DVD Collectors Online

Screamers, a review by KinkyCyborg

Title:Screamers
Year: 1995
Director: Christian Duguay
Rating: R
Length: 108 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Peter Weller
Roy Dupuis
Jennifer Rubin
Andrew Lauer
Charles Powell

Plot:
The year is 2078.

The man is rebel Alliance Commander Col. Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller), assigned to protect the Sirius 6B outpost from ravage and plunder at the hands of the New Economic Bloc.

His state-of-the-art weaponry are known as Screamers; manmade killing devices programmed to eliminate all enemy life forms. Screamers travel underground; their intent to kill announced by earpiercing shrieks. They dissect their victims with sushi precision, then eradicate all traces of the carnage. They are lethal. Effective. Tidy.

And, somehow, they are mutating -- self-replicating into human form -- and slaughtering every beating heart on the planet.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Closed Captioned


First time watching this and I thought it was one of the better sci-fi flicks I've seen. Peter Weller was great. This had excellent franchise potential but it took 15 years before a sequel appeared and although I haven't watched it yet, I hear it sucks.  Too bad really... I think this could have rivaled the Alien franchise.

KC


Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on August 28th, 2010)

The Cincinnati Kid, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Cincinnati Kid



Title:The Cincinnati Kid
Year: 1965
Director: Norman Jewison
Rating: NR
Length: 102 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Steve McQueen (1930)
Edward G. Robinson
Ann-Margret
Karl Malden
Tuesday Weld

Plot:
A few words for anyone who sits at the poker table with the Kid: Read 'em and weep.

Steve McQueen brings his cool fire to the role of the Cincinnati Kid, a small-timer eager to take his chances in high-stakes poker. He gets his chance. Regal, ruthless Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson), the elite gambler called the Man, accepts the Kid's challenge. Norman Jewison (In The Heat Of The Night, Moonstruck) directs this taut exploration of back-room gaming, building suspense with each turn of a card. And Ann-Margaret, Karl Malden, Rip Torn, National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress Award winner Joan Blondell and many more comprise a full house of talent. Grab a chair and ante up.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned


Absolutely loved this movie! Great story that some would perhaps draw comparisons with The Hustler... and chock full of great performances.

Steve McQueen, one of the coolest actors who ever lived was great, confident and exuberant in his quest to become The Man when it comes to stud poker. McQueen mastered the look of annoyance in his facial expressions and he employs it often in The Cincinnati Kid.

Edward G. Robinson is Lancey Howard who holds the current title of 'The Man', aged, wizened and unflappable. He's seen it all. I thought he gave a grand and dignified performance. Karl Malden plays Shooter, the troubled friend of The Kid and card dealer of the ill-fated final game. He was stellar as well.

I was utterly shocked to see an almost indistinguishable Rip Torn, just a young pup, playing the scoundrel Slade, a heavy trying to lean on Shooter to fix the game. Quite an unseemly role when compared to most of his crazed comedic roles he is mostly known for today.

Finally I've never been a huge fan of Ann-Margaret as I find she is only a marginal actress at best but I have to admit that she is stunningly sexy in this movie as Shooter's temptress wife Melba. She used that coy, inviting smile of hers to full advantage here.

While the movie took the turn I was expecting during the huge game I was surprised to see the movie abruptly end afterward. I was fully expecting a huge comeback in the form of a rematch but instead it ended, which while surprising, it was not disappointing. It concluded with a satisfying lesson in humility.

Five stars!!!

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on August 14th, 2011)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season marathon, a review by Tom

3. The Turk (2008-01-21)
Writer: Josh Friedman (Created By), John Wirth (Writer), James Cameron (Original Characters By), Gale Anne Hurd (Original Characters By)
Director: Paul Edwards
Cast: Lena Headey (Sarah Connor), Thomas Dekker (John Connor), Summer Glau (Cameron), Richard T. Jones (Agent James Ellison), Brendan Hines (Andy Goode), Jesse Garcia (Carlos), Adam Godley (The Scientist), Bernard White (Sarah's Doctor), Charlayne Woodard (Terissa Dyson), Kristina Apgar (Cheri Westin), Catherine Dent (Agent Greta Simpson), Alessandra Torresani (Jordan), Floriana Lima (Franny), David Ortiz (Guy #1), Sabrina Perez (Chola), Keith Pillow (Mr. Bianchi), Bashir Salahuddin (Security Guard - School), Tiya Sircar (Zoey), Cameron Van Hoy (Guy #2)

I like the school scenes. And that they did not heroicly save the girl from suicide. If they would have done that, the show would have probably become a "problem at school"-of-the-week kind of show.
But I still hate the storyline, where the Terminator is organizing his new skin: Give a scientist a formula and he will grow you a new body in a day.
Instead this ridiculous storyline, it would have been better to just let the change of the actor be unexplained. Changes in cast between the pilot and a series are not that uncommon and would have been tolerable to have this unexplained.

Rating:

(From Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season marathon on January 13th, 2009)