![]() the review site with a difference since 1999 |
||||||
| 07/30/2010 | ||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
|
Trailer - 'The Extra Man'... Trailer- 'Dinner for Schmucks'... William Shatner interviews DC sniper; sniper claims mor... Overloaded: 7 Things You Should Know About Your Interne... Justin Timberlake, Elton John Reps Deny 'American Idol'... BLACK NARCISSUS (BLU-RAY)... THE CRAZIES... THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY (BLU-... THE GENERAL (BLU-RAY)... THE EXILES... WE FUN: ATLANTA GA INSIDE/OUT... CHANTAL AKERMAN IN THE SEVENTIES... RED DESERT (BLU-RAY)... THE SPY NEXT DOOR (BLU-RAY)... ZIFT... MYSTERY TRAIN (BLU-RAY)... NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH... SUPERNATURAL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (BLU-RAY)... THE GIRL BY THE LAKE... PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN... THE ONLY SON / THERE WAS A FATHER... UNION STATION... STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.... CHICAGO... THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA... BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (BLU-RAY)... THE FACTS OF LIFE: SEASON FOUR... THE CONSTANCE TALMADGE COLLECTION... GEORGE BERNARD SHAW ON FILM (ECLIPSE SERIES 20)... THE NORMA TALMADGE COLLECTION... YOJIMBO/SANJURO... SUMMER HOURS (L'heure d'été)... WIZARD OF OZ... WINGS OF DESIRE... HORTON HEARS A WHO!... REVANCHE... LAST DAYS OF DISCO... NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS... STARGATE SG-1: CHILDREN OF THE GODS... STARGATE ATLANTIS: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON... IMDb Turned 19 This Past Weekend... Rotten Tomatoes Lists The Worst of the Worst Movies of ... digitallyOBSESSED.com on iPhone... 30 ROCK SEASON 3... CRASH: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON... THE STEPFATHER... THE HILLS RUN RED... MANAGEMENT... NIGHT OF DEATH... GNAW... Freddy Got Fingered... The Business of Strangers... Ken Burns' America: The Congress... Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Two... Touki Bouki... Is the Greatest American Band: Grand Funk Railroad?... Apple Updates Remote App for iPhone... I want my Internet TV!... Pundit Opinions Duel Over Meaning of Growth on TV and V... Twitter, Brillstein develop TV series... Six Points About Inglourious Basterds (spoilers)... Secure The Second Season of The Border on DVD August 25... NFB's Behind the Camera: The ABCs of Documentary Cinema... THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1976)... NFB Blog: Documentary filmmaking from the inside out... Inside the Vault Part 2: How the NFB restores and digi... Conquest of the Planet of the Apes... Saving Private Ryan... High Noon... Film-Fest 4: Sundance 2000 & Hawaii... Me Without You... Kodo... Reflections on the Fade of Daytime's Guiding Light... HBO's Grey Gardens Explores an Inexplicable Enigma... What Happens in Vegas Diverting... Some Like It Hot... EARTH DAY: Digesting our planet... Warner offers HD-to-Blu-ray upgrades for $4.95... A Look Back: 1999... Before Night Falls... WELCOME TO THE NEW dOc!... |
Pioneer Entertainment presents "Can we stop on the way for a bite?"
DVD ReviewAmidst many other notable cult films one should always find mention of Ken Russell's Lair of the White Worm. Based on Bram Stoker's final novel of the same name, the film gives us a different spin on the vampire theme, this time in the form of the famed D'Ampton Worm. As legend would have it, the distant ancestor of Lord James D'Ampton (Hugh Grant) had slain the formidable White Worm, an evil creature with an appetite for the blood of virgins. When archaology student Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi) unearths the skull of an ancient reptilian creature and the remains of the worship site of a pagan snake god, the hunt begins for the whereabouts of the creature. What follows is a campy escapade into English caverns, encounters with serpentine seductresses, and the unravelling of the legend of the White Worm. Classic cult fare, but not for the overly squeamish or prudish...James D'Ampton - "Do you have children?" Silvia Marsh - " "Only if there aren't any men around." Russell is one of those filmakers who you never know whether to take seriously or not (the commentary gives it away). The film has plenty of little inuendos to the eventualities that follow, and the assembly of the film is far more artistic than at first it seems. Hugh Grant's performance foreshadows his later characterisations with dry humor, but Amanda Donahoe steals the show with her portrayal of the slithery Lady Sylvia Marsh, donning an array of costumes from skin tight leather to well, not much at all! The plot is engaging, the dialog witty, and the twists are well timed. This won't satisfy hard core gore fans, but at least one of the nastier scenes is, for lack of a better description, eye popping... Rating for Style: A Rating for Substance: B+ Image Transfer
Image Transfer Review: The image is slightly soft with fine grain evident, but suits the nature of the film. While not reference material, the transfer and elements are quite good, with no signs of edge enhancement, and only minor dust or other anomalies in some scenes. It is encouraging to see films of this nature being taken care of in their DVD incarnations. The anamorphic transfer is a definite plus. Image Transfer Grade: B- Audio Transfer
Audio Transfer Review: Audio is clean and free from much hiss. The surround soundtrack has reasonable frequency range and good dynamics. Music cues and atmospheres fill out an otherwise center focused dialog track. Location ambience occasionally detracts from dialog clarity, but overall the sound is fine and suits the feel of the film quite well. Audio Transfer Grade: B- Disc ExtrasStatic menu with musicScene Access with 12 cues and remote access Cast and Crew Biographies 1 Original Trailer(s) 1 Other Trailer(s) featuring Salome's Last Dance 1 TV Spots/Teasers Production Notes 1 Feature/Episode commentary by Ken Russell Packaging: Amaray 1 Disc 1-Sided disc(s) Layers: single Extra Extras:
The theatrical trailer and a brief TV clip are also included, along with a trailer for another Sharpline/Pioneer release of Ken Russell's Salome's Last Dance. Extras Grade: B- Final CommentsFor classic camp fare you can do no better than Lair of the White Worm, this is definately among the cream of the crop for the genre. Pioneer and Sharpline Arts have assembled a respectable supplemental feature set for this release, certainly not a half-asped job. Ken Russell's commentary is worth the price of admission alone. I wish all films of this nature were afforded this kind of attention. If you enjoy offbeat horror/comedy this is a must have for your collection. |
|
| Become a Reviewer | Search | Review Vault | Reviewers Readers | Webmasters | Privacy | Contact |
||||
|
|