matildamother Reviews

Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984 Video)

How much longer can I stare at this space????

[2/10 · 29 March 2004]

One of my favorite things to do is rent obscure movies at the video store. I have found some real gems this way. Several years ago I came across BDDFH. It seemed just as good a selection to take home as any. I should have known I was in trouble by the incredulous look the clerk shot me at the counter.

It didn't take long to understand. Getting right to it, the thing that stands out most for me - and to anyone else I've talked to that's seen this - is the perverted sex scene between doll and woman. I'm ashamed that this is the part that I remember the best!! Talk about an uncomfortable viewing experience (which is probably why it's stuck in my memory bank). That's not to say that I didn't laugh throughout the entire episode. It was so ridiculous - as was the rest of the movie - that I'm still not sure if I was in on some twisted joke or not.

Surely the makers of this film could NOT have been serious. BDDFH is so very bad it is barely amusing (if it was supposed to be campy it missed). I don't think I'd bother to rent it again (a promise going eight years strong). I certainly won't ever buy it, but if someone brought it home I'd look at them incredulously and might just consider watching it again. I'd have to see if it was really as awful as I remembered it.

Watch this one at your own peril. The acting is bad, the story is bad, the whole thing is truly horrid. It's crap and not even the endearing variety.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Shop til you drop...then have some lunch....

[8/10 · 21 March 2004]

Take a song and remake it, but don't just follow the original note for note. Make it your own. I think this new version of DotD has succeeded in doing just that, and what a lovely song it is. The zombie genre is my absolute favorite type of horror movie and I'm a big fan of the original trilogy (especially #1 - the best horror movie ever made, imo). I don't think this remake is a disappointment at all. It's excellent!!

I've read comments about the movie's lack of plot. I think the plot is very clear, actually. The dead are coming to eat us!!! What more does one need? Seriously - if I may be so whilst discussing a zombie horror movie - I think DotD told it's story quite well. There are unanswered questions because that's the way it's supposed to be. We don't know how this plague of zombies came to be and we never will. What we are left with is the affect on the living and how the living copes with their predicament. Not everything in life - or unlife as it were - is clear cut. It can be unsatisfying and unsettling and that's just that. No happy ending, no ending period. Just trying to make it because that's what we do. The living are running on instinct just as much as the undead here.

I found the soundtrack to be very clever and integral. Really brilliant song choices. For example, I laughed with glee when I heard the Muzak strains of "Don't Worry Be Happy". Then in the next moment appreciated the irony. I don't imagine much joy under the circumstances. The music conjured up such contradiction throughout the movie, and/or in some cases took on a whole new meaning, and really lent itself to the overall mood.

Just sit right back...and enjoy and scream and laugh!!! Suspend belief (it's make-believe, after all....but I STILL think it really could happen!! *snarf*) Good characters, good acting, great special effects. It's also chock full of symbolism if one chooses to zero in on it. I don't worry that this isn't a faithful remake and I didn't want it to be. I'll watch the original when I want to see the original. I think this one stands on its own.

MI-5 (2002–2011)

Wow!

[1 September 2003]

I absolutely LOVE this series. I got hooked with the episode involving the deep fryer and I've been hopelessly addicted ever since. This series is incredibly suspenseful and involving and I cannot wait to see what they come up with every week. The acting and writing is superb. I love this genre and I'm glad to see someone is doing something worthwhile with it. Highly recommended!!

The Full Monty (1997)

Funny, Charming, Endearing, etc

[10/10 · 30 March 2003]

"The Full Monty" ranks among my all-time favorite movies. I've watched it in excess of thirty times so far and I never get tired of it.

I think there are characters and moments we can all relate to in this film. Family and job struggles, feeling lost and confused and lacking direction and motivation. Feeling insecure about one's looks. Financial strain. It's really just a wonderful story. As amazing as the premise is - working-class men doing a striptease - it is written, presented, and acted so well that you can absolutely believe the story. Tough times and desperation bring these six very different men together for money, and sweetest of all, the love of a child.

I came away thinking that the characters in this film were much better off as a result of their experience. A little jingle in their pockets and a better understanding of themselves. New friends and new bonds. I can imagine that they were more confident, hopeful, and satisfied with their lives. It is an inspiring story told with humor, dignity, and warmth.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973 TV Movie)

A lasting impression after all these years....

[10/10 · 22 August 2001]

I remember seeing "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" on TV when I was about six years old. Wow!! Like Chuck, I've only seen this movie one time, as I recall, and yet I can remember it like it was yesterday. Pretty good considering it's been some 28 years ago now.

This is one of your better made-for-TV movies. It's suspenseful and scary with a good story and an ending you will never forget. I know I never have anyway. I'd even go so far as to say that it's one of the best scary movies I've ever seen, full stop. I'm not kidding. I am a horror movie connoisseur and my standards of scariness are pretty high. Look, when you've been exposed to this sort of greatness at such an early age, you get spoiled. I have to mention that those little demons were as creepy as can be. The director did a good job in not revealing too much as far as they were concerned, thus the imagination has a chance to run and play.

I also have never been able to find this movie on video, although I know it was at one point. I still search every so often to see if it's available somewhere. DBAOTD did make an appearance on one our local stations about three years ago at the ungodly hour of 2am. Sadly, I was unable to tape it as my VCR had a technological breakdown at just the wrong moment. This still frustrates me to this very day. Grrrrrrrr!

Bottom line, if you have a chance to see this movie, please do so. It's a real gem and I wish it would get the showing it deserves. Insomniacs shouldn't be the only lucky ones.