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Jack & Jill Vs. The World, a review by KinkyCyborg

Jack & Jill Vs. The World




~Jack is a NYC advertising exec with a life as glossy as the ads he spins. Jill is new to the city, with nothing to stand on but her fiery personality and romantic ideals. Opposites attract, and together they author their own manifesto of "rules to live by." But Jill betrays Jack by violating rule one - Be Honest. ~



There has been no profile made for this movie on the Invelos database so apologies for the lack of details. I wouldn't be surprised if the quality of this movie deemed it unworthy of a profile creation. 

Run of the mill romance about an in-love couple with one withholding a secret... she has a terminal disease.

Been there done that with Sweet November which was much better than this in all aspects. The biggest problem with this movie, it's death knell really, is the terrible acting of Taryn Manning. UGH! Simply horrible. It's one of those performances where you are convinced that someone owed this girl a huge favor.

This played more like a vanity project for writer/producer/director Vanessa Parise (she even cast herself in the movie and probably manned the cameras and boom mics too!). She did manage to land a few names in Freddie Prinze Jr., Chalrles Martin Smith and Robert Forster, all of whom had looks on their faces that said 'How the hell did I let myself get talked into this?!' 

Rating:

KC

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on October 24th, 2010)

The Bridge Of San Luis Rey, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Bridge Of San Luis Rey



Title:The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Year: 2004
Director: Mary McGuckian
Rating: PG
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:Plot:
Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, and Geraldine Chaplin co-star in this epic film adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

Five seemingly unrelated travelers cross the San Luis Ray bridge when it suddenly collapses. Were their tragic deaths the result of Divine Intervention, mere chance or perhaps something more sinister? Intrigued, a Franciscan monk investigates the victims' pasts, uncovering secrets in this moving tale of passion, ambition and destiny.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


Five souls plummet to their deaths off an old bridge in Peru during a period of the Spanish Inquisitions. The movie delves less into the tragedy and more into the lives of the five people, their own personal tragedies, how their lives interconnect and the intrigues of the Spanish court. A pious priest played by Gabriel Byrne investigates what these people may have had in common, and if that denominator might have been the reason God might have taken their lives.

Pretty heavy subject matter which leaves the viewer with much to digest. The irony of the priest's findings is that they themselves lead to an inquisition, his assertions deemed heretic, and the priest burned at the stake.

Some excellent performances by an A-list cast make up for an at times excessively slow pace. I didn't find the ending very satisfying as many questions that should have been asked at the trial of the priest were not asked. Kathy Bates was incredible as the Marquess, a lonely old woman of power who only longs for the love of her petulant daughter who is off in Spain, playing the social game at Court, all the while ignoring her mother's many letters. You feel terribly bad for Bates' character, almost thankful for her death which was more of a release from her misery.

F. Murray Abraham and Harvey Kietel were also excellent in their respective roles. Robert De Niro seemed out of place as the Archbishop of Peru. His enunciation of the speech from that era was good, but his Goodfellas accent was evident which almost made it appear to be a bad voice over job. 
If you want to watch and appreciate some great method acting then you may enjoy this but I'm certain this movie is not for everyone and would likely be labeled as boring for many.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on February 6th, 2011)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
Sydney Bristow is a double agent. She works for supposedly covert branch of the CIA called SD-6 and for the real CIA. SD-6 is part of a larger group called The Alliance but only the high-level leaders know that SD-6 is not CIA. Field agents like Sydney are not supposed to know. Thus Sydney goes on whatever mission SD-6 sends her and the CIA gives her a counter mission to sabotage SD-6 without them knowing.

"Truth Be Told"
Sydney Bristow is a grad student who works part time at a bank. But the bank job is only a cover. She's an agent in a covert branch of the CIA and she hasn't told anyone about this. But when her boyfriend proposes to her she makes that fatal mistake. After she's come back from her next mission she finds him dead. SD-6 has killed him because he became a security risk. And when she doesn't come back to SD-6, they try to kill her, too. But luckily for her she has a father who also works for SD-6 and who saves her. After she's re-established her credibility with SD-6 she goes to the CIA and offers to work as a double agent.

My Opinion
I've only seen one season so far, but really liked it. There is a mystery element on the show in the form of artefacts the Italian inventor Rambaldi has built - in the 15th century (it's a J.J. Abrams show after all). Rambaldi has also made a prophecy and it is not clear yet whether it refers to Sydney Bristow or not (I assume that it will become clear in later seasons). Just like with Chuck I like it how they try to keep their public and their secret life apart and how it becomes more and more difficult to do that. But Sydney has also a cool number of disguises.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on September 4th, 2009)