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Rest Stop: Don't Look Back , a review by addicted2dvd

Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (2008) Warner Home Video Director: Shawn Papazian Writing: John Shiban (Writer) Length: 89 min. Rating: Unrated Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

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Stars:
Kelly Albanese as Party Girl #1
Michael Childers as Father
Brionne Davis as The Driver
Edmund Entin as Twin #2
Gary Entin as Twin #1
Joey Mendicino as Jesse

Plot:
Unrated/Uncut terror ahead - don't miss the off-ramp! En route to Hollywood, runaway lovers Jess and Nicole make an unscheduled pit stop into the lair of a madman who has his ripping, slashing, drilling tools at the ready. Stop awhile, but don't expect rest as director John Shiban (writer/executive producer of Supernatural) keeps the shocks and twists coming in Rest Stop: Dead Ahead (Side A). There's no rest for the wicked as more unsuspecting young travelers exit into the killer's domain in Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (Side B). The roadtrippers are not alone. The roaming RV of living corpses is back, and the vengeance-seeking ghosts of Jesse and Nicole show up too!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

After watching the first part I figured I may as well watch part two as well and get this DVD complete out of my unwatched pile. This one I didn't care for quite as much as the first one. That could be because I didn't care for the one character in this one. The guy that went with them to search for Nicole and Jess... driving his own car. Other then that... not a bad movie. Like the first one... this one has a bit of decent gore... but not a whole lot. There is one alternate ending this time... which is not bad... but think they went with the right one once again. Over all.... nothing really great here... just an average horror movie.




(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unseen Horrors on July 24th, 2011)

Occupation, a review by Jon

Occupation

Three British soldiers who served together in Iraq, return to Basra for different reasons; one for love, one for money and the other believes he can help the stricken country. Over the next few years they are tested beyond breaking point.

Occupation is a BBC TV drama that has been shown in one hour episodes over the last three nights. It's a stark, human drama that happens to be set in Iraq. Unapologetically brutal, it is also strangely unassuming. Events unfold without embellishment. Shit happens? No, not really, it is far more measured and clever than just a simple tale of combat, and the characters have great depth. The plot doesn't hang about on any particular moment and sometimes jars as it jumps forward several months at a time, covering the bulk of the occupation over years, but this reinforces the sense of madness; nothing changes, nothing moves on, not really.

Often in reviews of Taxi Driver, it is described as a "circle of hell" in the tradition of Dante, and that is a perfect description of this story as the characters are tied to each other and the enigmatic, terrifying situation that is yet strangely comforting. The threads are straightforward, but twist together to cause consequence upon ironies, upon torments. As a drama it is superb and worth watching just to see how good TV can be, because it's hard to predict anything when the situation is always one step ahead ready to undo any sort of good intention. In a way, it's a kind of Karma, except nothing good happens.

Take the opening scene, where Mike (James Nesbitt) rescues a girl injured in a grenade attack. He becomes a hero, the image of him charging across the street with her in his arms is splashed across the papers. But he's immediately caught up in political manoeuvring: "you're the hero, but I could get fired", an aide tells him when warning him to keep his mouth shut about opinions on Iraq. Later he begins an affair with an Iraqi doctor (Lubna Azabal). It has it's sweet moments, but bloody hell, they come at a hefty price.

If you come into this looking for some kind of enlightened view of the occupation, or some answers, you won't get any. By the end, many characters seem to have this bewildered expression, where all the arguments have been ran dry, but they are still there and the country is still tearing itself apart. Each of the main three characters have a huge part to play in each episode, but it's possibly Stephen Graham's very last line that sums up the whole thing. All three gave spellbinding performances, but somehow his seems to have the most resonance in that one comment.

It's easily the best story I've yet seen about Iraq and one of the best war dramas, full stop. There is action and convincing battle sequences, but no show-boating, no manly brothers in arms, no wisecracking sergeant majors calling troops "numbnuts". It's real and essential. A tough watch, but I really hope you seek it out.

Trailer



(From Occupation on June 19th, 2009)

Smallville Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

EPISODE 5: THIRST
More than a one-bite stand? Lana unwittingly becomes part of a Met U. sorority of vampires. One condition of her membership: She must bring Clark in for a bitefest! Chloe joins the DAILY PLANET.

My Thoughts:
I LOVE this one! As I am sure most people know... I love vampire movies/shows.... So having a vampire episode in Smallville is awesome! As much as I love vampires... it is even better that the vampires are cute (if now annoying) Sorority Girls. LOL  And I just had to laugh at Clark in that Zorro costume for the Halloween party at the sorority house.

EPISODE 6: EXPOSED
Undercover. And under-dressed. Lois poses as a gentleman's club dancer to sleuth information about a murdered stripper who may have ties to Jonathan's longtime friend, Senator Jennings.

My Thoughts:
A decent episode... was cool to see Tom Wopat and John Schnider together again in this episode. And of course I liked seeing Lois going undercover at the strip club.... and we also get the first hint of Jonathan running for the Senate. But I don't think the episode came out as good as it could of.

EPISODE 7: SPLINTER
Mysterious messages taunt him. Friends betray him. A new kind of KRYPTONITE makes Clark paranoid...and dangerous. Prof. Fine reveals his origins. And Jonathan weighs a run for political office against Lex.

My Thoughts:
Another Decent episode... in this one Clark finds out about Professor Fine. And we get introduced to Silver Kryptonite now. I don't know... I like James Marsters... but I wasn't too thrilled with the Professor Fine episodes. They did bring the main story arc along... but the entertainment value wasn't as up there as it should have been.

EPISODE 8: SOLITUDE
A strange malady grips Martha - is JOR-EL attempting to collect her? Prof. Fine convinces Clark the only way to stop his biological father is to destroy the Fortress of Solitude. Trust him at you own peril, Clark!

My Thoughts:
A good episode... but not great. Clark finds out the whole truth about Professor Fine. Again the episode, although was good, I felt could have been better.

(From Smallville Marathon on August 11th, 2007)