All Film Reviews

Spies, Fast Guns, and the Spaghetti Western. Two films by the people that brought you A Pistol For Ringo and Return of Ringo. For the first time both films are 16x9 anamorphic English language. Alive or Preferably Dead: Starring Giuliano Gemma and Nino Benvenuti, the European Light Middleweight Champion. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: Starring Giuliano Gema, George Martin and the rest of the cast of the Ringo films.

A story of a tribe of Amazons in the age of swords and chariots. The film opens with the tribe holding physical contests to select a new queen. Since there are no men in the tribe, they hire men from another nation once a year. After the queen is crowned, the Amazons go to meet a group of Greek soldiers for their annual mating. The king of the Greeks pretends to be a captain and has sex with the queen. Much to the queen's dismay, she quite enjoys having sex with a man. The king recommends to the queen a certain way back home, not knowing there is another tribe of male warriors waiting in ambush. On the way back to their homes, the Amazons are attacked, and they drive off the men. Once home, they decide to pillage the villages of the tribe that ambushed them. The queen bears a male child, who she thinks is left out to die, as male children are not wanted by the Amazons. The queen arranges for another meeting with the Greeks to mate again and also kill them in revenge for their ...

Now that Predator 3D has been released, I thought a brief update to this review might be useful.

I was surprised at the quality of the 3D conversion, given that it used the automated JVC Fox workstation that was used for Jumper 3D and I, Robot 3D. The process costs about a third of what a typical catalog 3D conversion costs and can be done with about 3 people in 3 months. In contrast, Titanic took hundreds of people over a year to convert.

The slow rate of adoption of 3D has been attributed, in part, to the lack of available content. Fox Home Entertainment with JVC developed a business model using automated equipment that allowed the 3D conversion of catalog movies profitably.
I was doubtful that they would be successful in this after watching 3D clips of I, Robot shortly after it was released. I changed my mind after purchasing and watching Predator 3D.

A lot of kung fu film fans have no doubt eagerly been awaiting Vivendi's line of Dragon Dynasty Blu's. Unfortunately, if The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is any indication of what's in store down the line, Vivendi has drastically underestimated the tolerance level of high definition aficionados. Somewhat unbelievably, this is a 1080i transfer, which in and of itself isn't horrible, except that the source elements of this ShawScope (OAR 2.39:1) film vary widely in consistency, and combing artifacts do rear their ugly heads from time to time. Colors (especially reds) bloom repeatedly, leaving large swaths of the screen seeming to literally bleed outside the lines of their colored objects. Even worse, the final 15 minutes or so of the film undergo a rather substantial quality change, with inconsistent contrast and an overall yellow sheen. The entire film in fact looks rather soft, and while some may be excited enough with an anamorphically enhanced Blu that at least isn't downright horrible, my hunch is the more shall we say persnickety videophiles are going to be really, really disappointed with this effort, especially for a film which is so widely beloved. Is it better than a standard def DVD? Probably--a little. Though the fact that I'm even asking that question should be warning enough that there's not enough of a difference here to even really mention.

After a major shipment of drugs goes missing on the US-Canadian border, forest ranger and former Navy SEAL Henry is plunged into survival mode when the drug cartel forces him to help retrieve the downed package. Trapped in the wilderness with no communication to the outside world, Henry finds himself face to face with Clay, a man with a personal vendetta against Henry who has returned for retribution. Now, the two mortal enemies must make a choice: put aside their past and work together, or die alone at the hands of the drug runners, a ruthless gang who will stop at nothing to retrieve their lost cargo.

Bare skin and steel bars are the two key ingredients in this sleazy three-movie collection featuring THE BIG BIRD CAGE, THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, and WOMEN IN CAGES.

Product Details
Number of Discs: 2
Rating: R (MPAA)
UPC: 826663125504

When a New York reporter plucks crocodile hunter Dundee from the Australian Outback for a visit to the Big Apple, it's a clash of cultures and a recipe for good-natured comedy as naïve Dundee negotiates the concrete jungle. Dundee proves that his instincts are quite useful in the city and adeptly handles everything from wily muggers to high-society snoots without breaking a sweat.

Aliens land in South Africa and have no way home. Years later after living in a slum and wearing out their welcome the "Non-Humans" are being moved to a new tent city overseen by Multi-National United (MNU). The movie follows an MNU employee tasked with leading the relocation and his relationship with one of the alien leaders.When i first saw the comercals for district 9 i thought it looked like just another stupid movie that people would only think was good because of the action. In other words I thoght the plot would suck, but boy was I wrong the whole thing looked like a real documentary and it managed to involve aliens and not be completly cheesey and that can be a tough thing to do. And there was still great action they had the perfect amount of it. And just to think the only reason I saw it was because my friends were talking about it non stop well I thank them because District 9 has a shot at movie of the year it is already no dought the best Sci-Fi movie ever even above star wars. And this is last thing im going to say because if I say anymore I might give something away, Disrict 9 is so much diffrent they you would think from the comercals not that they were bad. In conclusion Movie Mike gives District 9 a 3.5.

At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is in a state of collapse. Unemployment is endemic and school violence is out of control. The beleaguered government retaliates with Battle Royale... Each year, a randomly chosen class is pitted against itself on an abandoned island in a cruel game of survival. The rules of the game are simple: 1) it lasts three days; 2) Each player starts with food, water and a "weapon"; 3) if more than one player survives, everyone dies (by detonating special electronic necklaces; 4) there is no escape. As the game progresses, terror and panic challenge the students' fragile trust in each other. But despite the game's brutality, the adolescent players remain obsessed with their crushes, their petty grudges - and their dreams...

Set in 79 A.D., POMPEII tells the epic story of Milo, a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.

The film revolves around a local street-racer who partners with a rich and arrogant business associate, only to find himself framed by his colleague and sent to prison. After he gets out, he joins a New York-to-Los Angeles race to get revenge. But when the ex-partner learns of the scheme, he puts a massive bounty on the racer's head, forcing him to run a cross-country gauntlet of illegal racers in all manner of supercharged vehicles.

Despite their different family backgrounds, four friends grew up together in the wearisome years of the 70s. But as time goes by, each of them takes a different life paths. After enrolling in college, Sang-taek and Jung-ho return to visit Dong-su(Jang Dong-Geon) and Jun-seok(Yu Oh-Seong), only to find one of them in jail and the other on drugs. Slowly life take difficult turns where friends become rivals in the crime world...

Also Known As:	Memory Island, Those Were the Days, Chin Goo
Director:	Gwak Gyeong-Taek
Country of Origin:	South Korea
Genre:	Drama, Action
Language:	Korean
Subtitles:	Korean
Sound:	DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Release Date:	Feb 24, 2014
Publisher:	Contents Zone
Product Made In:	South Korea
Aspect Ratio:	1.85:1
Case:	Lenticular

Region Code: A, NTSC
 Special Features:
- Audio Commentaries
- Interviews
- Behind the Story
- Location
- Dialect
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Marketing
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot

ZULU DAWN (Blu-ray/DVD Combo 2-Disc Set)

Directed By: Douglas Hickox Starring: Burt Lancaster, Peter O’Toole, Bob Hoskins, Simon Ward, Sir John Mills Studio: Severin Films Release Date: February 12, 2013 Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, Simon Ward, Bob Hoskins and Sir John Mills lead an all-star cast in the shocking true story of the bloody Battle of Isandhlwana: In January 1879, arrogant officials of the British colony of Natal, Africa issued a list of unauthorized ultimatums to the Zulu Nation. When the Zulu King refused their demands, the Empire declared war. And in a series of grave tactical blunders, a garrison of 1,500 British soldiers faced an army of 25,000 enraged Zulu warriors in what would become the most horrifying disaster in British military history. Nigel Davenport (CHARIOTS OF FIRE), Denholm Elliott (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), Phil Daniels (QUADROPHENIA) and 13,000 actual Zulus co-star in this acclaimed prequel to the classic ZULU, now packed with exclusive Bonus Features, fully restored to its correct aspect ratio, and re-mastered in stunning HD for the first time ever in America. 1979 / 113 mins. / Action-Adventure / Color / Not Rated / 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen / Region A / English / Dolby Digital SPECIAL FEATURES: - The History of the Zulu Wars - Exclusive New Featurette with Zulu Rising Author Ian Knight and Historical Advisor Midge Carter - Recreating The War - Exclusive New Interview with Historical Advisor Midge Carter - A Visit to The Battlefield - Exclusive New Featurette Where Ian Knight Visits the Location of the Infamous Battle Of Isandhlwana - Theatrical Trailer - Photo Gallery - Fact Files - Filmographies

BIG BAD MAMA / BIG BAD MAMA II

Directed By: Steve Carver, Jim Wynorski
Starring: Angie Dickinson, Tom Skerritt, William Shatner, Robert Culp, Bruce Glover
Studio: Shout! Factory

After begging for money for months and finally (somehow) ending up with a bloated budget of $30,000,000 to remake a film that originally cost $3,000,000, Spike Lee just swindled a whole lot of people to produce a lazy remake that ended up being a total flop at the box office. There really isn't much more to say about Spike Lee's remake of the classic Korean film "Oldboy," other than the fact that it is a pathetic attempt at a cash grab and the completely unnecessary "Americanization" of a modern foreign classic. This film makes light of the dark and haunting story of Oldboy and even makes some parts that should have been dark and gut-wrenching unintentionally funny. The whole film feels like a goofball attempt to remake Oldboy in terms that a western audience would enjoy, seeing as how the original Oldboy was probably too smart for most western audiences in the first place with its subtlety and a visceral, unflinching script.
As much as I enjoy watching Josh Brolin as an actor, he is barely passable in this film. Brolin barely captures Min-Sik Choi's dark performance in the original. The supporting cast, even with phenomenal actors like Sharlto Copley and Sam Jackson, this film felt lifeless, boring, and an insult to Chan-Wook Park.

In my opinion, this Anchor Bay box set is by far one of the major DVD releases of the year 2002. These DVDs let us rediscover four italian movies directed in the seventies and unfortunately half forgotten nowadays. They belong to a peculiar genre the "giallo", a genre whose prominent figures are or were, until this release came out, Mario Bava and Dario Argento.
Two of these movies are masterpieces, SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS and WHO SAW HER DIE ?, both directed by Aldo Lado. The first one is more a mystery thriller than a pure giallo with his hero Jean Sorel, left for dead in the pragian morgue and trying to remember what has happened to him while the doctors prepare his autopsy. Really frightening, a movie that creates the same terror in you than another masterpiece of the genre : George Sluizer's THE VANISHING.
WHO SAW HER DIE ? is a movie shot entirely in Venice, Italy with a haunting musical score by Ennio Morricone. The uneasiness you feel during the movie is greatly increased by the fact that the killer's main victim is a child who's the main character of WHO SAW HER DIE ? during the first 20 minutes of the film. Terrifying.

A woman called ‘The Bride’ kills another woman called Vernita Green in her house and ticks her off a list. The Bride was once a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, elite assassins under the employ of Bill. Flashing back, she lies badly wounded at her wedding, telling Bill that she is carrying his baby as Bill shoots her in the head. She miraculously survives the headshot, but is left comatose for four years. When she wakes up, she not only finds she is no longer pregnant but has been repeatedly raped by hospital worker Buck and others from whom Buck has been excepting cash. She kills both her latest rapist-to-be and Buck, then steals his truck and sets off for revenge against the other Deadly Vipers…..
Still, the opening bits are amongst his best. After a really harrowing scene of the heroine horribly bruised and battered and then being shot by an unseen Bill, we launch into a great sequence of The Bride trying to kill her next target, who happens to have a young daughter coming home from school. An insanely brutal but still athletic fight where the combatants really look like they are getting hurt is