DVD Collectors Online

American Ninja: The Confrontation, a review by Jon

American Ninja: The Confrontation **
2 out of 5

Joe and Curtis are assigned to an island where the local Marines are being kidnapped and there had been a rumour of Ninja involvement.


The first movie had a cool idea and got by on enthusiasm, if not talent. This is so bad it's hilarious. Steve James is really struggling now to look like he belongs in this rubbish and still gets the best lines. Michael Dudikoff is doing his thing and looks the part. The choreography was never fantastic, but aside from one or two moments, feels laboured. The enemy Ninjas are now little more than sparring partners in funny pajamas. I think the notion of what a Ninja actually is has been forgotten. Still, Dudikoff has some skills and the fights are always fun.

In a franchise (snigger) like this, you expect things to get repeated. So it's still a high class business man as the villain, trying to persuade others to buy into his diabolical scheme (genetically modified Ninja this time. Why? How do I know? It's just a great idea, so why not use it! ), while using a tamed Ninja master and his army for security. The last act is verbatim from the first film: Joe goes in alone, while Curtis gets tooled up, shouts his catchphrase ("Let's kick some ass!") and him and the marines ride in. James is always worth watching with his kiss-off lines to all the Ninjas.

But what makes this film very funny is the amount of little things that get repeated, even beyond the plot; they have a comedy sidekick called Charlie, who's different to the first Charlie! And their captain is nicknamed "Wild Bill", while in the first film he was Hickock! Brilliant. The only difference here is the guy who plays the Captain is the worst actor I have ever seen. Still has a by-the-book sergeant helping or hindering him, just like the first film.

It's just lazier overall, but funnier for it. For instance, you can see Dudikoff's stunt double as much as you can see Dudikoff! He's even used in an office scene!  I've tried to find it on YouTube, but no dice so far.

(From Jon's Random Reviews on August 8th, 2009)

Soul Survivors, a review by Rich

Title: Soul Survivors

Movie Count:23 
TV Ep. Count:15 

Runtime:86
Certificate:R
Year:2001
Genres:Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Plot:After a night of partying, college freshman Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) and her friends are involved in a bloody car accident that turns into a horrifying tale of the supernatural. Overwhelmed by startling hallucinations, Cassie's grip on reality slips further as she begins a desperate race against time to learn who her real friends are, who wants her dead, and who will be the Soul Survivor.

My Review:
Fairly unoriginal and clichéd, but not the worst of its ilk. Think final destination and I know what you did last summer, and it fits squarely in that stable of genre.
Pretty good production, reasonable teen friendly cast, sensible pace and undramatic portrayal, the film is easy to watch with very little blood letting and more intelligent psychological challenges. The ending is too predictable, and some parts are handled clumsily, with elements of the script just too improbable to be believable.
Average movie worth watching, but truthfully not worth recommending as a purchase.




(From Rich's October Horror Fest on October 20th, 2009)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Bollywood Hero (2009/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Anchor Bay Entertainment (United States) Director: Writing: Length: 167 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English

---

Stars:


Plot:SLUMDOG MILLIONAIREExtras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Scene Access

Chris Kattan is sick of being passed on lead roles, he decides to take the offer of being the lead in a Bollywood production. This three episodes series was fun to watch. A good balance between culture clash and rom-com.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on May 21st, 2011)