DVD Collectors Online

Rambo, a review by Jon

Rambo ***
3 out of 5

I tend to be cynical about Stallone. Once again he is crapping on earlier movies, insinuating in interviews that Rambo 3 (or even 2) is not what he intended in retrospect. Well, he wrote them, they made the character an icon, and he was always capable of more realism should he have chosen to do so. Strange he manages to do that now when his career was all but over. (see also, Rocky Balboa). He could never have made this, 20 years on, if the sequels hadn't been as dumb fun as they were.

But this is being picky, because right now, we have a pretty good movie in Rambo, that feels more like the first in terms of character, and brings him full circle. It also opens up the debate on screen violence. He was going for realism, but bloody hell this is violent! Rambo for the Hostel generation?

Maybe, but it is only the same realism we've seen in Saving Private Ryan, etc. What is making critics uncomfortable, leading them to call this "offensive", is that Rambo is first and foremost entertainment. Personally, the only problem I have with it is that it may alienate an audience who would otherwise enjoy this outing, but to call it offensive is a serious case of double-standards. Stallone never treats life as a cheap commodity here. He's dialled the character back to the self-loathing monk of First Blood and it emphasises the massive body count as a tragic consequence, not a score-sheet, unlike other action films.

Also, it's easy to be critical, but in choosing Burma he is lifting the lid slightly on an horrendous situation that is relatively unknown. So if the average guy watches this, cheering on the hero has he treats endless enemy soldiers like giant water balloons filled with gore, then makes a connection while watching the news reports about Karen rebels or Aung San Suu Kyi, then that's a worthwhile first step, surely.

Back on the pure entertainment front, I haven't bothered to go on about the plot, because you already know if you have half-a-chance of liking it! Suffice to say, I have nothing against a part 5. Stallone still looks convincing even at 60+! There was an abandoned idea for this outing that could still work, just so long as he doesn't get too successful in the meantime. The successful Sly Stallone can't write for shit.

(From Jon's Random Reviews on July 24th, 2009)

Quicksilver Highway, a review by addicted2dvd

Quicksilver Highway
He is a collector of rare objects and dark tales, riding the back roads in search of the black heart of America. For him, there is no light without darkness, no life without death. His name is Aaron Quicksilver (Christopher Lloyd) and he has two horrific tales to share...

In "Chattery Teeth" by Stephen King, a traveling salesman (Raphael Sbarge of THE GUARDIAN) picks up both a psychotic hitchhiker and a strange novelty toy for a drive home that leads straight to Hell. In "The Body Politic" by Clive Barker, a plastic surgeon (Matt Frewer of DAWN OF THE DEAD) must fight back when his hands develop a homicidal mind of their own and lead a rebellion of severed extremities. Bill Nunn (SPIDER-MAN) and Veronica Cartwright (ALIEN) co-star in this gruesome double chiller from Mick Garris, the director of the Stephen King miniseries THE STAND, THE SHINING and DESPERATION.

My Thoughts:
As most of you know... I love anthology horrors. This one is a TV Movie that unfortunately only had 2 stories within the movie. Other then, of course, the wraparound story. This really isn't the best anthology horror I ever seen... but it isn't that bad either. It is definitely worth seeing. One thing that this one does that I haven't seen on other anthology horrors.  There is a different wrap-around story for each of the two main stories. The first story is told to a newlywed woman that is stranded on the highway while waiting for her husband to return with a new tire. The second story is told to a skeptic visitor to Aaron Quicksilver's little tent of horrors. I thought this added to the story more then telling both stories to the same person does. As for which story did I enjoy more? That is a pretty close call. But I would probably say the second one about the hands.


Trailer:
http://en.dtrailer.com/movies/watch/quicksilver-highway

(From Movie Marathon on March 15th, 2009)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: The New Original Wonder Woman
Year: 1975
Director: Leonard Horn
Rating:
Length: 74 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Lynda Carter
Lyle Waggoner
John Randolph
Red Buttons
Stella Stevens

Plot:
After a dogfight with a Nazi plane, U.S. Air Force Steve Trevor crashlands on an uncharted island in the Bermuda Triangle. Paradise Island is inhabited only by women, and their existence has been kept a secret for thousands of years. Learning of the Nazi threat to humanity, the Amazon princess, Diana, is chosen to accompany Trevor back to the United States to battle the Third Reich. Garbed in a skimpy red, white & blue costume and armed with a magic lasso that forces anyone within its grasp to tell the truth, Diana uses her powers as Wonder Woman to battle the forces of evil.

Extras:
Commentary
Scene Access

After watching the recent Wonder Woman movie I had the urge to watch this TV movie, which served as the pilot of the series, again. Although rather campy, it is a fun Wonder Woman movie. Lynda Carter is perfect in the role, and anyone taking on the role in the future has big shoes to fill.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 12th, 2009)