DVD Collectors Online

Loaded Weapon 1, a review by Tom

Title: Loaded Weapon 1
Year: 1993
Director: Gene Quintano
Rating: PG
Length: 79 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Emilio Estevez
Samuel L. Jackson
Jon Lovitz
Tim Curry
Kathy Ireland

Plot:
L.A. is a real jungle these days: the cops have just got to make sure that they're not eaten alive!

Down on mean street, USA, the cops put chalk outlines on the sidewalk before the homicide has been committed - and bad guys with more than 10 misdemeanours to their name pay their debt to society with a VISA card!

Thank heaven for ace detectives Wes Luger (Samuel L. Jackson) and Jack Colt (Emilio Estevez) who are out there pitching for the forces of law and order. Colt's a go-getter and his inner strength comes from his famous "Breakfast of Champions", a blend of chocolate syrup, Jack Daniels and Budweiser. Luger, on the other hand, has seen it all before. He's a by-the-book veteran, due to retire in four days.

But when the Wilderness Cookie Murder Case breaks, they'll need to put their heads together, especially when they come up against intellectual sociopath, Dr. Hannibal Leacher (F. Murray Abraham)!

Extras:
Scene Access

I thought this Lethal Weapon parody is a nice conclusion to this marathon. I had to wait a little to watch it, because my brother wanted to watch it with me.
Though a lot of jokes fall flat, there were enough to make me smile a few times. I haven't watched this movie for a while, so I got a few surprise cameos.
With the Bruce Willis cameo (as John McClane), I had the feeling though that this scene was originally written for Mel Gibson's Riggs. I imagined, that after the trailer got destroyed by the helicopter (similar as in the Lethal Weapon movies), that Riggs emerged from the debris to point out that they got the wrong trailer.

Rating:

(From Lethal Weapon Marathon on June 27th, 2009)

Crossing Over, a review by 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


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:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on January 9th, 2011)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Accidentally Chloe has been transported to the Arctic where the united stones have just built the "Fortress of Solitude" for Clark. Clark is allowed to rescue her and to fight a new enemy that has arrived with the meteor shower but he has to return until sunset. Meanwhile Lana and Lex meet these newcomers.

My Opinion: Sure, they were lazy, but I still thought that it was too easy for Clark to get rid of those two(!) Kryptonians. I really would have liked a scenario where Lana wouldn't have been knocked out and would have witnessed the entire scene (with or without Clark's knowlegde). But maybe the writers thought it to be too soon to let yet another person in on Clark's secret.
I wonder - if this were for real - whether Chloe and Clark have recapitulated their past, unfolding all the events where only Clark knew the whole truth, or if he told her that she already knew his secret (Rush).

Synopsis: Three patients can escape from Belle Reve and they take Lana, Martha and Jonathan hostage. They force Clark - who has lost his powers because he disobeyed his father - to break into LuthorCorp and steal an experimental Kryptonite-based drug. In the past this wouldn't have been much of a problem, but this time it turns out to be a good thing that he doesn't have his powers.

My Opinion: It's always funny to hear Clark saying, that he's not to keen with heights. I also liked the comparison of Pete and Chloe in their role as "sidekick".
But I also think, that the concept of "Belle Reve" and Lex's influence there is a bit of a plot hole. Lex may not believe one particular loony in there but if he really has spoken with a few of them and promised them something and they would have told him all the same story about Clark Kent's abilities (and there are quite a few in there that could tell such a story) then he wouldn't need to resort to such crude investigation methods - especially when he adds his own experiences with Clark.

Synopsis: Clark is still human and he and Lana have slept together and are very happy. Can it get any better?
In 60 minutes Smallville gets nuked and Clark lies in the hospital, dying from a gunshot wound. Can it get any worse?

My Opinion: Lionel takes up the role of Jor-El. In a weird way, Lex and Clark are now actually brothers. This episode marks the climax (pun intended) of Clark's and Lana's relationship. From now on it will go downhill.
What's even more interesting about this episode, are the discussions on the internet about it. For example, people were seriously offended that he didn't tell her about his true nature before they were sleeping together, because he is an alien. There were sentences like "If Lana were my child I would want to know that she's sleeping with an alien.".

Synopsis: Lois is back in Smallville and she moves back to the farm. On a warm sunny day she, Chloe, Lana and Clark go swimming in the Crater Lake. Suddenly Lois nearly drowns and gets rescued - by Arthur "AC" Curry. AC can swim fast, even faster than Clark. But his motive to be in Smallville is not to rescue drowning girls but to save the oceans from a terrible weapon, created by LuthorCorp.

My Opinion: After the events in Arrival Lex has gone into full defense mode. It's pretty ironic that he who wants to defend this planet from aliens will become the planet's greatest threat by the end of the season.
I really liked the appearance of "Aquaman" and the hints they implanted in the script, especially when AC proposes the foundation of a "Junior Lifeguard Association" and Clark replies that he isn't ready for the JLA yet.
And Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs, he looked pale in comparison to Alan Ritchson (AC) and he is supposed to be Superman.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 8th, 2008)