Collection ID 1180
Director: John Madden
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, John Hurt, Christian Bale, Irene Papas
Genre: Drama
Studio: Universal Pictures   Release date: 2001   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (UK)
Summary: When a fisherman leaves to fight with the Greek army during WWII, his fiancee falls in love with the local Italian commander.
My Rating:
My Review: Screenplay by Shawn Slovo, based upon a novel (same name). Directed by John Madden ((Shakespeare in Love, The Debt, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Starring Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, John Hurt and others. I actually liked this movie. I must be a romantic sap. I don't really care for Nicolas Cage and his over dramatic stage style of acting was a bit out of place in this movie. Penelope Cruz did an excellent job, and John Hurt was perfectly cast as the wizened village elder. Nicolas Cage plays an Italian fisherman who joins the army (during WWII). He is posted to a Greek Island where he rules with an iron 'Mandolin' and ends up falling in love. Something he clearly shouldn't be doing during a war. The story and writing was excellent, as was the directing. The locations, sets, and costumes were great. The music was fantastic. Overall this war-torn romantic drama is a very good chick flick. I actually give it 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 433
Director: Herk Harvey
Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, Stan Levitt
Genre: Thriller
Studio: Harcourt Productions   Release date: 1962   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival. Carnival of Souls has earned cult classic status for its eerie and unsettling portrayal of a young woman (Candace Hilligoss playing Mary Henry) who is involved in an automobile accident, with her two friends. Their car plunges off a bridge into the river. Presumably everyone in the car is killed. A while later, Mary (Candace) emerges from the water completely uninjured. She heads towards town and stops into a church where she is hired as the new organist. She rents a room nearby and is propositioned by her neighbor. She visits a ghostly carnival, populated with the town’s dead citizens. What’s going on? What is happening to Mary and what is going to happen to her? A one-of-a-kind Zombie Thriller!
My Rating:
My Review: Black & White film that came paired with another horror movie (Horror Hotel). Screenplay, direction and production by Herk Harvey (Known for his production/direction of industrial and educational films (shorts), this was the only feature film he ever produced/directed). Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Herk Harvey (as the main 'ghoul') and others. This low budget black & white film is something of a cult classic art film, less so a horror film. It's eerie, dreadful, dreamy quality is hard to resist. While the acting is overly dramatic, the sound work and camera work are quite good. In this movie, Candace Hilligoss plays the role of Mary Henry. Mary and her friends all crash off a bridge during a drag race. A tragic accident for sure. All her friends die, but Mary survives, emerging from the river hours after the accident. Mary's friends and employer attempt to console her, but Mary shuns contact with other people and tries to put the accident behind her. Mary is lucky to have survived… Or did she? The acting seems odd, otherworldly, and I often wonder (while watching this movie) whether it was just bad acting, or whether the strange acting is part of the story. An odd clue to the new reality that Mary finds herself in. The movie plays like an episode of the Twilight Zone, Night Gallery or the Outer Limits. A hidden gem. I give this movie 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 1152
Director: Herk Harvey
Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison, Stan Levitt
Genre: Thriller
Studio: Harcourt Productions   Release date: 1962   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival. Carnival of Souls has earned cult classic status for its eerie and unsettling portrayal of a young woman (Candace Hilligoss playing Mary Henry) who is involved in an automobile accident, with her two friends. Their car plunges off a bridge into the river. Presumably everyone in the car is killed. A while later, Mary (Candace) emerges from the water completely uninjured. She heads towards town and stops into a church where she is hired as the new organist. She rents a room nearby and is propositioned by her neighbor. She visits a ghostly carnival, populated with the town’s dead citizens. What’s going on? What is happening to Mary and what is going to happen to her? A one-of-a-kind Zombie Thriller!
My Rating:
My Review: Black & White film that came paired with another horror movie (Horror Hotel). Screenplay, direction and production by Herk Harvey (Known for his production/direction of industrial and educational films (shorts), this was the only feature film he ever produced/directed). Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Herk Harvey (as the main 'ghoul') and others. This low budget black & white film is something of a cult classic art film, less so a horror film. It's eerie, dreadful, dreamy quality is hard to resist. While the acting is overly dramatic, the sound work and camera work are quite good. In this movie, Candace Hilligoss plays the role of Mary Henry. Mary and her friends all crash off a bridge during a drag race. A tragic accident for sure. All her friends die, but Mary survives, emerging from the river hours after the accident. Mary's friends and employer attempt to console her, but Mary shuns contact with other people and tries to put the accident behind her. Mary is lucky to have survived… Or did she? The acting seems odd, otherworldly, and I often wonder (while watching this movie) whether it was just bad acting, or whether the strange acting is part of the story. An odd clue to the new reality that Mary finds herself in. The movie plays like an episode of the Twilight Zone, Night Gallery or the Outer Limits. A hidden gem. I give this movie 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 122
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures   Release date: 1942   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Rick Blaine, a callous nightclub owner in a wartime waystation, has his world turned upside down when his lost love, Ilsa, returns.
My Rating:
My Review: An award winning film (won three Oscars in 1944) set in unoccupied Morocco (French Morocco) during WWII. The film stars Humphrey Bogart (as Rick Blaine), Ingrid Bergman (as Ilsa), and many others. Rick is the owner of "Rick's Café Américain", a nightclub, gambling parlor, meeting place for all sorts of people. Pickpockets, patriots, nazis, desperate humanity. This nightspot is an oasis for anyone looking to escape. Escape from bitter memories, from the horrors of war, from the confines of a prison sentence. Rick rules the nightclub like a neutral territory. Taking no sides, he favors no one over the security of his oasis. His world is secure amongst the chaos of war. Secure until, until she walked through his door. The movie is cast by great actors, full of unforgettable dialog and an excellent story. A love story, a thrilling war story, a story of patriotism, intrigue, romance and more. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you're in for a treat. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 906
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures   Release date: 1942   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Rick Blaine, a callous nightclub owner in a wartime waystation, has his world turned upside down when his lost love, Ilsa, returns.
My Rating:
My Review: An award winning film (won three Oscars in 1944) set in unoccupied Morocco (French Morocco) during WWII. The film stars Humphrey Bogart (as Rick Blaine), Ingrid Bergman (as Ilsa), and many others. Rick is the owner of "Rick's Café Américain", a nightclub, gambling parlor, meeting place for all sorts of people. Pickpockets, patriots, nazis, desperate humanity. This nightspot is an oasis for anyone looking to escape. Escape from bitter memories, from the horrors of war, from the confines of a prison sentence. Rick rules the nightclub like a neutral territory. Taking no sides, he favors no one over the security of his oasis. His world is secure amongst the chaos of war. Secure until, until she walked through his door. The movie is cast by great actors, full of unforgettable dialog and an excellent story. A love story, a thrilling war story, a story of patriotism, intrigue, romance and more. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you're in for a treat. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 455
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Leonid Citer, David Allen Brooks, Velena Papovic, Valentina Ananyina, Semion Suradikov
Genre: Adventure
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox   Release date: 2000   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island.
My Rating:
My Review: Written by William Broyles Jr. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, The Polar Express). Starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez and a few others. Tom Hanks stars as (Chuck Noland) in this movie about a man stranded alone on a remote island in the pacific. Chuck is a FedEx executive. He lives a very frantic life, he's important, he's essential, he's critical to the operations of a multi-million dollar business, he keeps the engines of industry running, and his life is a series of rushing from meeting to meeting, making important business decisions, and neglecting commitments to his family. One day, while he was flying from one important meeting to another, the unexpected happened. It all stopped! The plane crashed, and he found himself alone on the shore of a remote and uninhabited tropical island. Now he must do battle with the forces of nature, isolation and his own sanity. Can he survive without the conveniences of the modern world? Will he ever be rescued? Who will chair the next quarterly meeting! Tom Hanks delivers an outstanding performance in this singular movie. We focus our attention on him and only him for the duration of this 143 minute film. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 1168
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Leonid Citer, David Allen Brooks, Velena Papovic, Valentina Ananyina, Semion Suradikov
Genre: Adventure
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox   Release date: 2000   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island.
My Rating:
My Review: Written by William Broyles Jr. Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, The Polar Express). Starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez and a few others. Tom Hanks stars as (Chuck Noland) in this movie about a man stranded alone on a remote island in the pacific. Chuck is a FedEx executive. He lives a very frantic life, he's important, he's essential, he's critical to the operations of a multi-million dollar business, he keeps the engines of industry running, and his life is a series of rushing from meeting to meeting, making important business decisions, and neglecting commitments to his family. One day, while he was flying from one important meeting to another, the unexpected happened. It all stopped! The plane crashed, and he found himself alone on the shore of a remote and uninhabited tropical island. Now he must do battle with the forces of nature, isolation and his own sanity. Can he survive without the conveniences of the modern world? Will he ever be rescued? Who will chair the next quarterly meeting! Tom Hanks delivers an outstanding performance in this singular movie. We focus our attention on him and only him for the duration of this 143 minute film. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Collection ID 748
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Labrador Films   Release date: 1971   Rated: GP   
Language (Country): Italian (Italy, France, West Germany)
Summary: Franco Arno is a blind man that lives with his young niece and makes a living writing crossword puzzles. One night, while walking on the street, he overhears a weird conversation between two man sitting in a car parked in front of a medical institute where genetic experiments are performed. The same night someone breaks in the institute and kills a guard. Arno decides to investigate with the help of reporter Carlo Giordani.
My Rating:
My Review: Here's another movie from a recent compilation purchase (Night of Horror - Do not watch Alone!): Some of the movies on this 15 film compilation are late night gems, this one would have been, if it wasn't for the extremely bad transfer and the poor dubbing. Directed by Dario Argento (has written and directed nearly a hundred titles - thrillers, mysteries and horror since the mid 60s), music by Ennio Morricone, starring James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, and others. The story - Franco Arno (played by Karl Malden) is a blind retired detective who's mind is like a steel trap. On a walk with his niece, he overhears a conversation about black-mail, and his instincts take over. A series of murders occur with a common theme. They're all related to some classified research being conducted at a pharmaceutical company. Franco involves himself and begins leading the investigation with the help of police and a helpful reporter (played by James Franciscus). It's an excellent murder mystery, thriller, with excellent pacing, direction and acting. Unfortunately, the transfer to DVD was terrible. The colors and lighting were totally destroyed by this poor quality transfer. In addition to the poor reproduction, this version was missing a key scene. The lack of this scene left me wondering whether I had fallen asleep, and it would have helped explain some additional details. The loss of that scene made me lose track of the story and hurt the overall experience. The dubbing was also quite poor, with much of the dialog missing; apparent with moving lips and no dialog. The music by Ennio Morricone was another bonus. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons (missing footage, poor transfer, lack of the original Italian dialogue) I can't give this version more than a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 1434
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, Pier Paolo Capponi, Horst Frank
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Labrador Films   Release date: 1971   Rated: GP   
Language (Country): Italian (Italy, France, West Germany)
Summary: Franco Arno is a blind man that lives with his young niece and makes a living writing crossword puzzles. One night, while walking on the street, he overhears a weird conversation between two man sitting in a car parked in front of a medical institute where genetic experiments are performed. The same night someone breaks in the institute and kills a guard. Arno decides to investigate with the help of reporter Carlo Giordani.
My Rating:
My Review: Here's another movie from a recent compilation purchase (Night of Horror - Do not watch Alone!): Some of the movies on this 15 film compilation are late night gems, this one would have been, if it wasn't for the extremely bad transfer and the poor dubbing. Directed by Dario Argento (has written and directed nearly a hundred titles - thrillers, mysteries and horror since the mid 60s), music by Ennio Morricone, starring James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Catherine Spaak, and others. The story - Franco Arno (played by Karl Malden) is a blind retired detective who's mind is like a steel trap. On a walk with his niece, he overhears a conversation about black-mail, and his instincts take over. A series of murders occur with a common theme. They're all related to some classified research being conducted at a pharmaceutical company. Franco involves himself and begins leading the investigation with the help of police and a helpful reporter (played by James Franciscus). It's an excellent murder mystery, thriller, with excellent pacing, direction and acting. Unfortunately, the transfer to DVD was terrible. The colors and lighting were totally destroyed by this poor quality transfer. In addition to the poor reproduction, this version was missing a key scene. The lack of this scene left me wondering whether I had fallen asleep, and it would have helped explain some additional details. The loss of that scene made me lose track of the story and hurt the overall experience. The dubbing was also quite poor, with much of the dialog missing; apparent with moving lips and no dialog. The music by Ennio Morricone was another bonus. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons (missing footage, poor transfer, lack of the original Italian dialogue) I can't give this version more than a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 509
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye
Genre: Crime
Studio: DreamWorks   Release date: 2002   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a successful con artist who managed to pass himself off as several identities and the FBI agent hot on his trail.
My Rating:
My Review: Yes, its a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in it. Many would say that it's a chick flick. I disagree. Leonardo DiCaprio seems to be setting himself up for typecasting.. Its not a romantic drama. Its an amazing story about a kid who runs away from home and becomes everything he's ever dreamed of. Unfortunately, he breaks several laws doing so. The best part about this story, and I didn't even know it until the end of the movie.. It's a True Story!