Dante handles it all with equal measures of humor, sex, gore, and horror, pulling out all the stops when the ravenous Eddie (Dante favorite Robert Picardo, later known as the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager) transforms into a towering, bloodthirsty werewolf. (Bottin's mentor Rick Baker would soon raise the makeup ante with An American Werewolf in London.) As usual, in-jokes abound, from characters named after werewolf-movie directors, amusing cameos (Corman, Sayles, Forrest J. Ackerman), and hammy inserts of wolfish cartoons and Allen Ginsberg's "Howl." It's best appreciated now as a quintessential example of early-'80s horror, with low-budget limitations evident throughout, but The Howling remains a giddy genre milestone. --Jeff Shannon
Run Time: 93 Min
Format: DVD MOVIE
Amazon.com
Wittily updated from one of Dracula author Bram Stoker's lesser-known horror novels, The Lair of the White Worm is a camp classic that only Ken Russell could have delivered. It's got all the perversity one expects from the bombastic director of Tommy and Altered States: sensible plotting, intelligent dialogue laced with double entendre, graphic imagery with Boschian intensity, and a mischievous disregard for good taste and decorum. In other words, it's heretically hilarious, especially when skeptical Lord D'Ampton (fresh-faced Hugh Grant, in one of his earliest films) begins to suspect that seductive neighbor Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe, game for anything) is connected to the local legend of a monstrous serpent that feeds on sacrificial virgins. Evidence mounts with the help of a local archaeologist (Peter Capaldi) and two endangered sisters (Catherine Oxenberg, Sammi Davis), and Russell infuses Stoker's grisly plot with his inimitable brand of blasphemy, including a gouged eyeball, a venom-splattered crucifix, Roman soldiers raping nuns (in a delirious hallucination sequence), and some of the funniest one-liners since Young Frankenstein. Prudes beware; everyone else…enjoy! --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Guilty pleasure.......2007-06-14
I watched it. I liked it. I felt guilty watching it and loving it. I had to buy it. Hugh Grant was okay. Catherine Oxenburg was gorgeous. Sammi Davis was lovable. Amanda Donahoe was outrageous as she stole the show. I agree with those who say this film is not for everyone. I can see where many might be offended by this movie. There is some sacreligious elements to this and some slightly sick scenes (specifically in the cave), but if you're willing and you have a sense of humor, this is a great version of vampirism. The song "Dunston Worm" is awesome when it is performed in public. If you can sacrifice good taste for a good time, this film might be for you.
Can we stop for a bite?.......2007-01-16
Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi), archaeologist is rooting around an old convent when he finds a rather toothy skull of a supposedly unrecorded beastie. He may have uncovered a lot more.
Some times legend is based on more than facts. And what you don't know may bite you.
I have to admit I did not read the book. I have seen other Ken Russell movies; but I do not recognize his style. However wyrmen works as well if not better than bats in that part of the world. This movie has everything that makes up a good horror film. There are victims, unaware good guys and even a few "stay in the car" scenes. There is even a song and a tune to go with the story.
As with most good DVD's the goodies are almost as good as the film is.
no *'s.......2006-10-17
"Hey lets put Hugh Grant on the cover and maybe people will buy it." Well I didnt buy it for Hugh however, I did buy it because Fangoria holds it up pretty high. My curiosity got the best of me and, I wanted to know why they liked it so much. I still wanna know! The movie was plain boring! The script introduces one annoying character after the next. Its a huge mess, with bogus effects and, a major lack of suspense or terror! I wanted to find something good I may be able to say about this movie but, the only thing that comes to mind is that atleast it ends. Obviously there are those that get it and those that dont.. I am proud to say... I dont.
Not a bad movie, but not really scary.......2006-10-11
It was more english kind of humor. A very young Hugh Grant playing the snotty land owner, before he came to America to make his fortune playing snotty characters here. It was ok.
Surprisingly delightful.......2006-09-17
Although it's a B movie, Hugh Grant, Amanda Donohoe and Catherine Oxenberg are a hilarious triangle. Cheesy effects, yet Amanda Donohoe is as sinister a temptress as you could hope for and Hugh Grant (or perhaps just his character) is just as clueless as can be.
I love this movie and I was so tempted to give it 5 stars, but I know it's an acquired taste. This is one movie I haven't been able to force my friends to watch because it's never on. It's now on my wish list so I can look forward to, um, enlightening them.
Average customer rating:
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The The Metamorphosis - A Study: Nabokov on Kafka
Starring:
Metamorphosis-Study-Nabokov on Kafka
Manufacturer: Monterey Video
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ASIN: B000RW5C72
Release Date: 2007-08-07 |
Average customer rating:
- dreadful
- Disappointing
- Misunderstood Classic!
- Hilariious Americanized Ionesco
- A movie about the absurd
|
Rhinoceros
Starring:
Zero Mostel ,
Gene Wilder ,
Karen Black ,
Joe Silver , and
Robert Weil
Director:
Tom O'Horgan
Manufacturer: Kino Video
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The Iceman Cometh
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The World's Greatest Lover
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Rhinoceros and Other Plays
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The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
ASIN: B00008HCAB
Release Date: 2003-04-01 |
Customer Reviews:
dreadful.......2007-05-17
This is a dreadful film which shows little understanding of the playwrights original intention and particularly the humor inherent in the original script. Instead the director and cast go for mugging, pratfalls and a wild and now hopelessly outdated "60's" feeling -
Disappointing.......2006-07-25
One would think that the combination of Eugene Ionesco, Zero Mostel, and Gene Wilder would be a guaranteed success. Sadly, such is not the case with the American Film Theatre production of "Rhinoceros" as committed to film in 1974. While the theme of maintaining one's identity as everyone else goes along with the herd (originally a metaphor for Nazism, McCarthyism, etc.) is intact, Ionesco's text has been so altered that is is destroyed. Here it becomes subject to slapstick, poor unfunny added situations, exaggerated performances, and clumsy direction. The film has been criticized for "staginess," but that is not the real problem. It makes use of camera movement, external sets, etc.; it just has no rhythm. It is a trial to get through it--certainly not the case with Ionesco's original, either on stage or as read to one's self. Gene Wilder is always diverting but the character he portrays has been so tampered with that it's just unpleasant and tedious. Karen Black's character is an embarrassment as are all the other minor characters. The only bright spot in this mess is Zero Mostel, whose fifteen minutes on screen are amazing, his transformation from a dandified fussbudget into a destructive rhinoceros an acting tour-de-force; done without makeup, it encapsulates the essence of the piece. But that's it: the other ninety minutes are dreary and awful.
The DVD is very well transferred, but the extras are disappointing: e.g., an "interview" with Zero Mostel is simply text to be read frame by frame, and an article about Ionesco and the play is simply an on-screen text repetition of the liner notes. There is a very long interview with the director, in murky sound; after seeing his incompetence demonstrated in this film, no one will have any desire to see him drone on about it.
Misunderstood Classic!.......2004-02-06
I first saw this adaptation in a college film class and have been trying to get a VHS or DVD since. Yes, it is supposed to be funny, but funny odd not funny ha-ha. Absurdist theater takes normal behaviors and exaggerates them so we see how weirdly we act and how distorted our values sometimes are. The character Zero Mostel plays is fastidious in his morals and attire, but even he changes. The character Gene Wilder plays resists to the end, but has to admit the sound of a rhinoceros is stranglely compelling. Are our civilized behaviors just neurotic expression or are we really superior to animals? Oh, by the way, I do find this movie ha-ha funny. But maybe it's a matter of taste.
Hilariious Americanized Ionesco.......2003-09-14
One of the great things about this DVD is that it includes an interview, taped in 2002, with the film's director, Tom O'Horgan. (He was the guy responsible, along with Galt McDermot, for the original Hair on Broadway). Among other things, O'Horgan talks about the conversion of the original Eugene Ionesco play into a cnematic version, giving great credit to the screenwriter, Julian Barry.
And with good reason. While Ionesco is one of the great absurdist playwrights, his sensibility is decidedly European. This means that the sense of humor expressed in the original play would very likely fall on deaf (American) ears, to a large extent. What the screenwriter has done is to essentially Americanize the dialogue, making it truly hilarious in many scenes.
And of course it helps to have a great cast. The two leads, Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, are perfect for their roles, especially Mostel who is funny enough to make you micturate in your trousers, if you catch my drift. Seen first as a man overly concerned with appearance and manners, he descends, in the course of the film, to the level of the titular creature.
The story is of a small town which is beset by a bizarre plague, if one can call it that--the transforming of humans into rhinos. Ionesco was commenting on the radical changes occurring in society as the Cold War became a reality--meaning, more than anything else, as people had much more to be afraid of than they did before. Fear makes us lose our rationality, become less human. Even become rhinoceri.
This is a really funny film that is just as good now--maybe even better--than it was when originally released in 1974. In supporting roles, Percy Rodriquez and Joe Silver are especially good--staunch representatives of corporate America. Karen Black does a great job as a sexy woman who Stanley (Gene Wilder) works with and is smitten with and eventually anguishes over as he is the sole remaining human in a town full of rhinos.
Much, much better than you might think. Definitely recommended.
A movie about the absurd.......2003-07-27
Stanley is a bored, alcoholic young man who feels disconnected from the rest of society. His best friend John is contstantly trying to help him to fit in and get over his feelings of awkwardness. One Sunday morning, while the two are at a restaurant, a rhinoceros rampages through the streets. Soon, Stanley notices more and more rhinoceroses and begins to realize that everyone in town is turning into them. Determined not to change, he confronts John with the problem only to watch his transformation in a rhino. As the rest of the world changes, including Daisy, the woman of his dreams, Stanley desparately tries to transform, but realizes that he can't and that he won't.
This is a good adaptation of the absurdist play by Eugene Ionesco and changes the setting from a small French town to a big US city. Wonderful performances by Gene Wilder as Stanley and Karen Black as Daisy; and a standout performance from Zero Mostel as Stanley's friend John. Tom O'Horgan's direction is definitley unique, making it feel as though the viewer is watching a stage play. The only drawback is the bad '70s music that doesn't fit.
The DVD has some great extras including an interview with Tom O'Horgan, an interview with Zero Mostel, information about Eugene Ionesco, and the original movie trailer, to name a few. The trailer gives an idea of how the studio marketed this film as a comedy, even though it views more along the lines of a drama or a very, very dark comedy.
Having read the play in college, I enjoyed this adaptation. If you enjoy a movie that makes you think, then this is definitely the movie for you.
Description
Angela Bettis (MAY,TOOLBOX MURDERS) stars as a shy entomologist whose drab life is changed by the simultaneous arrival of a large,mysterious bug and a torrid affair with a sexy young woman (Erin Brown, aka erotic scream queen Misty Mundae). But when the bizarre insect chooses a shocking place to secretly feed, Sapphic ecstasy turns to infection,mutation and murder. Will these lesbian lovers let a venomous threesome tear them apart, or is the most horrific metamorphosis of all yet to come? Co-written and directed by Lucky McKee, this babes `n' bugs shocker features extreme monster mayhem by KNB EFX (LAND OF THE DEAD, HOSTEL) in one of the most unique films of the series Fangoria calls "A smashing success…one the best anthology fright shows ever!
Customer Reviews:
Bettis was Brilliant!.......2007-05-31
This was a good episode-- on the surface a light hearted, tongue in cheek spoof, but once it settles in, it becomes clear that this is a macabre, twisted, bizarre piece.
Bettis turns in a terrific performance as an introverted, nerdy lesbo scientist who becomes involved with another lady... uh, and eventually some bug from Brazil plays a role in a menage a trois type deal.
If you are into cult horror films with a surrealness, then check this one out. The focus is on the characters and not so much the gore or suspense. A very good entry which would have made 4 stars had it not been for the rushed, punchline ending.
A unique and sexy Masters of Horror story!.......2007-05-12
Insect lover and entomologist Ida (Angela Bettis) discovers a new species of bug that has been mysteriously delivered to her at her doorstep. A very alien-esque insect that's aggressive and dangerous unlike anything she's ever seen before, she falls for a gorgeous lesbian chick named Misty (Erin Brown a.k.a. Misty Mundae)as the two become close lovers. The weird bug however infects Misty as soon it will make her into something completely dangerous and ugly that it needs to feed.
A very steamy and gory little shocker from Lucky McKee (director of "May" and "The Woods") with terrific acting and a well thought out storyline. There some hot lesbian action here for the guys and excellent make-up effects by KNB EFX ("Kill Bill", "Hostel", "Army of Darkness"), this is one of the best episodes yet thanks to the genius of Lucky McKee much like his "May" movie.
This DVD has great extras like audio commentary by writer-director Lucky McKee with cast and crew, trailers, still gallery, interviews with cast and Lucky McKee, and bio of the director.
Also recommended: "The Fly (1958 and 1986)", "The Wasp Woman (1958)", "Basket Case", "Earth Vs. The Spider" (2001 version), "Brain Damage", "Deer Woman", "Re-Animator", "Creepshow", "Dagon", "The Toxic Avenger", "Altered States", "The Return of the Fly", "The Fly II", "Ginger Snaps", "An American Werewolf in London" and "Hulk".
Bug Girl.......2007-04-11
"Sick Girl" is Master of Horror member Lucky McKee's entry to the Showtime series. Shy lesbian Ida (Angela Bettis) is an etymologist who develops a crush on artist chick Misty (Erin Brown). Ida gets a mysterious package from Brazil containing a type of bug never seen before. After Misty moves in the strange bug disappears, soon after Misty begins acting strange. Ida confides her weird suspicion to her misogynistic but basically good natured assistant Max (Jesse Hlubik). This is a rather odd entry to the "Masters of Horror" vault, though not unwarranted. It combines sci-fi, horror, and black comedy to get it's effect. The first half of the film is basically a lesbian sitcom, "The L Word" taken much lighter. It is here we meet and begin to care for our cast, and my hat off to McKee, this is one of the best ensemble of the series so far. Ida by herself is a kooky character, but I guess we're used to Bettis doing that ("May" and "Carrie"). Brown has the harder job; she has to go through so many changes of character, and she has to be convincing, she did good. Ida and Misty are so cute together, and their relationship seems pretty convincing and real. I bought it. The sexist assistant could have been annoying, but he was too nonchalant to have that held against him, and you can tell he genuinely likes Ida. The best part of the movie was Ida's relationship with Lady Bug, a 10 year-old-girl who lives with her grandmother. The little girl looks up to Ida and sees her as a hero, a small but nice touch about acceptance. The grandmother is the apartment super, who is the only weak link, a stereotypical old bat who doesn't agree with Ida's lifestyle. Now that we have the characters in place, that's when the weird stuff starts happening, and when bad things happen to good people, we care. So I enjoyed it, even if it was a horror-comedy, a genre I wish would go away.
Please enter a title for your review.......2007-03-26
*contains spoilers*
Nothing horrifying in this movie/episode, the one bloody scene is visually downplayed, but it's an original relationship drama. The main character Ida talks in a robotic voice which I didn't get used to until halfway through. The other four key characters are her fratboy laboratory co-worker who she gets along well with, their conflicting personality types never made into an issue. Her conservative landlady. The landlady's granddaughter. And her new girlfriend, Misty, whose arrival co-incides with that of a mysterious bug which was intended to keep Ida and Misty apart but ends up bringing them closer together when it impregnates both of them. How sweet.
Love bites.......2007-03-07
Promising horror director Lucky McKee (May, The Woods) makes his Masters of Horror debut with this first season contribution. Sick Girl re-unites McKee and his May star Angela Bettis (Toolbox Murders) who plays a bug obsessed entomologist. After receiving a package containing a very large, and very aggressive, kind of bug the likes no one has ever seen before, she embarks in a heated affair with a shy girl (Erin Brown, better known as sexy softcore queen Misty Mundae) who has a few secrets of her own. From that point on, a bug bite turns both girl's worlds upside down, especially when one becomes the host and carrier of the bug's offspring. Offering ample amounts of creepiness and skin crawling fun, Sick Girl is one of the more fun entires in Showtime's Masters of Horror anthology. Not to be taken seriously one bit, Sick Girl reminds us how fun the horror genre can be when someone just takes an idea and runs with it. If there's any down points about Sick Girl, it's that Bettis comes off as annoying in her role frequently throughout the episode, but besides that, Sick Girl is a sick blast. All in all, Lucky McKee's Sick Girl only shows more promise from the newbie horror master, and this installment is one of the better entires in the Masters of Horror series.
Average customer rating:
- To Touch the hand of man
- The Absolute Best Trek Episode is on this Volume; the One Must-Have for Your Collection!
- Two pretty strong shows, for very different reasons
- The Fun Continues...
- TOUCHING TREK!!!
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 16, Episodes 31 & 32: Metamorphosis/ Friday's Child
Starring:
Star Trek Original Series
Manufacturer: Paramount
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Similar Items:
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 15, Episodes 29 & 30: Operation-Annihilate!/ Catspaw
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 17, Episodes 33 & 34: Who Mourns For Adonais/Amok Time
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 19, Episodes 37 & 38: The Changeling/ The Apple
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 18, Episodes 35 & 36: The Doomsday Machine/ Wolf in the Fold
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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 20, Episodes 39 & 40: Mirror Mirror/ The Deadly Years
ASIN: B00004W5UI
Release Date: 2000-09-19 |
Amazon.com
"Metamorphosis"
Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr.McCoy (DeForest Kelley) accompany a Federation ambassador (Elinor Donahue of Father Knows Best) aboard a shuttle bound for a rendezvous with the Enterprise. The ambassador, Commissioner Nancy Hedford, needs to be treated for possible contact with an alien disease, and she haughtily insists her escorts get through this interruption in her work as quickly as possible. But a vaporous, translucent life form called "the Companion" has other ideas, traveling across space in search of humans who can ease the loneliness of a pilot (Glenn Corbett) marooned on a barren planet for more than a century. Kirk, however, offers the stranded man an alternative: a return to civilization. Whether he wants it or not is another matter--he and the Companion share an extraordinary intimacy of the mind and heart. A kind of chamber drama largely set in a single locale, "Metamorphosis" was written by series producer Gene L. Coon and directed by frequent Trek helmsman Ralph Senensky. Guest stars Corbett and Donahue are a bit monotonous in their performances, a little under par for a guest shot on the series. But Coon's story compensates with another fascinating application of one of his pet themes: empathy shared between different species. Kirk and Spock's knowing looks, as they begin to understand the Companion's true feelings for her captive man, alone make this episode worth watching. (Trivia note: An earlier incarnation of Corbett's character, warp-drive inventor Zefram Cochrane, was played by James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact.) --Tom Keogh
"Friday's Child"
Our favorite Starfleet trio, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) beam down to Capella IV to convince the resident warrior race to sign up with the Federation. Unfortunately, a Klingon agent named Kras (Tige Andrews) has preceded them and set enough doubt into play that the take-no-prisoners Capellans decide to give Kirk and company a hostile reception. Written by story editor D.C. (Dorothy) Fontana, "Friday's Child" has the broad outlines of a Western, with the good guys getting rebuffed by hostile Indians and a final showdown with crude weapons set up in the barren hills. Julie Newmar's guest role as Eleen, wife of a former ruler and a pawn in the barbed politics between Kirk, Kras, and the Capellans, even has something of the frightened native princess about it. Viewers hoping to catch Newmar in a Capellan catsuit, however (an extension of her iconic, sleek presence as Catwoman in the old Batman television series), will be sorely disappointed: Eleen is quite pregnant, fit to burst, and placed in McCoy's capable hands. Trek stalwart Joseph Pevney directed this action-adventure piece, which contains one of the good doctor's most memorable utterances, spoken when Eleen expects McCoy to carry her up a steep hill: "I'm a doctor, not an escalator!" --Tom Keogh
Description
"Metamorphosis," Ep. 31 - Kirk and his landing party are held prisoner by an alien on a planet whose only human inhabitant had reportedly died over a century before! "Friday's Child," Ep. 32 - A heroic deed by Kirk on Capella IV proves to be his undoing when the Capellan natives and an interfering Klingon agent turn against him.
Customer Reviews:
To Touch the hand of man.......2006-12-23
Captain Kirk and Spock are transporting Commissioner Nancy Hedford, to the Enterprise, for treatment of Sakuro's disease, a disease that attacks the immunity system leaving the victim fevered and weak. The disease is rare with only one in a billion chance of acquiring the disease. Commissioner Hedford is a key negotiator in the war faction talks of Epsilon Caneris III. Enroute, the shuttle Gallieo detects a cloud of ionized hydrogen moving at warp speed and capable to changing direction with the shuttle. The ionized cloud surrounds the shuttle and forces lands them on a asteriod/planet Gamma Canaris N with life sustaining temperature of 75 degrees and an atmosphere similar to earth. The atmosphere is suitable to human life. Spocks discovers that not is wrong with the shuttle, but nothing works. Communications are also nonfunctional or seemingly blocked. A man name Cochrane approaches the landing party and asks, "Are you real?" It is immediately acknowledgable that Cochrane is federation, when he observes that Spock is Vulcan. Cochrane is the inventor of Warp drive. First contact by the Federation was with the Vulcans. Cochrane has been alive for 150 year without dieing, in fact, the aging process has been reverse bringing him into his prime. Cochrane tells Spock that a dampening field surrounds the planet and power won't work. Kirk observes that Cochrane talks a lot but does not say much. Cochrane tells the grew that when he arrived on the planet 150 years previous that he was an old man but the companion rejuvenated him, saying, "I'm a young man. I can communicate with it". Commissioner Hedford fever is climbing and death will occur in a few hours. The companion sought to save Cochrane by bringing the enterprise crew to the planet because Cochrane told the companion, he was dieing of lonliness. Cochrane tells Kirk, "immortality consists largely of boredom". Cochrane can communicate nonverbally with the companion. Kirk observes the joining is more like lovers than animal and host. Kirk tells Cochrane about advances in space travel and uncharted worlds to discover and asks if Cochrane is interested; Kirk tells Cochrane, "the companion is keeping you a prisoner", "we are getting you out of here". Cochrane was to explore the universe. Cochrane agrees to participate in neuralizing the companion and journey to the stars with the enterprise but feels guilty calling himself a "Judas Goat". Kirk says to Spock, "How do you fight a thing like that?". In a previous scene, Spock is confront by the companion at the shuttle craft while he attempts to bring the power online; Spock attempts to probe the Companions but Companion response with a severe electric shock directed at Spock; Spocks learns from the experience that the companion is electrical and designs an electric disruptor, to injure the companion. Spocks electric disruptor only infuriates the companion, who nearly suffocates Kirk and Spock. Spocks logic fails. Is underestimation/arrogance of an opponent a logic behavior or a human behavior? I call his actions arrogant. Spocks arrogance nearly kills himself and the captain. Cochrane final calms the companion enough to spare them. Spock modifies the universal translator to translate the companions brains in English. The companion provides for Cochranes comfort; Kirk perceives the companion thinks the man, Cochrane is a toy; the companion says, "I care for him"; Kirk tells the companion that Cochrane and her are different, they can't join, they can't love, they will always be separate and apart, the companion must be human to love, the companion will not have the power to create life. Kirk tells Spock that sometimes love expresses itself as sacrifice; if the companion loves Cochrane, she may be willing to sacrifice herself for Cochranes happiness. The companion saves Commissioner Hedford, "both are here in one body" saving the commissioner from death. Apparently Hedford is not a prisoner in her own body. Kirk tells the companion, now that she has combined with the human there is nothing to stop her from experiencing death. The companion says the sacrifice was worth it, to touch the hand of man. Cochrane tells the companion she is beautiful. Cochrane decides to stay with the companion and ask Kirk a favor; the favor of silence about them; they plan on growing old and dieing together.
The Absolute Best Trek Episode is on this Volume; the One Must-Have for Your Collection!.......2006-10-02
This volume contains my favourite and what I believe to be the best ever classic Trek episode. "Metamorphosis" is also one of the best ever sci-fi episodes as it incorporates so many themes and as a plot and storyline is one of the best that I have ever seen.
Not only do we get the great Cochrane here whose story goes on and is brought up again in the TNG movie about the Borg but we also get a very touching example of totally giving, unconditional love that is a real tear-jerker. Like the "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings", the analogy of the theme to unconditional love and self-sacrifice is as clear as day here.
The acting is also superb and this episode is consistently good from beginning to end; I struggle to find any fault with this episode as compared to any of the others. Just a briliant episode! This episode alone makes this volume a must have.
"Friday's Child" is also a very good episode as our heroes meet the Klingons again and the action takes place both on the planet below as well as in space making this among the best action classic Trek episodes ever. Again the acting here is first class and the theme of self-giving for the sake of others is present here in the selfless deed of the "tier" at the end.
If you decide you only want to get one volume of this entire series, let it be this one which represents the best of classic Trek.
Highly recommended.
Two pretty strong shows, for very different reasons.......2003-09-03
Metamorphosis, a romance involving a castaway and his non-corporeal companion, brought a new feel to Star Trek. The episode is unusual in the attention it devotes to the love story, the secondary role played by the regular cast members, and the general bright and positive tone (thanks in large part to Steiner's musical score). There is no denying that this episode suffers for being so short on action; if the dialogue were a bit cheesier, and the overall tone colder and more pessimistic, it would belong entirely in season 3. As it is, however, it stands nicely on it's own as a unique, albeit slow, episode. (3.5 stars)
Friday's Child-Here, by contrast with have a classic action episode about a war-like people caught between the Klingons and the Federation. This is one of the more nuanced cultures we encounter on Star Trek, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that they are not `highly advanced'. The thoughtful, conscientious scripts of the first season often made the most of more advanced civilizations, but as the show became less introspective and more action-oriented, it made more sense to include less advanced cultures. The second season episodes often did so with success (see also Bread and Circuses, A Private Little War, and a Piece of the Action). By the third season, they were relying almost exclusively on more advanced aliens since it was easy to introduce the `danger' theme, but without the complex motives we might expect of advanced people (contrast the subtlety of A Taste of Armageddon and Errand of Mercy with the sadism and nihilism of, say, Plato's Stepchildren and The Savage Curtain). The latter episodes lack both suspense and plausibility.
But back to Friday's Child. Julie Newmar gives a strong performance, and we begin to see one of the signatures of the 2nd season-real humor-first in the play between Newmar and McCoy. It just seems like the cast had fun making the second season shows. But this episode isn't all fun; it's one of the more violent episodes. This is captured in the show's heavy music and dark lighting. (3.5 stars)
The Fun Continues..........2002-10-15
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 16: Metamorphosis© / Friday's Child©
METAMORPHOSIS© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:
Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Love & Companionship / Mortality / Freedom & Captivity
Historical Milestone: The first appearance of warp-drive inventor Zephram Cochrane
Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None
REVIEW/COMMENTARY: This particular outing in the classic Trek mythos is one of a handful of eppies that have been used as a weapon in the war between the old-school Trekkies and the NextGen crowd. The big deal is as follows: How can Zephram Cochrane go from a rather large-framed, tall and handsome man with a somewhat cheerful demeanor (as played by Glenn Corbett in this episode) to a gaunt, haggard, somewhat pessimistic alcoholic with dreams of avarice (as played by James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact©)? Then the old-schoolers gripe about how the new Cochrane isn't heroic enough, and the NextGen guys counter with the notion that the old Zef was too idealized, and didn't have enough faults and human weaknesses. But in my opinion the most important question in this debate is: why would anybody care one way or another? I mean, c'mon, guys, it's a freakin' TV show! Okay, so it is one of the greatest cult shows ever made, and consistently conveys an optimistic look at humanity's future, but still! You know, Shatner was right on the money when he told those Trekkies in that SNL sketch to "get a life!" Yeah, yeah-like I'm one to talk, right? And just where was I going with this, anyway? Nowhere it seems, which means it's time for me to move on...
FRIDAY'S CHILD© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:
Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Strength & Weakness / Compassion & Mercy
Notable Gaffe / Special DE-fect: Remember Star Trek IV, where Chekov was inquiring where the 'nuclear wessels' were? Well, in this episode, he has no trouble pronouncing the word "vessel" with a V instead of a W!
Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 1 dead
REVIEW/COMMENTARY: If you've been looking for a classic Trek eppie that has more action than usual, 'Friday's Child' ain't too likely to disappoint. Sure, it still has that element of melodrama along with the usual morality play that's the staple of every Star Trek show, but at least you get to see the kinda funky hand-to-hand battle sequences that helped make this show the goofy cheese-fest it is today and forever more! Then there's Kirk & Spocks' on-the-fly production of bows & arrows, as well as their unbelievably accurate marksmanship with the weapons! Throw in a devious Klingon agent and a guest shot by an alumnus from the Batman TV show (Julie Newmar), and you've got... um... well, sortuva connection between the two classic 60s cult TV faves. Kinda like that game where you try to connect another actor with Kevin Bacon in six steps or less, you know?
Anyhoo, I'm pretty sure the anti-spousal-abuse activists will cringe at the scene where McCoy and his expectant patient (Ele'en, played by the aforementioned Newmar) exchange a couple of slaps to each others' faces. But despite their somewhat tumultuous start, she eventually warms up to him-- well, except for that time where she belts him in the back of the head with a rock-- and finally honors his assistance by naming her kid after him and the captain. It's such a (sniff) beautiful thing, you know? It (sob) gets me right here...
'Late
TOUCHING TREK!!!.......2002-08-20
Star Trek Volume 16 has 2 different episodes dealing with different issues: love and conflict. The first episode here deals with love and companionship. While the other deals with hate and conflict.
METAMORPHOSIS is one of Trek's better love tales. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy accompany an ill Assistant Federation Commissioner Nancy Hedford on the Galileo shuttle to the Enterprise. However the shuttle is pulled off course by a mysterious cloud entity and sent safely to the planet Gamma Carnaris N. There Kirk and his party meet Zephram Cochrane, the man whom discovered warp drive 100 years before. He appears young and vital and Cochrane explains that the cloud like entity called 'the companion' has kept him young all these years. However when the crew tries to leave with Cochrane the companion refuses to allow them to leave. Kirk discovers that the companion has a female personality and after realizing that Cochrane has fallen in love with Nancy Hedford it decides to bond with the Assistant Commissioner to save her life from the deadly Sakuro's disease she suffers from. This is truly one of Trek's most touching stories. Simply wonderful.
The other episode features Julie Newmar as a guest star in FRIDAY'S CHILD. This episode definetly has more action than the previous episode on this DVD but it doesn't necessarily make it a better episode. The crew lands down on Capella IV in order to have a mining treaty signed. However a Klingon negotiator named Kras has also arrived on the planet trying to get the same treaty signed. If the Starfleet/Klingon Empire conflict isn't enough The Capellans are in a sort of bizarre civil war. And when Capellan rebels murder the Teer Akaar, Kirk fears that Eleen his pregnant widow is going to be killed next and therefore Kirk, Eleen and the others are on the run from the Capellans and Kras.
FRIDAY'S CHILD is a decent episode but it's standard Trek at best and in comparison to METAMORPHOSIS it's nothing special. Except the 'oochie woochie koo' bit at the end of FRIDAY'S CHILD: thats priceless!
Overall a decent collection but not necessarily the most essential DVD in this series. Still METAMORPHOSIS is a definite must see. Recommended!
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My Brother the Pig
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ASIN: B00009XN8M
Release Date: 2004-02-03 |
Description
Being a teen is tough enough for Kathy Cauldwell (Scarlett Johansson) without having to be the target of her little brother George's constant practical jokes. But life really gets crazy when Dad (Judge Reinholt) and mom leave for France and George is magically transformed into a pig via some ancient rocks belonging to their nanny Matilda (Eva Mendes). Only Matilda's Mexican Grandmother's voodoo can break the spell, and Kathy, Matilda, George the Pig, and George's friend Freud (Alex D. Linz) take off on a madcap adventure south of the border to find her. But once they do, things go from bad to worse when George is pignapped by the local butcher. Now, the race is on for the group to save George from becoming bacon, turn him back into a boy, and get back home before the kid's unsuspecting parents return.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Beautiful Leading Lady: Scarlett Johansson. .......2005-06-03
I haven't seen this but i plan on renting it. But all i have to say is that this movie (from other places i have searched)has very few critiques on it-if that is the case, i assume the movie must be very warm and funny. (i have seen the trailer though) and It has the lovely Scarlett Johansson(14 or 15 years of age in 1999) and famous ex star of the 80's actor Judge Rhinehold. These are the days in where Scarlett Johansson was not even famous at all, she was just there, this was pre-scarlett johansson, before her success in lost in translation and girl with a pearl earring. i have not seen it but i am going by the trailer and i say get it, this is a gem, you can't go wrong with a johansson film. they all have substance! Movies are really nice, you get to see the people or actors or actresses you like, admire, immortalized forever on video/film. Scarlett Johansson is one nice cup cake.
Great film for kids.......2003-04-18
For your kids or the kid in you, this film is funny, endearing and warm.
Fun family film.......2003-01-11
My daughter taped this off nick last year and she watches it over and over--and it's very funny. My son also loves the nanny in it.
This Pig Went to Mexico.......2002-11-30
My family saw this at a screening and laughed out loud--and I wasn't bored like in Atlantis. Good video.
Great Stuff.......2001-12-04
I saw this movie on Saturday night on Nickelodeon and I have to tell you I loved it! Is there a sequel?
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An American Werewolf in London
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ASIN: 6304675771
Release Date: 1997-12-10 |
Amazon.com
Remember back in the early 1980s when special-effects makeup artists were tripping over themselves to create the next big effect? The Howling boasted a fantastic werewolf transformation scene courtesy of makeup wizard Rob Bottin. Then along came Bottin's mentor, Rick Baker, with his own spectacular effects in this popular horror comedy directed by John Landis. An American Werewolf in London is more of a makeup showcase than a truly satisfying movie, but the film is effectively moody when David Naughton discovers that a wolf attack has turned him into a bloodthirsty lycanthrope. Jenny Agutter plays his love interest (watch out, he bites!), and who can forget Griffin Dunne as Naughton's best friend, an undead corpse who progressively rots away as the plot unfolds? All things considered, it's easy to see why An American Werewolf in London became a modern horror favorite. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Excelente.......2007-09-03
Pues es una muy buena película ochentera. Si les gustan los temas sobre licantropos, vapiros, etc. Les gustará.
Saludos.
Still Amazing.......2007-07-24
All these years later and the movie is still awesome! You can't beat the classic scene of when you actually see the character turn into the werewolf. The werewolf isn't scary, but the movie is still fun to watch. You will be thinking about the end of the film for a long time after it is over! It is that much of a mind freak.
Amazing.......2007-07-21
I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Its a lot better than I thought it would be. Its a horror movie with humor. Very highly recommended.
"My Favorite Werewolf".......2007-07-20
After having to endure the _true_ horror of sitting through "Mommy Dearest" on a movie date with friends years ago, we paid them back with the next movie's choice being ours..."An American Werewolf In London". This is the only movie I've ever seen people run shrieking out of the theater from, three teenaged girls who had been sitting behind us, delighted at the idea of being scared until the werewolf attack on the moors. I know our friend's wife(the Joan Crawford fan) wanted to join them...lol.
I loved the blend of humor and horror, and using the various "moon tunes" to highlight what was happening was fantastic, especially during David's first 'change'. Everyone is right, this is the best transformation of any werewolf film, then and now, and congrats that they won the first "Make-up Award" for it at the Academy Awards the following year!
Griffin Dunne _should_ have won an Oscar for being the best ever "dead best friend", but I also wish they had done a better job on Jenny Agutter's role. She's quiet an actress but was given little to do here besides looking worried and afraid. David Naughton
