brien_k Reviews

Darkness (2002)

Vapid

[19 September 2005]

A 'horror' movie that takes 40 minutes before it gives you any kind of 'scary moment' is begging for a critical thrashing. Add to that a story that is way too much like "The Shining" and you have a piece of flotsam....just watch something else and avoid this clunker....it's horrible.

We watched with high hopes for a campy, yell-at-the-screen type classic but, really, there's very little dialogue that's either over the top crazy or scary - we were bored and hoping for a lot, lot more thrills. Add to this the serious, no-laughs-at-all script and you have the recipe for disaster for horror flicks.

Oh yea, the mother is infuriatingly unaffected by her husbands lunatic ravings. We all agreed she had to be the first one to die...wow, did she ever deserve it!

Phantom India (1969– )

great adventure and wild scenes

[10/10 · 10 April 2005]

I saw this in a theater on first release. Thirty years later I still remember how overwhelming this film can be for those of us not lucky enough to have been to India.

It would be great to see again, though, it's not readily available as a rental. A good investment nonetheless and I look forward to seeing this again...all 7 hours or so.

Students of yoga and, specifically B.K.S. Iyengar, can see Mr. Iyengar in the film. I wasn't studying yoga when I first saw this so I can't actually recall anything about him. I've seen some comments through the years about how patrician Mr. Iyengar comes off in the film and, I would welcome the chance to see this again.

The complexity of religion, huge population and great physical expanse of India will take you away, often, in 'Phantom'.

And, yes, some people do live in trees.

Wild stuff.