«

Today, DVD Verdict posted reviews of BARBAROSA, FRIGHT PACK 2: CAMPY
CLASSICS, JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA, KENNY AND CO., LIVING DOLL, MANDABI,
THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), NAT KING COLE: STARDUST MEMORIES, PAPILLON:
2005 RE-RELEASE, SACRED PLANET, and UNCLE DAVE'S FUNTIME:


BARBAROSA (reviewed by Bryan Byun, overall score 90/100):
"The tight close-ups communicate subtle layers of character rather than
expressionistic tension; this is a film populated by human beings, not
larger-than-life superheroes, and Barbarosa himself is revealed early on
as more of a cranky old man than a legendary gunslinger."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/barbarosa.php

FRIGHT PACK 2: CAMPY CLASSICS (reviewed by Mac McEntire, overall
score 72/100):
"I have survived. I am now able to step outside into the fresh air and
the sunlight. I have endured the trials of the '80s low budget horror
comedy genre. I've seen a dead guy covered with bees. I've seen Geena
Davis as a half-naked vampire with a bowtie. I've seen the world's
shortest chase scene. I've seen not one, but two people, in two separate
movies, stabbed with high heeled shoes. I've seen a Brady sibling eat a
hot dog while covered with blood. I've seen all this and more, and yet I
live to tell the tale."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/frightpack2.php

JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA (reviewed by Joel Pearce, overall score
92/100):
"What makes JSA unique is the unique political situation in Korea, and
the heartfelt way the film approaches characters from both sides."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/jointsecurityarea.php

KENNY AND CO. (reviewed by Dennis Prince, overall score 94/100):
"Even though it bears many of the markings of its 1970s provenance, the
picture largely steers clear of too many blatantly commercial signposts
of the era and therefore retains a sort of 'any time' appeal that will
genuinely entertain latter-year baby boomers as well as the current
generation of young moviegoers (I screened this disc with an 8- and 14-year-
old in tow, and both were captivated by the loose and lighthearted
exploits on the screen)."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/kennyandco.php

LIVING DOLL (reviewed by Brett Cullum, overall score 72/100):
"I could be mean-spirited, and tell you this is a crappy horror movie
you should skip altogether. In some ways it is, and yet it does have a
certain curiosity factor you might want to satisfy sometime. I will give
Living Doll credit for taking its premise with deadly seriousness."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/livingdoll.php

MANDABI (reviewed by Joe Armenio, overall score 85/100):
"I've read some reviews which describe these early Sembene films as
cinematically 'crude,' mostly because they were shot on 16mm and feature
less than virtuosic acting. These criticisms ignore Sembene's narrative
and ideological sophistication. He lets his scenes play out patiently,
gradually producing a portrait of a city defined by cash and its
absence; everyone is in debt to someone else, robbing Peter to pay Paul,
picking pockets, pulling some scam on one's fellow citizens in a
desperate attempt to remain solvent."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/mandabi.php

THE NARROW MARGIN (1952) (reviewed by Maurice Cobbs, overall
score 87/100):
"It's a lean, tight film with all the essential trademarks of
classic noir stuffed into narrow corridors and cramped train
compartments, rocketing along faster than a speeding locomotive to
its blazing finale. "

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/narrowmargin1952.php

NAT KING COLE: STARDUST MEMORIES (reviewed by Lacey Worrell, overall
score 90/100):
"In today's world, when vocal ability is not necessarily a prerequisite
for a recording career, there is something to be said for listening to
this supremely talented man, dressed in a simple jacket and tie, and
without flashy backup dancers or loud accompaniment. It's not necessary
when one can, well, sing."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/na...stmemories.php

PAPILLON: 2005 RE-RELEASE (reviewed by Dennis Prince, overall
score 87/100):
"As we sit through extended scenes of the rain-drenched work camp, the
arid atmosphere of the butterfly hunt, and the grimy claustrophobia of
the confinement cell, Schaffner sentences us to wallow in the convicts'
misery to the point that we become restless, consciously or
subconsciously unsettled by the stark conditions presented on screen."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/papillonrerelease.php

SACRED PLANET (reviewed by Mike Pinsky, overall score 85/100):
"But IMAX films also work, often too hard, to throw the audience into
such scenes of nerve-fraying visual splendor that only a few minutes is
enough to make most people stumble toward the exit feeling like a
year's worth of National Geographic had just been flash-downloaded to
their brains."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/sacredplanet.php

UNCLE DAVE'S FUNTIME (reviewed by David Johnson, overall score 85/100):
"Some stories really show their age, but all in all, Scholastic has
presented another harmless, often charming, set of stories for the
rugrats in your life."

FULL REVIEW: http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/uncledavesfuntime.php

Mike Jackson
Editor & Webmaster, DVD Verdict
www.dvdverdict.com