Collection ID 629
Director: Mani Ratnam
Starring: Madhavan, Simran, J.D. Chakravarthi, Prakash Raj, Nandita Das
Genre: Drama
Studio: Madras Talkies   Release date: 2002   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): Tamil, Sinhalese, English (India)
Summary: Dhileepan and Shyama are Tamil-speaking residents of Mankulam, Sri Lanka, who get married with the blessings of their respective families. After the marriage, Shyama confides that she would like to be a mother of eight children, but she is stunned when her husband tells her that he cannot father any children until there is peace between the mainstream and the Tamils in this country. Nevertheless, they do get intimate, which results in Shyama getting pregnant. Dhileepan goes into hiding because of his connections with the Tamil Tigers, while Shyama returns to her father's house. A storm threatens their village, and they are forced to flee to a Refugee Camp in Rameswaram, India. Alone, without any support, Shyama gives birth to a girl, leaves her, and returns to Sri Lanka to be with her husband. The child gets noticed by noted Tamil author Thiruchelvan, who lives with his sister, her husband, and their son and writes books under the pen-name of Indra, who is actually an attractive TV ...
My Rating:
My Review: The final selection from Filmmovement.com. Unlike some other 'Bollywood' movies, this movie actually tells a story that isn't a romantic 'boy meets girl' fluff piece. Here's a serious drama. Two parents take their adopted child to war torn Sri-Lanka in order to meet her biological mother. It's a sweeping epic with plenty of emotion, choreographed dance numbers and there's even a little action as rebels and government soldiers shoot it out in war torn Sri-Lanka. Set against the Tamil regions of India and Sri-Lanka, the locations are fantastic. The acting was great, the direction splendid. As an independent release, this feature rivals any of the Bollywood industry releases. The only detractor to this movie was subtitles. A typical problem with Indian movies. This time there were two problems with the subtitles. They didn't keep up with the dialog, and their light coloring was washed out by the vivid backgrounds.

Collection ID 1328
Director: Mani Ratnam
Starring: Madhavan, Simran, J.D. Chakravarthi, Prakash Raj, Nandita Das
Genre: Drama
Studio: Madras Talkies   Release date: 2002   Rated: Not Rated   
Language (Country): Tamil, Sinhalese, English (India)
Summary: Dhileepan and Shyama are Tamil-speaking residents of Mankulam, Sri Lanka, who get married with the blessings of their respective families. After the marriage, Shyama confides that she would like to be a mother of eight children, but she is stunned when her husband tells her that he cannot father any children until there is peace between the mainstream and the Tamils in this country. Nevertheless, they do get intimate, which results in Shyama getting pregnant. Dhileepan goes into hiding because of his connections with the Tamil Tigers, while Shyama returns to her father's house. A storm threatens their village, and they are forced to flee to a Refugee Camp in Rameswaram, India. Alone, without any support, Shyama gives birth to a girl, leaves her, and returns to Sri Lanka to be with her husband. The child gets noticed by noted Tamil author Thiruchelvan, who lives with his sister, her husband, and their son and writes books under the pen-name of Indra, who is actually an attractive TV ...
My Rating:
My Review: The final selection from Filmmovement.com. Unlike some other 'Bollywood' movies, this movie actually tells a story that isn't a romantic 'boy meets girl' fluff piece. Here's a serious drama. Two parents take their adopted child to war torn Sri-Lanka in order to meet her biological mother. It's a sweeping epic with plenty of emotion, choreographed dance numbers and there's even a little action as rebels and government soldiers shoot it out in war torn Sri-Lanka. Set against the Tamil regions of India and Sri-Lanka, the locations are fantastic. The acting was great, the direction splendid. As an independent release, this feature rivals any of the Bollywood industry releases. The only detractor to this movie was subtitles. A typical problem with Indian movies. This time there were two problems with the subtitles. They didn't keep up with the dialog, and their light coloring was washed out by the vivid backgrounds.

Collection ID 224
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Starring: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn
Genre: Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 1993   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 943
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Starring: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn
Genre: Thriller
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 1993   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): German, English, Spanish (USA)
Summary: A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 1533
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, Terrie Kalbus
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: New Breed Productions Inc.   Release date: 1979   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave-robber known only as the "Tall Man."
My Rating:
My Review: An independent, cult classic, horror flick with great chemistry, pacing and bizarre sci-fi content that never relents. The acting is amateur at best, but the cast has a great chemistry and their buy in is quite evident. Two brothers (the older Jody, played by Bill Thornbury - and the younger Mike, played by Michael Baldwin) live in a sleepy New England town where nothing much ever happens… Until, Jody's younger brother witnesses a creepy 'Tall Man' toss a coffin in the back of a hearse as if it were some sort of cardboard prop. After some curious investigating, Mike discovers a bizarre world of extradimensional portals, flying death machines, evil dwarves and a conspiracy of horrific proportions. Produced on a $300,000.00 budget, this 70s independent film ranks higher than many multimillion dollar hollywood flops. Can Mike, Jody and the Ice Cream man defeat the Tall Man and his infernal plans? The music was another reason to love this low budget masterpiece. Written, directed and produced by Don Coscarelli, I'm really impressed by the films Carpenter, Lynch feel. No wonder there were so many sequels. I give this one a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 18
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, Terrie Kalbus
Genre: Sci-Fi
Studio: New Breed Productions Inc.   Release date: 1979   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave-robber known only as the "Tall Man."
My Rating:
My Review: An independent, cult classic, horror flick with great chemistry, pacing and bizarre sci-fi content that never relents. The acting is amateur at best, but the cast has a great chemistry and their buy in is quite evident. Two brothers (the older Jody, played by Bill Thornbury - and the younger Mike, played by Michael Baldwin) live in a sleepy New England town where nothing much ever happens… Until, Jody's younger brother witnesses a creepy 'Tall Man' toss a coffin in the back of a hearse as if it were some sort of cardboard prop. After some curious investigating, Mike discovers a bizarre world of extradimensional portals, flying death machines, evil dwarves and a conspiracy of horrific proportions. Produced on a $300,000.00 budget, this 70s independent film ranks higher than many multimillion dollar hollywood flops. Can Mike, Jody and the Ice Cream man defeat the Tall Man and his infernal plans? The music was another reason to love this low budget masterpiece. Written, directed and produced by Don Coscarelli, I'm really impressed by the films Carpenter, Lynch feel. No wonder there were so many sequels. I give this one a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 111
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: James LeGros, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips
Genre: Horror
Studio: Spacegate Productions   Release date: 1988   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: The young boy from the sequel seeks to gain revenge on the Tall Man, who killed his brother and many others.
My Rating:
My Review: A sequel to a 70s cult classic. In this continuation of the original story, Mike (played by James LeGros from the original movie) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are hunting the Tall Man and his demonic dwarves. Filmed in the 80s, this particular sequel features much better production value, but the acting is just as awful. James LeGros and Reggie Bannister aren't exactly an 'A-Team' when it comes to actors. Mike may have convinced the doctors that he's sane, but the reality of Mike's dreams make insanity seem comforting in this disturbing sci-fi horror flick. The pros - Some gratuitous nudity, some spooky special effects and a scary soundtrack. The cons - The entire movie is shot in the dark, the dialogue sucked, the acting was horrendous. In this film, the originality of the first film has worn off, and now your left with a remake that lacks the suspense and shock from the original movie. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Collection ID 895
Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: James LeGros, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips
Genre: Horror
Studio: Spacegate Productions   Release date: 1988   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: The young boy from the sequel seeks to gain revenge on the Tall Man, who killed his brother and many others.
My Rating:
My Review: A sequel to a 70s cult classic. In this continuation of the original story, Mike (played by James LeGros from the original movie) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are hunting the Tall Man and his demonic dwarves. Filmed in the 80s, this particular sequel features much better production value, but the acting is just as awful. James LeGros and Reggie Bannister aren't exactly an 'A-Team' when it comes to actors. Mike may have convinced the doctors that he's sane, but the reality of Mike's dreams make insanity seem comforting in this disturbing sci-fi horror flick. The pros - Some gratuitous nudity, some spooky special effects and a scary soundtrack. The cons - The entire movie is shot in the dark, the dialogue sucked, the acting was horrendous. In this film, the originality of the first film has worn off, and now your left with a remake that lacks the suspense and shock from the original movie. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Collection ID 337
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman
Genre: Thriller
Studio:   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
My Rating:
My Review: Brilliant - A brain twister. Part sci-fi, part history, part documentary. This movie is a shining example of what happens when the right person directs the right film. Shot in black & white, this cerebral thriller confounds the senses. Pleasing to the eye, enthralling to the ears and captivating the mind. The mysteries abound in this strange movie about math and religion. Can someone find god through science? Great casting, great acting and absolutely unstoppable writing. I enjoyed this movie so much that I analyzed it from begining to end and took copious notes.

Collection ID 1611
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Harvest Filmworks   Release date: 1998   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, Hebrew (USA)
Summary: Max is a genius mathematician who's built a supercomputer at home that provides something that can be understood as a key for understanding all existence. Representatives both from a Hasidic cabalistic sect and high-powered Wall Street firm hear of that secret and attempt to seduce him.
My Rating:
My Review: Brilliant - A brain twister. Part sci-fi, part history, part documentary. This movie is a shining example of what happens when the right person directs the right film. Shot in black & white, this cerebral thriller confounds the senses. Pleasing to the eye, enthralling to the ears and captivating the mind. The mysteries abound in this strange movie about math and religion. Can someone find god through science? Great casting, great acting and absolutely unstoppable writing. I enjoyed this movie so much that I analyzed it from begining to end and took copious notes.