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Tuna
"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (2000)

For those new to the planet, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon won Oscars for Best Foreign Language film, Best Cinematography, Best art Direction/Set Direction, and Best Original Score. Were they to give an award for best musician, cellist YoYo Ma would certainly have run away with the award. The VHS version is due to be released on June 5, 2001, and is priced at $95.99. They have not announced a release date for the DVD version as yet. My guess is that they will gouge the rental market with the high priced VHS, and then release a whole series of lower cost VHS and DVD editions. The film is currently #9 in the all time top 250 at IMDB, and everyone who has reviewed it loves it. This year's Best Picture, Gladiator, is at 89 and dropping, while the film that should have won but wasn't nominated, Almost Famous, is at 53.

So, is it really that good? You need to know that I hate Kung Fu films. That being said, this is an amazing film. The art/set design, cinematography and music would have been enough to win me over, but the story is strong, the acting is very good, and Ziyi Zhang has a clear wet t-shirt pokethrough. Life doesn't get much better than this.

For those who haven't seen it, the plot involves lots of Kung Fu, especially swordplay, and has two strong love story sub-plots, as well as revenge, and a little magic and mysticism.

Plan on buying this one when it becomes available.

  • Thumbnails

  • Ziyi Zhang (1, 2, 3, 4)

    "Mean Streets" (1973)

    Mean Streets (1973) was written, produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, and is the film that put him on the map. It is semi-autobiographical, created from memories of growing up in Little Italy in New York. Stars include Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. Keitel plays Charlie, who is a small time hood who does collections and other odd jobs for his uncle, who is a local mafia head. He is close friend and protector to Johnny Boy Cervello (De Niro) who is more than a little crazy, and a compulsive gambler in debt up to his ears. Charlie secretly dates Johnny's cousin Teresa (Amy Robinson), but his uncle doesn't approve because Teresa is epileptic (sick in the brain).

    Charlie struggles with the contrast between his Catholicism and the way he makes a living, and tries to be everyone's savior. Johhny won't take his debt seriously, and as the film progresses, we sense that it won't end "happily ever after." There is a lengthy nude scene with Robinson, who only acted in 2 films total, but produced 11 more. Critics are pretty much in agreement that this is a 4 star effort. Even though it is a little rough around the edges, partly because of a low budget ($150,000.00), it shows the emergence of a Scorsese style. This is a must see for the serious filmgoer.

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  • Amy Robinson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
  • Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy)

    New to DVD

    I looked at Chuck's Cherubs again. A good junk movie. A great gag - in the opening scene, the passengers on an airplane are complaining because they have to watch "yet another movie made from an old TV series". In this case - "T.J. Hooker - The Movie". I went through the "Nude" scene, in which Drew Barrymore fell out of a window and rolled down a hill naked. Can't see a bloomin' thing. In the left frame, she's hanging naked from the window. Can't tell if it is Drew, can't even tell if it's naked. Nothing can be seen in the roll - just an illusion. In the middle of the composite, you see her having landed in a suburban backyard, after which she covered herself with a pool toy. On the right hand side, we see the three angels topless. Unfortunately, they are a zillion yards from the camera, and their backs are turned.!

    I looked at Le Temps Retrouvé, based upon the final book of Proust's masterwork, Remembrance of Things Past (Literally: searching for lost time. This movie title is "time regained" in English.) So you know it'll be filled with cheerleaders and good times. Actually, there are some serious French babes from several generations, but no nudity and not nearly as many wire fights as Crouching Tiger, because Deneuve is getting a little old for those tree-top fights.

    No nudity in the cult film, Tapeheads, about two losers who decide to become rock video producers. Here's my warning: I love rock music, movie comedies, Cusack, Robbins, and the Motown sound. This movie features all of those elements, and I still didn't like it. Produced by Michael Nesmith, cuz' people say he monkeys around, but he's too busy singin' to put anybody down.

    Hendrix is pretty much a docudrama about the guitar god. It's formula is a long song, followed by a brief bit of dialogue with introduces some change into Jimi's career, than another long number in the new style. It's OK if you are into the subject matter, but there's no extra cinematic plusses if you aren't already inclined to see it. Plenty of nudity, but nobody you'll recognize, I suppose.

    • Anonymous chickadees (1, 2, 3)

    Love Beat the Hell Outta Me. Black filmmakers have longer ones. Titles that is. This is a first-time effort from writer/director Kennedy Goldsby. Not a good effort. Four guys sit at a table and play dominoes, and discuss the break-up of one of them from his girlfriend of 14 years. The cast lists both "Glenn's girlfriend" and "body double for Glenn's girlfriend", so I suppose this nude scene must be the body double.

    Graphic Response
  • Marina Sirtis, pre-Trek nudity from 1983's "The Wicked Lady". Excellent topless scenes, plus even a far off full frontal view!

  • Mongoose
    "Redline (1997)" I really like this unknown little Rutger Hauer sci fi flick. Shit, I've watched it about four times already (including capping time). 4.7 out of 10 on the IMDb reader poll. Pitiful. Do movie watcher expect every sci fi flick to have the budget of a Star Wars or a Matrix? Take it for what it is...a small budget sci fi flick filmed in Hungary by a Hungarian who has lived and worked in Canada for 25 years or so. The star's a bit washed up but I guess the director was hoping that his name would draw some viewers.

    Redline was released as "Redline" here in the US and as "Deathline" elsewhere. Why the name change for our market? Who knows? I kind of prefer "Redline" myself so it works out OK for me. Written and directed by one Tibor Takács, who's (as mentioned above) a Hungarian born filmmaker living in Canada for the past 25-30 years churning out sci fi flicks and working on TV shows such as Sabrina, The Crow, Earth:Final Conflict and even an episode of Red Shoe Diary. Now, IMDb says that Redline is an American flick and All-Movie Guide says its an American/Dutch movie but the credits suggest that it's a Canadian/Hungarian movie. Strengths: good story, female nudity, lot's of gunfire and explosions, a cameo by a couple of bad ass Mil Hind copters and Yvonne Scio. Weaknesses: Rutger. I like old Rutger but he could be drunk through out this one. He's supposed to be an American but his accent is atrocious.

    Here's the story: 92 year old Rutger Hauer plays John Anderson Wade, an ex-CIA man who is now a black market entrepreneur in the capitalist Wild Wild West of Moscow in the near future. Rutger and his girlfriend Yvonne Scio and his Agency buddy Merrick (some guy who plays on The Crow) are smuggling illegal "fantasy" biochips into Russia to sell to cyberjunkies (wasn't "Strange Days" about something like that?) to stick in their transdermal transcranial USB port and do the cyberpunk thing. Rutger's partner Merrick betrays him and shoots him and his galpal dead at a rendezvous point. Anyway...Rutger and his gal are dead and his partner Merrick is working for the Troika, which in real life is a generic term for Russian organized crime groups but in this flick it's a cohesive organization much like "The Mafia" is some US movies.

    The Russians are doing some experiments on "bio-synthetic cyber implants" and they use their research to bring old Rutger back to life. Rutger awakens and escapes and seeks revenge against Merrick. He goes to the Ministry of Culture, which is now a big state run brothel, and gets him a whore. It's real muddy here as to why he sought her out. She looks EXACTLY like his old dead girlfriend (played by Yvonne Scio of course) and I believe that Rutger thinks it is her. He wants info from her as to where Merrick can be found. I still don't know if she was REALLY his old girlfriend (who's death would've had to have been faked) or if she was planted by the CIA (you did find out at the end that she's CIA) because she looked like his old gal or perhaps even that she had her look altered to look like the dead girl. I still just don't know.

  • Anyway, here's Yvonne Scio in some very interesting pants. No nudity in the first one, tits in the second (1, 2)


    May I take a second to say that this a very nice looking DVD. I don't think it's the transfer either. Credit Takács the director. His use of color, texture and lighting makes this movie a capper's dream. The transfer's not bad either.

    Next...
    Rutger goes to some seedy futuristic Moscow hotel where he jacks into the provided cyberfantasy gimmick and imagines this shower room encounter with a naked Yvonne Scio.

    If ya look real close, you can see a little babuschka. Now, being that this is a fantasy...Rutger gets to have sex with two different Yvonne Scio's! Almost at the same time! Now there's a dream...a menage a trois with your favorite fantasy object times two!

  • Here's Yvonne number two (1, 2)

    Now...I have to tell you that I am not absolutely sure of the names of these chicks. This is another reason that I watched the movie several times...trying to get clues as to the actresses' names. Y'see, you had all these movie characters and you also had a decent list of cast...but they didn't match up too well. There were women in the movie who had their character name mentioned, yet the name did not appear in the credits. Also, there were character descriptions in the credits that made little or no sense (Zone Girl 1, Dirt Girl 1). I usually put a fair amount of work in getting the names of lesser female naked characters correct but this one really was tough. I cross-reference other flicks, search the internet, consult books and mags that I have...no help here! The names assigned to these women then, are educated guesses. I've selected the most likely name for the naked women...if I'm wrong...a) forgive me and b) let me know so I can fix it. In all likelihood, however, no one will ever be the wiser.

    First up:Rutger comes across this topless female soldier working out on the punching bag. She attacks! Szilvia Bizek (maybe?):

    And after he dispatches her and the male soldier...he gets attacked by the fully nude with shaved pubis Anita Neszmenyi! She's a little on the Chyna tip but she is naked...

    Back to familiar territory. The 400 year old gynecomastial Rutger makes love to the luscious Yvonne Scio. Please don't write me if you're around the same age as Rutger. I know he's not THAT old but he looked pretty tired in this flick. You can write me to complain if you're his age and regularly pork 28 year old women. I know how you feel, I just saw a TV trailer for "Josie and the Pussycats" and saw James Spader putting the moves on Josie. I'm thinking "Shit! He's older than me! That means I have a chance with Rachael Leigh!" Yeah...uhhh...whatever.

  • Here's Yvonne. (1, 2)

    Call me a freak, but I really like Yvonne's hair. Just face and hair.

    Old man Rutger went to a Moscow Rave Club and there were a few topless chicks dancing in the crowd. This young unknown Hungarian(?) lass caught my eye.

    And Ildika Szucs in a wig. Ildika was a bodyguard for Merrick. Here she is screwing him in a classic trap to catch Rutger. She looks hot as a brunette!

    Well, that's it. Rutger kills everyone he needs to kill and he and Yvonne run off to Brazil.

  • Phuture Optic
    Stefanie Petsch Very nice topless nudity in scenes from "Lemon Popsicle V".

    Sabrina Cheval Also in topless scenes from "Lemon Popsicle V".

    Wiebke Bachmann Undressing and in the tub from "Die Heimlichen Blicke des Mörders".

    Lingual
    Comments and images by Lingual
    The quality of the pics today is a bit uneven, but the quality of the women is outstanding!

    Nina Moric
    (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
    7, 8, 9)

    First, a follow up on a Croatian babe from a while back. Plenty of scans with nice nip glances, plus some nice vidcaps as well

    Analice Nicolau
    (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
    7, 8, 9, 10)

    Next, Brazilian babe Analice Nicolau: (in a Mr. Rogers voice) Can you say muscles and curves in all the right places, natural ta-ta's, killer arse, and no inhibitions? I knew you could. (BTW doesn't she look like Mia Sara's double in the first one?)

    Vibe Sorenson
    (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

    Finally a scrumptious Scandinavian sylph unknown to me. Anybody know anymore?

    Rawhide Kid
    Audrey Quock
    (1, 2)

    Carol Alt
    (1, 2)

    Carré Otis
    (1, 2)

    Bikini babes from the Sports Illustrated 2001 desk calendar.

    and ...
    Carrie-Anne Moss
    (1, 2)
    Two more collages from "Red Planet", by Bgs #1 is another look at the shower scene. I must say, this is one of the best cover-ups by an actress. Somewhere there must be footage of the goodies. #2 shows just how cold it is is space.

    Just in case the producers/distributors/studios (whoever) that made this puppy are out there, I would like to say this...
    "If you add in more revealing footage of Carrie-Anne, you just might make back some of the millions you lost on this Box Office dud."

    Amy Dolenz Bra and panties scene from the movie "Stepmonster", by CV.

    Kate Beckinsale Topless in scenes from 1994's "Uncovered".

    Lisa Snowden Great see-thru visibility in this scan by PicCap.

    The Funnies
  • Police budget cut backs have begun to affect the K-9 units. Thanks to Dr. Zorchfinger.

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