King Kong LIVES 2.0 stars. I gave it a two because I did not like the plot and one must question a whole lot about the movie. For one you can see a younger Linda Hamilton. Yes, the same one as the Terminator. She does not seem to age. The movie stars where the King Kong movie ends. King Kong being shot from the World Trade Center. Who would have thought, at that time, about the World Trace Center was going to be gone years later? It also has the famous shot of Jessica Lange (I think it was her) on Kong's hand. The movie continues to tell the story of how Kong gets a family and him and his family exhibits all the human emotions that you could find in courting a girl, protecting the family, and being a father. This is what is really disturbing about the movie. The movie really does not have a beginning and the end was just kind of ridicuous anyway. Hamilton and her companion were just awful and seem to be running after Kong without a motive or a purpose. What can you do to control such a big gorilla anyway? The movie is awful. The trasnsfer is another that has me all confused. According to IMDB this is supposed to a movie with a OAR of 2:35:1. However, it was shown 1:85:1 with openning and closing credits and I did not see that the aspect ratio got messed up at all. Could this be an open matte transfer? There is a possibility but I do not know at this point. The HD transfer itself was ok. It has its very good moments but when it came to the dark scenes it was somewhat ok.
Which HD Cinema Movies have you seen?Would you like to post your review of the movie?
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The Slugger's Wife - 0.5 star : Almost unwatchably bad. Terrible story about two characters whom I don't like. Poorly acted. Pretty bad baseball scenes (though not terrible -- the ones with actual ballplayers were pretty good, but the actor Michael O'Keefe was completely unbelievable as a record-setting home run hitter). Awful music scenes. On the bright side, PQ wasn't too bad, and they did what they could with the surround sound.
Mermaids - 4 stars : Very good movie. Cher was slightly less annoying than she usually is. Winona Ryder was the delight that she usually is. And the child version of Christina Ricci was awesome in a dazzling performance that shows the really good ones can act right from the beginning. These were complex, flawed characters that I ended up caring about and wanting to know more about. And though predictable at times, I enjoyed where the story took me. For me, though, this one was really about the characters and some excellent acting performances, especially young Miss Ricci.
Mermaids - 4 stars : Very good movie. Cher was slightly less annoying than she usually is. Winona Ryder was the delight that she usually is. And the child version of Christina Ricci was awesome in a dazzling performance that shows the really good ones can act right from the beginning. These were complex, flawed characters that I ended up caring about and wanting to know more about. And though predictable at times, I enjoyed where the story took me. For me, though, this one was really about the characters and some excellent acting performances, especially young Miss Ricci.
The Shaft - 2 stars : Pretty silly. We're talking about a killer elevator here. But it's not a total waste of time, as some of the scenes were pretty cool. And the PQ and sound were alright, too.
Can't remember why I didn't watch the whole thing when it first aired, but was able to catch it in its entirety this morning...
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter - 4 stars : Fun, fun, fun! It's like having two movies in one! First a dusty western, then a vampire thriller. With outstanding PQ and surround sound for both, it's a good time.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter - 4 stars : Fun, fun, fun! It's like having two movies in one! First a dusty western, then a vampire thriller. With outstanding PQ and surround sound for both, it's a good time.
True Heart - 2.5 stars. It was OK as a family movie. My son enjoyed the bears, moose and other wild animals. The HD transfer was good and sound is OK.
King David - 3 stars. The movie focus on the conflict of King Saul and David before the later become King. I found it entertaining but a little difficult to understand at the beginning, except if you know the detail of the biblical story. The young Richard Gere acting is convincing. It was presented OAR. The HD transfer was good and the sound was OK for a 1985 movie.
The Big Town - 2 stars : I thought a movie would be a can't-miss good time with a cast featuring Matt Dillon, Tom Skerritt, Tommy Lee Jones, and the lovely Diane Lane. I was wrong. Wasn't terrible, just didn't grab me. I did enjoy watching a young Diane Lane in a sexy role, but that was about it.
The Gin Game - 3 stars : Just two seniors sittin' around the old folks' home playing gin rummy and talking. So why did I enjoy it so much? Must be the fine acting of Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke -- and the chemistry between the two. Excellent - excellent - PQ.
The Gin Game - 3 stars : Just two seniors sittin' around the old folks' home playing gin rummy and talking. So why did I enjoy it so much? Must be the fine acting of Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke -- and the chemistry between the two. Excellent - excellent - PQ.
Charleen - 2.5 stars : "Filmmaker Ross McElwee examines residents of a small Southern town"... so reads the PG description of this documentary. Not exactly accurate -- its focus is on one specific woman named Charleen, not a town named Charleen (the "small Southern town" in question is Charlotte, NC). She's an interesting, colorful woman who teaches poetry to youngsters. I was with her right up until she surprised me by making a girl change her shirt before heading off to a poetry concert in S. Carolina. The problem was that the shirt featured the statue of David and as Charleen said, "You can't wear a penis in South Carolina!" (or something to that effect). I just couldn't believe that a woman who carries herself as a poet-artist-teacher would have a problem with a t-shirt, penis or no. Perhaps it was meant to show that she's not just one dimensional? The whole documentary only runs about an hour - and that's probably a good thing. It gives you time to get a good sense of what this woman is about, without dragging on or getting boring. It certainly held my interest, and entertained me. PQ and sound both pretty crappy.
Mystic Pizza - 4 stars : A terrific little movie dealing with timeless themes of love and relationships, and featuring the timeless beauty and nuanced acting of a young Lili Taylor (not to mention some chick named Julia Roberts). Also kinda cool to see a young Vincent D'Onofrio as Ms. Taylor's love interest -- and a quick appearance (don't blink!) by Matt Damon (his debut?). Very good PQ, and while there isn't much call for fancy surround sound effects the music mix is surprisingly aggressive, and quite satisfying.
Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods 2.5 Stars. Jackie Chan stars on this 1995 movie. If it wasn't for Mr. Chan I would not have watched it. Some of the action was ok but the dubbing was incredibly bad. Miramax kills the movie by not putting subtitles in it. It is very hard to follow. There are some funny moments but do not expect a whole lot from the movie.
The Spikes Gang 3.0 Stars This movie surprised me. The lives of three young boys who turned for the worse. One of them is played by Charlie Martin Smith (the accountant from the Untouchables). Yes, he was wearing the same glasses and was very young on this one. The lives of these three boys turned ugly after they find out how hard is life from home.
Woman of Straw 4.5 Stars. Here's a real gem! An opportunity to watch Sean Connery, Alexander Knox, Johnny Sekka, etc. The plot is about a scam to capture a millionaire's money. It's very twisted and entertaining and for a 1964 movie the HD transfer looks very good. The sound is not that great but the story is excellent as well as the acting.
Johnny Sekka .... Thomas
The Spikes Gang 3.0 Stars This movie surprised me. The lives of three young boys who turned for the worse. One of them is played by Charlie Martin Smith (the accountant from the Untouchables). Yes, he was wearing the same glasses and was very young on this one. The lives of these three boys turned ugly after they find out how hard is life from home.
Woman of Straw 4.5 Stars. Here's a real gem! An opportunity to watch Sean Connery, Alexander Knox, Johnny Sekka, etc. The plot is about a scam to capture a millionaire's money. It's very twisted and entertaining and for a 1964 movie the HD transfer looks very good. The sound is not that great but the story is excellent as well as the acting.
Johnny Sekka .... Thomas
XX/XY - 3 stars : "There's no room in a healthy relationship for honesty". . . delivered by Mark Ruffalo as part of a fine performance, this line pretty well sums up the theme of this movie for me. Over eight years, this well-acted film shows complicated characters exploring love, relationships, compromise, honesty, fidelity. They do a fine job of transforming these characters from wild and confused college kids to less wild but still-confused adults. Maya Stange and Kathleen Robertson deliver excellent performances as Sam and Thea. Although not usually a fan of films whose titles I can't pronounce, I found this one very interesting.
The Professional - 3.5 stars : Good movie. Was that really Natalie Portman? I like seeing good actors do it as youngsters. She was really impressive -- I particularly liked the scene where she imitated Madonna & Marilyn Monroe. Good sound, good pq, good story, good acting. Nothing spectacular, but pretty solid entertainment.
Edge of Sanity 3.5 stars Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde -- Morphine mix will make you see Mr. Hyde. I though Anthony Perkins performance was fine. I always like him from his psycho movies. It is an interested movie with some thrilling moments.
Easy Rider 4.0 stars Finally was able to watch it. "I've got one and it is a beauty" Jack Nicholson. Excellent!
Easy Rider 4.0 stars Finally was able to watch it. "I've got one and it is a beauty" Jack Nicholson. Excellent!
Ginger Snaps - 2.5 stars : Good movie, enjoyed it. However, comparisons to the sequel are probably inevitable -- and I don't think the original compares favorably. In fact, I don't think anything about the first is better than the sequel. That being said, I still found Ginger Snaps to be better than most horror films I've seen. Good pq and surround sound, too.
What Time Is It There? - 1.5 stars (out of 5) : This Chinese film on WorldCinema was described as a comedy drama. (?) Yes, there are a couple strange/funny parts, but overall I wish somebody would explain this film to me. I didn't get it. The two main characters meet ever so briefly. The woman buys a watch from the street vendor. Period, end of interaction of these two main characters. The rest of the film focuses individually on these two characters and shows the effect that their brief meeting had on their subsequent lives. She mopes around in France as a tourist. He goes around China setting clocks to French local time. I don't know; I usually love foreign films of all stripes. This one left me without a reaction. If somebody would please explain it to me, I might be able to recommend it! 
TheTimm said:
Just caught this one too. Good movie, but Timm's correct, not as good as the sequel. I'ld go 3 stars because it did hold my attention, and the transfer was excellent!
-John
Yeah, it probably is worth three stars, but I looked at my review of Ginger Snaps 2 and saw that for some reason I only gave it 3 stars. And didn't think the original was as good, so...jgantert said:
Probably under-starred each of them by at least a half star.
Ginger Snaps 3.5 stars this is the kind of movie I love. A lot of blood, bitting, and so on. So I have to give it a 3.5. Love it. bring more horror with blood movies. 
The Wicker Man
Anybody watched "The Wicker Man" on Monster HD? Very strange. A cult classic. Supposedly on BBC's Top 100 British Films of all time.
Today at 5:45 CST, channel 121.
(Warning: hide the kiddies, lots of nudity, debauchery, pagan rites, etc.)
****1/2
For more than you want to know about it:
http://www.steve-p.org/wm/
Anybody watched "The Wicker Man" on Monster HD? Very strange. A cult classic. Supposedly on BBC's Top 100 British Films of all time.
Today at 5:45 CST, channel 121.
(Warning: hide the kiddies, lots of nudity, debauchery, pagan rites, etc.)
****1/2
For more than you want to know about it:
http://www.steve-p.org/wm/
The Wicker Man: Have seen the highlights. Haven't been able to catch... but I will put on my list of things to see... [love] (Warning: hide the kiddies, lots of nudity, debauchery, pagan rites, etc.) [/love]
