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Simpatico, a review by Rich

Simpatico



Vincent (NICK NOLTE) and Lyle (JEFF BRIDGES) were once the best of friends - training thoroughbred horses in 1970's California, tearing up the highway in a '58 Buick, spending nights around a campfire, dreaming about the future. Seduced by the highstakes world of horseracing, they plan the perfect scam. In the process, they destroy an innocent man's life and the friendship of a lifetime.
Twenty years later, Carter is the multi-millionaire owner of a Kentucky horse farm while Vinnie is a down-and-out deluded barfly living on the edge in California. The time has come, in Vinnie's mind, to settle the score.
Tricking Carter into travelling back to California, Vinnie sets off for Kentucky to ruin Carter and his wife (SHARON STONE) and offer restitution to Simms (ALBERT FINNEY), the man whose life was destroyed all those many years ago.

Very disjointed, contrived and purposeless film, despite an enviable cast list, you feel little sympathy for the characters and it all feels very awkward. The leads have little chemistry together and are generally unconvincing, the plot becomes ludicrous as it searches for entertainment, and the most unfulfilling ending imaginable is coughed up.
Perhaps the only interesting part of the film is watching Nolte clean himself up in a suit, and Bridges's decline to drink and a vest, a real role reversal.
Keeners role as the messenger in particular was unbelievable, seriously is anyone really that stupid?
I read this was adapted from a play, one can only be grateful we were not subjected to this on a stage!
   

**Catherine Keener mini-marathon


(From Riches Random Reviews on August 30th, 2009)

Near Dark, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Near Dark
Year: 1987
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Rating: R
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DTS 5.1, English: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Adrian Pasdar as Caleb
Jenny Wright as Mae
Lance Henriksen as Jesse
Bill Paxton as Severen
Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback

Plot:
In the dusty heart of the American southwest, innocent country boy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar of MYSTERIOUS WAYS) is seduced by a beautiful girl (Jenny Wright) into joining a roving pack of vicious drifters led by the enigmatic Jesse (Lance Henriksen of THE TERMINATOR and ALIENS). But this is no ordinary band of outlaws; Caleb is now trapped in a nightmare of soulless evil that waits in the shadows, hellish mayhem that thrives on blood and absolute horror that begins NEAR DARK.

Bill Paxton (TWISTER) and Jenette Goldstein (ALIENS) co-star in this extraordinary shocker co-written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (STRANGE DAYS) that Entertainment Weekly calls "ultrastylish, ultraviolent and altogether brilliant." This is more than simply the most ferociously original vampire movie of our generation; NEAR DARK is one of the best horror movies of all time.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
Production Notes
DVD-ROM Content
Closed Captioned
THX

My Thoughts:
I thought I would start this marathon with one of my favorite vampire movies. This is a movie that has seemed to fly in under the radar for most people. I discovered it while I was working as a manager of the local video store.... and everyone I ever suggested it to never even heard of it. But yet of the MANY people that took a chance on this movie because of my recommendation... I don't remember ever hearing bad feedback. As far as I remember everyone enjoyed it!

One of the things I like about this movie is that even though while watching it there is no doubt in your mind this is a vampire movie... they never once use the word vampire in the movie... and you never once see a set of fangs.  Another thing I like in this movie is the awesome bar fight scene. I have seen a few bar fight scenes in horror movies... and this is one of the best. Then you have the added bonus that one of the stars of this movie is Lance Henrikson.... a great genre actor.

Needless to say I was thrilled when I first heard this movie was coming out on DVD. I pre-ordered the title as soon as I was able to. And even better was the fact that the release is a 2-disc edition with a nice selection of extras. If you never seen this under-rated movie... I urge you to give it a chance... I really don't think you will be sorry.



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Vampires on February 5th, 2010)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Diff'rent Strokes
"Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?"
When pint sized Gary Coleman uttered that phrase to his TV brother, played by Todd Bridges, audiences were hooked and a star was born. But the show's popularity was based on more then the rise of the diminutive, wisecracking Coleman. DIFF'RENT STROKES was a pop culture phenomenon that broke through cultural barriers as well.

The story of two African-American kids from Harlem who move to Park Avenue with a wealthy white widower (Conrad Bains) and his precocious teen daughter (Dana Plato) not only gave audiences lots to laugh about but gave them something to talk about. Along with their no-nonsense housekeeper (Charlotte Rae), this group was anything but average - but they reflected the changing face of the American family and brought issues of race asn class into households across the nation.

Finally available on DVD, this three-disc set collects all 24 episodes from the hilarious first season. Now you can experiance all the fun of DIFF'RENT STROKES again!

Movin' In
Wealthy widower Phillip Drummond welcomes his late housekeeper's young sons into his lavish penthouse and is surprised when he finds them trying to sneak back to Harlem.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun '70s/'80s sitcom. It is a series I would continue to collect if I could get the season sets cheap... but unfortunately they never went any further then season 2.  I like how this first season has the character of Mrs. Garrett as the housekeeper... before she left to be in the series spin-off The Facts of Life.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on December 28th, 2009)