Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut was released last year by Warner Bros. to coincide with the release of the new Superman movie. This cut is a re-edit of the original 1980 movie by the movie's original director, Richard Donner, who had a different vision of the movie than the producers. I don't remember the original that well, although I do remember it being more campy than this release, which is more serious in its treatment of the Superman character. For details, check out this extensive entry in Wikipedia.

Christopher Reeve's Superman was the film Superman I grew up with, and is a Superman I'm glad was replaced last year. I'm not a Superman purist, and most of those would probably prefer Reeve's incarnation. Don't get me wrong, I like the films, but after seeing it recently, I realized that, 1) I saw the films as a kid, and, 2) special effects sure have come a long way, thankfully. Special effects are an artifact of their time, but the interpretation of the Superman character isn't. What I couldn't get over this time around was the painfully awkward Clark Kent. Did Superman's alter ego really need to be such a stereotypical nerd? That being said, there was much more of Kal-El in the movie than there was of Superman. This cut did allow for introspection, instead of being superficial, as the original had been. I had also forgotten how large glasses were in the 1980s. (Most of my 1980s photographs have long been hidden.)

If you haven't seen a Christopher Reeve's Superman flick in sometime, I recommend watching this latest cut. It'll take you back.

Sheitan (2006)

When a group of friends exit a dance party after a drunken fight and are invited to spend the night in the country, you know the ride is not going to be what they expected. Sheitan is a French horror flick from Tartan Films that delivers a confusing and perverted mess. The four friends are seduced to the country by Eve (Roxanne Mesquida). Thai (Nicholas Le Phat Tan) and Bart (Olivier Bartélémy) want to go because they're both vying for Eve's attentions. Ladj (Ladj Ly) is going because he's hoping to hook-up with Yasmine (Leïla Bekhti). Their expectations will hardly be met at the farmhouse in the French countryside.

The weirdness starts on the dirt road to the farmhouse. Blocked on the road by goats, the group meets Joseph (Vincent Cassel), who is introduced by Eve as the housekeeper. Joseph is an over-the-top character. Couple of things you're sure of are: he is completely mad, and he has an unhealthy interest in Bart. You realize very quickly that Eve has led the foursome into a trap that some may not leave alive. Joseph's wife, Marie, who you don't see much of, is pregnant. Mary, Joseph and Eve aren't the only references to Christian mythology -- this is all taking place on Christmas eve -- but you're not given the entire story to make sense of their use. Joseph is definitely in league with the Devil, but other than the goat and a dream sequence, you're told exactly what's going on. Joseph makes dolls -- lots of them. As you're taken around the house, you're not entirely sure if some of those dolls weren't made from pieces of previous guests to the house, as Joseph's latest creation seems to require Bart for its completion. The Devil wants a child in payment for making Joseph invincible, but what does making dolls and using Bart for their creation has anything to do with this?

The movie is pure insanity. There are a number of minor characters to take the weirdness up a few notches. But it's also confusing. I'm not sure if there was something lost in the translation, but this didn't quite go down right with me. The reasons to watch this film: the performance of Vincent Cassel -- the man is nuts; and, you like freaky horror movies from the 1970s, because this is just like them.

Blue Fin (1978)

Black Scorpion II: Aftershock (1997) movie trailer

Darcy is back on the force, but still fights on as the Black Scorpion because "it's in her nature." This time, she fights Gangster Prankster; and a new villian emerges when the Mayor tries to protect his federal earthquake relief money: Aftershock. When the two villians team up and kidnap Argyle's girlfriend, Black Scorpion is faced with the theft of the Scorpionmobile and the imminent destruction of Angel City.

Best of the Best (1989)

A team from the United States are going to compete in the world finals in karate. The team consists of fighters from all nations, can they overcome their rivalry and work together to win?