karen shaub (karenshaub)

MAHABALI HANUMAN is a very enjoyable film even if you aren't versed in the many gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion. I viewed it with no more than a thimble's full of knowledge and got by well enough by regarding it as a fantasy film pure and simple. Later I did a bit of research to satisfy my own curiosity about the identity of a few of the major players and their positions in the religious heirarchy, which is VERY complicated since there are literally thousands of gods, many of them known by more than one name. But as I said earlier, the film is entertaining enough on its own to keep you interested as long as you have a taste for the fantastic and the exotic. Enjoying foreign folk music would help a lot too since the musical numbers here do not have the pop flavor of the current Bollywood films, but a traditional sound more appropriate to the subject matter. The color of the film has held up well since its initial 1981 release, and the subtitles are fairly easy to read although I did have to hit pause a few times to make certain I was catching everything. If you've an interest in India, or just a bent for the unusual, this might be the film for you.

Frankly anyhow who doesn't enjoy SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT is either a cinematic snob or has no funnybone whatsoever. I've been waiting for this flick to be released ever since I bought my first DVD player! The plot (as you undoubtedly now by now) centers around a machine that manufactures the synthetic blood that feeds the vampiric citizenry of Purgatory, a town founded by Count Mardulak (David Carradine) to serve as a retreat for all those bloodsuckers who wish to mend their ways. Unfortunately there are those within the town who aren't quite so eager to abandon the old ways, and a civil war slowly breaks out. A young family is caught in the middle of this as is a descendent of Professor Van Helsing, played by our man Bruce Campbell. This is a nearly bloodless vampire flick with lots of gentle, quirky humor that's suitable for the whole family. I can recommend this one whole heartedly!