Collection ID 1416
Director: Giuseppe Colizzi
Starring: Terence Hill, Woody Strode, Bud Spencer, Eduardo Ciannelli, Glauco Onorato
Genre: Western, Comedy
Studio: San Marco S.P.A./Crono S.P.A   Release date: 1969   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): Italian (Italy)
Summary: Honey Fisher has become a powerful man in this small Western town that has grown up around gold-prospecting fields. Fisher and his gang have managed, through swindling, murder, and terror, to gain leases on the important gold-yielding land in the area. A state commissioner comes to town to review the leases, which are crucial to Fisher's power. Cat Stevens and Hutch Bessy join forces with circus performers and townsfolk led by Stevens' friend Finch to fight against Fisher and his henchmen.
My Rating:
My Review: An Italian 'Spaghetti Western' made in the late 60s (1969). The movie stars Terence Hill (of the Trinity films and several other mediocre westerns/action flicks) and Bud Spencer, another Italian actor who appeared in numerous Italian produced westerns (including two of the Trinity films). This DVD was obviously a transfer from VHS, and the quality was terrible. Filmed at various Spanish sites, the locations look like the American west (possibly Utah, New Mexico or Arizona). The story; a town is held ransom to the thugs of a ruthless business man. Honey Fisher squeezes the residents for all they've got, then he takes their land. His plans for total domination are disturbed when a gunslinger and traveling circus show up unexpectedly. Honey's goal is gold and the visit by a state commissioner is his chance to wrestle the last of the deeds from these oppressed townsfolk. Cat Stevens (played by Terence Hill) and Hutch Bessy (played by Bud Spencer) join forces with the members of a traveling circus to challenge the authority of his iron fist. The cinematography (despite the great locations) was terrible; as was the sound production and direction. The directors use of quick cuts and close ups was a bit unusual if not disturbing. The plot was rather confusing, and I'm still not sure why this gunslinger would have bothered with this town. Perhaps the whole film didn't make it onto the DVD? The only redeeming part of this film was the pacing and the acting (by the principals) was o.k. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Collection ID 392
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Starring: Matthew Mazzaferro, Ian Bliss, Jane Townsend, Joseph Zeini
Genre: Crime
Studio: Dino De Laurentiis Company   Release date: 1996   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caeser.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 1029
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Starring: Matthew Mazzaferro, Ian Bliss, Jane Townsend, Joseph Zeini
Genre: Crime
Studio: Dino De Laurentiis Company   Release date: 1996   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caeser.
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 497
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox
Genre: Action
Studio: Universal Pictures   Release date: 2002   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: A man washes ashore, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia.
My Rating:
My Review: Directed by Doug Liman, starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente (from Run Lola Run) among a cast of other great actors. Very well cast, excellent cinematography, locations and sets. Here's a spy thriller based on the novel by Robert Ludlum. A amnesiac assassin is pulled out of the sea by Italian fisherman. As he struggles to unravel the mystery of his identity he discovers an awful truth. He's an assassin programmed by the CIA to perform black bag op's. When he was confronted with the possible murder of several innocent children he snapped. Now the government is out to 'clean up' their mess. The high-speed slow motion choreographed action scenes are fantastic - Incredibly realistic. The car chases made me hold my breath, and Matt Damon's performance was instinctual. Paired with Franka Potente as an unwitting accomplice, the pair run for cover while they try to unravel the disturbing truths behind Jason Bourne's identity.

Collection ID 1201
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox
Genre: Action
Studio: Universal Pictures   Release date: 2002   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, French (USA)
Summary: A man washes ashore, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia.
My Rating:
My Review: Directed by Doug Liman, starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente (from Run Lola Run) among a cast of other great actors. Very well cast, excellent cinematography, locations and sets. Here's a spy thriller based on the novel by Robert Ludlum. A amnesiac assassin is pulled out of the sea by Italian fisherman. As he struggles to unravel the mystery of his identity he discovers an awful truth. He's an assassin programmed by the CIA to perform black bag op's. When he was confronted with the possible murder of several innocent children he snapped. Now the government is out to 'clean up' their mess. The high-speed slow motion choreographed action scenes are fantastic - Incredibly realistic. The car chases made me hold my breath, and Matt Damon's performance was instinctual. Paired with Franka Potente as an unwitting accomplice, the pair run for cover while they try to unravel the disturbing truths behind Jason Bourne's identity.

Collection ID 1480
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Edward Norton, Donna Murphy
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Studio: Universal Pictures   Release date: 2012   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, Russian, Filipino, Ukrainian (USA, Japan)
Summary: The events in this movie take place around the same time as the events in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). When a British reporter was writing an expose about Black Ops operations Treadstone and Black Briar, and the ones responsible for them are concerned. And when Jason Bourne, former Treadstone operative got the file on Treadstone and Black Briar and gave it to Pamela Landy who then passed it to the media. When the men behind Treadstone and Black Briar learn of this, they're concerned how this will affect other ops they have. They decide it's best to shut down all ops and make sure make everyone involved disappears. They try to take out Aaron Cross who is part of another op called Outcome, but he manages to survive. He then seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing who worked on him when he began. It seems part of the program is for all subjects to take medications but he has run out, which is why he seeks her. But someone tries to kill her. He saves her and she tells him, he should have stopped ...
My Rating:
My Review: With the popularity of Matt Damon behind them, the owners of this franchise felt that they could still capitalize on the name 'Bourne'. To try and compete with a rebooting 'James Bond', they resurrected the 'Bourne'. They found a good action actor in Jeremy Renner, a still hot Rachel Weisz as the obligatory eye candy for guys. The rest of the cast was likewise well selected. You can't really go wrong with Edward Norton, Scott Glenn, David Straithairm and others. The cast did a good job in this movie and the action scenes were extremely well done. The story - The events of this movie appear to take place just after the time of the Bourne Ultimatum. A reporter is planning to go public with a story about 'Treadstone and Black Briar'; covert operations that involved Jason Bourne and an long line of government spooks. The spooky bosses are concerned that this could spell their doom, so they order everything shut down. All their operations, all their black projects. Everyone involved must disappear, including those involved with an operation called 'Outcome' - One such agent trained under the 'Outcome' project is 'Aaron Cross' (played by Jeremy Renner). When they attempt to eliminate their assets, Aaron survives (of course!). What follows is a crazy chase movie where Cross must discover the truth behind the program he's part off and why they're trying to kill him! There's no point in trying to follow the movie beyond that plot point. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The action and eye candy is the only reason to watch this movie. What a waste of good talent. The producers assembled an excellent cast only to waste them on a poorly written screenplay. As I said earlier, I think they were trying to capitalize on the franchise, and the names involved while simultaneously maintaining a spot in the market for future 'Bourne' movies. The movie doesn't live up to the standards of outrageous action and dramatic acting from the previous films. Jeremy Renner is good to look at, but he doesn't have the gravitas or acting experience that Matt Damon brought to the franchise. The character development was very thin, the story not rich enough and the action not hot enough. The film work and technical aspects were expertly handled, but at the end of the day the script was the weakest point in this film. I give it a 3 out of 5, which means I liked it, but this movie rates as an action flick and nothing more.

Collection ID 1639
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Edward Norton, Donna Murphy
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Studio: Universal Pictures   Release date: 2012   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English, Russian, Filipino, Ukrainian (USA, Japan)
Summary: The events in this movie take place around the same time as the events in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). When a British reporter was writing an expose about Black Ops operations Treadstone and Black Briar, and the ones responsible for them are concerned. And when Jason Bourne, former Treadstone operative got the file on Treadstone and Black Briar and gave it to Pamela Landy who then passed it to the media. When the men behind Treadstone and Black Briar learn of this, they're concerned how this will affect other ops they have. They decide it's best to shut down all ops and make sure make everyone involved disappears. They try to take out Aaron Cross who is part of another op called Outcome, but he manages to survive. He then seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing who worked on him when he began. It seems part of the program is for all subjects to take medications but he has run out, which is why he seeks her. But someone tries to kill her. He saves her and she tells him, he should have stopped ...
My Rating:
My Review: With the popularity of Matt Damon behind them, the owners of this franchise felt that they could still capitalize on the name 'Bourne'. To try and compete with a rebooting 'James Bond', they resurrected the 'Bourne'. They found a good action actor in Jeremy Renner, a still hot Rachel Weisz as the obligatory eye candy for guys. The rest of the cast was likewise well selected. You can't really go wrong with Edward Norton, Scott Glenn, David Straithairm and others. The cast did a good job in this movie and the action scenes were extremely well done. The story - The events of this movie appear to take place just after the time of the Bourne Ultimatum. A reporter is planning to go public with a story about 'Treadstone and Black Briar'; covert operations that involved Jason Bourne and an long line of government spooks. The spooky bosses are concerned that this could spell their doom, so they order everything shut down. All their operations, all their black projects. Everyone involved must disappear, including those involved with an operation called 'Outcome' - One such agent trained under the 'Outcome' project is 'Aaron Cross' (played by Jeremy Renner). When they attempt to eliminate their assets, Aaron survives (of course!). What follows is a crazy chase movie where Cross must discover the truth behind the program he's part off and why they're trying to kill him! There's no point in trying to follow the movie beyond that plot point. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The action and eye candy is the only reason to watch this movie. What a waste of good talent. The producers assembled an excellent cast only to waste them on a poorly written screenplay. As I said earlier, I think they were trying to capitalize on the franchise, and the names involved while simultaneously maintaining a spot in the market for future 'Bourne' movies. The movie doesn't live up to the standards of outrageous action and dramatic acting from the previous films. Jeremy Renner is good to look at, but he doesn't have the gravitas or acting experience that Matt Damon brought to the franchise. The character development was very thin, the story not rich enough and the action not hot enough. The film work and technical aspects were expertly handled, but at the end of the day the script was the weakest point in this film. I give it a 3 out of 5, which means I liked it, but this movie rates as an action flick and nothing more.

Collection ID 591.5
Director: Nirvan Mullick
Starring:
Genre: Animation, Short, Mystery
Studio:   Release date: 2002   Rated:   
Language (Country): None (USA)
Summary: Grungy streets of a city, night, rain. A man in a topcoat and fedora stops in front of a large cardboard box on the sidewalk across from his flat. The box is upside-down, a narrow slit near the top. The man is startled when two eyes stare out at him from the box. He hurries to his flat, and, still in topcoat and hat, watches the box from his window. The eyes in the box have tilted the man's usually perfectly-lined life. He goes to a closet and removes a rifle with a telescopic sight. What's next for the box, and if he pulls the trigger, what awaits the solitary man?
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 1291.5
Director: Nirvan Mullick
Starring:
Genre: Animation, Short, Mystery
Studio:   Release date: 2002   Rated:   
Language (Country): None (USA)
Summary: Grungy streets of a city, night, rain. A man in a topcoat and fedora stops in front of a large cardboard box on the sidewalk across from his flat. The box is upside-down, a narrow slit near the top. The man is startled when two eyes stare out at him from the box. He hurries to his flat, and, still in topcoat and hat, watches the box from his window. The eyes in the box have tilted the man's usually perfectly-lined life. He goes to a closet and removes a rifle with a telescopic sight. What's next for the box, and if he pulls the trigger, what awaits the solitary man?
My Rating:
My Review:

Collection ID 794
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry, Theo Barnes, Lucille Saint-Peter
Genre: Frighteningly Funny
Studio: Synapse Video   Release date: 1988   Rated: R   
Language (Country): English ()
Summary: A worm-like parasite named Aylmer latches into Brian's (Rick Herbst) neck and offers to inject his brain with a hallucinogenic fluid, giving him pleasurable psychedelic experiences. The catch is to keep the "high" Brian has to feed Aylmer his favorite food . . . human brains! Directed by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Frankenhooker) this amazing cult film favorite will have you screaming with laughter as you reach for your barf bag! Also contains the gore sequences deleted from the U.S. theatrical release, including the infamous "brain pulling" sequence!
My Rating:
My Review: Brain Damage - 1988 (Comedy, horror) This movie is one of those 80s Horror movies with comedic elements (An American Werewolf in London, Creepshow, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Once Bitten, Troll, Beetlejuice, They Live, etc). Adding nothing new to the brew, this movie did deliver on the laughs. Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, the movie stars Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry and others. The movie takes place in New York city where Brian is trying to earn a living in the big city. Things are going ok, until Brian’s brain becomes home to Aylmer; a strange purple cucumber-like parasite that infuses Brian’s brain with a powerful narcotic/psychotropic substance that gives Brian extrasensory powers and a compulsion to Kill! He proceeds to murder at the behest of this creature, consuming the brains of his victims in a bizarre symbiotic relationship. The violence and gore are low-budget, and this movie is clearly in the B-Horror category, but I loved the campy antics of Aylmer. The story is quite original, the pacing and direction excellent, and the movie is filled loads of tasteless jokes and offensive gags, making for a great cult flick. If you bother to spend any time examining the movie, you might catch some of the more powerful themes in the movie; drug addiction and social pressure for upward mobility. On another note, despite the low budget, the movie featured some great music (in my opinion). I give this cult classic a 4 out of 5.