Topic: KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Surviving the Game
Year: 1994
Director: Ernest Dickerson
Rating: R
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Ice-T [Ice T]
Rutger Hauer
Charles S. Dutton
Gary Busey
F. Murray Abraham

Plot:
Explosive special effects and high-caliber weapons make for the ultimate manhunt in this hard-hitting action adventure starring Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton, Gary Busey and F. Murray Abraham.

Ice-T is Mason, a homeless man recruited by a band of wealthy hunters to lead an expedition into the Pacific Northwest. But on the first day of the hunt, he discovers a lethal surprise...He's the prey.

It's gut-wrenching action from start to finish as the game begins and the hunters learn a deadly lesson: Never underestimate a man who's got nothing to lose.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Surviving The Game... a decent action flick with a great cast highlighted by Rutger Hauer.

Ultra rich hunters go on a safari with humans as the prey, more specifically, Ice-T. I've seen other movies of similar ilk but I like this one as Ice-T didn't turn out to be some former Navy Seal or something... he was just a homeless guy who uses his street smarts to survive.

Gary Busey plays his usual psychotic weirdo but makes an early exit in this one. John C. McGinley was good as well as another crazy who's flipped his lid. Great fun!

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Star Trek
Year: 2009
Director: J. J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13
Length: 127 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Chris Pine
Zachary Quinto
Leonard Nimoy
Eric Bana
Bruce Greenwood

Plot:
The future begins in J.J. Abrams' smash hit STAR TREK. When the Romulan Nero comes from the future to take revenge on the Federation, rivals Kirk and Spock must work together to stop him from destroying everything they know. On a thrilling journey filled with incredible action, the new recruits of the U.S.S. Enterprise will voyage through unimaginable danger in one of the biggest and most critically acclaimed movies of the year.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Outtakes/Bloopers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Reboot of original Star Trek crew and well done! I was never a big fan of the original series and yet I was an avid fan of Star Trek : The Next Generation, both the tv series and it's spinoff movies. I was extremely pissed off when they canceled STNG at the height of it's popularity and I could never get into Deep Space 9 or any of the series after that. I don't know... I thought the original series was so incredibly hokey... I may give them another chance.

J.J. Abrams brings the action and SFX in all it's glory in this one but gives it a more contemporary feel with some humor thrown in for good measure. I particularly liked Karl Urban and Bones McCoy. Leonard Nimoy makes a reverent appearance and fit well into the story.  I heard William Shatner was pissed that he was not asked to be involved with this movie. I'm glad! Adding that porker to the movie would have greatly diminished the credibility of the film.

The way this story unfolded it has left the door wide open for any number of sequels. I'm sure they are coming....

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:In Love And War
Year: 1987
Director: Paul Aaron
Rating: NR
Length: 115 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Jane Alexander
James Woods
Concetta Tomei
Jon Cedar
Richard McKenzie

Plot:
Shot down and taken prisoner early in the Vietnam Conflict, Navy Pilot Jim Stockdale is one of the few who know the truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Knowing an admission would be explosive, Jim has remained silent despite eight nightmarish years of torture and inhuman treatment.

Extras:

My Thoughts:

80's TV drama about Jim Stockdale, an American POW in Vietnam who endured more than 6 years of torture while his wife campaigned stateside to expose the treatment of the prisoners.

Very good movie with James Woods, one of my favorites, in the leading role. It was interesting to see that even though he was held captive and was enemies with his torturers, as the years progressed an understanding developed between captor and captive... that both realized each other was merely acting on orders and in defense of their countries. By the time the war ended there was little or no animosity between them and they parted almost as friends.  Compelling drama!

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Bells Are Ringing
Year: 1960
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Rating: NR
Length: 126 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Judy Holliday
Dean Martin
Fred Clark
Eddie Foy, Jr.
Jean Stapleton

Plot:
The get-up in New York's get-up-and-go comes from the switchboard operators of Susanswerphone. Need a wakeup call? Your appointments? Encouragement from "Mom"? A racetrack bet? It all comes from the dutiful nerve - or noive - center that keeps enterprises enterprising and, maybe wedding bells ringing.

Judy Holliday reprises her Tony®-winning Broadway role of irrepressible switchboard girl Ella in a jubilant adaptation that marked her final movie and the final teaming of movie-musical titans Arthur Freed and Vincente Minelli. Dean Martin co-stars as a struggling playwright in for a surprise when he learns "Mom's" identity. The sparkling Jule Styne/Betty Comden/Adolph Green score includes Holliday's heartfelt The Party's Over and the jolly Holliday/Martin duet Just in Time. You've dialed the right number, musical fans!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

60's musical with Dean Martin & Judy Holliday. Great fun and a swinging time! Always loved Dean Martin... he could sing, act and dance all while half in the bag! Judy Holliday was good too although not her best role as her wacky character is a bit over the top. A pre-Edith Bunker, Jean Stapleton makes an appearance too!

My 5 year old daughter, who has taken to watching movies with me quite frequently (that's Daddy's girl!) sat and watched most of this too and loved the musical bits. She now proclaims to everyone that she can do the Cha-Cha-Cha!     

KC


Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Vacancy
Year: 2007
Director: Nimrod Antal
Rating: R
Length: 85 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Kate Beckinsale
Luke Wilson
Frank Whaley
Ethan Embry
Scott G. Anderson

Plot:
When David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox's (Kate Beckinsale) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they are forced to spend the night at the only motel around, with only the TV to entertain them - until they discover that the low-budget slasher videos they find in their room were all filmed in the very room in which they're sitting. With hidden cameras now aimed at them - trapping them in rooms, crawlspaces, underground tunnels - and filming their every move, David and Amy must struggle to get out alive before they end up the next victims on tape.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned
Alternate opening sequences Extended Snuff Films

My Thoughts:

Decent thriller although I thought Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson were a bit of an odd pairing. The hotel manager was like a psychotic, real life Ned Flanders!  Some edge of your seat cat and mouse thrills keep you revved up. The extended snuff videos in the extras were cool to watch too. 

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Sky High
Year: 2005
Director: Mike Mitchell
Rating: PG
Length: 99 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Michael Angarano
Kurt Russell
Kelly Preston
Danielle Panabaker
Chris Wynne

Plot:
A super adventure of heroic proportions, this crowd-pleasing hit from Walt Disney Pictures stars Hollywood favorites Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston! The son of legendary heroes Commander (Russell) and Jetstream (Preston), young Will Stronghold carries huge expectations as he enters a high-tech high school known for molding the heroes of tomorrow. With no apparent superpowers of his own, however, Will seems destined to grow up a mere sidekick. But as he discovers his true strengths, he'll also learn that it takes loyalty and teamwork to truly become a hero!

Extras:
Scene Access
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

Fun Disney film about a family of superheroes with Kurt Russell as the patriarch. Was interesting to see Russell return to the Disney fold where he basically got his start in the biz as a young kid in a plethora of movies in the late 60's early 70's. The movie was ok, but nothing terribly original. Kelly Preston was my hero in that skin tight outfit!!

I talked my daughter into watching this with me and she was out like a light before the trailers preceding the movie were finished.  Gotta teach her stamina now! 

KC

Rating:

[Achim]

Gotta teach her stamina now! 

Maybe you want to rethink that. When she's at disco-age and still falls asleep early you might enjoy that quite a bit

[KinkyCyborg]

Gotta teach her stamina now! 

Maybe you want to rethink that. When she's at disco-age and still falls asleep early you might enjoy that quite a bit

I'm already going through that with my 16 year old son, or the Nighthawk as I like to call him. During his summer holidays he's up to about 1-2 a.m. every night and then hibernates till about noon the next day. I was pretty much the same way at his age. 

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Eve of Destruction
Year: 1991
Director: Duncan Gibbins
Rating: R
Length: 100 Min.
Video: Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Gregory Hines
Renée Soutendijk
Michael Greene
Kurt Fuller
John M. Jackson

Plot:
"An original, provocative thriller." - Los Angeles Times

She's beautiful indestructible... and unstoppable! Renee Soutendijk is "sexy and lethal" (Boxoffice) as Eve VIII, a sophisticated and deadly android run amok in this heart-pounding sci-fi thriller. "Genuine suspense and a terrific finale" (The Hollywood Reporter) set this action-adventure apart and above the genre... this is one Eve you just can't miss!

Created in the image of her inventor, Eve VIII is the flawless culmination of years of research, or is she? When an unexpected mishap during testing sends her into a sudden, irreversible rampage, Eve begins stalking and killing anything she perceives as a threat. And now it's up to terrorism expert Jim McQuade (Gregory Hines) to find and deactivate her before she realizes her ultimate capability - nuclear annihilation!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers

My Thoughts:

About an android with mass destruction capabilities on the loose... this was like a poor man's Imposter. Kind of dated and a dreadful performance by the female lead Renée Soutendijk. Decent moments of action and Gregory Hines was very solid.

I think Hines was a very underrated actor who had some incredible performances in his career, particularly in White Nights, Tap, The Cotton Club and even the action comedy Running Scared. It's a shame he left us at such a relatively young age of 57.

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Interstate 84
Year: 2000
Director: Ross Partridge
Rating: 14A
Length: 100 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Kevin Dillon
John Littlefield
John Doman
Megan Dodds
Harley Cross

Plot:
Passion, Rage, Murder, They all collide on Interstate 84.

Joe Weldon (John Littlefield) is an emotionally screwed-up cop living in a small grimy town. Recently separated from his wife and kids he is intensely devoted to his work - especially when he stumbles on the case of an anonymous dead man just fished from the Hudson River.
Unable to identify the body the police focus on a few scattered clues a bible, a card with a phone number and a tooth brush. The number leads to a perplexing suspect. Vinnie (Kevin Dillon) a seedy family man. The investigation is stymied by the fact that the victim was an outsider who ha little contact with the community. As each day passes a new clue is unearthed that enables both Vinnie and the police to piece together the mystery.
An unconventional mystery that unfolds into a humanistic tale about the discovery of life and faith, nothing is what it appears to be on Intersection 84.

Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Story about a somewhat handicapped, gentle giant who's simple life intertwines with other lost and wandering souls. His story is told after his body washes up on the edge of a river.

This started off a bit slow but got more interesting as it wore on. I thought Joel Garland, whom I've never heard of, played the central character gave an excellent performance and really his was the only one to standout from the entire cast of relative unknowns... Kevin Dillon was the only really recognizable name. Kevin Spacey was executive producer on this one.

If you are looking for action, suspense or thrills, this is not for you... but good dramatic storytelling can be had.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:The Parent Trap
Year: 1961
Director: David Swift
Rating: G
Length: 129 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills
Maureen O'Hara
Brian Keith
Charlie Ruggles

Plot:
What could be better than one Hayley Mills? How about two? Special Academy Award®*-winning actress Hayley Mills (Pollyanna) shines again, this time of playing twin daughters of a divorced couple (Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara). The girls, who have long been separated, meet accidentally for the first time at summer camp. After discovering that they are long-lost twin sisters, the two concoct an outrageous scheme to switch places in an effort to get their parents back together.

In her dual role, Miss Mills moves from slapstick to serious, refined to rock 'n' roll. Her delightful performance, coupled with a charming story, will capture your heart and have you doubling up with laughter!

* 1960, Pollyanna

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned
THX
Cartoon-'Donald's Double Trouble'

My Thoughts:

Original Disney classic which is solid family fare but I found the first 40 minutes or so dreadfully boring.  The primary reason for that I believe was that I didn't care for Hayley Mills, the girl chosen to play the sneaky little conniving twins. The first half of the movie focused on them/her and I found them annoying. Once the parents entered the picture, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith, my interest grew tenfold.

Boy, Maureen O'Hara was a gorgeous, fiery redhead in her prime and she never looked more gorgeous! I've always been a fan of Brian Keith... absolutely loved his short but memorable performance as Buckshot Roberts in Young Guns who 'killed more men than smallpox'. Another great performer who took his own life.

Not my favorite of the old time Disney classics but a good watch. I would have rated it higher had they cast the young girls better.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Die! Die! My Darling!
Year: 1965
Director: Silvio Narizzano
Rating: NR
Length: 97 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Tallulah Bankhead
Stefanie Powers
Peter Vaughan
Maurice Kaufmann
Yootha Joyce

Plot:
Directed by Silvio Narizzano ('Georgy Girl,' 'Loot') and produced by Hammer Films, the infamous British studio known for gothic horror classics, DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! stars the legendary Tallulah Bankhead ('Lifeboat,' TV's "Batman") in her final film performance. She plays the psychotic Mrs. Trefoile, a demented mother who terrorizes and imprisons her dead son's fiancée Pat (Stefanie Powers, TV's "Hart to Hart," 'Stagecoach') to avenge her son's tragic death, with the help of her bumbling gardener (Donald Sutherland, 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' 'Klute,' 'Don't Look Now').

A domineering religious fanatic, Mrs. Trefoile grows obsessed with her late son's spirit, who died several years earlier in an auto wreck. When her son's former lover pays an unexpected visit, Mrs. Trefoile kidnaps the beautiful young woman, holding her hostage in the basement to "cleanse" her soul, so she can be reunited with her son in Heaven. Trapped and tortured, Pat must fight for her life to escape. DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! is a campy, classic thriller fueled by Bankhead's over-the-top turn as the ultimate Mother from Hell.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Hammer Film production from the mid 60's that was Tallulah Bankhead's last movie appearance. Playing a religious fanatic trying to redeem her dead son's soul by cleansing the sins from his former fiancee while holding her captive.... she was perfect in the role! Stephanie Powers played the unfortunate girl caught in the old hag's grasp and she did a credible job as well. She was quite the cute little minx! Donald Sutherland played the retarded, but good natured gardener who had no clue what was going on most of the time... he looked like a teenage kid in this movie.

All in all I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. 

KC

Rating:

[Rogmeister]

Did you know Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith worked together in at least 2 other movies?  The other two they did were westerns.  One was "The Deadly Companions" which I have actually reviewed myself and happened to be the first feature film to be directed by Sam Peckinpah.  The other was "The Rare Breed" in which the lead was actually Jimmy Stewart.  Keith is not too recognizeable in the early going with a bushy beard.

[KinkyCyborg]

I knew about The Deadly Companions.  I have the movie but have yet to watch it. I'll be on the lookout for The Rare Breed now... thanks for the recommendation. They are both outstanding actors and to watch them work together is a treat.

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Screamers
Year: 1995
Director: Christian Duguay
Rating: R
Length: 108 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Peter Weller
Roy Dupuis
Jennifer Rubin
Andrew Lauer
Charles Powell

Plot:
The year is 2078.

The man is rebel Alliance Commander Col. Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller), assigned to protect the Sirius 6B outpost from ravage and plunder at the hands of the New Economic Bloc.

His state-of-the-art weaponry are known as Screamers; manmade killing devices programmed to eliminate all enemy life forms. Screamers travel underground; their intent to kill announced by earpiercing shrieks. They dissect their victims with sushi precision, then eradicate all traces of the carnage. They are lethal. Effective. Tidy.

And, somehow, they are mutating -- self-replicating into human form -- and slaughtering every beating heart on the planet.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

First time watching this and I thought it was one of the better sci-fi flicks I've seen. Peter Weller was great. This had excellent franchise potential but it took 15 years before a sequel appeared and although I haven't watched it yet, I hear it sucks.  Too bad really... I think this could have rivaled the Alien franchise.

KC


Rating: