Topic: KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Nine Lives
Year: 2001
Director: Andrew Green
Rating: R
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Rosie Fellner
Vivienne Harvey
Paris Hilton
Patrick Kennedy
David Leitch

Plot:
Nine friends seclude themselves in an old, isolated Scottish mansion for a birthday party weekend bash. Cut off from the outside world by a snowstorm, they explore the old mansion and stumble across a book containing a history of the old estate. Formerly belonging to an old Scott patriot, the house was taken away and his eyes were gouged out. Though they pay no attention to the gruesome chronicle, strange behavior soon invades the group and one by one they disappear.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

A terrible script, for a terrible movie with a terrible cast headlined by a terrible person, Paris Hilton.

Have I mentioned before how much I despise Paris Hilton? The highlight of this movie was that she was the first one killed off which raised a raucous cheer out of me!    The rest of the movie was a shambles of bad acting and ridiculous dialogue which seemed more like improvisation and ad lib.

The title might have said Nine Lives but this movie will never get more than this one viewing out of me. 

KC


Rating:

[Jimmy]

So I can guess that you won't try to become her best friend forever and always in her reality show

Paris Hilton's My New BFF

God that show is stupid... even more than Jersey Shore and the one where Brett Michaels search a girlfriend

[KinkyCyborg]

Be her BFF?!?  That just makes me want to BarFF 

I find Bret Michaels kind of amusing after seeing him on The Celebrity Apprentice but I don't know if I'd like his Rock Of Live. 

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Labyrinth
Year: 1986
Director: Jim Henson
Rating: PG
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
David Bowie
Jennifer Connelly
Toby Froud
Shelley Thompson
Christopher Malcolm

Plot:
Journey into the fantastical world of LABYRINTH, starring David Bowie and a cast of incredible creatures created by Jim Henson and produced by the Master of Myth George Lucas!

Frustrated with baby-sitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah – a teenager with an active imagination – summons the Goblins from her favorite book, "Labyrinth," to take her baby step-brother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into the world of the fairy tale to rescue him from the wicked Goblin King (Bowie)!

Guarding his castle is The Labyrinth itself – a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah will have to outwit the King by befriending the very Goblins who protect him, in hopes that their loyalty isn't just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned
6-Page Booklet

My Thoughts:

A classic! Jim Henson magic at it's finest. This has always been my favorite David Bowie performance. He blends his music into his role perfectly and is deliciously evil. A cute Jennifer Connelly, on the brink of being breathtakingly gorgeous, takes us on a magical quest born of her imagination. Only Jim Henson could make his muppets looks so ugly and yet be so endearing, often delivering performances that make them more believable than those of their human acting counterparts.

My daughter made it through about half of this movie before she fell asleep, asking me every 5 minutes if they were going to save the baby boy. I'll have to put the rest of it back on for her tomorrow.

KC


Rating:

[Dragonfire]

I have seen some of Rock of Love...that is huge mess of a show.  

[Jimmy]

No offense but I must say it : Those girls are freaking ugly... Did they do the casting at a real cheap stripping club? He is very far from the days when he dated Janine Lindemulder and Shannon Wilsey (plastic also, but at least they were good looking)

   

[Dragonfire]

The women that were on that show were huge messes in all sorts of ways.

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Vanishing Point
Year: 1996
Director: Charles Robert Carner
Rating: NR
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Viggo Mortensen
Christine Elise
Steve Railsback
Rodney A. Grant
Peter Murnik

Plot:
Viggo Mortensen stars as Jimmy Kowalski, s Dersert Storm veteran with racing in his blood, dark secrets in his past, a pregnant wife at home, and a vintage 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger to deliver. But when his wife is suddenly hospitalized, a desperate Kowalski speeds cross-country with police from four states, a vengeful trooper [Steve Railsback of HELTER SKELTER and ED GEIN], and the FBI in hot pursuit. Now with the help of an outspoken radio DJ [Jason Priestley], the man a nation hails "as the last American hero" and the Feds label a "possible terrorist" rockets toward a final roadblock where the speed limit is the floorband, and life, death and freedom all come together at the VANISHING POINT.

Christine Elise [ER], Keith David [ARMAGEDDON] and Peta Wilson [LA FEMME NIKITA] co-star in this explosive Fox-TV remake of the legendary cult classic that fabs call "the ultimate car chase movie"!

Extras:
Feature Trailers

My Thoughts:

Made for TV remake of the 71' classic with Barry Newman. This time around Viggo Mortensen takes the wheel as Kowalski.

I thought this was very good for a TV movie, despite Jason Priestley's presence.  Certainly they provided the high octane excitement expected from a car chase movie and likely spent as much on budget as could be expected for a movie of this ilk. Viggo's performance was so good you almost felt as you were watching a Hollywood production meant for a theatrical release.

A must see for fans of muscle cars (my cousin Tony restores them... has a Dodge Super B right now!). It's been quite a few years since I watched the original... it's time for another viewing if not just for comparison purposes. 

KC

Rating:

[Rogmeister]

I used to like Christine Elise, though I probably mainly seen her as a guest-star on various TV series.  Frankly, I haven't heard her name mentioned in several years.  It makes me want to look her up and see if she's still acting. 

[KinkyCyborg]

Christine Elise

Looks like she's still quite active in TV.

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Baby Mama
Year: 2008
Director: Michael McCullers
Rating: PG-13
Length: 99 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Amy Poehler
Tina Fey
Greg Kinnear
Dax Shepard
Romany Malco

Plot:
Comedic geniuses Tina Fey (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live) and Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live) team up to celebrate a modern twist on motherhood!

Kate (Fey) is a single, successful career woman who wants something more: a baby. But she gets more than she bargained for when she hires Angie (Poehler), a free spirit from South Philly, to be her surrogate in a hysterical mama match-up. From birth class to baby-proofing, they're the ultimate odd couple that critics are calling "the best female comedy duo since Lucy and Ethel" (Claudia Puig, USA Today).

With hilarious performances from an all-star cast featuring Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, and Sigourney Weaver, Baby Mama is as full of laughs as it is heart!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes

My Thoughts:

High powered exec incapable of having kids hires white trailer trash girl to be her surrogate.

Quite a few more laughs than I was expecting. Tina Fey is great and her star is continuing to rise. Amy Poehler surprised me as I never cared for her much on SNL, finding her to be one of the least funny cast members in their history, but she pulled off this role quite well with some of the funniest moments to her credit.

Strong supporting cast as well with Steve Martin, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear and Dax Shpperd. Lorne Michaels has produced some real dogs with his SNL alumni but I think he did all right with this one.

KC

Rating:

[Rogmeister]

Thanks for the Christine Elise link.  She looks different than I remember her. 

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Flags of Our Fathers
Year: 2006
Director: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Length: 132 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Ryan Phillippe
Jesse Bradford
Adam Beach
John Benjamin Hickey
John Slattery

Plot:
For 70,000 marines who fought with bombs blasting and guns blazing, the bloody battle for Iwo Jima was more than a turning point of World War II; it was the defining moment in their lives. In the epic that 'The New York Times' calls "a sweeping spectacle," Academy Award®-winning director Clint Eastwood taps into the single greatest emotional truth of warfare: soldiers may fight for their country, but they die for their friends. Hailed by critics as "a film of awesome power and blistering provocation, an amazing feat" (Peter Travers, 'Rolling Stone'), 'Flags of Our Fathers' is a powerful true story of heroism and bravery that should be shared and remembered.

Extras:
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Companion piece to Letters From Iwo Jima from Clint Eastwood.

This movie was ok, but had some warts and had it been released independently it would have received better reviews from the critics, but as it was it and LFIJ released at the same time and so were inevitably compared to one another. Letters From Iwo Jima was far superior to Flags Of Our Fathers on all levels.

There was no continuity to Flags... jumping all over the place from war time, to current day to post war. I was hoping to see and quite frankly was expecting to see some sustained battle sequences and while they were good they were too short lived. LFIJ focused on the epic battle for Suribachi Mountain and all it's horrors as seen through the eyes of the Japanese soldiers and it was masterful where FOOF focused on the famous picture of the flag raising and the deceit surrounding it as the image was used to play on the emotions of the American citizens to cough up billions of dollars in War Bonds. All I can say is that if it was Eastwood's attempt with these two films to glorify the honor and bravery of the Japanese and bash the integrity of the American military heads and U.S. government he succeeded. 

Another disappointment with this movie was the performance of Adam Beach, whom I've liked in every other role I've seen him in but in this one I thought he was terrible. His turn as the drunken Native American soldier Ira Hayes was woefully overplayed and rather embarrassing. I think the guilt and shame his character felt could have been conveyed without looking so pathetic.

One of the things I did like was spotting the common footage between the two films. You could almost follow the time line of the battle from both sides.

Again, the movie was ok and enlightened some on the background of an iconic photograph of WWII, but I think this is one of Clint's poorest efforts to date and that surprises me, especially in contrast to Letters From Iwo Jima which was outstanding. The critics definitely got it right in regards to these two films.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Spartacus
Year: 2004
Director: Robert Dornhelm
Rating: NR
Length: 177 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Goran Visnjic
Alan Bates
Angus MacFadyen
Rhona Mitra
Ian McNeice

Plot:
In 72 B.C. the Roman Empire swept through Europe, conquering countries and selling their citizens into slavery. One slave dared to take a stand: Spartacus. After witnessing his father's brutal murder and being sold into slavery, Spartacus (Goran Visnjic) vows to one day live as a free man. Leading 80 fellow slaves in a coordinated revolt, Spartacus and his men flee into the mountains. Alarmed by the growing slave insurrection, Roman politicians and generals vow to stop Spartacus at all costs. In the final battle of slaves versus Romans, Spartacus' epic fight for freedom becomes the stuff of legend.

Extras:
Scene Access
Deleted Scenes

My Thoughts:

Made for TV remake that exceeded my expectations!

This was the very first DVD I ever received after joining SwitchPlanet and I remember being pissed off when I got it because the user who sent it listed it as the 1960 version with Kirk Douglas so I sent them a snarky message and left neutral feedback. As it turns out it was a pretty good pickup!

A two part mini-series that lasted about 3 hours long, it starred Goran Visnjic in the title role and I thought he was quite good. Also to my delight Rhona Mitra, who got me slobbering after seeing her in Doomsday, starred as the love interest in what was a softer role for her but she was pure eye candy.

The fight sequences were all well choreographed and was much more graphic than I was expecting. Good sustained action throughout and captivating for fans of Roman lore (my son will love this movie).

Angus Macfayden, whom I almost didn't recognize was also a standout as the slimy senator intent on the death of Spartacus to further his own political clout.

The Kubrick version will always be my favorite telling of the story but I would definitely watch this version again. 

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Necessary Roughness
Year: 1991
Director: Stan Dragoti
Rating: PG-13
Length: 108 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Scott Bakula
Hector Elizondo
Robert Loggia
Harley Jane Kozak
Larry Miller

Plot:
THE TEXAS STATE ARMADILLOS are fourth down and nowhere-to-go after a corruption scandal nearly ends the football program. Now upstanding coach Ed Dennaro (Hector Elizondo) must put together a brand new team.

For the position of quarterback Gennaro recruits Paul Blake (Scott Bakula, 'Quantum Leap'), a 34-year-old former high school star whose field of dreams turned out to be the family farm. Blake still has the arm, but can he score with a team that includes a samurai lineman, a butterfingered receiver, and a Samoan strongman with eyes for the place-kicker (Kathy Ireland)?

Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

A favorite comedy of mine and even after a half dozen viewings now the laughs still hold up.

There have been a lot of misfit sports comedies in the past but this one sustains the laughs from start to finish. Larry Miller as the conniving school dean is a scene stealer! 

This is one of those movies I throw in when I want some laughs and it delivers every time.

KC

Rating: