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Near Dark, a review by KinkyCyborg

Near Dark



Title:Near Dark
Year: 1987
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Rating: NR
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Adrian Pasdar
Jenny Wright
Lance Henriksen (1940)
Bill Paxton
Jenette Goldstein

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
Deleted Scenes
Closed Captioned
THX


My first time watching this... how embarrassing. 

Not my most favorite vampire movie but I think it cracks my top 5.

What makes this movie great is it's simplicity. There is no shape shifting, no elaborate coffins, no lengthy history about how they came to be. These are just bloodthirsty, marauding vampires who are flying by the seat of their pants and despite their obvious strengths & advantages they are very much living life (death!) on the edge.

Lance Henriksen has always been a favorite of mine and it's great to see him in a meaningful role of yesteryear as he has now pretty much evolved into a STV (Straight To Video) whore. He is the cynical leader of the pack. Bill Paxton was phenomenal as a monster among monsters, stylish with a sense of humor.

Loved the bar scene as you knew what was coming as soon as they walked in. Reminded me of the restaurant scene in Natural Born Killers where a collection of strangers, victims of wrong place wrong time, wait for their deaths in muted horror and myself as the viewer all pumped up to see how it will play out.  I also liked the means for a cure of vampirism, again for how simplistic it was.

Interesting film from Bigelow as this is about as different in content and direction from Hurt Locker as it can possibly be but it presents to us an insightful evolution of a director's work.

Great stuff!

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on May 5th, 2011)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a review by Rogmeister

O Brother, Where Art Thou? 
Produced, Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Charles Dunning, John Goodman, Holly Hunter

Disenchanted with the daily drudge of crushing rocks on a prison farm in Mississippi, the dapper, silver-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) busts loose.  Except he's still shackled to his two chain-mates from the chain gang...bad-tempered Pete (John Turturro) and sweet, dimwitted Delman (Tim Blake Nelson).  With nothing to lose, and buried loot to regain...before it's lost forever in a flood...the three embark on the adventure of a lifetime...

I'm not sure, but I think O Brother, Where Art Thou? may have been the first film by the Coen Brothers that I saw in an actual theater...yeah, I can't believe I missed Fargo on the big screen, either.  This was a good first Coen film for me to see in a theater, though, because I thought it was quite hilarious at the time.  I'm not sure I find it quite as funny now, but it's still entertaining.  During their adventures, the chain-gang trio become popular singers so music (of a bluegrass style) is an important part of the picture, though I think you can still enjoy the movie without being a bluegrass fan.  I like bluegrass so that may have helped my enjoyment but I think most people will enjoy this film...it's just too wacky not to get at least a little bit of a kick out of it.  I also like the cast, especially George Clooney and Holly Hunter (who I never get tired of seeing). 

Extras on the DVD include the theatrical trailer, music video for "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", behind-the-scenes featurette and a look at the film's unique look titled "Painting With Pixels".

(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 22nd, 2009)

Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season, a review by addicted2dvd

Smallville: The Complete Eighth Season (2008/United States)

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Stars:
Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Erica Durance as Lois Lane
Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen
Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer
Sam Witwer as Davis Bloom
Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen

Extras:

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

This morning I have finished the 8th season of the series. This season I enjoyed a lot. I enjoyed how they did Doomsday in it. This season adds the character Tess Mercer. She is one that I can't say I really liked... but I didn't dislike her either. Pretty much a feeling of indifference.

Since I just watched Season 9 of this show the first week of this month (what prompted me to watch the series from the start again)... I really don't feel the need to watch it again now. But I have officially watched 9 seasons of Smallville in only one month!




(From Addicted2dvd's Random TV Series Watched on August 31st, 2011)