Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Underrated. 4.5 stars.
Review: Despite being a big fan or Romero's zombie films and of Argento's more famous mid 70's to late 80's work it took me a while to get up too much enthusiasm for getting this movie, largely because of the primarily negative response to this film. And, though I generally like what Poe I've read, adapting him for film doesn't seem like such a hot idea, and not particularly wise use of these director's varied talents. (though I understand that these adaptations are, shall we say, very liberal with the source material) A couple days ago, however, frustrated with the late or non-arrival of some things I'd ordered I decided I needed to buy something, and this came to mind. Needless to say, it surpassed my expectations and was definitely worth the cash.
Romero's segment, 'The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar', is much maligned, virtually always sighted as being the weaker of the 2, and generally being accused of being 'boring'. While it is the weaker of the 2, I still find it highly entertaining and genuinely creepy. It involves a trophy wife and her ex-lovers scheme to steal money from her terminally ill, elderly husband's estate by forcing him to change his will through hypnosis. Unfortunately for them, he dies before the change can go through, and they have to stuff him in the freezer in order to buy time, at which point the story takes a supernatural turn. It is frequently described as being like an extra-long episode of 'Tales from the Crypt', with the conniving, utterly selfish characters and the poetic and/or ironic fate of the villains. This is a pretty apt description, though it is certainly far better than what you'll see on that show, and more straight-forward and serious as well. And as for the accusations that it is boring, well, I think it's atmospheric. Sure, not much happens, but it's got a real air of menace in my mind, although it is extremely low-key. Rather than creating atmosphere from an excess of style, Romero creates it with a lack of it, making the camera movements slow and deliberate, the sets relatively low-key, and keeping it largely free of any out and out shock attempts until we're already most of the way through the segment. I can see why people would find this boring, but I just don't. Many people have complained about the acting in this segment, particularly by Barbeau and Zada, but I think they're fine. They aren't fantastic either, but they don't really ham it up the way so many have claimed.
As you'd imagine, Argento's segment, 'The Black Cat', is quite a bit more lively from a stylistic standpoint, though it is still fairly slow moving. Harvey Keitel is Usher, a crime-scene photographer who is clearly at least a bit deranged, who has run-in's with his girlfriends hated black cat, leading to his murdering it. Naturally, the cat mysteriously returns repeatedly, and he is driven mad and to murder and so on. As you'd presume, style is the real point of this segment, and it is impressive, as always. Stylistically, it's reminiscents of Argento's previous film, 'Opera' in that it has a particular wealth of unconventional camerwork, and uses upper-class, modern day architecture rather than obviously artificial architecture of no particular era. There are some particularly flashy camera movements, as they display every nook and cranny of Usher's cavernous, ominous house, and there are some expertly executed, if rather senseless cat pov shots. There is also a very odd and hallucinatory dream sequence, apparently in the middle ages, and an even more trippy and unusual encounter between Usher and a barkeep who has a black cat similar to his girlfriend's. The film is even more self conciously stylish and flashy than his previous six films, almost as if he felt the need to get everything he'd have in a feature length film into the 60 minute time frame. This is perhaps slightly distracting at a few points, but not too often, and it's always cool. The segment also has a surprising amount of grue from Tom Savini and his crew. We've got a corpse bisected by a pendulum, a corpse with it's teeth ripped out, a really brutal murder with clever, a very odd and disturbing impalation, a partially eaten corpse and more. The execution is generally excellent. Not as good as what you'll probably see today, but still quite nice, and definitely impressive for 1989. They also have some fairly convincing and nicely done animatronic cats. And what's this, we have a great actor in an Argento film? Keitel is generally very good, as you'd expect, although he over does it slightly in a few of his 'angry' scenes. The supporting cast is generally strong as well, better than in the first segment.(It's largely a one man show, however)
Yeah, these movies are good. Come in with an open mind, discard the negative predisposition you might have and and be patient. I'll bet you'll like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Gory fun
Review: George Romero and Dario Argento. Two names instantly recognizable to the horror fan. Romero, of course, is the guiding light behind the "Living Dead" Trilogy. His 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" set a new standard in the flesh-eating zombie genre, and Romero followed up this groundbreaking film with two amazing sequels, "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead," both of which mix jaw dropping gore with black comedy and wicked satire. One of my favorite low budget apocalyptic films, "The Crazies," is an early Romero effort. It's great news to hear about him working on a new zombie film, "Land of the Dead," which will hopefully open sometime next year. Just as important of a contributor to the horror genre is the Italian director Dario Argento. He's best known for his gialli films--based on cheap Italian paperback murder mysteries employing multiple suspects, bloody murders, and numerous plot twists and turns--that rank as some of the best of that exalted genre. Fortunately for us, someone decided to bring these two powerhouses together so they could direct two shorts based on Edgar Allen Poe stories. The result is "Two Evil Eyes," a highly underrated DVD that horror fans should watch immediately.
Romero's effort, "The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar," sees Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau) in quite a fix. She's a relatively young woman who married the elderly Ernest Valdemar (Bingo O'Malley) for his money. Jessica suffered under the onerous behavior of her husband for years, putting up with a lot because she knew she'd strike it rich when he passed away. That day is quickly arriving, but it doesn't seem to come fast enough for Jessica and her husband's physician, Dr. Robert Hoffman (Ramy Zada). They want to put this guy in the ground as quickly as possible, inherit Valdemar's wealth, and head for greener pastures. Jessica even goes into town in an attempt to convince her husband's lawyer to cough up some funds, an action that arouses more suspicions than dollars. When the attorney insists on talking to Ernest himself, Hoffman hypnotizes the ailing man and tells him what to say over the telephone. Still, it will take some time to acquire the funds, so Jessica and Hoffman ponder whether or not they should help the poor guy along. In the meantime, Ernest Valdemar dies while under hypnosis and begins talking from beyond the grave. And wouldn't you just know it? It appears that there are quite a few souls on the other side interested in using Valdemar as a sort of psychic telephone. The results are predictably horrifying.
Argento's film incorporates several Poe elements in his overall take on "The Black Cat." Set in New York City, the film follows the activities of crime scene photographer Roderick Usher (Harvey Keitel) and his musician lover Annabel (Madeleine Potter). We see, for instance, Usher capturing the aftermath of a gory pendulum murder on film while yucking it up with the investigating cops. We also see the sensitive Annabel teaching a few youngsters how to play instruments. Both are artists in their own way, and both are a bit high strung since they possess the temperament of creative types. Roderick is the worst of the two. First, he's a suspicious sort of chap that doesn't seem to like anything his girlfriend does. Second, and more importantly in terms of the plot, he absolutely loathes Annabel's cat. And the cat loathes Roderick. Who can blame the little critter? You certainly won't when you see Roderick brutalizing the animal every chance he gets. The cat retaliates when it can, leading to an unfortunate incident that throws Annabel into a rage. One thing leads to another, resulting in a brutal murder and an attempt to cover up the crime--an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to cover up the crime, I should add, as we all know that murder will out every time.
Despite a few minor caveats, I quite enjoyed both films on the disc. Romero's entry is probably the lesser of the two for the simple reasons that the acting isn't that good and it takes awhile for the story to ramp up to eerie levels, but the end result is definitely one that will send chills up your spine. To hear Ernest Valdemar's asthmatic observations about what he sees on the "other side" should frighten most viewers. I also got a kick out of the grand finale when we finally see (sort of) in gory detail exactly what Valdemar witnessed in his excursions in the realm of the dead. Argento's contribution is better because of his classic cinematographic style. For example, he swings a camera across a room to simulate that pendulum swooping down on the hapless victim, a nice touch that will have Argento enthusiasts cracking smiles. There's also a massively cheesy dream sequence involving Roderick that ends on a particularly gruesome note. Finally, Argento injects a bit of black humor into the proceedings. So many people start nosing around Usher's apartment trying to find out where Annabel went that he resorts to some outrageous tricks to try and prove she's still alive.
Check out those extras! Lots of stuff here for the horror nuts. While I don't think either of the films on this disc rank anywhere near the best we've seen from these two directors, fans of both men will find plenty to appreciate with this DVD. Rumor has it that Wes Craven and John Carpenter were supposed to contribute a couple of shorts to the film but dropped out at the last minute. Too bad. Still, what we do get makes this one worth watching. You're probably better off just checking out the feature length films of Argento and Romero if you're new to their work, but completists will want to add this one to their collections.
Rating: 
Summary: for completists only
Review: I bought this movie only because I am an Argento nut and wanted to have everything he has done. His segment is the only reason I gave this three stars; Romero's segment is a real let-down. I can't even believe it was made by the same guy who made Dawn of the Dead and Martin!
Rating:
Summary: Another Argento masterpiece
Review: I have never understood why most Argento fans look down on his half of the film. Romero's segment was indeed pitiful but Argento's was filled with incredible camera work, gruesome unexpected gore, and a feverish performance by Keitel. It's the new thing to disrespect Argento's recent work and Two Evil Eyes is a prime example. Of course you are the same people that made Scream a franchise.
Rating:
Summary: The Evil Eyes are crossed---but it's still good stuff.
Review: I have to confess: I was thrilled beyond words when I heard Blue Underground was releasing this 1991 collaboration between two of my favorite horror masters, George Romero and Dario Argento. I bought the DVD sight-unseen, having only seen a few snippets of sequences from the second story in this two-movie collection, Argento's adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat". I had seen those snippets as part of a larger Argento documentary called "Dario Argento: an Eye for Horror"---and they were ghoulish indeed! Harvey Keitel impaled on a stake? Mewling, hairless baby cats walled up with a gore-caked corpse, 'Cask of Amontillado' style? The gruesome final finishing touch---death by merciless, razor-sharp pendulum---that even Poe himself had shied away from? I had to have it, just for the Argento work alone! As for the Romero adaptation of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", well how could you lose, with the evil mastermind behind "Night of the Living Dead" helming up a short movie about a miser left in hypnosis after death? Blue Underground has done an excellent job with their Limited Edition DVD: the DVDs themselves are nicely decorated with two of the more chilling sequences from the film, and the material on the bonus DVD (including---hey!---a tour of make-up guru Tom Savini's home!)is worth the price of admission alone. It's a handsome DVD, and a nice addition to any horror movie aficionado's collection. As for the movies---well, they're not what I had expected, highly uneven, and not the best examples of either Argento or Romero's work. But they're enjoyable, gory, ghoulish fare, with Romero's piece more subtle and stylish and Argento's entry an over-the-top assault on the senses that pays tribute to some of the nastiest of Poe's nuggets, including "The Black Cat", "Lenore" (ah yes, her lovely 32 teeth! nice touch, Dario!), "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Tell-Tale Heart", and even a glib nod to "The House of Usher". Taken together, the two pieces that comprise "Two Evil Eyes" give the film a "Creepshow"-like feel, not surprising given that Romero helmed that movie. Romero's piece here has been unfairly savaged, and while it seems sedate in comparison to Argento's gory Italian Grand Opera, it's a stately, stylish little chiller. Adrienne Barbeau plays the crafty youngish wife of financier Valdemar (played to the hilt by Bingo O'Malley, who gave me the creeps!---he also shows up as Stevie King's dad in the Meteor episode of Creepshow), who plots with her hypnotist lover to get rid of the sick old man and abscond with a fortune.
Not surprisingly, things don't go as planned; look for an opening shot right out of "Night of the Living Dead" and a scene-chewing contest by movie veteran E.G. Marshall and Barbeau (who holds her own). But it's really Argeno's sanguine little number you should check in for. Ostensibly an adaptation of "The Black Cat", it features Harvey Keitel as a demented crime photographer whose lifestyle and pre-occupations would make his "Bad Lieutenant" character cry for his mommy. It's not Dario at the height of his game, but it's wicked, depraved, gory stuff. All told, these two shorts make a jolly, gory little evening of Poe-vian goodness. Break out a nice cask of Amontillado from your cellar (don't mind the knocking from the other side of the wall), open up a tin of caviar for your trusting black cat, put a blanket over your pet raven's cage, and enjoy two horror masters having some fun with their medium.
Rating: 
Summary: A disgrace.
Review: I'm beginning to wonder if Argento or Romero will ever make another good horror film again. I think it's time to retire, guys.
Rating:
Summary: Scary and entertaining.
Review: I've always felt that this was an unfairly maligned film. Horror critics generally passed, and mainstream critics trashed it. The criticisms leveled at the two segments (on the part of horror critics) generally derive from the fact that neither of them are as substantial as Romero's and Argento's feature films. This criticism makes little sense to me. Let me quote a critic from the 1992 Motion Picture Guide Annual: "With neither director under pressure to sustain a feature-length film, both seemed to loosen up and have some fun with their familiar themes." My feelings precisely. Mr. Valdemar is the lesser of the two segments, and I must admit I was disappointed with it when I first saw it in the theater. Give it a chance, though. The story revolves around Adrienne Barbeau's character who wants to rid herself of her terminally ill husband to inherit his fortune. Her lover helps her by way of mesmerism, and this is where Poe's original tale comes into the picture. The segment is taut, and the writing contains Romero's characteristic satire centering, this time, on human greed. Plus, the sudden shock ending is very effective. Chris Gallant dismissed this segment as essentially worthless TV-movie fare. I admit I have loosened my standards somewhat, probably because Argento's follow-up is so good; still, slim though it is in comparison to Romero's longer works, it is better than its dismissal would suggest. Argento's "The Black Cat" is nearly perfect for what it is: a terrifying, antic, and disturbing short film. Gallant, who sees some of its value, notes that the themes are undeveloped (which I basically agree with), and Walter L. Gay has complained in a much harsher critique that the segment is "padded out" and rambling (which I don't agree with, although I know what he is referring to); but these complaints, particularly the first, go back to what I said earlier: it is not a feature film. Argento's theme of the artist as killer is effectively constructed and sustained for a 60-minute segment, providing a basis for what is basically a bravura mood-piece. And Keitel plays a madman to agitating perfection. Between the two segments, this definitely has been better received critically, as Douglas Winter, Weldon (who might have overstated the case when he called it one of the best things Argento has done), and the Overlook Encyclopedia have all given it its due. If you're looking for material on the level of the Living Dead films or Suspiria, you will be sadly disappointed, especially with Mr. Valdemar. I say break out the popcorn, put your feet up, and view Two Evil Eyes as a sleek and scary piece of horror entertainment. Even Romero and Argento's radically different styles add to the fun, rather than cripple it as the film's detractors claim: they offer an effectively contrasting variety of tones that succeed in keeping you off balance.
Rating:
Summary: Great suspense from 2 stories
Review: OK before anything, unfortunatly Romero's "Wake Me" is a waste of time and has a dissapointing end. When the 2nd storie "The Black Cat" is way better and really creepy, it starts slow and then builds up tension with twists and turns through out. If this film only contained "The Black Cat" I would give it 5 stars. I rented this film out (I live in UK) from my local store and I was pleased. This is worth buying, but rent it first.
Rating:
Summary: A horrific pair of tales
Review: Okay, let's get something straight...George Romero's episode wasn't THAT bad. It just pales incomparison with Argento's episode (AKA: the second story). Romero's simplistic episode is genuinely creepy ("Wake me!"). Adrienne Barbeau's energetic performance, as the adultress gold diging wife, and a cool set design make for a very entertainingly spooky horror episode. What hurts this episode is perhaps the fact is that the story is a very tired one. A revenge of a dead husband plot is one story that's been overused to death(no pun intended). The second story, however, takes a Poe story that is known to be overused and takes it to another level. With the help from a script by Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini, brilliant direction from Argento, an exellent performance from Harvey Keitel, and an above average supporting cast you've got one hell of a story of a man obsessed with crime, murder, and a black cat with a white mark on it's neck. Incidentally, this movie got me interested in the works of Dario Argento. Interesting movie. Great directors.
Rating:
Summary: They're Watching You
Review: This film is not as bad as everyone says so. In fact, I am a very picky Argentophile, and I like this film. Since the plot has already been described above, I'm not going to bore you with a rehash. You will enjoy this film. Watch it.
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