Topic: KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011

[KinkyCyborg]

Hot Fuzz gets better every time I see it. The basic joke of having an all action thriller in a sleepy English village is fantastic!

To find out that a good many of the denizens of said sleepy English village were of an evil inclination was quite splendid as well. 

[KinkyCyborg]

The Man With Two Brains



Title:The Man With Two Brains
Year: 1983
Director: Carl Reiner
Rating: R
Length: 90 Min.
Video: Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles:

Stars:
Steve Martin (1945)
Kathleen Turner
David Warner
Paul Benedict
Richard Brestoff

Plot:
Anyone who doesn't think Steve Martin is one of the funniest fellows on the planet should have his head examined. As The Man With Two Brains, madman Martin is just the guy to do it, playing Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, famed originator of zip-lock, screw-top brain surgery. The good doctor pines for his late wife – but slinky siren Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner) sashays into his life and changes all that. They're soon married but the truth quickly emerges: Dolores' beauty hides a calculating heart of stone. The situation is hopeless – until another brain specialist's oddball research offers a bizarre ray of hope. Anyone with half a brain will rejoice in the sheer lunacy of this sublimely silly farce, directed and co-written by frequent Martin collaborator Carl Reiner (The Jerk, All of Me).

Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Been a long time since I've seen this and while some of the funny slapstick moments have held up pretty good an almost equal amount are now pretty stale. Before I began watching this I instantly remembered the scene where the hooker throws open her coat to show Martin her gorgeous body that would be perfect for the brain of his beloved and then she starts to speak... haha! Loved that part! 

Kathleen Turner sure was a sexy vixen back then and it was rather ironic how this ended with her character looking rather plump as she admits to Martin that she is a compulsive eater. Definitely a harbinger of things to come for Turner.


KC


Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Hot Fuzz is one of the hundreds still in my unwatched pile.

[KinkyCyborg]

Don't Be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the Hood



Title:Don't Be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Year: 1996
Director: Paris Barclay
Rating: R
Length: 89 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Shawn Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Tracey Cherelle Jones
Chris Spencer
Suli McCullough

Plot:
From the creator of TV's "In Living Color," this outrageous comedy hit had critics and audiences roaring with laughter! From block parties and beepers to high tops and high-powered weapons, it's everything that's funny about growing up in the 'hood... the Wayans Brothers' neighborhood, that is! Marlon, Shawn (both from TV's "The Wayans Brothers") and Keenen Ivory Wayans (A Low Down Dirty Shame, TV's "In Living Color") get together and deliver a series of hilarious situations that all move to a hot hit soundtrack! Get ready for a good time, because there are plenty of laughs in this neighborhood!

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Yes... the title is reflective of the movie... stupid, too long and fails to make any sense.

A perfect example of why the Wayan brothers need to vacate Hollywood. Supposed to be a parody of black gang movies but it was just a collection of one stupid scene after another that barely resemble the movies they are supposed to spoof.

What a waste of time.

KC

Edit : Just in keeping with the theme of stupid and outrageous I just noticed that this movie scores a 6.2 on IMDB which asks the question... what the hell is wrong with people?!? 


Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Robin Hood



Title:Robin Hood
Year: 2010
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: 14A
Length: 156 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Russell Crowe
Cate Blanchett
Max von Sydow
William Hurt
Mark Strong

Plot:
Academy Award® winner† Russell Crowe and visionary director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) reunite for the untold story of the man behind the legend. In an age of oppression and shameless tyranny, an outlaw becomes the unlikely hero that saves a nation and inspires generations to fight for freedom. In this thrilling action adventure, "Russell Crow and Ridley Scott are at their most entertaining since Gladiator" (Dan Jolin, Empire UK). Also starring Academy Award® winner† Cate Blanchett.

†Russell Crow: 2000 Best Actor, Gladiator. Cate Blanchett, 2004 Best Supporting Actress, The Aviator.

Extras:
Scene Access
Bonus Trailers

My Thoughts:

Not your typical telling of the Robin Hood legend as the events in this version all take place before he became an outlaw. It more so had to do with his time with King Richard 'The Lionheart' and his crusade followed by the subsequent treachery between the countries of England & France as they wrestled for power.

I enjoyed this movie for the action, excellent battle scenes and overall production values despite how vastly different this is when compared to other Robin Hood movies. There were by no means any merry men to be found and while familiar names Friar Tuck, Little John and Will Scarlett were there they had little to contribute to the unfolding events. Only Little John was somewhat distinctive given his massive size and the monstrous poleaxe he wielded in battle. Even the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham had all of about 2 minutes of screen time.

The more I think about it I think another reason I like this so much is because it is so different from every other version. Russell Crowe portrays Robin Longstride as a brooding, cynical man who only gets his back up when the injustice he bears witness to becomes so intolerable that his anger leads him to take up arms. This is a far cry from Kevin Costner's turn, ever optimistic, rah rah GO TEAM! personage in Prince Of Thieves.

I shall enjoy future viewings of this.

KC

Rating:

[goodguy]

I wonder how big (or small) Léa Seydoux' role (as Isabelle d'Angoulême) is in this. She is fast becoming one of my favorite new French actresses and about the only reason for me to give this a try.

[Dragonfire]

If I remember right, she was just in a few scenes.

[goodguy]

Thanks, I thought as much.

[KinkyCyborg]

Ice Age : The Meltdown



Title:Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Year: 2006
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Rating: PG
Length: 91 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Ray Romano
John Leguizamo
Denis Leary
Seann William Scott
Josh Peck

Plot:
'Your favorite sub-zero heroes are back' for another incredible adventure in the super-cool sequel to the global hit 'Ice Age!' The action heats up - and so does the temperature - for 'Manny, Sid, Diego and Scrat'. Trying to escape the valley to avoid a flood of trouble, the comical creatures embark on a hilarious journey across the thawing landscape and meet Ellie, a female woolly mammoth who melts Manny's heart. With its all-star voice cast, including Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah, 'Ice Age The Meltdown' is laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Interactive Games
Multi-angle
Outtakes/Bloopers
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

I continue to marvel at how entertaining full length animated features are these days. Part of it is the cutting edge technology that goes into animation but it's mostly because the writers for these so called 'kids movies' are comic genius.

This movie is one of those cases where the visuals are meant to entertain the young ones while the dialogue is largely targeting the adult audience. Knowing the stars behind the voices, in this case Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Dennis Leary & Queen Latifah, add to the humor as you can picture them getting into their roles.

Scrat, and his never ending quest to acquire the holiest of holy grails, an elusive acorn, is by far the star of the show despite his quest being irrelevant the the central story. Loved the scene where he does battle with the prehistoric piranhas.  The part with all the mini-sloths worshiping Sid before they throw him into a volcano was a knee slapper too.

I watched this today while home sick from work so my daughter missed out but I will gladly sit and watch it again with her as this kind of well done family movie never gets boring.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

Martian Child



Title:Martian Child
Year: 2007
Director: Menno Meyjes
Rating: PG
Length: 106 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
John Cusack
Bobby Coleman
Amanda Peet
Sophie Okonedo
Joan Cusack

Plot:
John Cusack stars in this “inspirational and uplifting journey” (Cynthia Wickenkamp, Starz Entertainment) as a lonely science-fiction writer who adopts a boy who claims to be from Mars. With the help of his quirky friend (Amanda Peet) and his sister (Joan Cusack), this new father discovers that being a parent means anything is possible.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Pretty predictable but I liked it very much nonetheless. Hard not to like those heart felt movies with happy endings.

John Cusack plays a widower who tries to fill the void in his life by going through the process of adopting a troubled young boy who thinks he is a Martian. The boy, played by an inspiring Bobby Coleman, uses his made up fantasy world as a coping mechanism in trying to understand why his parents disappeared.

The ups and downs of their relationship are often comical, sometimes frustrating and at times very sad. This movie does very much convey the message of never giving up.

Amanda Peet is the most amazing, beautiful woman on the planet as although she hasn't been told yet, she needs to be with me. 

Much deeper than one would expect at first glance and a great movie for a lazy afternoon.

KC

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

S. Darko : A Donnie Darko Tale



Title:S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale
Year: 2009
Director: Chris Fisher
Rating: PG-13
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Daveigh Chase
Briana Evigan
James Lafferty
Ed Westwick
Walter Platz

Plot:
Daveigh Chase (Donnie Darko, The Ring) stars in the riveting follow-up to the smash cult hit Donnie Darko! Co-starring Ed Westwick (TV's Gossip Girl) and Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets), this edgy and intriguing psychological thriller takes you through the wormhole into a world where time means nothing and the end is near!

Seven years after her brother's death, Samantha Darko (Chase) is on the run...from her shattered home, from her bizarre past, and even from herself past. But when she and her friend Corey (Evigan) are stranded in a desert town, they witness a meteorite crash that fractures time...and begins a countdown to the end of the world. Now Sam must rely on the frightening visions that plague her dreams to overcome her own dark destiny and set time back on course before everything she knows is destroyed!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

I was not a huge fan of the original Donnie Darko despite its near cult status. In fact my favorite part of the movie is the haunting song that plays during the final moments leading into the credits, Mad World by Gary Jules. It's also featured during the trailer for The Crazies (remake).

So needless to say I was correct in assuming that I wouldn't care much for this follow up film with a no-name cast. Just way too bizarre for me. It's like a cross between Groundhog Day and Deep Impact with a bit of The Abyss thrown in for good measure only S. Darko has none of the redeeming qualities of any of those films. Don't get me wrong, I'll give a movie kudos for being different and off the beaten track but it has to at least make some sense which this one doesn't. This tries to cash in on the success of the original Darko film by employing some strategic name dropping. 'My brother Donnie' was mentioned as was Roberta Sparrow, the woman who wrote the time travel book. Even the grisly rabbit head makes an appearance but it's all so contrived and meaningless in terms of the story.

Three major things bothered me about this movie. First all the town folk are so casually indifferent to a nasty string of tragic events unfolding among them. Never once did I spot an expression of concern. Second, a menace who was abducting people and killing them, including a small boy, has their identity strongly hinted at, but it's never confirmed before the film ends. Duh...  Lastly the meteor storm that is supposed to be the end of all things is pathetically lame as each meteor strikes the earth with a massive explosion and then POOF, up and vanishes like a fart in the wind... no massive hole in the ground, not a blade of grass disturbed. BOOO! HISSS! 

Fingers crossed that this is the last entry to this strange story.

KC

Rating:

[Najemikon]

I haven't seen this, but really liked Donnie Darko. I suspected this was unnecessary at the very least.

A couple of comments you made though intrigued me; how the townspeople don't seem to react, how the menace is not revealed and how the meteors don't leave a mark. Considering the remark about "visions" in the synopsis, could it be they were hinting it wasn't real? Like I say, I haven't seen it, but I liked Donnie Darko for being very ambiguous. It was never made absolutely clear if he was nuts, on drugs, having visions, or whatever.

However from what you've said, this does sound awfully contrived. The original was already about the end of the world in a roundabout method, so this feels like a typical dishonest sequel.

[KinkyCyborg]

It didn't suggest that the unfolding events weren't real... more like an alternate reality or a parallel timeline, one that they were hoping to avert. I attribute the weak presentation of the meteor storm to nothing more than poor special effects, a symptom of an obvious shoe string budget.

The original Donnie Darko did keep my interest, carried by a strong cast and bizarre events but I fully expected all things to be explained at the end and I frankly just didn't get it, nor did I expect it to make any more sense with additional viewings. Just simply a case of not my cup of tea. 

[Najemikon]

Donnie Darko is a unique film in that the Director's Cut explains too much and therefore the original is better, but to fully grasp the original, it helps to have seen the Director's Cut! 

[samuelrichardscott]

I love Donnie Darko and think it's one of the best films of the last ten years. I watched it with several friends at the cinema and we all had different ideas about what had actually happened, discussed it in detail and went and watched it again the next night and had different opinions on what had happened on that viewing. Director's Cut spoilt it in my opinion and I haven't seen S. Darko yet.

I watched Ice Age: The Meltdown yesterday and dug it. Thought the included short was better than the main movie though.

I saw Martian Child July 25th 2009 and my note was:- John Cusack is very good in this but unfortunately the boy who plays the 'martian child' just wasn't a good choice for the role. Decent story if formulaic. 3/5