Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Creepshow [Blu-ray]

  • Two macabre masters - writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero - conjure up five shocking yarns, each a virtuoso exercise in the ghouls-and-gags style ofic '50s horror comics. A murdered man emerges from the grave for Father's Day cake. A meteor's ooze makes everything . grow. A professor selects his wife as a snack for a crated creature. A scheming husband plants two lovers up to their
George Romero and Stephen King team once more for a new terrifying trilogy of tales! A wooden Indian out for vengeance, a man-eating slime rising from a lake, a hit-and-run victim that won't stay dead...they're waiting for you! George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Lois Chiles star. 89 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.What is it about hitchhikers that makes them such a sure-fire bet for horror? This question is addressed in the final segment of Creepshow 2, another! Stephen King-George Romero collaboration. "The Hitchhiker" is the simplest and best of the three tales on display here, with Lois Chiles as a cheating wife who just can't seem to get rid of a hitchhiker... no matter how hard she tries. The collection gets off to a slow start with "Old Chief Wood'n Head," a sleepy story of Native American justice. "The Raft" is a passable teens-in-peril number, but it worked better on the page than on screen. Romero adapted the King stories but emphatically did not direct, which accounts for the drop-off from the kicky fun of the first Creepshow. King appears as a dimwitted truck driver--a foreshadowing of Maximum Overdrive? In any case, this one's for diehard fans only. --Robert HortonThe rotting Creep himself is back with three new gruesome tales of horror that will make your skin crawl: a cigar store wooden Indian comes to life to avenge the store owner's brutal murder at the hands of three punks in Ol’ Chief Wo! odenhead. Then four teenagers become the target of a terri! fying, m an-eating oil slick in The Raft. The chills continue with The Hitchhiker, the chilling tale of a woman who keeps running into, and over, the same mutilated man on a lonely road. Prepare for a terrifying roller coaster ride from the masters of horror!What is it about hitchhikers that makes them such a sure-fire bet for horror? This question is addressed in the final segment of Creepshow 2, another Stephen King-George Romero collaboration. "The Hitchhiker" is the simplest and best of the three tales on display here, with Lois Chiles as a cheating wife who just can't seem to get rid of a hitchhiker... no matter how hard she tries. The collection gets off to a slow start with "Old Chief Wood'n Head," a sleepy story of Native American justice. "The Raft" is a passable teens-in-peril number, but it worked better on the page than on screen. Romero adapted the King stories but emphatically did not direct, which accounts for the drop-off from the kicky fun of the! first Creepshow. King appears as a dimwitted truck driver--a foreshadowing of Maximum Overdrive? In any case, this one's for diehard fans only. --Robert HortonNo Description Available.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 28-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVDWhat is it about hitchhikers that makes them such a sure-fire bet for horror? This question is addressed in the final segment of Creepshow 2, another Stephen King-George Romero collaboration. "The Hitchhiker" is the simplest and best of the three tales on display here, with Lois Chiles as a cheating wife who just can't seem to get rid of a hitchhiker... no matter how hard she tries. The collection gets off to a slow start with "Old Chief Wood'n Head," a sleepy story of Native American justice. "The Raft" is a passable teens-in-peril number, but it worked better on the page than on screen. Romero adapted the King stories but emphatically did not direct, which ac! counts for the drop-off from the kicky fun of the first Cre! epshow. King appears as a dimwitted truck driver--a foreshadowing of Maximum Overdrive? In any case, this one's for diehard fans only. --Robert HortonWhat is it about hitchhikers that makes them such a sure-fire bet for horror? This question is addressed in the final segment of Creepshow 2, another Stephen King-George Romero collaboration. "The Hitchhiker" is the simplest and best of the three tales on display here, with Lois Chiles as a cheating wife who just can't seem to get rid of a hitchhiker... no matter how hard she tries. The collection gets off to a slow start with "Old Chief Wood'n Head," a sleepy story of Native American justice. "The Raft" is a passable teens-in-peril number, but it worked better on the page than on screen. Romero adapted the King stories but emphatically did not direct, which accounts for the drop-off from the kicky fun of the first Creepshow. King appears as a dimwitted truck driver--a foreshadowing of Maximum Overdri! ve? In any case, this one's for diehard fans only. --Robert HortonGeorge A. Romero and Stephen King pay tribute to the old E.C. comics with this anthology of frightening and funny tales. You'll see a family patriarch come back from the dead to exact revenge on his relatives, outer space goo transforming a farmer into a giant plant, two lovers returning from a watery grave, a horrific monster released from its crate, and icky bugs terrorizing a reclusive old man. Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, Fritz Weaver, Ed Harris, and E.G. Marshall star. 120 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.Inspired by the controversial E.C. Comics of the 1950s--which also provided the title and inspiration for the popular Tales from the Crypt TV series--director George Romero and screenwriter Stephen King serve up five delightfully frightful stories. Utilizing comic-book panels, animated segues, and exaggerated lighting and camera angles, Romero and cin! ematographer Michael Gornick come very close to replicating a ! horror c omic in film format. The results mix fine acting with the morbid sense of humor and irony that made the E.C. books so popular in their heyday. Actors such as Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris, E.G. Marshall, and even King appear in the stories, which include tales of a sinister father's day celebration, a mysterious meteor, seaweed-draped zombies, a monster in a crate, and a cockroach-phobic millionaire. Fiendishly fun fare from one of horror's most famous directors. --Bryan Reesman

Saturday, March 10, 2012

G.I. Jane

  • Screen megastar Demi Moore ("Disclosure", "Indecent Proposal") is in top form in this action-packed hit! Moore stars as gutsy Lieutenant O Neil, the first woman ever given the opportunity to earn a place in the armed forces most highly skilled combat unit--the elite Navy Seals! But the already brutal rigors of training camp turn into an unimaginable test of courage and determination once it become
Demi Moore (DISCLOSURE, INDECENT PROPOSAL) is in top form in this action-packed hit! Moore stars as gutsy Lieutenant O'Neil, the first woman ever given the opportunity to earn a place in the armed forces most highly skilled combat unit -- the elite Navy SEALS! But the already brutal rigors of training camp turn into an unimaginable test of courage and determination once it becomes clear that no one -- powerful politicians, top military brass, or her male Navy SEAL teammates -- wants her to succeed! ! A critically acclaimed triumph directed by action hitmaker Ridley Scott (ALIEN, THELMA & LOUISE) -- you'll cheer for G.I. JANE as this brave soldier proves she belongs among the best of the best!It seemed like a pretty good career move, and for the most part it was. Demi Moore will never top any rational list of great actresses, but as her career stalled in the mid-1990s she had enough internal fire and external physicality to be just right for her title role in G.I. Jane. Her character's name isn't Jane--it's Jordan O'Neil--but the fact that she lacks a penis makes her an immediate standout in her elite training squad of Navy SEALs. She's been recruited as the first female SEAL trainee through a series of backroom political maneuvers, and must prove her military staying power against formidable odds--not the least of which is the abuse of a tyrannical master chief (Viggo Mortensen) who puts her through hell to improve her chances of success. Within the limitations ! of a glossy star vehicle, director Ridley Scott manages to inc! orporate the women-in-military issue with considerable impact, and Moore--along with her conspicuous breast enhancements and that memorable head-shaving scene--jumps into the role with everything she's got. Not a great movie by any means, but definitely a rousing crowd pleaser, and it's worth watching just to hear Demi shout the words "Suck my ----!!" (rhymes with "chick"). --Jeff Shannon