Cypher

Starring:Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu, Nigel Bennett, Timothy Webber, David Hewlett, Kari Matchett, Kristina Nicoll, Joseph Scoren, Stephen Brown (XIV), Arnold Pinnock, Jocelyn Snowdon, Boyd Banks, Steve Jackson (VII), Dan Duran, Valerie Buhagiar, Roberta Angelica, George Santino, Nelson Tynes, Dennis Akayama, Vicki Papavs
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Description

Planet Eternia and the Castle of Greyskull are under threat from the evil Skeletor who wants to take over the planet. A group of freedom fighters, led by the heroic He-Man are accidentally transported to Earth by a mysterious Cosmic Key which holds the power to make Skeletor all-powerful. Once on Earth, He-Man joins alliances with two teenagers as they attempt to find the key and return home.

Customer Reviews:

shiny black armour.......2007-05-17

Wow this movie is.. Interesting.

I bought it just for completeness really, its nothing like the tv show. Pretty much the only good thing in the entire film is the dudes with the shiny black armour, I think they're skeletors minions or something and they're cool. Pity he-man kills like 500 of them at a time.

Could've Done Better But An OK Attempt.......2007-05-07

Masters of the Universe. A movie with He-Man in it would have been something beyond my wildest dreams. I'm saddened to say I was fairly disappointed with this live action version. The plot line was alright, scattered at best but okay. Some of the new characters brought in were atrocious. Gwildor I am sorry to say could have been left out of it. But considering back when this version was made, the special effects and the budget just wouldn't allow for the inclusion of Orko. Blade was cool in the fact it gave He-Man another swordsman to duel with. Karg should have been left out of it.

He-Man was definitely not a role meant for Dolph Lundgren I'm sorry again. Lundgren did fine in Rocky 4 but when it came to something like this where He-Man's speech should have been constant throughout the movie, just dimmed it. Lundgren spoke little if nil throughout the picture.

Frank Langella stole the whole show as Skeletor and rightly so. It's fairly disconcerting when I actually dug the bad guy more than my favorite good guy. A great choice by director Gary Goddard not to hinder Langella's acting by making him wear a flat out mask. Incorporating the prosthetics into his facial features was monument in making Skeletor a memorable baddie.

Meg Foster, whom folks may recognize from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, I thought did exceptional as Evil Lyn. My only complaint about the Evil Lyn character was that she never that I could see, showed her powers in the movie. Skeletor at least got to perform that sick looking wound thing as well as his "Godlike" powers towards the end of the movie, but nothing for Evil Lyn??? For shame Goddard, for shame!

Of course we have Courtney Cox Arquette now, who just recently gained fame for her role as Monica on Friends, debuting as Julie Winston. James Tolkan who people saw in Top Gun, playing Det. Lubic. Robert Duncan Macneill who folks remember as Tom Paris in Star Trek Voyager, playing Kevin Corrigan. Chelsea Field who folks saw in movies such as Andre, playing Teela. Christina Pickles, whom we saw in George Of The Jungle and The Wedding Singer, played the Sorceress. And of course Billy Barty, whom we saw in movies such as Legend and the Weird Al movie UHF.

In other aspects I must say the Power Sword looked brilliant, the laser effects and the final duel between He-Man and Skeletor had a decent amount of zing. And the graphics and music that were associated with the Cosmic Key were interesting and appropriate I think. Kudos to Bill Conti of Rocky fame who contributed to the orchestral soundtrack and themes for the movie.

All in all with a movie like this I can understand why studios and distributors now tend to shy away from a more updated telling of the He-Man lore. With the re-release of the cartoons on DVD and the popular demand that followed, the reigniting flame for the He-Man film has never been more warranted. This movie is still no matter what worth purchasing because of it's part in the He-Man movie/cartoon legacy and collection, but it's not an extremely good movie in my opinion. Maybe he should have gotten a few more pointers from Superman director and savior Bryan Singer.

Does Dolph Lundgren truly have the power???? I dont think so.

Long live Skeletor!.......2007-04-10

Wow! I remember this movie. I saw it as a kid, huddled in a friend's house and it was the best thing ever! As an adult, I admit, it's cheesy. Well, so was the cartoon it's based off of. But it's a good kind of cheese.

I never watched it for He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Teela, or any of the good guys. Heck no! I was a fanatic over the bad guys. Skeletor was my hero. Growing up, I didn't want to be She-Ra or Teela or anyone like that. I wanted to be Evil-Lyn.

In that aspect, this movie didn't fail. With the PG rating, Skeletor was able to be far eviler then his cartoon counterpart. He was no longer the fumbling fool and comidic device that we saw on Saterday morning. This was who Skeletor was meant to be; evil, cunning and down-right sadistic. He outshone He-Man and the other Masters. He was the best part of the movie!

Also, the audio commentary on the DVD is great and really helps understand what was going on back then and give you an insight in the mind of the creators.

Pure Fun.......2007-04-01

I dont remember watching He Man growing up, but I think I saw this movie. I watched this movie without thinking it would be anything speical, and I was wrong. The preview really drew me into the movie before I watched it. It was pure fun, and an excellent sci fi movie. Dolph Lundgreen was the main source for finding this movie, thanks Dolph! Where the heck are you these days? I didnt check all reviews but at the very, very end of the movie Skeltor comes on and says "I'll be back". Ha! Guess that movie never happened.

Great cheesy eighties fun.......2007-03-26

Heman, one of my favorite childhood cartoon heros brings the battle to earth on the bigscreen. Fun movie, not a great work of art, but good cheesy eighties fun. Plus, Courtney cox when she was actually pretty hot.

Don't expect an epic, this is Conan the Barbarian for kids.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production)

Average customer rating:

...A little disappointing. 1964 TV production was better.
EXCELLENT
Original Cinderella
Disappointing
The Original Cinderella

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957 Television Production)
Starring: Julie Andrews , Howard Lindsay , Dorothy Stickney , Ilka Chase , and Kaye Ballard
Director: Ralph Nelson
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Cinderella (1957 Television Cast)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Cinderella (1965 Television Cast)
Broadway's Lost Treasures III - The Best of the Tony Awards

ASIN: B00068NVG6
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Amazon.com

The DVD era has unearthed another treasure. For the first time ever, Julie Andrews's performance in the title role of the original 1957 television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is available to the public on home video. Cinderella was created as a Broadway-style television production with an original score from the creators of Oklahoma! and Carousel, featuring such songs as "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," and "Stepsisters' Lament." Cast in the title role was the 21-year-old Andrews, at the time starring on Broadway in My Fair Lady (another Cinderella story of sorts), and the cast was filled out by a talented bunch of stage veterans (including Kaye Ballard, Edie Adams, Dorothy Stickney, and Stickney's husband, writer Howard Lindsay). On March 31, 1957, a then-record 120 million homes saw the program as it was broadcast, live and in color, but it was preserved only in black-and-white kinescope, i.e., by aiming a camera at a monitor during the broadcast. While this version probably looks better than we have any right to expect, the picture is still fuzzy black-and-white, which makes it a tougher sell for kids than the later color versions, 1965 with Lesley Anne Warren and the 1997 Disneyized version. But give older kids (say, 8 or so) credit for being able to look past the black-and-white picture and primitive effects and enjoy the charming songs, the excellent performances, and the prospect of seeing one of their favorite actresses play one of their favorite princesses.

Fortunately, the DVD has also received the attention it deserves, with a new introduction by Andrews, a 20-minute featurette about the production, including interviews with many of the principals; Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show a week before the broadcast; and a gallery of color photos of the production as well as promotional material, which included paper dolls of Andrews. --David Horiuchi

Description

In this enchanting musical delight from the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, beautiful young Cinderella (Julie Andrews) finds her life of drudgery at the hands of her stepmother and two wicked sisters changed forever in one evening, thanks to a fairy godmother and a handsome prince. Lost for years, this first television production of this enduring classic remains a rollicking, tune-filled delight for young and old alike! One of the most beloved entertainers of all time, Academy Award«-winner Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) appeared in theaters this year in the smash hits Shrek 2 and The Princess Diaries 2. The much-revered musical team of Rodgers & Hammerstein produced such family favorites as The King and I, The Sound of Music, Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair and more! One of home video's most highly requested titles, Cinderella has been officially unavailable since its initial airing on March 31, 1957! This single performance spectacular was viewed by over 115 million people, a television milestone! Musical performances include beloved favorites "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible" and "Do I Love You (Because You're Beautiful)!" In 1957, Broadway's reigning songwriters and Broadway's brightest new star joined forces to create a new musical version of Cinderella; it's one-night-only broadcast on CBS-TV was viewed by more than 115 million people - the largest audience in the history of the planet! - and an instant legend was born. Julie Andrews, the toast of Broadway for her performance in My Fair Lady, played the title role, joined by a stellar cast of Broadway and television all-stars. Providing a new take on the timeless tale as well as a bounty of beautiful ballads, comedy numbers and waltzes, was the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, already at the top of their game thanks to such musicals as Oklahoma, South Pacific and The King and I. Though Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella has gone through several TV remakes and hundreds of stage productions, the original, magical version vanished after its initial broadcast, never to be seen again. Until now.

Customer Reviews:

...A little disappointing. 1964 TV production was better........2007-06-02

Julie Andrews is wonderful but this TV production was very early and primitive and the supporting cast (stepsisters, prince in particular) is not as strong as the very funny 1964 production.

EXCELLENT.......2007-05-27

I ordered this to do a report on the various versions of Cinderella. This was a great movie.

Original Cinderella.......2007-04-02

A bit disappointed - I had never seen this version before, having grown up watching the 60's version in color which I love, and even though Julie Andrews is very good, the story line was somewhat different and I found I prefer the 60's version

Disappointing.......2007-03-28

I have another version of "Cinderella", but I bought this one because of Julie Andrews. However, I am disappointed in it. It lacks something. I think that "something" is a feeling of "make-believe". It felt to me as if it were produced for serious grown-ups. Not much fun in it. Almost boring, and I couldn't wait to get to the end. I prefer the other version, with Brandy, Bernadette Peters & Whoopi Goldberg above this one. With the Brandy version, you experience the joy & happiness, the humor, excitement, and the wide-eyed wonder of it all as seen through the eyes of an innocent, believing child. Perfect.

The Original Cinderella.......2007-02-19

I purchased this DVD because I had seen the version with
Leslie Ann Warren and desired to see the original broadcast with
Julie Andrews. My mother and I enjoyed this program although it was
obvious that the film was older(black and white)and the sound wasn't as clear as in the newer recording. The two films are basically the same, but in the 1957 production there are a few more dancing scenes and the endings are slightly different also. It's a wonderful family movie and the songs are done beautifully. It's amazing the see such famous actors
in their youth!!

Average customer rating:

great movie
the price of a mans life for what its worth
Valdez is comming
Valdez is Coming - Almost
Bob? Bob who?

Valdez is Coming
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Susan Clark , Frank Silvera , Jon Cypher , and Richard Jordan
Director: Edwin Sherin
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005LOL2
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Amazon.com

There's nothing like the laconic, confident ease of Burt Lancaster in his gray years, even in the unlikely role of an easy-going Mexican. Bob Valdez is a deputy sheriff in an American frontier town bubbling over in racism. Scapegoated by the community for the death of an innocent victim of a trigger- happy posse and crucified, literally, by the sadistic gunrunner (Jon Cypher) responsible for the tragedy, the quiet lawman takes up arms in a bloody campaign that begins with the mantra: "Tell him Valdez is coming."

Adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, the script is hardly subtle or original and it never makes the gaping chasm between the search for justice and the bloody reign of terror work in any dramatic terms. It's a rather amorphous morality tale without a solid grounding, but it's dutifully violent, charged with righteous anger, and makes good use of the stark landscape (it was shot in Spain, giving it even more of the flavor of a spaghetti Western). It's a bit embarrassing how Hollywood puts the spotlight on racism by casting a white actor to play the wronged minority, but Lancaster creates a wonderful character in Valdez. With gentle eyes and a tired smile behind a face covered in brown Hollywood makeup, he brings sure-footed authority and calm ruthlessness to a mission of justice by a man wronged one too many times. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

great movie.......2007-05-31

IF YOU ARE A BURT LANCASTER FAN THIS IS ONE OF HIS BEST PERFORMANCES IN AN ACTION SHOOT EM UP WESTERN MOVIE HIGLY RECCOMMENDED

the price of a mans life for what its worth.......2007-03-12

A man, Valdez, kills a man in self defense though the man was falsely accused. Guilt, remorse, the only way he can make amends is get some money for the widow from the man he knows to be responsible for this tragedy. Easier said than done, as Valdez is determined to do. Lots of shoot'em up, machismo, bravado, you name it. One of my favorites. Burt Lancaster is "the man" VALDEZ!!

Valdez is comming .......2007-02-23

This has to be one of the top 10 best moives we have seen ! What a plot too . Thanks for asking about it .

Valdez is Coming - Almost.......2007-02-20

Why in the world would they want to cut this magnificent filem. It's on DVD for goodness sakes. I'm sure there is enough room for the whole flick.

A definite tragedy to a GREAT film.

Bob? Bob who?.......2007-01-29

One of the best western movies Lancaster ever made. Bob Valdez is so determined and honorable he even wins over the bad guy, El Segundo !
Frank Tanner(Jon Cypher) should have paid the hundred dollars!
(or went to Nogales! LOL!)

Average customer rating:

I LOVE this movie:It is soooo groaty!!!!

The Food of the Gods
Starring: Marjoe Gortner , Pamela Franklin , Ralph Meeker , Jon Cypher , and Ida Lupino
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000RO9PV4
Release Date: 2007-09-11

Customer Reviews:

I LOVE this movie:It is soooo groaty!!!!.......2007-06-26

It has all kinds of groaty monsters including:giant rats,giant bees,giant roosters, and my favorite,giant maggots (ewwwe)!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Those in Control
Double feature from Anchor Bay with only one good film.
2 films for the price of one, for horror completists.

Society/Spontaneous Combustion
Starring: Brad Dourif , Cynthia Bain , Jon Cypher , William Prince , and Melinda Dillon
Director: Tobe Hooper , and Brian Yuzna
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AC8LB
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Customer Reviews:

Those in Control.......2006-07-13

Two campy movies about people in power and the control they exert. In each, one character slips out of control so the movies have a common theme even if they seem completely different.

In the first movie, a high-school student feels he does not fit in with his rich family and their associates. His fears combine with suspicions from others not in favor and a horrifying picture begins to emerge. Finally his safety is in jeopardy and he challenges the horrific Society.

In the second movie we have a man who was born after a nuclear test designed to immunize people against radiation. He knows nothing of his past, only that suddenly people around him are being burned to death. His fears and concerns drive him to uncover his past and the lengths others have gone to in order to control all aspects of his life. Unfortunately the film ends rather suddenly.

Although billed as a Drive-In Double Feature, each movie occupies a different side of a single disk so you can't just sit back and watch them both without flipping the disk. Each movie is accompanied by its trailer and a commentary. Picture quality is good and some of the acting is quite good even with some of the horrible lines. All in all just what you would expect from a pair of Drive-In horror movies.

Double feature from Anchor Bay with only one good film........2006-05-26

This double feature only has one good film which is Brian Yuzna's Society the other film was Tobe Hooper's awful Spontaneous Combustion which is quite possibly one of Tobe's worst films I have ever seen, watch it at your own risk. Society is the reason I got this double feature dvd in the first place, I've read alot of great reviews for this film on other horror websites and I would have to say its worth it. The film has probably one of the most goriest and disgusting special fx I have ever seen that happen especially towards the end at the gory climax where the upper society or rich people start transforming and having there flesh mix up with each other, its very sick and twisted and I only recommend it to true horror fans. Billy has grown up all his life feeling like he just didn't fit in with his family, he's constantly paranoid of his family and the way his parents treat his sister. The sister's ex-boyfriend tells Billy about a secret society that his family is involved in but it seems to late when both they're lives are in danger ,4/5 stars this is deffinetly one of Brian Yuzna's best films despite being very cheesy and not having a clear explanation of this bizzare society club and how they became this way, I guess that you shouldn't take it to seriously. Spontaneous Combustion has to be one of the worst horror films I have ever seen, you could tell that Brad Douriff wants to be some where else with his over the top and very bad acting and the fx were terrible and you could tell that the film sucks when you hear the awful dialogue, its suppost to be sci/fi but they keep making things up to the point of making the film seem completely unrealistic and everything was serious. If your a hardcore horror fan like myself then you might be interested to get this dvd but don't expect a horror masterpiece or something like that.

2 films for the price of one, for horror completists........2003-12-10

I say that this DVD is for completists because I don't think these two films are going to end up on anyones top ten horror lists in the near or far future. BUT, you do get two at once here, and the films are somewhat interesting because of the talent involved, and it is a good deal. You get both films on a double sided disc, and that is a good thing if you are looking to see as many films as possible (like me).

SOCIETY is directed by Brian Yuzna (of Bride of Re-animator fame), and the special "surreal" effects are done by Screaming Mad George, who has worked on many, many films. It is about a teenager who thinks that everyone is not what they seem, and that he is paranoid. Ideas are not explored fully, but the film tries, and deserves a look. Yuzna includes a commentary, and the film is letterboxed. Overall, society would rate a 3 out of 5 stars due to its plot snowballing out of control, but for people who just want to see a modern effects master do his thing, stick around for the last half hour of this film. Devin Devasquez also plays a part.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION stars Brad Dourif (one flew over the cukoo's nest, childs play, two towers- Grima Wormtongue) and is directed by Tobe Hooper. It is letterboxed, there is a trailer included and not much else, but the film is mildly interesting, especially in reenacting a bomb test from the 50's. Overall the film is not great, but it does have mood at times. The soundtrack is especially effective when using an old standard: "I don't want to set the world on fire."

Is the DVD worth buying? Well, it is if you want to see as many films as possible. If you are a horror fan and have not seen them then yes it is worth buying (or renting). BUT, if you want to see a great horror film, and do not want to see every film that comes along, you may be better off seeing RE-ANIMATOR, and FROM BEYOND (in Yuzna's case, he was involved in those). For Tobe Hooper you need only to see the first two TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE films to see how he became such a well known horror director.

Description

A pulse-pounding cyber thriller starring Jeremy Northam (GOSFORD PARK, EMMA) and Lucy Liu (KILL BILL VOLUME 1, CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE), CYPHER is sure to entertain you! When computer expert Morgan Sullivan (Northam) joins a huge multinational company, he assumes a new identity and is sent undercover to investigate corporate espionage. Before long, he finds himself caught up in a vicious cycle of paranoia and mistrust. Then along comes Rita (Liu), a sexy and smart secret agent who informs Sullivan that he's being brainwashed and that she is the only one who can help him! Loaded with riveting twists and amazing special effects ... you're sure to applaud this fast-paced thriller!

Customer Reviews:

Cypher.......2007-05-11

"Morgan Sullivan doesn't exist." So Sullivan is told when he is hired by infotech goliath Digicorp to be a corporate spy, operating under the alias Jack Thursby. "What's he like?" Sullivan asks. "What's his personality?" Finster, Sullivan's controller, answers, "He's anything you want him to be."
Sullivan is thrust into a series of assignments for Digicorp, surreptitiously recording speeches at a variety of industry conventions in off-track localities, Buffalo, Omaha, Boise. His wife is not best pleased that Morgan has undertaken a peripatetic part-time gig - he was supposed to sign on with the family firm. But Sullvan has warmed to his new personality, has developed a taste for premium scotch and Cuban cigarettes, for golf and saling in the South Seas. "This is what I want to do." He assures Finster. "This is who I am."
As Thursby, he meets the enchanting Rita Foster in a hotel bar, but awkwardly flubs his pickup attempt. He begins to suffer excruciating headaches and terrifying nightmares. His marriage has become fretful and insipid. He pitches himself into the convention circuit - his life is a weary succession of airports, flights, hotels, washrooms, and banquet facilities set up for corporate seminars.
Awaking from one of his brutish nightmares, Thursby is drawn from his room to investigate distracting sounds, following them to the hotel roof where he is accosted at gunpoint by strangers. A leather-laced martinet approaches from a private helicopter. It is Rita Foster. She knows he is a Digicorp spy; she knows about the headaches and the nightmares. She gives him remedies and advice. "If Digicorp finds out you've met me, they'll kill you. Just remember who you are. You are not Jack Thursby. You are Morgan Sullivan."
Now completely devoured by the intrigue, his marriage a baleful shambles, his appetite for Rita Foster whetted, his cover blown, Sullivan cannot turn back. The pills Foster has given him are effective. She contacts him again, now more guardian angel than guarded agent, and rescues him from a session of "neural programming" intended to transfrom him into a mindless automaton.
He wakes from still another frightful dream into his fully fleshed alternate identity Jack Thursby, complete with a new wife, a new home, and a new assignment - to penetrate the spyworks of Digicorp's titanic rival Sunways Systems. He applies for a job at Sunways; he is unmasked. "According to your neurograph," he is informed by Sunways security chief Calloway, "...you're lying." Out of options, Sullivan agees to become a mole - to spy on Digicorp for the benefit of Sunways. "I want to talk to Rita Foster," Sullivan insists. But Foster doesn't work for Sunways. Who does she work for? Calloway discloses reluctantly, "She works for Sebastian Rooks."
Sullivan explodes. "Who's Sebastian Rooks?"
Thus the threads of Brian King's occluded plot entangle us. Morgan Sullivan is a human cypher, a fellow in the business of being someone else, an animated puzzle piece who has come loose from the grand design. Director Vincenzo Natali emphasizes the megapuzzle world Sullivan has entered with severe rectilinear backgrounds; every scene is an overwhelming array of right-angle geometry: squares, rectangles and equilateral triangles dominate every frame down to Sullivan's houndstooth coat and square-toed shoes. Digicorp headquarters is a shuddering Gothic cube against a desolate sky; the aerial view of Sullivan's neighborhood a bleak confinement of nestled boxes. The forceful point is made: in this checkerboard universe games will be played.
"Cypher" is painted from the noir palette. High contrast illumination neatly bisects places and faces into precise halves. Shadows lurk in every corner. A gray-blue cast imbues the entire film with necrotic dread. Natural color bursts into scenes so rarely that its serves an ironic purpose - it makes reality look fake.
Jeremy Northam's Sullivan wears the tentative half-smile of the man unsure of his surroundings but eager to please. His mild adenoidal voice tempers his declaratives: "Ah, Cohibas. My favorite brand." "Scotch. Single malt. On the rocks." He is treading water. At any moment, the uncertain sea might swallow him.
Lucy Liu's Rita Foster is a compact action figure, by turns sensual and phlegmatic, solicitious and forceful, endearing and threatening. She knows the game: is she a player or a pawn? Her eyes are as dangerous and inviting as a pair of chocolate mud pies. Her entrance is the first respite from the crushing angularity of Sullivan's enigmatic world, a soft silhouette of graceful curves framed by an ice machine in a hotel hallway.
No one does benevolent menace like Nigel Bennett. His Finster is a villain you hate to hate. There is no such comforting ambiguity in David Hewlett's sinister wall-eyed Vaultkeeper Virgil Dunn, Sunways Systems molebuster. The cavernous subterranean Vault is Vincenzo Natali's homage to "Forbidden Planet", as his neural programming scene is a respectful nod to "A Clockwork Orange." Timothy Webber is a flawless Calloway and Kari Matchett is silvery cool as faux spouse Diane Thursby.
Even with its stunning visual impact, its well-cast actors, and its mind-teasing plot, "Cypher" would be motionless in the absence of its arresting soundtrack. Michael Andrews sequences his simple eight-note minor mode piano theme into a half-dozen compelling variations that establish mood and intensify pace. Music and sound effects blend indistinguishably. The "Cypher" theme is the rail along which the film chugs, races or idles. In its complete statement over the closing credits, it is a satisfying three-section suite that induces emotional closure.
A sci-fi thriller need not pretend to profundity; its style may trump substance without disservice to integrity. "Cypher" is an aural and visual masterpiece, a smartly executed confection whose sounds and sights are their own reward.

LOVED IT---a killer movie you've never heard about.......2006-08-22

I hate slow moving films, however, this movie has to move slow or you would be completely lost.
Brilliantly put together and acted, a great treat, nothing what i expected
Sometimes you see a film and just think "WOW", now that is clever, or VERY COOL, this is one of them. Few special effects but the ones they do have are amazing
If you have a widewcreen tv, the looks of this movie are quite impressive also
GET IT ENJOY!!!

Stylish, with great acting by Northam.......2006-02-18

Had a heck of a time finding this to view before buying -- eventually had to go through an inter-library loan! Found out about it through a fav movie spoiler page, and am I glad. Great visually -- stylish and crisp, believable special effects; even the slightly out-landish elevator to The Vault made me sympathetically uncomfortable. Superb acting by Northam -- watched this with a friend who was used to seeing him in period dramas and she was stunned at his progression through the movie. The plot was disturbing and left me pondering afterwards. There are a few plot loops (honestly, there aren't many movies made without them), but there was enough continuity and layering to make me want to watch it again -- and buy it! The pace at first might not appeal to all, but this is a thoughtful movie, and the level of action certainly switches gears later on. If you're tired of watching non-stop special-effect-laden violence or sci-fi, in the mood for an off-kilter paranoia/conspiracy flick with a sharp look, or just want something a little different from the run-of-the-mill, this movie is a prime choice.

Extreme case of mistaken identity.......2006-01-05

Wouldn't it be sad if the high point of your career was "Charlie's Angels"? That might turn out to be the case for Liu, if she keeps making movies like this.

Cypher is a passable spy/tech movie. An ordinary-looking guy is living some double life, hidden from his wife and even (we find out later) from himself. Liu, wearing a horrendous wig, drops in from nowhere (sometimes literally) bearing mysterious messages. They live happily ever after. And there was some running around in the middle.

The pieces are all good, but the movie never rises above the ordinary. It's one way to kill an evening, if you have one that really needs to die.

//wiredweird

TRY AND DE-CYPHER THIS ONE.......2005-09-08

I've always enjoyed watching Jeremy Northam's work, whether in the sci fi classic MIMIC or the oh so proper GOSFORD PARK. But not even the usually suave Northam can save CYPHER from being a cinematic mess. It's premise of corporate espionage and it's mysterious underlying theme is initially intriguing and holds your interest, even though it's slow moving. But as the movie throws twist upon twist and never really validates these twists, it becomes more of an incomplete jigsaw puzzle than a complete movie. Lucy Liu struggles through a role that requires her to look seductive, but whose monotonous delivery negates any impact the actress could have. Although stylishly done, CYPHER is one of those movies you should be glad you rented and didn't buy.

Average customer rating:

Not what I thought
Hot lesbians and nothing else...what'd you Xpect
A few pretty sexy scenes to an overall ok movie.
I've seen better on the church channel.
Fire bad, and so is this movie

Mistress Frankenstein
Starring: Darian Caine , Heidi Christine , Victoria Vega , Jessie Harcourt , and Jade Duboir
Director: John Bacchus
Manufacturer: e.i. Independent Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Erotic Survivor
Erotic Witch Project 2 - Book of Seduction
Gladiator Eroticus
Titanic 2000: A Vampire's Lust is Unsinkable
Girl Explores Girl - The Alien Encounter

ASIN: B00004W5TQ
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Customer Reviews:

Not what I thought.......2007-06-11

It was good but not great and it got boring quickly.

Hot lesbians and nothing else...what'd you Xpect.......2006-03-30

Frankenstein spoof by guys who probably watched the original Frankenstein high on weed! These guys have an almost gleeful comtempt for things like plot, humor, story, etc...Never mind that, this company is at its best when it just focuses on its cadre of hot babes pretending to get it on together - love Darian Caine and Misty Mundae! All of these scenes are hot, long and will "get you there" if you're into it. They should really add a DVD option that allows you to play only the sex straight thru w/ no story, or put out a compilation DVD of the sex scenes in their roster of movies. If you want something erotic with at least an attempt at story, get Warhol's Frankenstein, or The Bride w/ Jennifer Beals if you want something thoughtful (though not super hot).

A few pretty sexy scenes to an overall ok movie........2004-09-09

In contrast to what some of the people have written about this movie, I though a couple of the scenes in the movie make it worthwhile to buy it (at least used). The very first erotic scene between the two maids in the bathtub I thought was pretty sexy with both women having great bodies. After this I think there are two more scenes that were pretty sexy: one with Misty Mundane and this beautifull big breasted blond girl and the other scene at the end with the two maids and Misty Mundane. I really think these three scenes make the movie worth buying. The plot pretty much is non-existent but some of the women and the scenes mentioned above are definite keepers.

I've seen better on the church channel........2004-09-03

Simply put, there's nothing erotic about this movie at all. I'm reading over some of the reviews here going on about the sex scenes being good and just blankly staring in wonder over where they came from. This is the least sexual B-movie I've seen.There are 3 or 4 sensual scenes, none of which are any good. They're pretty fake, with the camera scrolling up to x girl's face when Mistress Frankenstein gives them oral so you never actually see anything. At the beginning, there's a semi-decent bath scene with two of the maids (who are the only women here worth looking at) where they rub eachother down and end up doing more than Mistress Frankenstein does to all her "victims" combined. I'm not even kidding, I've seen hotter things on the chruch channel. Heck, I've seen hotter things from an E! True Hollywood Story about the cast of Growing Pains. I understand that this is supposed to be a fun movie, but when the back of the box advertises this as having some hot scenes and doesn't deliver, it is pretty disappointing. The movie has its humor though from time to time. All of which is stupid humor of course. Before a sex scene, a sales person magically appears to advertise his hotel that has a stuffed duck on a shelf. I don't know why, but that made me laugh for a few minutes.

There isn't much to review here. A lot of the scenes are dragged out and the music is very annoying: it's so faded that you can't even make out what it sounds like most of the time. Oh hell, this isn't a B-movie, it's a N-movie. It's so bad that it goes lower into the alphabet. The budget couldn't have been more than $73.48. The special features are the same from other titles by this studio, and this is also a flip disc just like the others. You get a lot of trailers for other movies, a little behind the scenes feature and a few web sites. That's about it. If you're looking for a funny erotic movie, look elsewhere. I laughed maybe 4 times total. One of which was remembering that stuffed duck when the credits started to roll. Man that duck rules. He's the reason I'm giving this an additional star.

Fire bad, and so is this movie.......2003-02-12

Mistress Frankenstein was a major disappointment. It's all well and good to intentionally make a spoof film as bad as possible, but this movie is just absurdly, ridiculously bad. Darian Caine plays Baroness Helena Frankenstein, a cold-hearted, cold-blooded, sexually repressed prude. Her husband Dr. Frankenstein still loves her despite her lack of warmth (and other things), and he naturally tries to bring her back to life when she is accidentally killed. Unfortunately, her brain was damaged in the accident. The doctor orders his servant Igor to fix it, but Igor ends up losing it and secretly replacing it with a brain he bought at the body parts store dirt cheap. When Mistress Frankenstein reawakens, she is a sex-crazed lesbian and starts seducing everyone woman she meets.

This movie is just really, really bad. The acting is over the top and back again, there's some kind of laugh track inserted for the servant Igor (seemingly a silly, twisted version of Paul Lynde), all of the incredibly annoying townspeople are named Karl, the horse in the movie is two guys in a costume, the wretched gorilla Kimbo puts in a cameo, Darian is forced to walk and talk like the original Frankenstein's monster, and-with the exception of Miss Caine and Heidi Christine-the featured actresses are hardly worth looking at. I actually considered fast forwarding through some of the scenes. Unfortunately, I could go on and on listing the dumb things that make this movie almost painful to suffer through. Unless you're a huge Darian Caine fan, there's really no reason in the world for you to watch this movie.

The Kid and The Killers
Average customer rating:
The Kid and The Killers
Starring: Jon Cypher; John Garces; Gerry Ross; Elida Alicia
Director: Ralph C. Bluemke
Manufacturer: Sanya Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Young Aphrodites

ASIN: B000NJWIG2
Release Date: 2006-11-01

Product Description

Two men who just robbed a bank seek shelter from a storm in the home of two Mexican adolescents (Elida Alicia and Gerry Ross). One of them, Roper (Jon Cypher) is an okay guy, but the other is ruthless (John Garces) and he rapes and kills the female teen then races off with the loot. Roper then reluctantly joins forces with the deceased's fourteen-year-old brother Miguel (Gerry Ross). Can they endure one another long enough to successfully track down the villain? Low-budget and sometimes a bit cliched, yes, but an otherwise enjoyable, realistic look at the West. Director Ralph C. Bluemke (Robby).

Average customer rating:

Just Plain Weird
Very strange
Spontanious Human Combstupid
Pyromania over the top!
CAUTION: Contents of this movie may be hot!

Spontaneous Combustion (Ws)
Starring: Brad Dourif , Cynthia Bain , Jon Cypher , William Prince , and Melinda Dillon
Director: Tobe Hooper
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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Neon Maniacs
The House By The Cemetery
Night of the Demons
Happy Hell Night
Crocodile

ASIN: B00006JDRY
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Customer Reviews:

Just Plain Weird.......2005-08-26

I remembered seeing this when I was younger and really freaking out over the carousel scene where the parents are in the bed all hot for each other. I mean, really HOT. Flaming hot in fact. That scared the (blank) out of me!

Now that I am no longer a wee lad, but am a bit older and wiser, I watched this movie with great interest. One word: "Huh?" This is the freakiest movie ever. And I don't mean that in a good way. It is Dumb with a capital D. Brad Dourif is weird, man. It freaks me out to even look at the guy. And the story is really lame. A psychic radio show guy gets set on fire through the phone. Sam's mentor turnes out to be an EVIL MADMAN who is trying to set him up with his sister/girlfriend Lisa so that together they will breed and create the ULTIMATE SECRET GOVERNMENT WEAPON so that this crazy guy can have THE ULTIMATE POWER. Uh, sorry. You kind of lost me back there somewhere...

The ending is... uh, funky. Some bad special effects with a memorable last line: "Lisa, I can take your fire." Then the movie just ends. What? It just stops. Like, "Okay that's it. You can all go home now. Sorry for wasting your time."

This movie would have had a great theme song if they had used The Doors' "Light My Fire". I can definitely see telling Cynthia Bain to "Come on baby light my fire." I give this movie 2 stars instead of 1 because... well I'm not sure why really. I guess I just like to witness Brad Dourif's flame-sprouting dementia.

Very strange.......2005-05-03

I liked this movie, but there were alot of loop holes in it's logic and the end was horrible. One loop hole is 2 caracters are riding in a car, and one begins shooting flames all over the place. Neither gets even scorched. But by the end of the movie, the one character is burnt pretty bad.On the other hand, the movie takes a creepy surreality at times that if it had maintained, this wold have been a classic. Example is at one point 2 characters are discussing the situation, and in the middle of the conversation voices from the radio add clues to the mystery. The 1950's Area 51 atmosphere is a plus.The ending makes no real sence.I do like ths movie, and love parts, but over all, the end was crap.

Spontanious Human Combstupid.......2004-11-27

This movie starts with this ugly little man who is annoying not to listen to, but also to look at. (You might recognize him from his best work in "Silent Night Deadly Night Part 5" with Mickey Rooney. [An equally unattractive man]) His wife is a pretty one in which in real life he would not have a chance. They have a kid during some radiation experimentation and end up with a kid that looks like Brad Douriff. (Coincidence? I think not). Later on Brad Douriff is a student/teacher (we really don't know what the heck he's doing there at the a college/high school [i think it's a college]). All we know is that he is an ugly man with a relationship with a pretty woman (in which we know he would have no chance with in real life [coincidence i think not] [the men his family must have a good personality]). And all the students at the school are wearing nazi-esque patches that are to protest the Nuclear Power Plant that is to be built. (Why you may ask? Good question.) Anyways, whenever Douriff gets mad he sets people aflame. (So maybe the men in his family don't have the best of personalities) So the movie goes on to "explain" why he is ripping off Drew Barrymore from "Firestarter", but end screwing it all up and making no sense whatsoever. Also you find out that his ex-wife's grandfather raised him and his current girlfriend, even though they didn't know about each other. So his girlfriend is a sister/girlfriend/enemy-because-she-knew-about-his-condition/
ex-wifes competion for affection. Got that?? Good. The ending is horrific in the sense of "Get me out of here before I burst into flames of confusion and frustration!"

If you liked this movie I recomend: The Mangler (another Tobe Hooper classic/mistake.
What I learned from Spontanious Combustion: Brad Douriff looks better and better as he decomposes.

Pyromania over the top!.......2003-01-01

The silliness begins in 1955 with newlyweds Brian and Peggy Bell undergoing a secret government experiment to give humans an increased resistance to radiation. As an unfortunate side effect, (don't all nuclear experiments have icky side effects?)their newborn child has developed the ability to cause people to burst into flame. Alas, Brian and Peggy are our first victims and our first hint that this is not going to be a special-effects masterpiece.

Jump to the present-day (late 80's) and our little firestarter is all grown up in the form of university student, Sam Kramer (Brad Dourif). Sam's opening scene is a school play audition wherein his performance is so pathetically bad that even his loving fiance, Lisa (Cynthia Bain) tells him not to quit his day job. If this scene was meant to ease the audience into Dourif's unconventional manner of acting by poking fun at him, it doesn't work, because we'll get to cringe a whole lot more as Dourif spends the rest of the film screaming and bugging his eyes out in an over-the-top performance that, for many other actors, would be a career-ending one. Even if this movie had a decent director, Dourif is woefully miscast and should really stick to roles that welcome complete psychosis like Grima Wormtongue (The Two Towers) and Piter De Vries (Dune).

Cynthia Bain doesn't fare much better, which is a shame because she does show some promise and is one of the better actors in the movie. Indeed, seeing her smiling face early on, while dressed in some attractive, if outdated outfits is one of the few bright points of the film. Unfortunatley, the screenplay soon has her bouncing between moderate to extreme hysteria, reminiscent of the closing scenes of Pumpkinhead, but without the believable motivation. It is actually a testament to her acting abilities that she can keep a straight, albeit tortured face through an increasingly ludicrous and muddled plot. In one scene, while driving her deteriorating, flamethrower of a boyfriend to the doctor, she has to alternately comfort and express her love for him while dodging the jets of flame shooting out of a hole in his arm. With driving skills like these she belongs in NASCAR, not this whacked-out flick.

If you think this sounds completely insane, just wait, it gets better - or worse depending on how you like your camp. After all, the words, "subtle" and "Tobe Hooper" are never found in the same sentence, let alone the same screenplay. As with Hooper's other works like Poltergeist and Lifeforce, the level of chaos and zaniness can only escalate, but in this case, on a very limited budget. Soon Sam Kramer is inadvertently toasting everyone around who even mildly upsets him - from a snotty radio producer (John Landis in a cameo role) to a friendly old security guard to an evil doctor/scientist who's trying to inject our poor hero with some green goo that looks fresh out of a cylume stick. All of this culminates in one of moviedom's most memorably silly climaxes that will leave you either laughing hysterically or uttering a very large: "huh?".

Bottom line: If you enjoy campy movies, Spontaneous Combustion can be quite fun at times. Unfortunately, the film is laced with enough seemingly serious acting and overtones to give the viewer the feeling that it wasn't meant to be funny. This, combined with a demented musical score and some seriously flawed writing make for an experience that can only be truly enjoyed by die-hard Brad Dourif (or Cynthia Bain) fans.

As far as this DVD version goes, the transer is very so-so and the only extra offered is a theatrical trailer. Blech.

CAUTION: Contents of this movie may be hot!.......2002-10-26

spontaneous combustion
Function: noun
: self-ignition of combustible material through chemical action (as oxidation) of its constituents -- called also spontaneous ignition

The thought of inanimate objects -- such as a pile of rags, or an old collection of tools -- spontaneously bursting into flames, is terrifying. Well, imagine if there was such a thing as spontaneous HUMAN combustion! Pretty scary, huh?

For Sam, it's not only scary, it's reality.

Sam always knew that there was something wrong with him, but he couldn't quite figure out the origin of his problem. After years of research, Sam discovers that his parents had been used in a number of atomic-weapons experiments shortly before he was born. The government was attempting to engineer the perfect weapon for war. When the project fails, the government hides all evidence of the project, and it becomes a tightly-kept secret.

Or did it?

No!

As a result of Sam's parents' repeated exposure to radiation, both of their genetic codes were changed, eventually being passed onto their first (and only) child, Sam. Because of the radiation running through his veins, Sam discovers that he has the uncanny ability to make things AND PEOPLE burst into flames.

Talk about getting "hot under the collar"!

"Spontaneous Combustion" is a masterful horror/sci-fi movie by one of the most talented filmmakers in the industry - Tobe Hooper ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Poltergeist").

Average customer rating:

Pan n scan
Little style, less substance.

Lady Ice
Starring: Donald Sutherland , Jennifer O'Neill , Robert Duvall , Patrick Magee , and Jon Cypher
Director: Tom Gries
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001WTWLA
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Description

This "hip" thriller takes place in the "Windy City" where Andy Hammond (Donald Sutherland), a detective, collaborates with an insurance company to investigate a theft of diamonds.... worth $3 million! Enter the lovely (and very affluent)Paula Booth (Jennifer O'Neill) and her father, Paul Booth (Patrick Magee), who deals in stolen goods. Although daughter and father are key suspects in the diamond caper, Andy is torn between capturing the criminals, or being captivated himself by a beautiful jewel thief. Bonus Features: VCI Previews| Actor Bios| Chapter Selection Menu. Specs: DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 93 minutes; Color; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - PG; Year - 1973; SRP - $9.99.

Customer Reviews:

Pan n scan.......2006-06-14

VCI's budget DVD starts out well enough for the obscure thriller Lady Ice, with nice letterboxed credits foreshadowing interesting widescreen photography to come. Unfortunately, as soon as the credits end, the aspect ratio changes to full screen and the rest of the film is presented in one of the worst pan and scan jobs I've ever seen on DVD. Pass on this one from VCI, and hopefully down the line there will be a new widescreen transfer so we can see how the film is supposed to look after the credits.

Little style, less substance........2000-02-14

A made-for-TV "Thomas Crown Affair (1968)" tries hard to duplicate the Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway chemistry, using Donald Sutherland and Jennifer O'Neill in this watery version.

Role reversal sets O'Neill as the wealthy jewel thief, hunted seductively by insurance investigator Sutherland..who works most of the film in shirts open to the navel...Ahh, the 70's!

O'Neill is beautiful and stylish, drives fast cars, swims unclothed and stays away from complex sentences, while Sutherland smokes those little thin cigars and from time to time falls back on his `Hawkeye' grin. There is a nice turn by Jon Cypher as the heavy. Soap opera vet Eric Braeden gets some on-screen time as does, of all people Robert Duvall as the straight-arrow cop.

Fun for a lark. Connoisseurs of the genre only please.

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