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Saving Private Ryan, a review by KinkyCyborg

Title:Saving Private Ryan
Year: 1998
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: R
Length: 169 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Tom Hanks
Tom Sizemore
Edward Burns
Barry Pepper
Adam Goldberg

Plot:
June 6, 1944. D-Day. The Allies launch the biggest invasion in military history as millions in war-ravaged Europe wait and hope. But even as vast armies storm the beaches, a crack unit of troops is ordered to find and retrieve one man: Private James Ryan.

From Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg comes the World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Saving Private Ryan is a story of heroism and sacrifice set in France during and just after the D-Day invasion of World War II. On the beaches of Normandy, great military forces are converging for the battle that would decide the course of the war. But behind enemy lines, a squad of U.S. Army soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), are putting their lives on the line on a perilous mission to find paratrooper James Ryan (Matt Damon).

As the soldiers push deep into enemy territory, moving from one danger to the next, Captain Miller and his men find themselves questioning their orders. Why is one man worth risking eight...why is the life of this private worth more than their own?

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned
Exclusive message from Steven Spielberg


So I deviated from my normal method of selecting a movie to watch and instead grabbed Saving Private Ryan to watch again, one on my top 3 favorite war movies. The occasion? Just the arrival of my brand spanking new 50' Panasonic plasma tv.

I swore to myself a long time ago that the day I got myself a kick-ass tv and surround sound that SPR would be the first movie I watched.... and man, it sure didn't disappoint!

The whole house shook with every explosion, I could hear the bullets whipping by my ears and the visuals were stunning, even with just an upconverting dvd player. My wife was completely disgusted with all the noise she was hearing upstairs which made it all the more satisfying. 

The movie itself has among the greatest rewatchability of any in my collection and I like to revisit it every year or so. While the battle scenes were epic, this goes well beyond a war story as it asks the question... What is one mans life worth? Often brutal in it's depiction of war, it offsets that with brilliant, thought provoking moments where the expectations of duty are questioned. An outstanding cast, well done stories within the story and a final touching moment of closure. This takes a spot in my Top 10 favorite movies to date.

I somehow missed Paul Giamatti's role during my earlier viewings.   

All in all it's been a fantastic day!! 

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on June 23rd, 2010)

The Curse of Lizzie Borden, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The Curse of Lizzie Borden
Movie Count: 38
TV Ep Count: 8
Time Started: 7am
Plot:
Nestled within a quiet California town, a museum dedicated to the legend of Lizzie Borden has been opened. Cassy, a beautiful college student is drawn to the museum, taking a summer job as a tour guide.

Cassy is quickly propelled into a mystery of the folklore surrounding the legend of Lizzie Borden. It began to consume her every waking moment. She begins dressing, acting and talking as if she were Lizzie Borden. And there are the dreams. Dreams of blood and death !

One by one her friends are found murdered and her boyfriend Andrew begins to fear the worst. Cassy may be next !

Is some madman killing off all their friends ? Has the ghost of Lizzie Borden come back for a bloody rampage ?

Will Cassy and Andrew be able to stop the killer or will they fall victim to the same fate that Lizzie's parents did so many years ago ?

Untill the final bloody axe falls, no one is safe from the CURSE OF LIZZIE BORDEN.

My Thoughts:
Wow.. what do I say about this movie? First a little background for those of you that don't know why I ordered this movie.  I went into an insane deal with an online friend at dvdcollectorsonline.com that basically meant he would buy and watch my worst movie experience (The Sorority) if I did the same for his. I know... that makes absolutely no sense... but it was done for just laughs. Now on to the movie itself. The acting was completely pitiful. The murder effects was just plain awful and cheesy. The story itself could of had potential if we had a half way decent writer. What was good about this movie? On it's own absolutely nothing at all! Compared to The Sorority?.. at least this one was ever so slightly more entertaining.


NOTE TO JIMMY: Yes this movie sucks big time... but over all I think I just slightly got the better deal of the 2 of us! 

(From My Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2008 on October 11th, 2008)

Smallville Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. ODYSSEY


My Thoughts:
The episodes with other superheroes has always been some of my favorite epiodes. And this one is no different. I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only do we get to see the Green Arrow, Black Canary and Aquaman again... but also The Martian Manhunter comes back as well.

My Rating:

2. PLASTIQUE


My Thoughts:
Another episode I really enjoyed! This is my second time seeing the episode (counting the orginal airing) and I was glued to my set watching it!

My Rating:

3. TOXIC
OLIVER QUEEN, poisoned and near death, recalls his first use of a bow and arrow. Is there someone whose lightning-like data-processing powers can find an antidote to the toxin? And will Tess also be a victim of the poison.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode. Though not quite as good as the previous two. I liked how they worked in somewhat of an origin story for the Green Arrow. showing how he got good with the bow and arrow.

My Rating:

4. INSTINCT
She's searching for a man who is her equal, Maxima, whose kiss is fatal to mortal men, arrives on Earth, looking for her KRYPTONIAN soul ,ate. She locks eyes on Jimmy, will they lock lips?

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this one quite a bit as well. It seems, going by this first disc, that I may be able to say that season 8 is going to be a better season then 7.

My Rating:

(From Smallville Marathon on January 18th, 2010)