This is an awesome movie. It is the best & original Classic Film Version of "The Lost World". Based on Sr. Arthur Conan Doyle's Novel by the same name. Which was about Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures still alive in the upper reaches of the Amazon in South America. The film version is pretty much the same but to bring the dinosaurs to life is a whole other story. That job went to Special Effects Pioneer Willis H. O'Brien who would later gain world wide recognition with his ground breaking Stop-Motion Animation in The Classic "King Kong" (1933). Known to the modern world as The Godfather Of Stop-Motion Animation. O'Brien was a true pioneer. He brought Dinosaurs to life in an earlier Silent Movie Short called "The Ghost Of Slumber Mountain" (1917). His earlier Silent Movie Shorts when he first conceived the idea were corky & primitive but still entertaining today. His early starting projects for Edison used Clay Animation. Movie Film Shorts "The Dinosaur And The Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragety" (1915), R.F.D. 10,000 B.C. (1916), & Prehistoric Poultry (1916). Later projects the first & bigger project would not use clay. Metal Skeletons connected by Wooden or Metal Ball & Socket Joints. Very movable & flexible. Made to hold a one frame pose for an exposure to be slightly changed to the next & next. The Lost World (1925) I think was O'Brien's best work most of it except for few jerky Dino Animation Sequences. I don't even think that was O'Brien's Stop-Motion. Fred Jackman helped out with animation. Which he did the jerky animation scenes u see. Marcel Delgado who constructed the dinosaur models did an excellent job. The movie is a Masterpiece of early Special Effects I especially like when the Brotosaurus escapes the cage & breaks loose terrorizing the streets of London that is very memorable. The movie is in my Top 10 Favorite Films of all time. Check it out if you haven't already you Stop-Motion Fans & Dinosaur Movie Fans. I just recently got the Image Entertainment DVD Version which restores more then 50% more of the film which originally was 100 some mins. Now they have 92 mins.& has some extra features. I also have the Lumivision DVD of the 64 min. version that has trailer & those early Edison Clay Animation Shorts & 1 other Clay thing about Dinosaurs that O'Brien didn't do though like The Edison ones. Last it has Still Galleries & Notes by Ray Harryhausen plus one last thing Promotion Piece about The Lost World Puzzle. I would advise both but buy the Image Entertainment DVD Version though if you wanna really enjoy the film.


Having viewed "The Lost World" today for the first time, the predominant thing that struck me was the number of scenes that bore a similarity to ones in the original screen version of "King Kong". However Kong was released almost eight years later in 1933, which makes me curious as to how much an influence "The Lost World" might have been on one of my favorite movies of all time.

For starters, you've got the principal character Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery), who's convinced prehistoric dinosaurs exist in a section of the Amazon based on a notebook left behind by another adventurer, Maple White. White's daughter Paula (Bessie Love) survived an expedition there, though her father never returned. Challenger seeks funding to locate the missing White and prove that such creatures exist, but it would help if he wasn't such a nut. He goes completely berserk while making a presentation at the university when Edward Malone (Lloyd Hughes) reveals his identity as a newspaper reporter. Later he engages Malone in fisticuffs when the young man appears at his home to inquire about joining the expedition. Fortunately Malone has an agenda that appeals to Challenger, offering the financial backing of the London Record Journal in return for exclusive rights to the story.

Other members of the Amazon bound group include Miss White, Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone), and Professor Summerlee (Arthur Hoyt). Roxton fancies himself a love match for Miss Paula, but the age disparity makes that more than a long shot as the young lady's reaction suggests.

The early stages of the trip offer a nice look at Amazonian wildlife, ranging from a jaguar and boa to a tree traveling sloth and a pair of adult spectacle bears that look more like cubs than the full grown animals they're said to be. Soon enough though upon arrival at the plateau where the original expedition traveled, dinosaurs make their appearance in quick succession. Heralded by a pterodactyl's appearance first, we're soon treated to brontosaurus, allosaurus and triceratops. For it's early use in movie history, the stop motion photography employed offers surprisingly adequate results. Considering that the film is eighty years old, it earns my appreciation for pioneering such a landmark technology.

For me, the movie offers what I'm sure are some unintentionally funny moments. There's a scene when a brontosaurus prepares to do battle with an allosaur, and curls it's upper lip in a manner that would do Elvis Presley proud. Somewhat later, one of the camp orderlies throws a flaming branch at an allosaur making a night time raid, catching it in his mouth to resemble it's smoking a cigar. And is it just me, or did reporter Malone bear an uncanny resemblance to Charlie Sheen?

It's my understanding that versions of the movie exist in varying lengths; the one I saw came in at just under an hour. As other posters have noted, there is a disjointed feel between scenes that cut quickly from expedition members to those of dinosaurs. My copy also offered an incessant upbeat piano soundtrack that didn't change tempo throughout the entire movie, somewhat disconcerting for those intervals of intense drama requiring a more somber or even a threatening tone.

King Kong fans will sit up and take notice of some amazing similarities between the films. A log bridge connecting sections of the Amazon plateau is knocked down, this time by a brontosaurus. Later, when another bronto falls off a cliff into a mud pool, Professor Challenger has the bright idea of capturing it and bringing it back to London. Once there, the animal escapes to create havoc in the city as fleeing crowds run for their lives. Too big and bulky to climb anything resembling the Empire State Building, it does the next best thing by falling through and collapsing the Tower Bridge.


I really enjoyed this movie, I'm not going to lie. I really enjoyed the terrible, albeit costly and lavishly done special effects and the cheesy, all too predictable romantic yarn thrown in there. I have a lot of experience watching movies of all ages and types, and I don't make the mistake of comparing silent movies to talkies, since the dramatic form of the motion picture simply works better with sound. Therefore, judging this movie on its own merits and within the confines of silent cinema, it's a really solid adventure flick, good for the whole family. It definitely is dated and would seem really silly to most people coming in to it expecting an action film. Still, if you can put up with it, then have fun!


The Lost World is a wonderfully entertaining film which incorporates stop motion techniques to bring the dinosaurs of the movie to life in a manner that is really incredible for the time. This movie really is a showcase for special effects in the setting of a big monster adventure movie. With large outdoor sets and big monsters, this film feels more like King Kong or later films with effects by Ray Harryhausen than most of the contemporary silent films.

The story revolves around a group of adventurer-scientists who go on a mission to rescue a fellow scientist and prove that there are still dinosaurs living in the Amazon long after they are thought to have been extinct. Once there, they capture one of the dinosaurs and return to London with it, with results that might remind one of a much later dinosaur film. A side story of a romance adds to the plot.

But it is the dinosaurs that make this movie. The special effects are incredible and, in my view, hold up today as much as any computer generated imagery. This is a great adventure story, skillfully put on film and years ahead of its time.

I highly recommend it for anyone who likes dinosaurs and monsters.


This is the best film version of a wonderful book. Both were nearly lost to history - the movie through a series of bizarre accidents, the novel through neglect: Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character seems to have made the reading world impervious to his ghost and adventure stories, which I think (and he agreed) are generally better written and more interesting than the detective stuff.

Okay, sure, they reduced the tribe of evil Neanderthals to a single specimen with a chimpanzee accomplice - but he's pretty scary. And yeah, that means they abandoned the gag about Professor Challenger looking like one of them. And yes, the aboriginal tribe is entirely absent. But then again, they gave us a Brontosaurus leaping from Tower Bridge, and a carnivorous biped that seems determined to depopulate the entire plateau by himself: this Allosaurus eats a Triceratops, a Pterodactyl, and a couple of things I couldn't identify, and even tries his luck on a Brontosaurus before it falls off a cliff. The animation isn't exactly KING KONG caliber - some of the dinosaurs look like rough clay, with no scale tone to the flesh, and some of them are remarkably stick-like, but it was early yet, and much of it is very good. Plus there is more actual saurian conflict than in any other dinosaur movie I've ever seen. And I've seen a few.

Wallace Beery is a Challenger for the ages, seeming to have strutted directly from Doyle's novels - there's no need for sound when the performances are this gigantic. Bessie Love gives her usual embodiment of demure sweetness, Lloyd Hughes is a fine if somewhat stiff male ingénue, and the great Bull Montana prepares for his FLASH GORDON Monkey Man role by here playing, um, Ape Man. Unfortunately for posterity, the movie contains a blackface performance of a comically cowardly character named - yes - Zambo. Zambo's best friend is a Rhesus monkey. Hey, it was 1925. At least this version, unlike Irwin Allen's later disaster, didn't kill any lizards... although a couple of bears do tear each other up for our amusement.

Also features Lewis Stone, perhaps the only old man to actually die of a heart attack while yelling at kids to get off his lawn.


"This was the first screen adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story of prehistoric creatures still alive on a remote Amazon plateau. An expedition is lead (sic) by Professor Challenger and consists of a newspaper reporter, a big-game hunter, and his servant as well as the daughter of the plateau's discoverer, who is still stranded in this uncharted land. After a long journey, the group finds the prehistoric land and encounters all kinds of remarkable plants, dinosaurs, and ape-like men," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" makes its impressive movie debut; the creatures, characters, and situations continue to be imitated, with no end in sight. Oddly enough, this silent version is a case where the original is not the greatest. Herein, the creatures and humans are not scripted, directed, or edited to full advantage; at times, it seems as if the characters are watching a dinosaur movie. More interaction between dinosaur and human was difficult, but possible; a similar lack of contact between apeman and human is inexplicable.

The possibilities lost in this outing would be found, to the extreme, in "King Kong" (1933); a film which makes excellent use of Willis O'Brien's extraordinary stop motion animation effects. That film certainly takes fuller advantage of human/animal interaction.

"The Lost World" adds Bessie Love (as Paula White), to up the expedition's romance level. Ms. Love's character wasn't even in the original novel; so, it's an understandably weak addition. However, she helps adventurer Lewis Stone (as John Roxton) give the film's best performance; as his longing for Love is just about the only interesting "non-creature" element. Wallace Beery (as Professor Challenger) and Lloyd Hughes (as Edward Malone) are good, as the film's other leading players.

Unfortunately, the film includes not only explicit, but also implicit racially insensitive and inaccurate images.

******* The Lost World (2/2/25) Harry O. Hoyt ~ Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Lloyd Hughes


Willis O. Brien's special effects are still surprisingly good and way ahead of the 1960 version even if he was to perfect them further in King Kong (for which this film feels almost like a dress rehearsal at times), giving the film an epic scale in the volcanic eruption and stampede sequences, while Wallace Beery is a perfect choice for Professor Challenger, embodying the gruff, belligerent nature of the character to a tee. There are changes to the novel  not only is Bessie Love brought along on the expedition to search for her lost father (with none of the comic relief chauvinism from Challenger found in the 1960 version) but the pterodactyl that terrifies the streets of London has been changed to a lumbering Brontosaurus, which is certainly a change for the better  but then Doyle's book is rather light on plot to begin with. The dinosaurs aren't as well integrated into the story as you might hope  usually it's cutaways to herds of dinosaurs in their natural habitat  and the racial stereotyping from Jules Cowles' blackface routine as 'Zambo' is painfully embarrassing and horribly unfunny (sample dialogue on seeing campfire smoke from the plateau: "That means our folks is still alive." "It may mean dat some of those cannibules dat drop dat rock down on us yistiddy am cookin' 'em in dar stew-pot!"). But it's hard not to like a film with dialogue like "What are you thinking of, Paula  in this lost world of ours?" or Challenger's immortal "My brontosaurus has escaped! Keep off the streets  until I recapture it!" and where our hero's rival for his girl back home's affections is called Percy Bumberry!


It was just one week ago that I started and completed reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World,' his stunning 1912 account of an expedition that discovers prehistoric life on an isolated South American plateau. The novel massively boosted my opinion of the great author  even after having read his entire collection of fascinating Sherlock Holmes stories (which took me a good six months)  and 'The Lost World' now ranks among my all-time favourites. There are, of course, countless film adaptations of the story, and, wasting no time, I quickly tracked down the very first of them  an old and rather battered VHS tape of 'The Lost World (1925),' directed by Harry O. Hoyt and featuring probably the finest visuals effects of its time.

We are all, no doubt, completely aware of the great Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery), the bulky, quick-tempered scientist who arranges an expedition to discover the prehistoric plateau. The film's main character is clumsy London Gazette journalist Edward E. Malone (Lloyd Hughes), who is desperate for an adventure. Prof. Summerlee (Arthur Hoyt) is reserved and skeptical, and often becomes engaged in childish bickering with Professor Challenger over the authenticity of his fantastic claims. There is also the famed hunter Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone), who is a flawless shot with the rifle and is never afraid to step into the very jaws of peril. Notably, Arthur Conan Doyle's original novel was very scarce on female characters  the only substantial example being Gladys Hungerford (played here by Alma Bennett), Malone's selfish fiancé who refuses to marry him unless he becomes a "real man." To counter this gender imbalance, screenwriter Marion Fairfax added Miss Paula White (Bessie Love), the adventurous daughter of Maple White, the doomed explorer who originally stumbled upon the plateau. This addition also allows for a (rather predictable) love story, since it's completely unreasonable for young Malone to conclude the film as a single man.

Before I launch any further into my review of the film, it is worth noting that, over time, many portions of 'The Lost World' have gone missing. Whilst it originally ran at 106 minutes, the version that I watched was little over an hour in length, which is significant in that my main complaint with the film was how rushed it all seemed. Fortunately, more complete restorations are now available, and, in 2004, an incomplete tinted/toned/hand-coloured nitrate 35mm print of the original version was uncovered. Hopefully, as soon as I get my hands on a more definitive copy of 'The Lost World,' I'll be better able to appreciate it. In any case, the remainder of my review will, of course, concern only the shortened version.

Without a doubt, it is the special effects that are the film's main assets. Willis H. O'Brien was largely responsible for the excellent stop-motion animation of the dinosaurs, and the experience was undoubtedly an essential warm-up for the iconic effects to be found in 'King Kong (1933),' directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The latter film was also certainly influenced by 'The Lost World' in several other ways, including the general "Lost World" theme and the destructive escape of the captured beast into a bustling city (notably, Steven Spielberg also pays tribute to this film in his underrated 1997 effort, 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park,' in which a Tyrannosaurus Rex escapes in San Diego). For this film, it is a Brontosaurus which wreaks havoc across London, a substantial departure from Conan Doyle's story (where it is merely a Pterodactyl).

Up until the point where we get our first glimpse of the mighty dinosaurs, I had decided that the film was a very loyal adaptation. The opening scenes in London were very well handled, and served wonderfully to introduce all the characters and their intricacies. After an impressive canoe trip through the danger-ridden Amazon jungle, the enthusiastic adventurers ascend onto the plateau via a felled tree trunk, and this is excellently done, with no small thanks to some clever model work. However, despite the special effects, it is apparent that Hoyt was not overly experienced with creating suspense and wonder, the one thing that made Cooper and Schoedsack's 'King Kong' so memorable. There is no steady build-up towards our first sight of the mighty Brontosaurus; we merely cut to it out of nowhere, and you can't help but feel that the director is doing O'Brien's excellent work a disservice.

Most of the scenes involving the dinosaurs are exciting to watch  particularly a nighttime assault from a hungry Allosaurus  but there just isn't enough interaction between the humans and the dinosaurs for it to be magnificent, though I'm aware that technical restrictions would most certainly have played a part in this. With the story focusing largely on the dinosaur, the plot completely excludes Doyle's primitive human population on the plateau, and there are only two of the dreaded ape-man "Missing Links" (Bull Montana, accompanied by a young chimpanzee). When the five adventurers suddenly discovered a means of escaping the plateau, I was convinced that it must be too soon for that, though, once again, this poor pacing might be attributed to the wealth of missing footage. Nevertheless, though the film as a whole might not be described as masterful, the visuals effects are nothing but, and its Jurassic creations are more than enough reason to give 'The Lost World' a try.


And the first of its kind too. The first movie made of Arthur Conan Doyle's "Lost World" story, and the first motion picture ever to use stop motion animation. Over all this is a wonderful flick. The sets and staging are all well done, costumes and makeup are far better than average, the photography is very well done, and the acting is for the most part first rate. I thought Lewis Stone particularly impressive as Sir John Roxton. Stone had a way of coming across as natural, which thing seems a refreshing oddity in older movies like this when "over the top" was thought to be a requirement. Wallace Beery's Prof. Challenger is also extremely well done. Bessie Love isn't my idea, being familiar with the tale, of the Paula White character. Other than that everyone else seems to fit their roles right well. But it was the stop motion, the sets, and the makeup that awed me. The ape men LOOKED like ape men, and not some guy in a gorilla suit. These were all of such better quality than, say, the majority of movies of a similar ilk from the 40s, 50's, 60's and even into the 70's. Lots of talent in these areas, making the film just that much more worth watching. And then there is that added advantage of it being a silent. The question of sound quality is, well, mute.


Loved the story line. Photography good for the era. This is one of the better silent films because it had many dialog cards. I would recommend this one to everybody. If you liked the first talky version of "Lost World" or the original "King Kong" you will like this.

This is the story of a scientist who returns from an expedition from the Amazon with a wild story about finding living dinosaurs is meet with ridicule by both the scientific world and the press. Trying to raise people and money for another expedition to rescue a member who had been cut off and left behind, he finds himself with a very unlikely crew. After arriving they themselves become stranded. See the movie to find out if they get rescued or not.


This film really made me feel wistful. You see, the original version of this film was about 50% longer and I really would like to see what some idiots chose to remove from the original print. This is especially true for the very end, as the film ends way too abruptly and it looks like there MUST have been a lot more to this movie. As it was, the film was way too choppy and I'll one day look for a more complete version.

The movie is a masterpiece for 1920s stop-motion photography. Willis O'Brien, who later became famous for this type of filming in 1933's KING KONG, was also the guy responsible for bringing to life the dinosaurs in this film. The overall effect really isn't that much different than a decade later--as both films are wonderful for the time. Sure, it's possible to make them seem almost 100% real today, but for the 20s and 30s, this was amazing stuff.

The plot involves a crazed anthropologist (Wallace Beery) who insists that there is a land filled with living dinosaurs in South America and he wants to mount a return expedition to find a colleague who was stranded there. Though scoffed at by other professors, he is able to get funding and convince others to come with him. Once there, they find pretty much what you'd expect they'd find (except that there are some African creatures here as well--oh, well, if they can have dinosaurs, why not chimps?!). The only surprise is that they bring back a live Brontosaurus and it pretty much does a "King Kong"-type escape at the end and runs amok in London, not New York. And, while all this doesn't seem very original, remember that KING KONG was second--this was the first film of its type and so it deserves a lot of kudos and recognition for its place in film history.


"The Lost World" is beautifully crafted and perfect! Just perfect! Lewis Stone is perfectly cast as the hero who goes to the island on a rescue mission, only to be attacked by legions of dinosaurs! The dinosaurs look beautiful, and the stop motion animation is simply marvellous! Lewis Stone is certainly in a different role to Judge Hardy, but he pulls it off well! The effects are to die for, and the script is perfect! The inter titles explain everything well, but the acting is just so great that they are not even necessary! It is just perfect! While it not be as grand as films like "Jurassic Park" once you see it in its full historical context, you see just how brilliant it really is!


Before King Kong scaled the Empire State Building, Godzilla stalked the streets of Tokyo and Spielberg's T-Rex gobbled up that lawyer, a brontosaurus in "The Lost World" swam down the Thames river. As well as containing the prototypes of the over-sized beasties that would come to populate other movies of this sort, "The Lost World" features other characters typical of this genre, including a scientist committed to the point of madness in his quest for some mysterious creature, a reporter or writer who tags along out of curiosity and a plucky young woman (often searching for a father who went missing on a similar excursion). Of course the human beings in such movies are usually of secondary interest (with the exception of the great Fay Wray), so the real question here is, how well do "The Lost World"'s dinosaurs and the twenties stop motion special effects hold up? The answer is, surprisingly well. Perhaps the animals would have looked fake in Technicolor, but they are quite impressive in black and white, especially the predatory allosauruses (although they are rather cute in close up when they fastidiously lick their digits after a particularly juicy chunk of flesh or snarl like Elvis Presley.)

The only complaint I had about this movie was the abrupt jumping from one plot point to anotherthe young male and female leads who seem barely acquainted are all of a sudden engaged by the middle of the movie. After reading other comments, however, I realized that these problems were probably due to my viewing a shortened version, 63 minute version of this film. If possible, try to find the full 93 minute version.


A film both truly innovative and highly engaging....Its one of the greatest films of the era and earned its ranking in the annals of film history. Amazingly good acting by Bassie Love and Hughes....A great example of cinematography from the "Roaring Twenties." The most dramatic and artistic and best era of Hollywood.


This has to be the most well done Canadian film I've ever seen. The acting was marvelous; the directing was beautiful and the story was very original and realistically hilarious. Everything in this film seemed like it was done so subtly, which it gave such a realistic portrayel of the late 60s/early 70s.

There was something wonderful about this film. It just seemed so authentic.

I don't know what else to say about it; I guess you just got to see it for yourself. It was just such a warm story ---> even with all the depressing aspects it had.

8/10


Review for Falling Angels

The definition of acting, the way I've learned it is creating the illusion of reality. Now a substitute for that in the dictionary might be see; Falling Angels. I know that I'm not alone and not doing so bad, when I see other people trying to figure out life. The three girls in this story are pretty much left to figure everything out for themselves. Their role models are an absent alcoholic mother and a twisted alcoholic army dad, who every time he sees them, they stick their hands out, for a cleanliness inspection. This is why I watch independent film. This is why I joined Film Movement and thank you, director Scott Smith. A slice of life; getting into the personal drama of other peoples lives. These people react to situations as real people do, without saying, "I'll be back!" and then killing every one in the building with a machine gun.


Perhaps you must be in the thirty something crowd to really appreciate the time and attention to detail it took for this film to convey the period and the attitude of the characters. It is so sullen and casual it reeks probability and reality. This is not an Oliver Stone idealistic 60's where EVERYONE is wearing bell bottoms and tie dye and driving around in red mustangs.

There is a distinctive generation gap between the parents and children in the movie. The father and mother still pay homage to the 50's and cling to to the ideal of raising a home when it is obvious the kids are already grown and moving on. There is a sense of transition and transformation strong for both parties and you feel the pivot turn.

The girls all each savor a little growing up, unique and personal to themselves while the parents become lost in failed expectation and guilt about the loss of a child years earlier.


So often satire works in the narrative part of a novel and it was never more so than in Stella Gibbons pastiche of the cosy country novels which proliferated in her day. This isn't often one-liner comedy, its more a Beverly Hillbillies for thinking people. City sophisticates meet with inbred country cousins and produce wry, often dark humour. Honours go to Sheila Burrell, a veteran actress who looks like the Red Queen from Tenniel's pictures for Alice in Wonderland, and has a voice and tongue to match. Great Aunt Ada Doom is at the core of their lives even when not present.

Kate Beckinsale's Flora Poste is possibly too wordly wise and unflappable, which tends to blunt the sharpness of the impact of the story, causing many subtleties of the original to be lost. Too much has been done to make it into Sunday teatime TV viewing. It might be useful to compare it with earlier versions if they can be found. There was a very good version in which Alistair Sim played Amos which was much bleaker in tone than this one. This being said, the production values here are more appropriate to film and the general casting is excellent. I thought it was worth staying in to watch.


The more I view this film - the more I chuckle. It is well written, clever, delightful and downright fun. Strangely enough, it wasn't until a 5th or 6th viewing that it finally dawned on me. I had seen this story before - Jane Austen's Emma. Only this time Flora(Kate Beckinsale seems made for these Emma roles) gets it right with her meddling and matchmaking. 20th Century Austen. And the entire cast is stellar!! Need some cheering up. Then visit Cold Comfort Farm. There is nothing chilling about this rural route.


I first saw Cold Comfort Farm way back in the early 70's on TV, but this latest version is so much funnier. Kate Beckinsale makes a wonderful bossy "take charge" Flora, and everyone else in the cast is just hilarious. Eileen Atkins' scenery chewing when her son, played by Rufus Sewell, was leaving home to become a Hollywood film star, just about had me in hysterics. The dread menacing atmosphere, the dark hints about something seen in the woodshed, and the general squalor of a once prosperous family gone to ruin are all conveyed in a humourous but not slapstick or farcical way. The Starkadders mooch about muttering threateningly until Flora eventually sets them all on the right path to recovering prosperity. Flora is the kind of upbeat heroine who would take a hot cup of cocoa to Dracula "because he is probably cold after all that time in the tomb." A very enjoyable film for those who like something different.


While we Americans(I say we, since I'm American even though I'm landed in Canada) tend to think of Monty Python when we think of British humor, there's also a satirical type of humor that seems to be unique to Britain. It can get rather dry, so dry that it's simply not funny(like the novel LUCKY JIM), but when it works, it's great to watch, and it works here. A friend of mine said while the book may have been a parody of Dickens, this film can be seen as a parody of Merchant/Ivory, and I think he's right. A couple of people who have commented have compared Flora Poste to Emma, and I'll have to admit that never occurred to me, but it seems apt.

I see I'm getting literary here. Well, yes, this movie is literary(after all, Flora aspires to be a writer), but never in a condescending or precious way. Instead, it's funny and witty(which went out in American humor a long time ago), full of great characters and flawless performances. Huge kudos, of course, go out to Kate Beckinsale, who had little to do as Hero in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, but shows herself to be quite a comedienne here. But the supporting cast, including Joanna Lumley as Flora's friend Mary Smiling, Sheila Burrell as Aunt Ada Doom, Ian McKellen as Amos, and Rufus Sewell as Seth(also Stephen Fry and Eileen Atkins) are all perfect as well. One more thing; "There'll always be Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm!"


Oh how I loved this movie. It's movie heaven to me. It's funny, romantic, escapist, and has a happy ending. It left me feeling happy and energized. I just got the DVD and hadn't seen the movie before, and I was delighted. This is the sort of movie the Brits excel at: it's subtle, not violent, has superb performances, has a wry, intelligent script, the cinematography is visually beautiful shots of the British countryside, and the score is lovely and sets and matches the tone of the movie. It's low key and humanistic as opposed to Hollywood mainstream blockbusters with their explosive special effects. Farm doesn't have any special effects but is a delight because of the witty, intelligent script, superb acting, and visually gorgeous cinematography.

I recommend turning the subtitles on if you're watching the DVD because the British accents and slang make it easy to miss words and lines without the subtitles.


This is Kate Beckinsale back when she acted instead of did action movies for big bucks. Although I wish they hadn't left out some of the characters and changed some things around from the original book, this movie kept the whacky spirit of Stella Gibbon's novel.

For instance, in the novel there were a host of other Starkadders being mistreated by Aunt Ada Doom who Flora helps, Rinnit marries the author Mr. Mybug (Myerburg!) played by Stephen Frye, not Ruben, and the farm isn't actually in bad shape. Ruben has been cooking the books he shows to Aunt Ada so that he can use the money to improve the farm.

I have only been able to get my hands on one of the two sequel novels that Stella Gibbons wrote about these same characters, Conference at Cold Comfort Farm and it is not quite as good. But you do get to find out what happened to some of the characters after WWII. Someday I hope to get a copy of Christmas at cold comfort farm to read.

Whacky good fun and I like the message that people should follow their own dream (even nutjob religious maniac Cousin Amos, brilliantly played by Sir Ian McKellan) rather than be a slave to a tyrant. It is unrealistic that Aunt Ada can be redeemed so easily but I like the way she was played, as having an epiphany when the American film Czar Mr. Neck asks her if the nasty thing in the woodshed saw her.

Excellent movie all around.


A kind of religious movie... A young rich woman (an angel?) comes, sets free the poor people living like prisoners in "Cold Comfort Farm" (great title!) and, once her mission is done, flies away. Before her arrival, all were dull and enslaved by the old lady living upstairs... but our angel knows what's right for everyone. Maybe the message is: you will be happy only if you follow your dreams. A delicious English fairy tale, that I watched with a constant smile on my face. Schlesinger proves himself a very good director. After all, can anyone tell me what the old lady saw in the wood-store?


The English comedy as it should be; parody of manners, lifestyle and attitudes, without being too overt. An adaptation of Stella Gibbons' book, and a very good one. Eileen Atkins as the eccentric and obsessive Judith and Kate Beckinsale as the headstrong Flora really make the contrasts work. Set in the southern English county of Sussex of the 1920s, and filmed there in the 1990s - and yes, there are still characters like the Starkadders out there! If you can find it, DO see it.


Cold Comfort Farm is a jolly film that bounces along as merrily as its theme tune. It's a rollicking good comedy with a laugh-out-loud collection of Dickensian characters (the doom-stricken Starkadders, the rustic Adam Lambsbreath, and the upper crust Hawk-Monitors). Certainly the film is very over-the-top and silly, but it's light-hearted fun - a welcome alternative to the glut of psychological, heart-wrenching, blood-and-guts fare on the market.

The Starkadders live on the bleak acres of Cold Comfort Farm, where "the cows are barren and the sows are farren". Into this gloomy and eccentric setting comes young, 1930s-modern Flora Poste, who sets to winning the hearts and minds of Cold Comfort's inhabitants, and dragging the Starkadders into the twentieth century. Along the way she manages to rearrange and enliven her own life too.

Kate Beckinsale (prior to her arrival on the scene of big-budget American flicks) is a likeable and chirpy young lady with a talent for organisation. In the supporting roles, Joanna Lumley is delightfully sarcastic as Flora's incongruously named aunt, Mary Smiling, who has a rather unusual hobby. And Ian McKellen is a real scene-stealer as the fire-and-brimstone preacher of the Church of the Quivering Brethren.

The plot revolves around Great Aunt Ada Doom and the 'narsty' thing she saw in the woodshed nigh on 70 years ago. There is also the mysterious wrong perpetrated on Flora's father by the Starkadders sometime in the dim and misty past. So it is a tad frustrating that the audience is never let in on either of these secrets! But these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise an excellent comedic romp, with some interesting and atmospheric cinematography. A very good (and very British) laugh.


This is another of those wonderful "sleepers" that I always enjoy discovering. I like movies with interesting characters, that put you in another world, that present a mystery to solve and this does all three. The characters are disfunctional, interesting and ultimately lovable. It's a cute story, delivered in that understated British comedy style.


I would first like to open this review by stating one of the funniest and best lines out of the entire movie: "That's how you f***k, family." With that out of the way, this was an interesting film that caught me off guard. I expected a movie that was worse than Ghost Lake or Zombie Lake. Boy I couldn't be further from the truth. This movie is about three four sisters who inherit the Lake Hotel from there newly found grandfather, their dad did not tell them about him for "security" reasons, and the sisters soon realize that their grandfather was murdered and that there are these men who are trying to kill them. I will say that this movie had some pretty okay acting and the scares somewhat there. You'll also see that this movie was influence by some earlier movies that had the same premise.

Let me get started by stating that story was heavily influence by a warm house blend of Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes, "Home" from the X-Files and the Texas Chainsaw. You'll notice why it incorporates these films because of two main concepts presented in this film. One being deformed brothers, who wear jumpsuits, running around and murdering/raping teenagers (Wrong Turn, Hills, Home) and secondly the biggest concept I will not say since it involves a twist ending but that ideas includes movie like Texas Chainsaw and Hills. The storyline was somewhat tiring, you figure that these teens have to be beautiful people with hot bodies or this would never work, furthermore, they have to inherit a house or hotel that comes with killers. Kind of tiring. What turns this already milked story into original is the twist and subtext of the movie, which I will not say. It can become over the top and points and even to melodramatic. I could compare this movie to an A&E special or Cold Case reenactment gone horribly wrong, but than I would contradict myself, since I obviously like this movie.

That acting was good, but in parts. The beginning of the movie seemed like it was an afternoon soap opera like General Hospital. This being that the dialogue seemed scripted and painfully dramatic. Malea Richardson, who plays the foul-mouthed drunk sister, who, for my taste, swore too much. In one short scene she says about 10 F bombs, and even for a movie of this caliber, it was unnecessary. There were some okay jokes and at points the teens reacted to minor details as being life threatening, even before they got to the lake. Plus there is a random unnecessary drug scene and an unwanted sex scene. However, when the first murder takes place, that's when his TBS drama turns into a Fright Night. When the sisters begin to display real emotion, when the male character becomes the hero and villains become more real and into their characters. Half of the movie was okay acting and the other half was great horror acting.

Scares were not big in this movie, but when they did appear, it was okay. The parts where those 6ft brutes blast down camper doors and appear out of nowhere and asphyxiate their victims where a bit scary, and I admit that I jumped here or there. Of course I saw this in a darkened theater during Horror Fest. What was scary was not only just those deformed Billy brothers but the family in which they come from, again I will not say since this is a twist and I don't want to ruin it, but that realization is far more disturbing than those evil twins. There is a point when the killer pickaxes a girl in the ear and she cries blood as her eye turns red, yeah, a great example of classic slasher horror.

Overall, this movie was good for what it was worth, in fact, I sort of like this movie. There were some over dramatic parts to it, the scares where okay, there was great twist and a disturbing subtext, the actors where okay in the first half and excellent in the last half and the story seems to keep you on the edge. Despite that it was a low budget and that this style had been done and redone so many times, it was okay. I would recommend this movie to horror fans since this is a newbie of horror and I think that it should be given a chance. I like it, and again, I wish I could tell more but I would be giving away too much sensitive information.


I look forward to Horrorfest each year, and I always expect a few clunkers in the group, but this one was truly awful. You can see the plot points coming a mile away, and it clearly plays to the teenage T&A crowd. While I don't mind a dose of that in a movie, the horror elements also have to be there for me to enjoy the flick, and in this case, there is just nothing there.

The deaths are a bit creative but, again, nothing that hasn't been done 100 time already. Also, there are enough plot holes to drive a truck through, and a few of the scenes and lines had the audience laughing out loud.

Wait for them to show it on TNT.


I think this movie is getting unfair treatment.It's not one of the best Afterdark Horrorfest films, but it definitely isn't one of the worst.The acting was actually good and not just horrible like it is in most B-Movies.The script is actually quite new and fresh, for a movie of this standard.It was also very entertaining to watch, and while I did find the ending EXTREMELY stupid, most of the material in this film didn't bother me.It was good, and I enjoyed watching it.The characters don't stick to you like they should, and there were a few flaws with this movie, but no movie's 100% perfect, and you definitely shouldn't sit down to watch this movie expecting to be.I liked it, and it's rating is too low if you ask me.I recommend it if you've liked all the others, because it is a fine edition to the series.


Three sisters, upon learning that their Grandfather that they never knew has recently died and left them a motel, decide to take a road trip with some friends to the property not knowing that some deviant lunatics are awaiting them there.

Imagine "The Hills have Eyes" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Now imagine if those films had no wit, no finesse, and were deathly boring. OK now you have a good idea what to expect if you're forced to endure this crappy little film. Easily one of the worst of the second crop of "8 films to die for" that I've seen thus far (I've seen 4 of them including this)

Eye Candy: Malea Richardson provides the T&A

My Grade: D-


Most people had already seen this film by the time it was awarded one of the 7 scariest horror films of 2008, but if not you most likely saw this movie genius on the Syfy channel which has been a gold standard for horror films for the past decade.

Lake dead is not your average teenagers go on a road trip, messed up incest family tries to murder and rape them, American success story. In fact Lake dead has many plot twists that will leave you wanting more grandma-son heated make out scenes.

One thing I did not like about the movie was the underling promotion of the Gieco caveman throughout this gripping horror film. From the RV breaking down to the raping of innocent teenage girls, Gieco clearly wanted another way to promote their insurance company.

Lake Dead might not save you 15% on your car insurance but is worthy of a Syfy prime time showing.


I have foolishly viewed far too many of these "8 films to die for" DVD's, from both the first go-round & the second. I think that perhaps "Lake Dead" is the nail in the coffin of my interest in these films. There were a few goodies in among the crap, like "Reincarnation", "The Abandoned", and "Frontiers", but as for the rest, well, utterly forgettable with little in the way of any redeeming values.

Three girls inherit a hotel from their grandfather that they didn't know was alive. Their father may well be a drunken fool, but he at least tried to protect them from the knowledge of grandpa's existence. Why? Well, because there were some unsavory family ties that he didn't want his daughter involved in.

And how unsavory were these ties? Well, grandpa gets it at the very beginning of the film, when he decides enough is enough, apparently, although a little late, I'd say. The girls, of course, head off to view their inheritance in a big RV that belongs to an old frat buddy of one of the daughter's boyfriends. Also along for the ride is a friend of one of the daughters, of the female persuasion. There is a bit of dismay expressed by the RV owner's girlfriend, since her boyfriend has cheated on her numerous times, and he's not done yet, you can bet.

When they reach the hotel they're greeted by the shriveled manager, a sweet old lady who really isn't all that sweet. And after tangling with some deformed looking locals they're picked up by the nice sheriff, who really isn't so nice. And then it's sort of revealed that the girls may have a few family ties with these folks and they're due to keep the family line going.

I guess there's not a lot of good things that I can say about a movie where the highlight is a guy giving his mom some tongue...I won't say who it is but if anything in this movie was scary, that was it.

An abysmal piece of work, not to be bothered with. 2 out of 10.


Alright, I've seen worse. The problem is this one had a 2.5 million dollar budget. What happened? Did the producers try to shoot it on a weekend?? Someone got so busy blowing smoke they thought they were reinventing the way a car rolls; we get it, we really do- stop spinning your wheels turbo. Screwed up people, killing and screwing stupid kids. let's deal with that and leave our twists and turns for the end.

Twenty minutes could've been cut off this movie and possibly saved it; unfortunately, it can only afford to lose ten and still be considered a feature; however, that's ten viewers could have back so here's some suggestions for the DVD release. Opening sequence where we give everything away? Why?? Gratuitous sex scene with no Tn'A? Why?? Can we get stoned and listen to this song? Why?? I don't need to see two fools flirt, while ones girlfriend is havin' a snooze to understand what goes on when they "get wood." I get this from a nice job of acting by Vanessa Viola as Amy. Moreover, the sinister look as Ben and Brielle leave the motel, from Grandma? WHY!!!! Are you idiots? There's ten minutes gone in the first fifteen; furthermore, some of it was a SPOILER IN YOUR OWN MOVIE!!

By the way I've seen far worse acting in better films. There were a few decent performances here, James Burns is fun as the sheriff with some nice campy one-liners, with the exception of, "let's equalize this." I also thought Trevor Torseth as Kane stumbling out from behind the tree exuded an intensity and malice not characteristic of bad acting. But if there is a sequel, put a bag over his head or a mask; I'd love to find out how much the producers saved on their make-up budget. Hope they had a nice luncheon in Beverly Hills. NEXT TIME SPEND YOUR MONEY SMARTER!!

Overall this film suffered by not embracing the "stupid" convention of horror films. Too many people in this production took themselves far too seriously, from Actors all the way up to Producers.

Oh wait! I almost forgot, " The Family tree." HA! PLEASE!!!!! Or did we have to have it so, "the family f*** fest" line would work. In retrospect I'm not sure if the INCEST HAMMER was sufficient.


Wow. This movie is painful. Unfortunately, the best performance comes from the former Reality TV star. The acting is awful. I kept getting the feeling that this movie was made by a few guys who wanted to get some chicks naked, play with guns, and screw around with fake blood. This movie is what gives the horror genre such a bad stigma. It strives to be camp, but only succeeds at being terrible. To make matters worse it's completely unoriginal. The guys that made this seemed like they just wanted to recreate some of their favorite slasher horror scenes, then just threw a couple of rape scenes in for that extra shock factor. I'm two into 2007 Horrorfest, and I have yet to be impressed. Maybe they changed judges because this movie is nothing compared to any of 2006 8 films. Don't watch this movie, it may ruin your day.


It uses the classic 'teens in the woods' type of setup, but the 'monsters' are underpowered, and are not very scary as there is plenty of lighting throughout the movie. I would give it 1/10 stars, but I give it 2/10 to indicate that it does have some (mostly unintended) comedic value.

Spoiler: It turns out that the bad guys are really just an inbred family, and the older family members lure their youngest generation back to them to continue the incest (killing extra friends who come along with them). It would have been scarier to just not even know what all the killing was for. A couple of things I hated: The dialog makes you think that you're watching a parody of older teen horror movies, and the heroes win.

I hope some others from horrorfest are worth watching, but I won't chance it now (not when you have to pay full price for every single movie).


I'll make this as concise as possible: Terrible Script, Poor continuity, God-awful acting, Plot holes a plenty, Direction with no style, Horror movie that isn't frightening.

For anyone interested in the film industry, I strongly recommend attending genre specific film festivals in the future. You get to experience the work of truly talented people at the beginning of their careers...the price (outside of admission) is enduring the work of delusional people like those attached to this movie. However, it's the bad which allows us to appreciate the good.

If the director of this movie gets the opportunity to direct again, than everyone should be allowed to direct films. You, me, our grandmothers. Now, I'm not saying he won't work in the industry...he will. Possibly as a P.A. or a gaffer or even a best boy. He just doesn't have what it takes to direct. And, these actors should find another career or go back and take some classes.


Hmmm ... just saw this piece at the Horrorfest and I wish I had used these 90 minutes for more useful activities, like shooting myself in the head or something ...

... but seriously, this is the dumbest plot since 'Slumber Party Massacre 17'. It shamelessly rips of 'Wrong Turn', and in a totally uninspired and lame way.

My rating in detail:

1 star for cinematography (ok, but barely) 1 star for the music (it didn't hurt) 2 stars for acting (sticks out because the rest of this film is so bad) -2 stars for the script

The only positive: James Burns obviously has tremendous fun playing the sadistic Sheriff - it's a pleasure to watch him

Makes for 2 stars overall - and that's generous. Save time and money and avoid this one.


George Bessudo rabidly joins the already flooded list of Nazi directors who are so predictable it boggles the mind. The vehicle for his Hitler worship is a mundane goofy chop up bodies for Beavis and Butthead viewers flick.

Just another film which bends over backwards to show that dark haired women are meant to die. There just isn't anything more to this. And it is what we have gotten in 95% of action films since 1965 or so. Bessudo waves his swastika in the audience's face, and isn't a bit subtle about it. It was old 40 years ago, and produces bigger yawns today. Bessudo has absolutely no talent, and produces not one iota of creativity. He is what he is, and he isn't afraid to flaunt it.

The science fiction channel whips out garbage like this way too much to be coincidence.


Some sisters I couldn't care less about are told about the death of a grandpa they never knew about and are subsequently left a hotel nobody seems to stay at where they get up to shenanigans that are hard to be entertained by before being picked off and murder death killed in fairly unimaginative ways by baddies we neither know nor are too scared by. If that sounds quite bad to you . . . . then it is.

This is one of those movies I really despise thanks to it being so shockingly mediocre. Films that are staggeringly inept are at least laughable whereas films that are good enough to entertain, obviously, do just that. This film falls between the two and is just a pretty dull way to spend 90 minutes.

The acting is uniformly bad although not even terrible enough to provoke laughter, the "plot twists" are uninteresting and predictable and all of the characters are unlikeable and paper-thin. The only thing lifting this above total non-entity is a bit of decent gore for fans of the red stuff and even that is all over during the first half of the film (the first couple of kills are the best and then it's down hill all the way).

Don't bother with this one unless you have absolutely nothing else in your "to watch" pile. You could throw a stone in the middle of your nearest movie store and randomly hit a dozen better, low-budget slasher flicks.

See this if you like: Zombie Lake, Lake Of The Dead, Madman.


Well, FOR A START, i have to say I've seen quite many horror films so far. and u know, i can tell it by first 30 minutes. when u cant see any dead bodies at the first 30 minutes in the movie, then, its a non-watchable film, dare! i say.

this movie, lake dead, well, it should have been much more entertaining and gory. but it took a chance to be just normal as its title implies. JUST DEAD. the movie contains nudity and some gruesome scenes. but thats not all. I'm telling the method of death and the chase of the victim. also some thrilling moments that u can expect from horror movies.

5 girls. yeah...not that small number, but they are too plain. not likable...just i didn't like them. and the secret, huh...its worse than the girls. i cant get it...just a family tradition? gosh, its so typical and not believable. how many times i have to be astonished by that? once at wrong turn, twice at kindred!! if u just want some plain typical horror movies, whereupon its the gem that you've been searching for.

my overall : 3/10


After their grandfather is violently killed, three dysfunctional sisters and their friends take a vacation to the old man's hotel on the lake, a part of their inheritance. Once there, however, they're stalked down by a group of murderous psychopaths who have taken up residence in the grandfather's former home.

With a plot reminiscent of a great '70s Italian slasher (like Bay of Blood, perhaps), I was very much looking forward to this. As usual, the poster was pretty cool, but I still didn't have my hopes set high. Lucky for me, with hopes set low, there's less room for them to fall when I'm inevitably disappointed. First off, the biggest flaw with the film: The acting. I just don't get it. There are thousands upon thousands of simultaneously talented and attractive actors/actresses in Hollywood and beyond that wouldn't refuse a role in a theatrically released horror flick with a $2.5 million budget. Instead, we get a reasonably attractive cast without enough talent to fill a proverbial thimble. The writing is terrible and unoriginal, and the dialogue is worsened with these actors. The setting, however, is absolutely beautiful at the southern California ranch in Santa Clarita. First-timer George Bessudo worked well with the film, creating some good suspense and utilizing some cringeworthy gore. Unfortunately, teamed with the amateurish script and embarrassing cast, it turned out to be a rather muddled mess. The script & acting cannot be made up for, and the majority of the film feels like a subpar combination of The Hills Have Eyes, Cabin by the Lake (remember that one?), and any lame teens-in-the-woods horror with Rob Zombie's Michael Myers as the killers. I'm left with just one question to ask: 'Where did the other $2.4 million go from the projected budget of $2.5 million? Booze & hookers? If so, I would've asked the latter to replace the current cast.

Final verdict: 2.5/10. Dreadful!


I gave this movie 9 stars out of Ten, only because the story line resembles other flicks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Timber Falls. I went and seen this at a theater when they they had the After Dark Horrorfest playing, and I was really impressed. I went into it thinking that its gonna be a cheesy gore-fest, but it proved me wrong. I mean it had some bloody and violent parts, but it actually is a decent flick. The acting was decent, especially for the fact that the actors weren't really known. When three sisters Kelsey Crane, Kelsey Weeden(Detour) and Tara Gerard inherit some property deep in the country, they and a group of their friends Alex A. Quinn, Malea Richardson, Vanessa Viola and Jim Devotti decide to take a weekend off and check it out. They end up finding a beautiful camping ground and a huge lake and think that it is going to be a weekend that none of them are ever going to forget, until they encounter a family of psychos living on the property. This movie is intense and brutal, so I definitely recommend this flick to everyone.


Drivel about a couple of (admittedly hot) sisters and their stepsister who inherit an old motel out in the middle of nowhere. The stepsister arrives early to check out the place, and is violently attacked, and then thrown into a lake and drown. The two sisters arrive the next day with friends of theirs and begin the usual fun-in-the-sun activities by the lake, but when two of their number disappear and they go looking for them, they find them dead, hanging from a tree. They are then the targets of a couple of inbred hicks who apparently are distant relatives of these girls, and are trying to "keep it in the family", so to speak.

Scenes and ideas lifted from Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes, Motel Hell, Mother's Day, etc. thrown randomly about, but this movie is without any charm or style of its own. The inbred hicks, the lakeside setting, the bad cop, the elderly mother who's responsible for nearly everything are all present and accounted for, but it's all shown here with little enthusiasm or style, so what we're left with is a veritable checklist of horror movie clichés with only a few brief scenes of any real suspense or creativity.

It's well photographed, and I liked when the guy beat one of the killers over the head with a wooden chair while he was still tied to it, and a couple of other scenes, but as soon as the movie would come to life, it would quickly fall back into a familiar predictable pattern of said earlier movies in the very next scene. The two inbred killers look like mechanics in need of a shower and shave, nothing more. So no effect was put into their makeup, that aspect ended up being very unconvincing. The climax wasn't very memorable either, as the film makers completely screwed up the killing of the bad cop, we don't even see it on screen, nor do we find out if the antihero survives or not. Kelsey Wedeen is cute and likable and always fun to watch, but she can't carry this entire movie by herself.

*1/2 out of ****


Typical, threadbare backwoods slasher crap, which proves that the well seems all dried up, has a group of young adults being murdered one by one by a lunatic matriarch's incestial offspring mutant twins and her equally nutty sheriff son.

Mama Lake(Pat McNeely, under a thick southern accent, all demented smiles) wishes to continue the family line and uses the death of her husband, by a shot gun blast to the head directed by their son Chuck(James C Burns), the sheriff, to lure granddaughters Brielle(Kelsey Crane)and Kelly(Kelsey Wedeen)with the idea of a possible hotel inheritance. Along with her sensitive boyfriend Ben(Jim Devoti), his college chum Bill(Alex Quinn), Bill's gal Amy(Vanessa Viola)and Kelly's pal Tanya(the yummy Malea Richardon, all too willing to shed her shirt), the group head onto the backwoods Lake hotel and estate against the advice of drunken father John Lake's(Dan Woods)advice. Soon, Mama's mutant offspring begin killing the Lake sister's peeps, and find that the plan in place is for them to bare Chuck's seed and keep the family tradition continued.

Nothing original here folks, kids running for their lives in the woods as two mutant monsters, straight out of "Hills Have Eyes" or "Wrong Turn", chase them down, mutilating them. Most of the violence is off-screen, and you know who will survive and die. This slasher does nothing to separate itself from the countless number that have came out since the 80's heyday. If anything, "Lake Dead" is far minor to even the tamest entries of the 80's. Stuff like "He Knows Your Alone" or "Graduation Day" are just as hard. I mean you do get Richardson removing her shirt and seducing Bill, before getting a pickax lunged into her skull sticking her to a tree. But, the make-up for the faces of the mutant, silent, skulking killers are cheap and unconvincing, especially when one of them gets bashed in the head with the butt of a shot gun.

I gave it a 4 because I felt the camera work was polished enough, and the film moves along well, but if you are looking for slasher fireworks, look elsewhere.


In the beginning of the film, the bad acting from the two old people shows you what kind of movie watching experience your in for. Right after that, we go to a charming funeral scene where a daughter slaps her father and that is hilarious, really the only entertaining second of the film.

The blond lead role chick looks like one of the dumb sluts from the "The Hills" show (whatever the hell that show is about, I still don't know, or care).

Oh, and driving while smoking and listening to your iPod is a winning combination. But at least that particular scene leads to our first kill, which is pretty good, its distribuingly inventive.

Right after the 1st kill, we get to the requisite unnecessary sex & nudity, but during sex scene this ridiclious music with over the top soaring strings is playing, its stupid.

At least the production value is OK, but the scenes of dialogue are really useless, and really awful horribly done. Whoever wrote that dialogue really sucks and hopefully will never work again and be killed. The attempts of a "deep" story are really lame. The rock music used is really lame LAME ass San Diago sissy pop punk KRAP! And they continue to play the damn lame ass weak pop punk over whole scenes of dialogue, it really makes no sense at all.

At least the Tanya character is really hot, but ALL these people need to die. And what the hell kind of lake is this? Did they just dig a big hole and fill it with water and neatly put rocks around it? People that make these movies are idiots with the way they do stuff like that, they just suppose that they audience can't tell how awful and stupid their sets look.

The hot nudity that takes place is really excellent at least. Where are the girls that act like that? I want to find a girl that says "Lets see if you have the wood to light my fire" What??? A girl that hot is going to have sex with a guy in the woods an hour after meeting him and say that???? Yea...

The death scenes are pretty excellent and effective, all the actors do a much better job dead than alive. And its nice to hear an original score, but its really just highly derivative of other horror scores, especially Friday the 13th, John Carpenter, and Stravinsky.

Ohh, anyone reading this review MUST BE WARNED!! I have seen hell and it is when the sheriff kisses the old woman!!! Phuking nasty!! So nasty makes me want to hurl, literally made me gag, and is making me gag thinking about it right now.

But overall decent gore and good shooting of the old woman in the head.


"Lake Dead" is about three sisters who inherit an isolated motel on the edge of a lake after an unknown grandfather of theirs dies. Warned by their estranged father not to go to the place, they ignore him and decide to make a weekend out of going up to see the place, bringing along some friends - albeit one of the sisters, who heads up to the motel earlier than the rest and vanishes. But their laid-back weekend turns into a horrific tragedy when they are attacked by two deformed psychos in jumpsuits... and they seem to have a link to the motel and a strange old woman that runs the place.

I'd heard bad things about this movie, but decided to rent it and give it a try. Honestly, this is one of the worst horror movies I've seen in quite a while. Nearly every aspect of it was extremely cheap, amateurish, and just completely flat. At first it appears to be a throw-back to cheap '80s slasher movies, but after you watch a good twenty minutes of it it's apparent that it is nothing more than a failed attempt that pulls tricks and scenarios from every other slasher movie of its type. The script itself appears to contain hints of originality in the beginning, but as it progresses it hits cliché after cliché after cliché. It blends elements of "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Wrong Turn" with its villains, trying to create deformed hillbillies that turn out looking like the cavemen from the Geico insurance commercials, clad in Michael Myers-esquire coveralls.

It pulls scenarios from these films as well (the whole motor home attack is suspiciously similar to "The Hills Have Eyes", and the sheriff character reminiscent of the "Texas Chainsaw" remake), but does a bad job at imitating them. But beyond the extremely derivative nature in the script, there's the acting. The performances here are utterly absurd. The actors all look like and act like soap-opera stars, and their delivery, expression, and overall demeanors are terrible. Each character is stereotypical from the get-go, and there is absolutely no personality in any of them. The writers themselves are at fault here as well for forming such flimsy characters and writing such ridiculous lines for each of them. Even had this film had a decent script, the inept, wooden acting and dialogue would have detracted from any good that would have been in it. I spent a sufficient time cringing at the delivery of the lines.

The cinematography has few redeeming qualities as well, and the gory special effects are amateurish like everything else here. Some of the death scenes are creative, I'll give it that, but they're also quite absurd, unrealistic, and often there just for violence's sake (the whole pipe-through-the-ankles, chain-pulled-through-it bit was over-the-top to say the least). There's also some completely random, unnecessary sex scenes that border on soft-core pornography, and are so out of place and poorly portrayed that it's laughable. There is also an unnecessary rape scene in the film (which seems to go hand-in-hand with hillbilly killers nowadays) that is so poorly constructed that it's not even close to being disturbing, which is actually kind of scary in itself. The script eventually tries to tie up the characters with this family subplot including the old motel keeper and the deformed hillbillies, which is the crux of everything, but this doesn't mesh well or make any sense whatsoever.

Overall, there is really nothing I can recommend from "Lake Dead". Its script is so derivative and uninspired that it was doomed from the beginning. Throw in some cheap gore scenes, some random sex, and some of the worst soap-opera acting you'll find, and you've got this. I'm often a fan of cheesy B- grade horror movies, and I really, really wanted to enjoy this flick. I had a little bit of hope for it, but it was impossible. There was nothing close to scary or worth seeing here whatsoever. I know that some of Horrorfest's movies aren't of the highest quality, but I'm really quite surprised that they even picked this up for their 2007 selection. It was really that bad. 2/10.


A pair of sisters and their boyfriends-none of whom you care about, visit an old family inheritance. Surprise, there's a pair of inbred killers on the loose, as well as some dark family secrets.

"Lake Dead" is a movie with too many flaws to count. I could go on with the poorly done gore (done either with CG or badly done Make-Up-though that pick-ax to the face bit is pretty awesome), the two inbred brothers that look like shaved versions of the Geico cavemen (I'm surprised they didn't start complaining about cavemen being depicted as inbred killers)-and are pretty much lifted off of "Just Before Dawn" and the "Wrong Turn" movies (the film feels basically like the people behind it just saw "Wrong Turn" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake-the sheriff is right out of the "Chainsaw" remake), but I'll go with other problems instead.

For one thing, the acting-with the exception of Pat McNeely as the demented grandmother-is terrible on all accounts. Also, the film is rather misogynistic. None of the men suffer worse than the women, yet only the men come off as tough, while the women are basically weak and feeble. Really, this movie pretty much sets women back. At least give the audience a final girl to root for!

Going into "Lake Dead", I wasn't expecting an original movie. I knew it would be another Evil Inbred Family/Backwoods horror movie. Unfortunately, it's a bad one, which offers nothing interesting, and ends up leaving both a bad taste in your mouth and a sense of "why did I just waste my time?"


The organizing department behind the After Dark Horrorfest clearly didn't base their movie choices on plot originality; otherwise "Lake Dead" never would have made the final selection. This is a remotely entertaining little effort, but quite possibly also the most clichéd horror movie I ever watched and it's derivative of at least a dozen genre classics, including "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (original and remake), "Friday the 13th" ,"Psycho" and "The Hills have Eyes (original and remake as well). Every prototypic twist you expect to happen in a backwoods horror slasher really does happen here, and at the exact moment you predicted it too, and every stereotypical character you anticipate to make an appearance also really does make an appearance at one point or another. Personally I have a high level of tolerance for the use of dreadful clichés, but if you're exclusively looking for horror movies with innovating and daringly creative formulas feel free to skip this one, because it features absolutely nothing you haven't seen a hundred times before. The plot primarily revolves on two attractive blond sisters, Brielle and Kelly Lake. Their last name is either a lack of scripting inspiration or a truly lame pun, because they actually inherit a lake and complementary lakeside motel somewhere in the middle of hillbilly nowhere. The girls gather a group of horny friends and decide to go camping in the area they inherited. Needless to say the testament was only a trick to lure the girls back to their family's roots, where they're required to continue an uncannily bizarre family tradition. There's a revival of backwoods/inbred redneck horror movies going on lately, but somehow these newer films can't accomplish the raw and nihilistic atmosphere of their 70's colleagues. "Lake Dead" tries hard, but the film never evokes the slightest frights and not even the explicit gore has a shocking impact. The bloody make-up effects are nifty, but there's too little variation in the characters' deaths and the film definitely also needed a couple of authentically perverted gimmicks. Incestuous sub plots and maniacal old ladies don't upset anyone anymore nowadays, so "Lake Dead" is actually rather soft by today's standards. The film stars an impressive number of sexy chicks (Kelsey Crane, Tara Gerard, Malea Richardson), but I sincerely doubt long and fruitful careers are awaiting any of them. Oh, and now that our list of little complaints is quite long already, I don't think the titular lake actually qualifies as a lake. It's more like an over-sized pond, if you ask me.


Never watched the Horrorfest DVD; saw Lake Dead after Saw wanna-be See No Evil on the Sci-fi Channel. Between the two, I rate "Evil" nine; "Dead" flat-line zero.

Horror movie only in its disrespecting women. How I regret not heeding the warning as I watched the drunk gal in film's first ten minutes. TA, woman held down and taped up, girl apparently in of the mentality can't do better hence putting up with a cheater. Began thinking those responsible concocting the "story" shallow perverts. Second bend over I got nauseated and angry--stop "The Making of Girls Gone Wild, the PG-13 version!" Bless the RV men with an eighth a brain; dumb fiancé and dumber frat philanderer! Not being sexist here both men and women deserved equal allocation to a special prize called commonsense. Funniest instance involving the male morons, the fiancé of one of the sisters complains eyes itching yet he dives into murky water. What too lazy to get water in close-by RV??? IMO, most interesting characters were the killers; I don't like feeling this way watching a horror film. More importantly looks STILL don't carry a plot less film and horrible acting but so far.


In the monster category, go past vampires, werewolves, zombies, giant reptiles and put a check mark next to "incest freaks" 'cause that's what you're dealing with in this lame movie. It's about 2 sisters who inherit a hotel in the backwoods somewhere where, unbeknownst to them, there are 2 murdering incest freaks running around in the same location. The movie never really explained the gratuitous brutality of these two. If you want to see a weak movie with some cruel scenes then this may be for you. The rest of you: "Staaay the hell awaaay!!!" Love, Boloxxxi.

P.S.

Props to the nice ass of the brunette sister(Tara Gerard). She deserved better.


Bugs is looking for a "sanctuary" as hunters are firing all around him. He digs a deep hole and comes out in the yard of "Sing Song" prison, where a guard immediately captures him. That guard - Sam Schultz - is really Yosemite Sam, as we know him, with a prison guard's uniform.

Sam puts the stripes on Bugs and has him pounding rocks. (All the old prison movie clichés are used in this cartoon.)

The rest of the animated short has Bugs trying to escape from the prison, getting caught all the time, and constantly outwitting the dumb "Sam Schultz" with every ploy....at least temporarily. The humor is decent, about average, but very watchable.


Bugs Bunny escapes hunters by leaping into his rabbit hole and tunneling to safety. Unhappily he tunnels into Sing Song prison where a sadistic prison guard named Sam Schultz refuses to accept that he's anything but one of the prisoners. Soon Bugs is in stripes, but it's the guard who will find prison life to be hell when Bugs Bunny is around to trick him into a cell, the hangman's noose, an electric chair and even into the warden's office, where Bugs will put a severe strain on the relationship between boss and underling. Finally, Sam decides that enough is enough.

Some rather shockingly morbid gags highlight this very funny confrontation between Bugs and Yosemite Sam, who has dropped the "Yosemite" from his name in order to vary his roles beyond that of the Western outlaw.

This cartoon is available on the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume One," Disc 1.


...Not that I think it should have ever been banned, it is just that shorts that were less disturbing and more worth watching this were banned and because of this are not very well known nowadays. The two things that could have made this Looney Tunes episode be banned is the showing of Yosemite Sam being hanged (he does not die and the fact that there even was a hanging joke is creepier still) and the fact that prisoners picking at rocks had "banning potential".

Anyhow, in this episode you briefly see Bugs Bunny being hunted (as usual) and escaping in a surprisingly tropical scene. He digs underground and when he comes up into the air he thinks he has landed in a perfectly normal safe place. It is then that he realizes he has landed in a jail - and a policeman thinks he is one of the prisoners. A huge amount of typical farce, slapstick and Friz Freleng type jokes follow...

I thought this episode was particularly average - there are many more worth watching instead. Some people will like it due to the league of slapstick and farce jokes, but they did not really do it for me. I laughed at a few of them, but there was only one joke in the whole episode (that was not farce, slapstick or Friz F) that I thought was particularly funny or clever (I do not want to give away any spoilers). I did not think this short was particularly bad, but it is not one that I will be watching again.

I recommend this to people who like the farce and slapstick in Looney Tunes. Enjoy "Big House Bunny"! :-)

P.S There was also something about Bugs Bunny here that made him lack his usual charm - he was too predictable.

7 and a half out of ten.


Friz Freleng's 'Big House Bunny' benefits greatly from a good script by Tedd Pierce. Despite a couple of nonsensical jokes (hey, how'd he get out of there? And how did that noose get round his neck?), Pierce's writing takes the action in some unpredictable directions and punctuates it with some amusing wisecracks. Running away from some hunters who are distinctly more threatening than Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny takes refuge in Sing Song prison where he is immediately victimised by Sam Schulz (Yosemite Sam). Inevitably, Bugs turns the tables on Sam resulting in prisoner and free man switching places. Particularly memorable in the barrage of gags are the ball and chain in the cannon joke and the highly unusual climactic visual pun. While these old-rivalry-in-a-new-setting cartoons can sometimes prove tedious, Tedd Pierce's inventive writing ensures 'Big House Bunny' rises above the average efforts.


Escaping from various hunters, Bugs burrows underground and winds up popping into Sing Song prison where (Yosemite) Sam Schultz, a prison guard attempts to keep the rabbit in line thinking he's one of his jailbirds. Of course, Bugs turns the tables on him every time, including two attempts that almost kill Sam! Once again, Friz Freling mines great comedy out of the bunny and his gruffly loud antagonist. Also here is the famous exchange of Bugs, with one word change, tricking Sam (or in other cartoons, Daffy) of doing something he wouldn't have done otherwise. So if you've loved these Looney Tune/Merrie Melodie cartoons for years or simply want to find out what all the fuss over them are about, Big House Bunny isn't a bad place to start.


There have been many movies about jails - or escaping therefrom - but none like "Big House Bunny", in which Bugs Bunny tries to flee some hunters but accidentally tunnels into Sing Sing, where guard Yosemite Sam Schultz locks him up. Of course, Bugs proves not so easy to imprison. Specifically, he always knows how to get the warden angry at Sam.

In any Looney Tunes cartoons, it's great to see Bugs turn the power structure on its head; as far as I'm concerned, Sing Sing really represents the power structure, as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed there for a crime that they didn't commit. But anyway, this is a classic cartoon.


I recently saw a work print of this film, and it was simply amazing! The film walks a fine line between comedy and drama, with plenty of great laughs and more than a few unexpected dramatic moments (and one genuine tragedy!). This film is most definitely NOT your typical Bollywood film, and that's part of what makes it so wonderful! Mr. Dutt has made one of the most insightful character-study pieces of the last twenty years! The photography is beautiful, the editing is top-notch, and the performances are wonderful! Overall, this film is one of those rare masterpieces that only a select few will ever know about, much less see, and that's a greater tragedy than anything that happens in this astounding film. If you ever get the chance to see it, don't let it slip away!


its a film that reflects the "bong" spirit. its like on one hand you see loads of beer-bellied people just drinking for the heck of it and then there's this guy who wants to find a meaning to his life. the film made me question my so-called love for my culture.i guess now i really appreciate the culture that has been handed down.and though i may hate the communist-minded people i like the spirit.

i love shayan's character. because it takes a lot of guts to set out on a journey to discover yourself. most of us just remain stuck in the rigmarole of life.

i like the director's conception of the idea.also victor banerjee's character provides an insight into the kind of people "available" in the world.

the best is perhaps the songs.paagla hawa is the best as its been remixed to suit our needs-the needs of the young generation and yet that need to make us realize the richness of our culture remains.i don't know whether its a deliberate attempt or not.but it sure serves the purpose.

the film has its share of laughs and is an interesting watch.


Impressive acting by the entire young bunch! Kudos to each one of them for uplifting the film to a classic height. Looking at their spontaneous acting, its hard to imagine a camera rolling before them. reminds me of those Latin American movies about life. awesome plot and superb direction from one of my favourite directors, Anjan Dutta. the humour is very Bong, very clever and superbly handled. never a moment felt dull or plastic. Reeks of immense homework on the psyche of the NRI Bongs out there.

The film made me homesick for my beloved city. wish to go back. thank you for a great film, Mr Dutta. you made us prouder.


I recently saw the movie at a convention and was surprised by Dutt's effort to make a film about American characters without having any knowledge or ever living here. Its an ignorant outsider's point of view about America and NRIs (non-resident Indians). No taxi driver behaves the way the character was sketched which is unreal and overbearing. None of the characters were established properly. Everyone rushed through their individual scenes. A stereotype and cliché treatment of American characters filled the movie. Technically the movie works and gives a different feel than other Bollywood or Tollywood movies. The Calcutta story was finely depicted, perhaps because of Dutt's knowledge about the culture. However, from an American point of view, I thought the movie was rushed and made by an amateur director who does not do his homework before setting out to do a film. Dutt needs to stick to acting and leave the directing to real filmmakers.


What makes the film watchable is its placid spoof encompassed by wit. The film is essentially a documentation of two youths in their journey of life. Torn between convention and contemporary ideals, the present generation is gradually coming up with a new set of scales, one that is neither completely Indian nor global.

The manner in which Dutt has addressed the feelings of immigrants, who see themselves as "second class Americans", is praiseworthy. In the two alternating stories, Dutt fabricates self-irony along with mild satire, which is voiced through the characters. Ending, though not quite happy, thrives to blend with the script.


One of the better movies I've seen. Just as a film, it is well made. Parallel plots with a lot of convergence. Lot of intelligent (cross) references at different places. The dig at Mira Nair's Namesake was brilliant (I found that movie more than a tad boring). Satayajit Ray's Apu was brought up time and again, and near the end there was a direct reference to it - acknowledging Ray's hero.

As the other comments say, there is much stereotyping. But most of the humor and characterization come from this. Some characters like Andy are too good to be true, but as in all stories, the protagonist is such.

The fact that I could relate to the movie, made it all the more enjoyable. It has nice songs too, which do not spoil the storyline too much, as songs are wont to.

The director, Anjan Dutt usually makes black comedies more close to Bengali intellectuality. He maintains the same genre, but in a more subtle way. The film conveys a stronger message and has a more positive and generic feel to it.

Raima Sen looks great but doesn't flex too much of her facial muscles. Peeya Rai Choudhuri is pretty believable as the American youngster. All in all an enjoyable see.


For one who has stayed abroad for a considerable amount of time and been in touch with the ex-pats community, this movie comes as a reflection to ones own self.

All the characters are defined to perfection and everyone of them did play his or her job neatly. The characters are real, the situations apt and the portrayal of bengalis be it from kolkata or from houston are made with perfect light and I can proudly say that in recent times, I have not come across another PERFECT movie as this. A few veteran actors were though wasted and could have been done away with.

The character of Hasan is as true as my taxi driver in Abu Dhabi and the typical bengali chit chat gossip in a idle get together on weekends are lifted from my times in London and made me nostalgic.

Thank you Mr. Dutt for giving us a brilliant movie with all perfect cast and technicians. The use of music was good too but the durations could have been cut short by a few minutes each time.

Its a TENner from me.


Anjan Dutta delivers a dud. (Bow Barracks Forever was better any day.)Totally clichéd and lacking subtlety, Bong Connection left me cold. Does Mr Dutt actually know what the usual Bong does when he/she goes to "phoren" lands these days? Parambrata, who fails miserably as an actor here, seems to get into all sorts of trouble the moment he lands there. The situations are unreal and ridiculous, and the De Niro-ish (hope the great actor doesn't ever get to watch this) over-the-top performance by the Bangladeshi taxi driver is laughable.

Halfway through, I felt Shayan Munshi would salvage the film. I could see he was trying his best, and I give the two stars to the film for his role (and also for the gorgeous Raima Sen, who sadly doesn't have much to do), and a song that he sings in a club.

You don't need much imagination to do a remix of Tagore's "paagla hawa" (and it is the "in" thing these days); yet, the director fails even in this. The song doesn't touch you, the visuals don't move you. It seemed forced, as if they were conscious they were doing something new, something great. Ha! In the end, I wished Mir had more footage: he could have tried to at least make me laugh; but laugh I did, at the immaturity of the production and the lack of intelligence of everyone involved in the making of Bong Connection.


I just couldn't relate to this film-everything is over-the-top & cliché-ridden. Particularly the American part is filled with the stereotypical distorted view of America many Indians have-street crime committed by minorities, homosexuals, constant drinking & throwing up, gun-toting cops shooting a fleeing suspect & the racist, homophobic Bengali-turned ugly American. And of course the Bengali girl who becomes a slutty American teenager. I doubt any American successful businessman, no matter what his real feelings are, would openly spout such racist & homophobic nonsense in this day and age. The Kolkata part wasn't that much better either, it sure gives the feeling all older generation Bengalis are losers & younger generation are all aping the West, again stereotypical characterizations. Andy-the paragon of idealism-comes off as a mixture of an idiot and a snob. One other thing. I doubt Rahul's girlfriend Sheela-with her obvious Westernized ways, would be so averse to going to America. The less said about Hasan the better. The one character I liked was Rakesh...the mixture of neither feeling he belongs in America fully, but at the same time knowing he cant go back, and dealing with both realizations is indeed something many expats go through (altho' I haven't heard the term second class citizen too many times these days). While one may forgive Andy's naiveté at thinking Kolkata is still the Baul music city of his dreams, his lecturing to people right & left about how to live comes off as annoyingly snobbish rather than an artist reaching out.


I heard about this title from a friend of mine who was really into international (especially Indian) film. I never bothered to look at previews for it, because a) she's really hot and b) I figured the title was self-explanatory.

I showed up to the movie theater with my bong as an homage to the combination of good looking girls and my own deep connection to my bong. Unfortunately, there wasn't a bong in the film. Not even a bong with a "For tobacco use only" sign. I was crushed. Had it not been for the gorgeous Peeya Rai Chowdhary shapely suppleness, I would have walked out on my friend and the movie.

Another thing that bothered me was that this story told lies about Apu. I saw the episode where they explain his family history and how he earned a PhD. He doesn't even enter the Kwik-E-Mart or say his signature "Thank you, come again" line

Obviously, I hated this movie. I wish I could sue the film-makers for false advertising and racism because they really make Indians look bad in this film. Still, I'll give it a 2 because it was catatonic enough to get my hot friend there to make-out with me.

Indian movies should be reviewed by IMDb and receive a 7.5 rating with at least 2000 votes before being released stateside. In fact, all movies should go through process. Especially if they are lacking in bongs. Thank you.


Who wrote the character of Hasan into the plot? Thats the hammiest performance ever from anyone - the actor looks like he is out of a school play - no, I take it back - I have seen child actors perform with more intensity in school plays.

And who cast Peeya Rai Chowdhuri? She definitely needed Rita Koiral to dub for her shrill voice which made it hard to understand (and along with that forced accent) three quarters of what she was trying to say.

What was the director thinking when he put these two amateurs in the team that had Soumitra Chatterjee, Victor Banerjee and Mamata Shankar in its revered cast ?

And then the beer. You think there will be a sober moment, but no! everyone was drinking and driving and was making merry throughout the time that would not pass as fast as I would want it to, but my friends kept assuring me this will get better.

The only scene that was an original was Apu washing his hair instead of his mouth after throwing up in front of the girl he was trying to charm and that too, right before they started having that mouth-to- mouth kiss. Interesting ... but it would really have helped to spread the word on hygiene had Apu washed his mouth before kissing this chic.

And then the title soundtrack - could it not have been lifted from George Michael's 'Faith' to that extent? Did it not suffice that Mr. Tagore's songs were completely twisted into the new generation theme tune?

Bong Connection failed to connect with me but maybe in some weird ways, there are taxi drivers who happen to have two girlfriends and a relaxed life while driving cabs to make money and maybe there are white American wives whose only job is to deliver drinks to her husband and their guests from morning.

Oh and why was everyone so bitter everywhere? Guess the alcoholism was not helping cool any of them. Perhaps next time Mr. Dutt should use some marijuana instead of beer and chill the characters.


This is was my first feature film where I portrayed Alex as Salma's husband.

It was the greatest experience I ever had working on the set of "Bong Connection".

It helped me a lot to understand the procedure of film-making and to gain more experience from other actors involved.

I would like to thank Peeya and Samrat for giving me the chance to spend some time with them during their time in Houston.

My special thanks to Anjan Dutt, the director and Joy, the producer for giving me the opportunity to be in their film. Thanks for casting me.


I can't explain why I like this game so much, having owned it for over 7 years I've played through it at least that many times. No other video game before it (or after it) has compelled me to play so much. It appealed to me mostly because of it's dramatic story (which playing now, I realize has suffered from a poor translation,)and its imaginative environments. The music in the game is also top notch, some of the scores are very haunting well others...aren't. Essentialy the plot follow that of a young boy who pulls a sword from a stone and is then thrust into an adventure to save the world from ultimate destruction, their are of course plot twist (for instance the identity of his mother is quite shocking.) I don't want to say much more on the game, if you see it in a store you probably should buy it... it's really that simple!


This game really is worth the ridiculous prices out there.

The graphics really are great for the SNES, though the magic spells don't look particularly great. However, the map looks spectacular. 7/10

The combat system it fairly good, but it does get a bit repetitive after a while. This does take a while though, with many weapons and spells at hand. 9/10

This game is dangerously addictive, once completing the game you'll find yourself wanting to play it again. The adventure lasts for a very long time, taking approximately forty to sixty hours to complete the first time. Completing the game fully (full stats) takes even longer. 10/10

Single Player-The game is pretty fun alone, but the bad AI path-finding might get fairly annoying after a while. Luckily this doesn't happen too much and isn't much of a problem. Multiplayer-Sadly this game is only possible with two players and not three. However, it's great with two, as it makes the game easier and a lot more enjoyable. This is definitely a game I'd recommend. It really shows off the SNES's power and Square Soft/Enix's skill.


A full coffin shown on an airport x-ray machine. The historic beauty of Prague. A lawyer who offers his services at no cost, no strings. The handbag of a wealthy woman and its contents thrown to a crowd in a market square.

When we take elements out of context, we could make an infinite number of stories out them. Tragedy, comedy, romance. When we look at a relationship, we maybe select the details that fit a particular keyhole view. Movies generally simplify even further. To Ole Christian Madsen's credit, he at least tries to remind us that reality is rarely as simple.

Christoffer (Mads Mikkelsen - the bad guy in Casino Royale) is taking his wife Maja to Prague. Perhaps he hopes that a weekend in this romantic city will be good for them, but the underlying purpose is that his father has died there and he needs to sign some papers before the body can be brought back to Denmark. Dry humour is mixed with sadness due to language difficulties. Maja asks the hotel for an adaptor plug and they send an iron (with polite reassurances).

Miscommunication is also reflected in their relationship. They seem to get on well, but then Christoffer confronts his wife with evidence of her unfaithfulness, at the same time saying he forgives he and wants to make their fourteen-year marriage work. She doesn't think she is the one that needs to be forgiven. Christoffer's father has left him an audiocassette. They don't have a tape player and have to go to a jazz bar to hear it. Nothing is what it seems, and the situation unravels before us in a constantly unpredictable way.

Prag dissects the pain of separation, not with the shouting and screaming of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but with the equally cutting knife of toleration and flawed understanding. As Christoffer comes to terms with possibility of life without Maja, he explores the question of identity and also the sense of 'knowing' another person. How do you define someone? Their job? Their likes? Their relationship(s)? Are we the result of the things that have happened to us or the sum of the kindness we show to others. With the analytic attitude typical of his profession as a lawyer, Christoffer tries to delineate who he is to Maja but she won't play the same game - at least verbally. Fourteen years of feelings are not thrown away so easily when there is goodwill present, even in the face of what might be irrevocable breakdown. When Christoffer meets his father's ex-housekeeper, Alena, he sees some warmth and human goodness uncomplicated by the vagaries of language. At one point, we see the two of them in silhouette, feelings beautifully portrayed and uncoloured by words.

With the various languages in subtitles, we are privy to more information than any of the characters. "We're always ashamed and never good enough for the world," says Alena (in Czech). A lesson that Danish Christoffer cannot fathom.

With the Czech lawyer (tidying up Dad's affairs for nothing), there is some stumbling conversation - they have enough words between them for halting conversation. "Life is hard," he tells Christoffer. "You bend it or you break."

Prag has a more 'European' feel than much of Danish cinema. It lingers on detail, encourages the viewer to consider subtleties. Intellectually, it touches on areas of breakdowns in communication as did the more ambitious Babel, but it does so with a gentle warmth and hope in the face of adversity. For all its sadness of theme, Prag is a strangely beautiful and moving film.