Topic: KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010

[hal9g]

Totally agree.  The Langoliers were laughable.  They reminded me of PacMan with teeth!   

[KinkyCyborg]

Totally agree.  The Langoliers were laughable.  They reminded me of PacMan with teeth!   

That describes them perfectly!

[KinkyCyborg]

Sarafina!



Title:Sarafina!
Year: 1992
Director: Darrell Roodt
Rating: PG-13
Length: 0 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Whoopie Goldberg
John Kani
Leleti Khumalo
Miriam Makeba
Tertius Meintjes

Plot:
Soweto, South Africa. A new world is opening up for a group of young black students, whose extraordinary teacher, Mary, defies the authorities and dares to teach her students truths not found in approved textbooks.

For one pupil in particular, young Sarafina, the forbidden curriculum will have a far-reaching impact in her life.

A brilliant educator, Mary inspires her students to take pride in their heritage and themselves. She also urges them to search for the truth and stand up for their individual rights.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Apartheid the musical. 

Ugh... how I struggled through this movie. I've seen many movies that have dealt with the injustice and atrocities in South Africa during the incarceration of Nelson Mandela but this adds no new perspectives and quite frankly I found most of the musical bits to be a distraction. The songs sung by the children in their own native tongues with the subtitled translations were quite beautiful but I found the english songs done to a hybrid hip hop/Bollywood type of choreography to be very tacky.

The inclusion of Whoopi Goldberg did little to help this movie and her performance came across as a bit self serving, attaching herself to a cause or movement. The musical magic from her Sister Act flicks was nowhere to be found in this one.

I'm sure this was an artistic interpretation of Apartheid but to me it comes across as mocking. 

KC


Rating:

[Jimmy]

Rating:

At least the movie is short

Length: 0 Min.

[KinkyCyborg]

Rating:

At least the movie is short

Length: 0 Min.

Haha! I never noticed that! I rarely look at the profile info although I guess I could look it up and make a quick edit. Thanks for pointing that out Jimmy.

[KinkyCyborg]

Crossing Over



Title:Crossing Over
Year: 2009
Director: Wayne Kramer
Rating: R
Length: 113 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Harrison Ford (1942)
Ray Liotta
Ashley Judd
Jim Sturgess
Cliff Curtis

Plot:
Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones films) is on a quest for justice as an immigrations agent investigating the case of a missing illegal. In a cross-fire of crime and bureaucracy, fraud and murder, he must race against time to try to save a family from becoming collateral damage in the fight for the American dream. Critics rave, "Harrison Ford is terrific. An engrossing, thoroughly entertaining movie with great performances from a first-rate ensemble cast" (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). Co-starring Ashley Judd (Twisted), Ray Liotta (Smokin' Aces), Jim Sturgess (21), and Cliff Curtis (10,000 BC), Crossing Over will keep you riveted until the final mystery unfolds.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Dreadful look at the ugly world of immigration in the U.S. and the lengths some people will go to get in, and those who would keep them out.

A myriad of hard luck stories some of which overlap. With a couple of lucky exceptions all of them conclude badly for those involved.

Harrison Ford plays an INS agent who deals with illegals on a daily basis but finds it harder and harder to remain detached from his work and the unfortunate illegals he encounters. He's solid in his typical brooding way as he exhibits compassion to one young Mexican woman and tries to help her. Ashley Judd is fine too as another bright light who is heartbroken day in and day out as she deals with the children of families without green cards.

On the darker side of the coin we meet Ray Liotta who sleazes his way into a young, sexy (and often nude!) Australian woman's bed in exchange for help with her green card. Alice Eve plays the Aussie and demonstrates the desperation that leads to the surrendering of ones convictions.

Many cultures are given air time including Koreans, Islamics, Israeli's and Hispanics all with emotionally charged stories to tell, some more interesting than others but told in an effort to show opposing points of view on the immigration debate.

Personally, despite the sometimes cold, harsh portrayal of U.S. immigration controls and those who enforce them I find them completely necessary in this day and age and are seriously lacking here in Canada.

This was a bit too slow and drawn out, perhaps biting off more than it could chew by telling so many individual stories. It would have been better had they narrowed their focus to one or two of the better stories but overall it gives a very eye opening, raw look into the world of the illegal alien.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Mask



Title:Mask
Year: 1985
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Rating: NR
Length: 127 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: French, Spanish

Stars:
Cher
Sam Elliott
Eric Stoltz
Estelle Getty
Richard Dysart

Plot:
Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich directed this heartwarming and inspirational film based on the real life story of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz), a terribly disfigured but highly sensitive and intelligent teenager. Motivated by his loving mother, Rusty (Cher), and her boyfriend, Gar (Sam Elliott), Rocky ultimately overcomes pain, loneliness and prejudice to become a role model to his classmates and teachers alike.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Interviews

My Thoughts:

True story of Rocky Dennis, a young man with a terrible disease that horribly disfigured his face, he lived well beyond his doctors expectations but still died at the young age of 16.

Great movie and truly inspiring. Rocky, played by Eric Stoltz, was ever the optimist despite all the negativity around him, he never let his condition hold him back, always living every day to the fullest.

Seen this a few times now and there are some outstanding performances, particularly Cher as Rocky's wild, drug addicted mother. It was often Rocky taking care of her and not the other way around. Sam Elliott, one of the coolest actors ever is great as Gar, sometimes live-in boyfriend and father figure to Rocky. It's been so long since I've watched this that I totally forgot Laura Dern played the young blind girl Rocky falls in love with and there was Estelle Getty as Rocky's grandmother!

I thought it was cool that during a scene in this movie on the TV screen in their living room was playing another movie that I recently watched, Madigan!

I've never been a big fan of Peter Bogdanovich, as an actor or during his long winded interviews but I have to give credit where credit is due... he directed a fantastic movie that ranks very high with me all time. 

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Syriana



Title:Syriana
Year: 2005
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Rating: 14A
Length: 128 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Kayvan Novak
George Clooney
Amr Waked
Christopher Plummer
Jeffrey Wright

Plot:
Big oil means big money. Very big money. And that fact unleashes corruption that stretches from Houston to Washington to the Mideast – and ensnares industrialists, princes, spies, politicos, oilfield laborers and terrorists in a deadly, deceptive web of move and countermove. George Clooney (Academy Award®* and Golden Globe winner as Best Supporting Actor), Matt Damon and Jeffrey Wright lead a stellar cast in a lightning-paced, whip-smart thriller written and directed by Traffic Academy Award® winner** Stephen Gaghan. From it's very first scene, Syriana grips your mind and nerves with an intensity that doesn't let go for an instant. What is the price of oil? This "engrossing, insider's tour of the world's hottest spots, grandest schemes and most dangerous men" (Richard Corliss, Time) has a jolting answer.

*2005. **2000: Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Interviews
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Very intriguing and fascinating movie even though at times I was confused as to what was going on.  It was like playing connect the dots... only the dots keep moving.

The message was clear... big business, more directly OIL business, dictates much of what happens in the world. Corruption, terrorism, political unrest, the removing of obstacles with extreme prejudice... all in a days work for the powers that be who jockey for control of the world's most valuable natural resource. Also, this movie does little to endear the viewer to the Arab oil barons whose obscene wealth is prominently on display.
Clooney was good, Damon was good, Jeffrey Wright was great! Also I've never seen Tim Blake Nelson in a suit before and it was quite a shock to the system. 

Great movie if not a bit confusing. Likely no more confusing than the real life double dealings employed by the oil companies.

KC


Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Pirates Of The Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest



Title:Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Year: 2006
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rating: PG-13
Length: 151 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Keira Knightley
Jack Davenport
Bill Nighy

Plot:
Charming rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back for a grand, swashbuckling, nonstop joyride filled with devilish pirate humor, monstrous sea creatures and breathtaking black magic. Now, Jack's got a blood debt to pay – he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghostly Ruler of the Ocean Depths...but ever-crafty Jack isn't about to go down without a fight. Along the way, dashing Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the beautiful Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) get caught up in the thrilling whirlpool of misadventures stirred up in Jack's quest to avoid eternal damnation by seizing the fabled Dead Man's Chest!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

Took me a bit to piece things together at first as it had been some time since I had watched Curse Of The Black Pearl and you could easily tell it picked up right where the last one left off.

Great action and fantastic make-up/artistry especially for Davy Jones' minions who more closely resemble crustaceous sea creatures.

I made a discovery after watching this film. Johnny Depp, who seems to have a tendency to lean towards roles of utmost silliness (Jack Sparrow, Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka, Raoul Duke)... it's starting to get a bit tiresome for me as these roles are all similar in nature. The facial expressions, the lingo, the body language.... getting a bit annoying. I mean he's great in the roles but it seems to me like he's turning into Tim Burton's bitch. 

Keira Knightley is gorgeous but has a few embarrassing scenes where the brave, smart, athletic and aggressive persona she exudes throughout most of the movie is taken over by that of a complete ditz... i.e. the scene on the beach where she watches the three boys play swords. 

Looking forward to At World's End where Rush is back as Captain Barbossa and Chow-Yun Fat joins the cast. The fourth entry is apparently in production now too, sans Bloom and Knightley... one too many perhaps?

KC

Rating:

[Dragonfire]

I liked all the Pirates movies and I'll be going to see the new one in May.  I love Captain Jack.  He's just such an....interesting character. 

[samuelrichardscott]

What a coincidence. I watched the first for a second time and the second for the first time yesterday. I think they're enjoyable but well overhyped. I gave them both 3/5. I'll get around to seeing the third when I see it ridiculously cheap.

[Achim]

I thought the first one was much better than it should have been (it's based on a theme park ride!). I still liked the second one. The third one, while I own it to complete the trilogy, was falling apart way too fast and was quite a mess by the end. A few good ideas are not enough for a whole film and special effects cannot replace story.

[Najemikon]

I enjoyed all three, but the only good one is the first. I do think that is marvellous fun. 2 and 3 were a mess, but I couldn't help but be astonished by the scale of what they were attempting. I might be wrong, but as a fourth was completely unrequired, it might turn out like the first. That said, Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley were a bit bland, but did work as a foil. If number 4 is just The Cap'n Sparrow Show it'll sink.

[Dragonfire]

The first one is my favorite too...but I like all three.

[Achim]

The fourth is in 3D, so no theater viewing from me, I think. (The only 3D movie I have on my menu is HP 7B; unless there are 2D showings as well.)