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Bionic Showdown, a review by addicted2dvd

Bionic Showdown (1989/United States) IMDb |Trailer | Director: Alan J. Levi Writing: Michael Sloan (Screenwriter), Brock Choy (Screenwriter) Length: 92 min. Rating: NR Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

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Stars:
Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers
Lee Majors as Col. Steve Austin
Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman
Sandra Bullock as Kate Mason
Jeff Yagher as Jim Goldman
Martin E. Brooks as Dr. Rudy Wells

Plot:
A bionic spy steals top-secret information from the Pentagon and Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers are put under suspicion. Meanwhile, Dr. Rudy Wells completes his latest Bionic project Kate Mason (Sandra Bullock), a former paraplegic who receives cybernetic implants that make her the strongest fastest woman alive. When Oscar Goldman is kidnapped by enemy agents, it's up to Jaime, Steve and Kate to save him and stop the Bionic spy from causing an international incident at the World Unity Games.

Extras:

• Scene Access

This is a DVD I made off of an old home recording... so unfortunately while watchable... the video left a little to be desired. In this TV movie Sandra Bullock plays Kate... the newest Bionic Woman. Of course at the time this was made I had no idea who Sandra Bullock was. But I do remember that even then I was impressed with her. I have been a fan of both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman since they originally aired. So I really enjoyed every moment of this reunion movie. Matter of fact it is actually my favorite of all the bionic reunion movies. One I have watched many times already since making my DVD last year.




(From Celebrity of the Week Marathon: Sandra Bullock on July 24th, 2012)

Le Quattro Volte, a review by Danae Cassandra

Le Quattro Volte
Year of Release: 2010
Directed By: Michelangelo Frammartino
Starring: Giuseppe Fuda
Genre: Director

Overview:
Le Quattro Volte (The Four Times) is an ineffably beautiful meditation on the mysterious cycles of life.  Set in Italy's mountainous region of Calabria, it traces the path of one goat herder's soul, as it passes from human to animal to vegetable to mineral.  Director Michelangelo Frammartino was inspired by Pythagoras' belief in "four-fold transmigration" of souls, but his film is far more physical than philosophical.  In gorgeous long takes, he captures the daily routines of the herder, a baby goat, an imperious tree and a humble charcoal kiln.  Plus there is a scene-stealing cameo from a stubborn sheep dog, who hilariously interrupts an Easter Procession.  Working as both a spiritual investigation and a documentary of Calabrian life, Le Quattro Volte's placid surface hids a complex understanding of humanity.  Everything is connected in Frammartino's sublimely mystical universe in which he finds both humor and pathos in the hypnotic rhythms of everyday life.

My Thoughts:
A meditation on the interconnectedness of life and death; of men, animals, plants, and minerals; of the natural world and the civilized world; of one soul to another. It's as much philosophy and poetry as film, and its questions and message are universal. There is a deep empathy and understanding for all life.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From March Around the World 2016 on March 29th, 2016)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: During his stay at the Utopia Planitia ship yards (prior to his assignment to DS9), Sisko has helped designing and building a ship whose sole purpose was to fight the Borg: The Defiant. It's over-powered and over-gunned for a ship this size but now DS9 needs it. And the feature list has been updated. In the hope to find the Founders of the Dominion without having to engage in battle the Defiant has got a cloaking system - sponsored by the Romulan Empire. Sisko hopes to contact the Founders and show them that the Federation is no enemy of them.

My Opinion: From a diplomatic and tactical POV this was a stupid idea. If you'd want to negotiate with the leaders of an enemy force, would you take your biggest gunship and try to sneak into enemy territory? It would be like taking a B-2 Spirit, landing it on the Red Square and trying to talk to Khrushchev. But I liked the general idea of the Defiant from the beginning. The Star Trekian universe has never been a very peaceful one and the Federation is surrounded mostly by hostile forces. I wonder how many Starfleet ships have been destroyed in the cardassian border wars because they weren't really equipped to fight in a war.

Synopsis: Unfortunately the cloaking system didn't help in the end and when the crew returns to DS9, the Vorta are already there and they negotiate with Starfleet. But Sisko and the others become more and more uneasy because of where these negotiations are going. Meanwhile Kira and Odo are still in the GQ because Odo has finally found his people.

My Opinion:Synopsis: A drunken Klingon attacks Quark in his bar but accidentally kills himself. But Quark tells a story how he heroically killed the warrior in a battle of life and death. And ironically, some Klingons actually want that he sticks to that story, although for different reasons. And suddenly Quark finds himself as the head of a klingon house.

My Opinion: I loved this episode. Quark and Grillka were great together and the clashing of ferengi and klingon culture was also fun to watch. But divorce seems to be painful. And it was nice to see chancellor Gowron again although I have to admit the more klingon episodes I watch the less I can wait for Martok to make his appearance.

Synopsis: Dax begins to behave irrationally and aggressively. Additionally she has hallucinations. Bashir fears that the symbiosis is breaking apart and that they may lose Jadzia. Sisko and Bashir return with her to Trill but the mystery is getting bigger instead of being solved. Something isn't right with one of Dax's previous hosts.

My Opinion: This was an average episode. The 'revelation' wasn't that interesting and the episode hadn't much plot at all.

(From Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Marathon on October 18th, 2008)