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Reviews
The Shrine (2010)
Horror With The Lights On!
Most of today's horror films are tepid at best. Originality is hard to come by. Picked this one out on Netflix, hoping for the best. Got way more than expected. The Shrine is highly recommended.
A determined journalist, her boyfriend and a young intern travel to Europe in search of a story involving tourist's who, over a period of years, disappear under similar circumstances. A journal written by the latest missing tourist leads the trio to a small Polish village that harbors a fog enshrouded secret. The village inhabitants will go to deadly means to keep the secret hidden from outsiders. What follows as the trio unknowingly fall prey to their journalistic instincts will have you on the edge of your seat.
This is one smart, well paced and intriguing piece of horror. The characters are full dimensional. The plot unfolds at a crisp and believable pace. Rarely does this one resort to jump scares. The horror comes from a sense of ever building dread. Lighting is key to unnerving the senses. The violence and bloodshed on display never panders to the gore hounds.
After viewing this one, I took a few moments and pondered what I would have done differently had I found myself in similar circumstances. So few of today's horror films generate that type of reaction. When I plan a European vacation, I will avoid Polish villages out in the woods at all cost's.
Urutoraman: Kûsô tokusatsu shirîzu (1966)
More than just a great kids show!
As a kid growing up in the 70's, I would rush home from school to watch Ultraman. My family cared not for this show and would frequently undermine my attempts to watch it. Sometimes through sheer force, I would get the television to myself and would revel in the exploits of the Science Patrol and Shin Hayata's alter ego/superhero Ultraman.
Every episode featured the same scenario. Alien invaders and or a giant monster would arrive and threaten Earths survival. It was up to the Science Patrol to counter this threat with their scientific knowhow. In most cases, this knowhow was not enough and Hayata/Ultraman would save the day.
By todays standards, this 'special effects fantasy series' will come off as cheap and primitive. It must be noted this was made in 1966 by Eiji Tsuburaya Productions. Tsuburaya was the special effects master behind the Godzilla movies and his expertise is in full swing. For the kids who watched this show, this was not some cheap entertainment. Ultraman was very real. Hayata was very real. The Science Patrol was a team worth rooting for. Some of the episodes are very advanced in terms of theme and story content.
There are two sets that can be purchased on DVD. Series One, Volume 1 and 2 is the set I own. The picture and sound quality are superb. The viewer has the option of watching this classic series dubbed in English or in Japanese with English subtitles. All episode are full length and uncut. The English dubs will have some scenes with Japanese language and subtitles. This is unavoidable and should not be too bothersome for the viewer. Better to watch Ultraman in it's original Japanese language.
Ultraman ran for one season with 39 episodes. Over the years, this show has garnered cult status. There is the Ultra Q series which came before and a slew of series spin-offs that followed. There are a number of Ultraman movies as well. In all, Ultraman has become a cultural pop phenomenon. If you remember this from childhood and wish to relive that childhood, or are looking for great entertainment for you own children, Ultraman comes highly recommended.
They simply do not make televisions shows like this anymore.