening to moviegoers of the early 1940s. His emotional performance adds to his character's tragic status; his strange and slightly awkward manner, tempered by a sort of gentle slowness always leaves me mesmerized.
With the success of The Wolf Man in 1941, it didn't take Universal long to trot out a sequel; the following year, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man not only capitalized on the success of everybody's favorite werewolf, it also brought in Frankenstein's monster, thus becoming one of the first Universal monster cross-over films. Lon Chaney, Jr., returns as the ill-fated Larry Talbot, and the legendary Bela Lugosi dons the makeup of the Frankenstein monster - this fact alone makes the film intriguing. Talbot, now afraid he cannot die, longs to be killed and put out of his misery. He ends up at the castle of Frankenstein, where a helpful young doctor promises to help him and destroy Frankenstein's monster in the process - things don't quite work out that way, and the film ends with a monster grudge match between the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster.
Werewolf of London (1935) and She-Wolf of London (1946) could not be more different, and both are unmistakably distinct from the Universal werewolf films starring Lon Chaney, Jr., yet I think they both work marvelously. Many fans don't care for them, especially She-Wolf in London, but I find both films quite compelling. They differ significantly from the storyline running through Chaney's Wolf Man films, but these two films have a great deal of their own to offer fans. Often overlooked and unduly dismissed by some reviewers and horror fans, these are two classic werewolf films.
In terms of extras, you get trailers for three of the four films, a truly excellent commentary of The Wolf Man by film historian Tom Weaver, a well-made 1999 documentary called Monster By Moonlight, and comments on the Wolf Man character by Van Helsing director Stephen Sommers. With only four movies and relatively few extras, The Wolf Man Legacy Collection falls a little short in the value department compared to the Dracula and Frankenstein Legacy Collection sets, but nothing can change the fact that this is must-have material for fans of classic horror movies.

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For the first time ever, the original The Wolf Man film comes to DVD in this extraordinary Legacy Collection. Included in the collection is the original classic, starring the renowned Lon Chaney Jr., and three timeless sequels, featuring legendary actor Bela Lugosi and others. These are the landmark films that inspired an entire genre of movies and continue to be major influences on motion pictures to this day.

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Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein) (1963) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was prepared to be disappointed but hopeful that Universal would do a good job with this set. While it isn't perfect, this collection of classic Hammer films (and some not so-classic ones as well)looks pretty good in this DVD transfer. Although "Brides of Dracula" and "Curse of the Werewolf" don't look as stunning as the "Horror of Dracula" (or "Revenge of Frankenstein")each appears in what appears to be the correct aspect ratio. Universal evidently used notes with the prints indicating the original theatrical aspect ratio (at least for the U.S.)much as Warner did with "The Mummy" and "Horror of Dracula". There aren't any extras to speak of but the image quality is solid. There's grain evident in most of these DVD transfers but all of that can't be attributed to the transfer itself as these were shot on stock that was grainy to begin with. Older DVD players (and some newer ones as well)may have a problem playing some of these discs. Evidently there are reports (again) that these Universal discs can cause some players to freeze and lock up the DVD players which is related to a manufacturing issue related only to dual layered discs. These discs would have looked terrific on single layered releases or on single sided dual layered releases. The reason these are being released like this is due to $$. Luckily, so far I haven't had a problem but I thought the same thing with some of the other Universal releases and found out otherwise much later.
"Brides of Dracula" has a misleading title. Dracula doesn't appear at all instead this film focuses on Van Helsing's (Peter Cushing) efforts to rid a village of a young vampire that has been inadvertantly released by a young woman. Although the script isn't quite as strong as "Horror of Dracula", the film has a number of memorable set pieces. Evidently beyond the four screenwriters credited, Anthony Hinds also had a hand in the script (as did Cushing and Fisher much later) as he had to tone down the film for the British censors prior to production. In Sangster's original screenplay Dracula makes an appearence at the end of the film to punish Meinster. One of the last Hammer films shot by the marvelous Jack Asher, "Brides" looks great on DVD.
"Curse of the Werewolf" features Oliver Reed in the title role. Set in Spain, Reed plays Leon a young man adopted when his mother a mute servant girl dies giving birth. We know very little about the father except that the girl was raped. As a youth Leon exhibits the traits of the werewolf while hunting and the curse continues to haunt him as he grows older.
The colors are bright and vivid. Terence Fisher's direction is sharp as usual and the film is one of the more "adult" Hammer films dealing with a number of complex themes. Reed doesn't show up until about 40 or so minutes into the movie. Featuring an unusual rich score by Benjamin Frankel("Night of the Igauna") and a chrismatic, powerful performance by Reed, "Curse" would be one of the few Hammer films to visit the legend of the werewolf. Bizarrely, Yvonne Romain plays Reed's mother in this while Reed romances her in "Night Creatures". Romain would have her last film role as Sheila in the classic mystery film "The Last of Sheila".
"The Evil of Frankenstein" allowed Hammer to adapt Jack Pierce's classic monster make up for this film when Universal agreed to finance it. Cushing plays the doctor once again. It's one of the lesser Frankenstein films and the only one featuring Cushing not directed by Terry Fisher. While it isn't the best of the Frankenstein films, Freddie Francis (cinematography on one of my favorite classic horror films "The Innocents" and other films such as "The Elephant Man". Director of horror classics "The Creeping Flesh" and "The Doctor and The Devils")does a solid enough job of directing the film despite it's apparent low budget. "Evil" features one of the weakest scripts by Anthony Hinds for the "Frankenstein" series. Cushing does his best with the material. It's basically a rehash of elements seen in many of the Universal Frankenstein films including the sequence where the Baron discovers his creature in ice (which echoes "Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman"). The transfer looks far from "Evil". With nice, robust colors and nice fine line detail "Evil of Frankenstein" looks extremely good.
"Paranoic" features Oliver Reed in a clever thriller with as many plot twists as "Psycho". Featuring a script by Jimmy Sangster and sharp direction by Freddie Francis, it's a memorable thriller but derivative thriller. It doesn't measure up to Hitchcock's classic but has a number of marvelous sequences in it and a great performance by Oliver Reed. A very nice transfer with rich blacks, "Paranoic" and "Nightmare" (another Jimmy Sangster "Psycho" knock off of sorts) both look positively beautiful in this presentation.
"Phantom of the Opera" is Fisher's remake of the classic French novel. In this version the Phantom is played by Herbert Lom. The make up isn't as memorable as Lon Chaney's and the changes in the plot along with the smaller scale of the production makes this one that gets overlooked. Although it wasn't the huge financial hit that Universal had hoped at the time and the action lags a bit at the beginning, "Phantom" still remains a terrific bit of entertainment and has a number of marvelous set pieces directed by Terence Fisher.
"Kiss of the Vampire" may appear to familair to fans of Roman Polanski's "The Fearless Vampire Killers". The basic plot involving a vampire cult and their attempt to initiate an unsuspecting young woman at a "vampire ball" was the basis for Polanski's satire. Well directed by Don Sharp, the main weakness of the film are the unconvincing bats that attack in one sequence. Otherwise, this is a top notch film. The transfer for "Kiss of the Vampire" looks quite good with rich colors.
"Night Creatures" is a Peter Cushing period piece that was retitled for the US market from "Captain Clegg". Cushing plays the vicar in a town full of smugglers. Clegg was a pirate in the region who was ultimately caught, executed and buried in the town. Using "marsh phantoms" to scare away those who might be interested in their smuggling activities, the town is investigated when a man who had betrayed Clegg is found by the King's Navy. This mute brute (Clegg had his tongue cut out for trying to rape the Captain's wife and for betraying him)leads the King's men to the town where it is suspected that Clegg might be alive and still in action after all. A well written period adventure, Cushing is marvelous as the vicar and a young Oliver Reed does a nice supporting turn in the film as well. The film is based on the same source as "Dr. Syn/The Scarecrow" which Disney made with Patrick Magoohan (famed for "The Prisoner" and "Secret Agent Man/Danger Man")which forced Universal and Hammer to change the title and character names to avoid a lawsuit. Well directed by Peter Graham Scott with a breezy action filled script by Anthony Hinds, "Night Creatures" is a film I hadn't seen since childhood. My impressions now (as they were then)is that this is a terrific piece of filmmaking showing a side of Hammer that was rarely investigated.
"Night Creatures" looks quite good although the sequences that set at night are a tad flat looking and dark. The colors are bright and vivid although the film looks like it could have been cleaned up a bit more for this presentation. Still, this DVD presentation of the film looks better than the rare VHS copies I've seen over the years. Part of the flaw with the film could be the age of the negative itself and/or the condition of it. It still looks mighty good all things considered.
The packaging resembles the other "Franchise" collections Universal has put out with a see through slipcase and images of the original lobby cards in small print on the inside. A nice job of putting this set together although, again, an extra disc with a biography of Cushing, commentary track from a Hammer film scholar (or fans)and the original theatrical trailers would have been appreciated.

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Hammer Films, one of the most celebrated horror studios in the history of cinema, presents 8 classic horror films in one collection. From Dracula to Frankenstein, werewolves to phantoms, the Hammer Horror Series showcases some of the most terrifying monsters in the history of cinema and features legendary performances by Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed and Janette Scott.

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Young Frankenstein (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me begin by saying that the only reason I don't give this 5 stars is that I wanted a bit more from the commentary track, as I indicate below.
The content of this wonderful movie is covered amply elsewhere, so I won't repeat what others have so well synopsized. I WOULD like to point out a couple of things about this particular DVD:
1) The commentary track is accessible from the the LANGUAGE SELECTION menu, rather than from the special features menu (as is usual for commentary tracks). I was terribly frustrated by this until I got some help from Christian at boldopinions.com (thanks Christian!).
2) Yes, the commentary track IS mostly Mel babbling, but there are some nice tidbits here (many of the cut-away shots were put in because Gene Wilder kept breaking, Mel thought "Puttin' On The Ritz" was frivolous, etc.). It's also heart-breaking to hear about how Marty Feldman's health habits led to his death at age 59. Unfortunately, since Mel's commentary leans toward the personal, we don't get to hear about the roots of the dart-throwing scene (practically a duplication of a scene in "Son of Frankenstein")-- and I would SWEAR that the trees going by the window in the Transylvanian train sequence are the same ones in the train sequence in "Son of Frankenstein." So we can't have everything.
3) The documentary is really wonderful-- it's obvious that everyone has warm feelings about the film, and the recollections are sharp and insightful. It gives the movie added dimension, so don't pass it over.
I haven't seen mention in the Amazon reviews of "Young Frankenstein" the multiple homages to "Son of Frankenstein," not the least of which is Gene Wilder's spot-on lord-of-the-manor affectations through many of the early Transylvanian sequences (in his grandfather's bedroom: "And where is my grandfather's PRIVATE library?...[book snatched from shelf] Why, these books are all very general [snap snap snap the pages]; any doctor might have them in his study [SLAP book closed]" and the entirety of the aforementioned dart-throwing scene (in which Wilder is positively CHANNELING Basil Rathbone). So make "Son of Frankenstein" ALSO required viewing prior to seeing "Young Frankenstein."
Finally, I think that Mel hits the nail on the head when he says (repeatedly) that so many scenes are emotional at the same time that they're being funny. This film was made with such love by all concerned, and it shows. Yes, it can be occasionally crass, and go for obvious cheap laughs (albeit MUCH less so than any movie Mel has made before or since), but what one ultimately takes away from this movie is the incredible amount of care everyone took with the project. Hell, you might even find yourself with a tear in your eye at the end (I did-- the awesome score by John Morris helps a lot!). Alas, Mel and Gene were never again to collaborate on a script (it is amazing that the Borscht Belt comedy of Mel Brooks and the hopeless romanticism of Gene Wilder found such fertile creative ground in the first place!), so this movie is lightning in a bottle (pun intended). Don't miss it.

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YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - DVD Movie

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Splice (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)SPLICE

STARRING: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac and Brandon McGibbon
WRITTEN BY: Vincenzo Natali
DIRECTED BY: Vincenzo Natali
Rated: R
Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller
Release Date: 04 June 2010
Review Date: 12 July 2010
I'm not exactly sure why I liked Splice, but I did. Even so, I won't be recommending it to anyone I don't know closely, because it's out there and isn't what most people will be expecting - especially based on its trailer.

If you're envisioning Species, you may be let down. If you're thinking Alien; you could be disappointed. It does however; lie somewhat in-between those two great films. And it's also sprinkled with a hint of the sort of family drama you'd find in The Jerry Springer show. I know - I just lost half of you there, didn't I? Still interested? Okay, keep reading.
Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley play Clive and Elsa; scientists as well as lovers. We quickly move on and accept that their employers are either blind to the fact, or don't seem to care that they are beyond fraternizing. A good deal of the film rests on the shoulders of the merit of their relationship, and their on-screen allure makes those portions believable as well as entertaining; mostly by Adrien Brody. He's such a likeable guy, and a terrific actor.

I'll admit Splice takes it's time getting to the point, but I was never bored with it. The - `two characters in a room for prolonged periods of time' approach was handled with care; and there is a very subtle hint of `what the hell is gonna happen?' - teasing those hairs on the back of our necks for the first 30 minutes or so.
After advisors shut down their project, Clive and Elsa secretly push forward with their experiment of splicing animal and human DNA. There must be some kind of strict Hollywood code in Sci-Fi movies, that forces the writers to script the purpose for DNA splicing to involve `the better of mankind', because it's seems like that's always the reason. It is here too.
If you're not asleep by the end of act one, you may enjoy seeing the creature Clive and Elsa have well... spliced. I've certainly never seen anything like it, and was astronomically impressed. A blend of some barely visible CGI and beautiful make-up effects and voila; an original movie monster at last! The actress they hire to play the thing soon named Dren (Delphine Chaneac), does an amazing job at making her convincing, interesting and somehow even slightly attractive.

If you think you can predict where this film is headed, you may be surprised. It is essentially three films in one; each act taking a sharp turn into something else. Several viewers will despise the third act entirely. While it wasn't my first choice of destinations for the film to take me to, I wouldn't say I had the worst time with it.

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Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, they secretly take their experiment underground--risking their careers to push the boundaries of science and serve their own curiosity and ambition. The result is Dren, an amazing, strangely beautiful creature of uncommon intelligence and unexpected physical developments. At first, Dren exceeds their wildest dreams. But as she grows and learns at an accelerated rate, her existence threatens to become their worst nightmare.

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The Monster Squad (Two-Disc 20th Anniversary Edition) (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been waiting for this DVD to come into print for years, and now the wait is finally over. Thanks to Lionsgate for finally stepping up, straightening out the rights issues, and putting together a nice 2-Disc special edition of this classic 80s kids flick.
The Monster Squad, much like the Goonies and the Lost Boys, is a kid's flick at heart, but it doesn't come off as if it were written and directed down to children. The flick stars Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert (of Kids Incorporated fame), Brent Chalem, Michael Faustino and Robby Kiger as a group of kids that have a secret Monster club where they pontificate on all things monster related. Quick, two ways to kill a werewolf? Stumped? That's right, everyone knows you need to shoot `em with a silver bullet. Anyway, the group runs into trouble when unbeknown to them the all too real rouges gallery of the classic Universal monster movies are converging on their town looking to destroy an amulet that can prevent them from taking over the world. Sean, the leader of the club, lucks into a copy of Van Helsing's diary, which provides the instructions to a ritual that will banish the monsters into limbo. With the help of "Scary German Guy" (played by the always excellent Leonardo Cimino) a concentration camp survivor and resident German diary translator, the group bands together to save their families, their town, and quite possibly the entire world.
The film was directed by Fred Dekker and co-written by Fred Dekker and Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon and Predator fame) with amazing special effects and make-up by the legendary Stan Winston. This DVD was made possible by the director, actors, and fans who banded together in the past year through letter writing campaigns and revival screenings which proves just how much of a cult classic this flick is. If you are a generation X'er who's into action, horror or nostalgia the Monster Squad is sure to be a perfect addition to your DVD collection.
The 20th anniversary special edition set is reported to contain 2 audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, an making of featurette, trailers, as well as a vintage interview with Tom Noonan (who played the Frankenstein's monster.)

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Count Dracula adjourns to Earth, accompanied by Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Gillman. The uglies are in search of a powerful amulet that will grant them power to rule the world. Our heroes - the Monster Squad are the only ones daring to stand in their way.

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