Collection ID 1281
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani, Marcella Rovere
Genre: Drama
Studio: Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica   Release date: 1954   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): Italian (Italy)
Summary: Sad story of a waif, Gelsomina, who is sold by her mother to Zampano for 10,000 lire and a few kilos of food. Zampano is a traveling showman who exhibits feats of strength by breaking a chain wrapped around his chest. He performs in village squares and then passes the hat for whatever the normally small crowd is prepared to give. He teaches Gelsomina a drum roll as part of his introduction. He doesn't treat her well and when she tries to run away, he beats her. They eventually join a small traveling circus where they meet a tight-rope walker who convinces Gelsomina to question her choices.
My Rating:
My Review: (An Italian film) With english subtitles: It's an old movie, dating from 1954, but it's timeless. A movie directed by the Italian master Federico Fellini. The characters in this movie are haunting and memorable. A tragic story about a wandering strongman and the woman who can't help but love him. It's tragic and moving a movie packed full of emotion. I felt like I had been drawn into their personal lives, a participant and a victim. I was definitely touched by the power of this movie. No question 5 out of 5

Collection ID 438
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame May Whitty, Cecil Parker
Genre: Mystery
Studio: Gainsborough Pictures   Release date: 1938   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): English (UK)
Summary: While traveling in continental Europe, a young British couple realize that a passenger seems to have been kidnapped from their train.
My Rating:
My Review: It's a thrilling train travel mystery by the master of suspense. Screenplay by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder (based upon the story 'The Wheel Spins' by Ethel Lina White). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock ((Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The man who knew too much (1934)). Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Naunton Wayne (playing Caldecott), Basil Radford (playing Charters) and others. This film is the 1938 original version of the movie (by Alfred Hitchcock). A remake, directed by Anthony Page was released in 1979, and another (BBC made for TV Movie) released in 2013 was directed by Diarmuid Lawrence. A very popular film indeed. Also one of my favorites. This mystery combines a bit of romance and comedy into the train based thriller. I like trains, I like mysteries, I like Alfred Hitchcock films. So far this film is hitting a lot of spots for a top rating. Here is a train full of passengers traversing the mountains of Mandrika (somewhere in Europe). On board is Iris Henderson (played by the gorgeous Margaret Lockwood) a woman traveling on her own, on her way back to England for her upcoming wedding. She encounters and befriends an middle aged English governess named Miss Froy. Their encounter is brief and memorable, but it soon becomes something of a mystery after Ms. Froy goes missing, or so Iris claims. No one seems to believe her or willing to corroborate her stories of the mysterious Ms. Froy. When ah English musicologist named Gilbert (played by Michael Redgrave) offers to help find the missing Ms. Froy things get a bit more thrilling. Did she actually disappear? What happened to her? What danger does Iris face if she's the lone witness to some criminal conspiracy? It's a simple story that needs no special effects, explosions or CGI to keep the audience engaged and intrigue running high. Note: The Comedy duo of 'Caldecott and Charters' were created specifically for this film (they're not in the book), but they were so well received that they made many film, television and radio appearances afterwards (Eventually the characters became so popular that they weren't able to appear with the same names, the actors had to portray 'similar' characters with different names (for contractual reasons)). Another great movie by Alfred Hitchcock. I give this movie a 4 out of 5. It might rate higher if I could find a better quality transfer.

Collection ID 1157
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame May Whitty, Cecil Parker
Genre: Mystery
Studio: Gainsborough Pictures   Release date: 1938   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): English (UK)
Summary: While traveling in continental Europe, a young British couple realize that a passenger seems to have been kidnapped from their train.
My Rating:
My Review: It's a thrilling train travel mystery by the master of suspense. Screenplay by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder (based upon the story 'The Wheel Spins' by Ethel Lina White). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock ((Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The man who knew too much (1934)). Starring Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Naunton Wayne (playing Caldecott), Basil Radford (playing Charters) and others. This film is the 1938 original version of the movie (by Alfred Hitchcock). A remake, directed by Anthony Page was released in 1979, and another (BBC made for TV Movie) released in 2013 was directed by Diarmuid Lawrence. A very popular film indeed. Also one of my favorites. This mystery combines a bit of romance and comedy into the train based thriller. I like trains, I like mysteries, I like Alfred Hitchcock films. So far this film is hitting a lot of spots for a top rating. Here is a train full of passengers traversing the mountains of Mandrika (somewhere in Europe). On board is Iris Henderson (played by the gorgeous Margaret Lockwood) a woman traveling on her own, on her way back to England for her upcoming wedding. She encounters and befriends an middle aged English governess named Miss Froy. Their encounter is brief and memorable, but it soon becomes something of a mystery after Ms. Froy goes missing, or so Iris claims. No one seems to believe her or willing to corroborate her stories of the mysterious Ms. Froy. When ah English musicologist named Gilbert (played by Michael Redgrave) offers to help find the missing Ms. Froy things get a bit more thrilling. Did she actually disappear? What happened to her? What danger does Iris face if she's the lone witness to some criminal conspiracy? It's a simple story that needs no special effects, explosions or CGI to keep the audience engaged and intrigue running high. Note: The Comedy duo of 'Caldecott and Charters' were created specifically for this film (they're not in the book), but they were so well received that they made many film, television and radio appearances afterwards (Eventually the characters became so popular that they weren't able to appear with the same names, the actors had to portray 'similar' characters with different names (for contractual reasons)). Another great movie by Alfred Hitchcock. I give this movie a 4 out of 5. It might rate higher if I could find a better quality transfer.

Collection ID 1498
Director: Ken Russell
Starring: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis
Genre: Horror
Studio: White Lair   Release date: 1988   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (UK)
Summary: Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent that he is excavating. Shortly thereafter, Lady Sylvia Marsh returns to Temple House, a nearby mansion, far earlier than expected. At a party in the village, Angus meets Lord James D'Ampton, who has just inherited his family's land right next to Temple House. Angus learns of the D'Ampton Worm, a huge dragon-snake that an earlier D'Ampton killed by cutting it in half. (There's a pretty catchy rock-folk song that tells the D'Ampton Worm legend.) As people begin disappearing and acting strangely over the next few days, the skull is stolen from Angus's room, and the watch of a missing person is found in a cavern that was the legendary home of the D'Ampton worm. Angus and James discover that there was an ancient cult that worshiped the worm as a god, and they theorize that the creature somehow survived its destruction, but it was trapped inside the cavern. The remainder of the movie shows Angus, James, ...
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 198
Director: Ken Russell
Starring: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis
Genre: Horror
Studio: White Lair   Release date: 1988   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (UK)
Summary: Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent that he is excavating. Shortly thereafter, Lady Sylvia Marsh returns to Temple House, a nearby mansion, far earlier than expected. At a party in the village, Angus meets Lord James D'Ampton, who has just inherited his family's land right next to Temple House. Angus learns of the D'Ampton Worm, a huge dragon-snake that an earlier D'Ampton killed by cutting it in half. (There's a pretty catchy rock-folk song that tells the D'Ampton Worm legend.) As people begin disappearing and acting strangely over the next few days, the skull is stolen from Angus's room, and the watch of a missing person is found in a cavern that was the legendary home of the D'Ampton worm. Angus and James discover that there was an ancient cult that worshiped the worm as a god, and they theorize that the creature somehow survived its destruction, but it was trapped inside the cavern. The remainder of the movie shows Angus, James, ...
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 714
Director: Virgil W. Vogel
Starring: Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal International Pictures (UI)   Release date: 1957   Rated: Passed   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: On a naval expedition to Antarctica, three men and reporter Maggie Hathaway crash-land in a crater 1000 m below sea level. There, they encounter steamy tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footprints, as Maggie's clothes become more and more abbreviated.
My Rating:
My Review: Directed by Virgil W. Vogel. Starring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy, Phil Harvey and others. I'm a sucker for those old sci-fi movies featuring giant dinosaurs. Here we have a great plot - The U.S. Navy has discovered a tropical time-capsule in the bowels of a Antarctic crater. An expedition is launched to investigate this isolated environment, and hopefully uncover some of its secrets. Unfortunately, the explorers start off on the wrong foot when their helicopter encounters technical problems and a crash landing brings them down hard in the midst of a miniature Mesozoic mesa. Heated by geothermal energy, this isolated land unknown is home to tropical forests, deadly dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and a castaway with plans of his own. If the crew can't repair their helicopter they may end up stranded in this Mesozoic microcosm. The acting was horrid, the effects were mixed poorly, and the transfer terrible.

Collection ID 1404
Director: Virgil W. Vogel
Starring: Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal International Pictures (UI)   Release date: 1957   Rated: Passed   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: On a naval expedition to Antarctica, three men and reporter Maggie Hathaway crash-land in a crater 1000 m below sea level. There, they encounter steamy tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footprints, as Maggie's clothes become more and more abbreviated.
My Rating:
My Review: Directed by Virgil W. Vogel. Starring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy, Phil Harvey and others. I'm a sucker for those old sci-fi movies featuring giant dinosaurs. Here we have a great plot - The U.S. Navy has discovered a tropical time-capsule in the bowels of a Antarctic crater. An expedition is launched to investigate this isolated environment, and hopefully uncover some of its secrets. Unfortunately, the explorers start off on the wrong foot when their helicopter encounters technical problems and a crash landing brings them down hard in the midst of a miniature Mesozoic mesa. Heated by geothermal energy, this isolated land unknown is home to tropical forests, deadly dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and a castaway with plans of his own. If the crew can't repair their helicopter they may end up stranded in this Mesozoic microcosm. The acting was horrid, the effects were mixed poorly, and the transfer terrible.

Collection ID 263
Director: Tom Holland
Starring: Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, David Morse, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Frankie Faison
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: Laurel Entertainment Inc.   Release date: 1995   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Most of the passengers on an airplane disappear, and the remainder land the plane in a mysteriously barren airport.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 976
Director: Tom Holland
Starring: Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, David Morse, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Frankie Faison
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: Laurel Entertainment Inc.   Release date: 1995   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Most of the passengers on an airplane disappear, and the remainder land the plane in a mysteriously barren airport.
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My Review:

Collection ID 480
Director: Simon West
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, Iain Glen, Noah Taylor, Daniel Craig
Genre: Action
Studio: Paramount Pictures   Release date: 2001   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (UK)
Summary: Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.
My Rating:
My Review: