Reviews (17)

No 80s flashback is complete without the Breakin' movies!
Breakin' 2 (and the eagerly anticipated, soon-to-be-released original "Breakin'") have been added to a short list of 80s flix that I just have to have in my collection. Let's be real, if you were an urban teen/pre-teen in the early 80s, you will probably remember seeing this film at "the show" and you will love this DVD. Not because the acting is great ... it isn't. Not because the storyline is amazing ... it isn't. However, you will get a warm feeling inside remembering all of the cheesy things we did then. You will undoubtedly spend most of the time watching the movie thinking, "did I really think that was cool/hip/exciting/real back then?". And then, you will have to laugh to yourself!

For me, these were the days that I wanted to see a movie more than once ... not because I needed to catch the hidden meanings or because I thought the action scenes were amazing (i.e. the Matrix), but because I thought the main character(s) were CUTE and I LOVED the music! Priorities, right?!?

You can read the film description and other reviews to find out the plot. What I can tell you is that this movie, despite being corny at times (I can admit that now), is a wonderful walk down memory lane. In addition to the breaking, popping and locking around which the stories revolved, the Breakin' films introduced us to some up-and-coming celebrities (e.g. rapper/actor Ice-T) and some of the best music still being played in dance clubs everywhere. House music/techno fan alert -- the song "Din Dah Dah" is prominently played in Breakin' 2. (Any club DJs out there ... where can I get that song???)

I was, and continue to be, a die hard Breakin' fan ... proud to put my full name on this review! I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who just wants to relax and have a good time (whether you want to reminisce about the 80s or not)! If you are looking for serious cinema, this DVD is probably not for you.

The defining story of our generation
I'll be forthcoming and say that I've never actually seen Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, nor do I have the slightest knowledge of break dancing. I can, however, say this about Electric Boogaloo; it is, without a doubt, the finest feature film ever produced. It is a movie of great élan and sophistication. Not only was Electric Boogaloo the only movie in history to win the Academy Award for Best Picture twice (in 1987 and 1988), it was also the highest box office grossing movie of all time, taking in 3.46 billion dollars in the United States alone. This movie was also the debut of actress Kate Winslet, who plays Alyona Ivanovna, as well as the career making performance of Alan Arkin, who beautifully portrays the seemingly autistic Milo Minderbender.

Boogaloo takes off right where the original Breakin left off, with Turbo, a.k.a. "Boogaloo Shrimp" searching the mean streets of Washington, D.C. for his long lost dance partner Ozone, a.k.a. "'Shabba-Doo." One nuance between the original and Electric Boogaloo is that Danny DeVito was cast over Adolfo Quinones for the part of Ozone. I think the plot has something to do with a kangaroo stealing Boogaloo Shrimp's stolen casino money in the Australian Bush and his personal search for redemption, which he eventually finds-along with his money-in Jesus Christ.

I'll finish by saying this; if you have not yet had the pleasure of viewing Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, you should consider moving to Canada because I'm sure that at least one moose in Northern Quebec also missed this fine feature. Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo is the sine qua non of any video library and a credit to our great nation itself. This is not a movie to miss regardless of your understanding of breakdancing culture.

Who would have thought.....
Who would have thought that this movie would be worth a dang...turns out this is an EXTREMELY dated film which I love. Breakin' 1 was so awesome I had to get Breakin' 2. Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers is the best freakin' dancer I've ever seen. This movie is worth it just to see this man dance, and I'm not even in to dancing!!! Adolpho just kinda gets in the way. My only regret is that Chambers isn't more recognized.

Don't even bother!
It was a total let down. I had heard the hype, and it was boring beyond boring! The 1st was bad but alright. It was watchable but to make a sequel boy they must be despreate for money. If your into your old time hip hop stick to BEAT STREET. if your into ur fresh hip/ hop watch You got served or honey!

"Breakin' 2" - an entertaining sequel or pure evil?
I have never seen a film that so eloquently personified evil. This movie, the sequel to the most exquisite, laudable and praiseworthy film "Breakin'", is among the worst I have ever witnessed. On the back of the "Breakin'" DVD it says that "Breakin' inspired a sequel." Whoever was responsible for molding the pure and uncontaminated brilliance that is "Breakin'" into this horrendous excuse for a film needs to be punished. After seeing the movie, I was enraged. My anger was at first directed to the easiest targets, namely Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones and Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers, who make up the insurmountable dance troupe "TKO" in the Breakin' movies. However, after exploring the nature of my indignation and after trying to rationalize the feelings of anger and betrayal that raced through my body, I realized that it is not the actors fault, but my own. This epiphany made me recognize that I expected too much from this movie. How could I have expected that the absolute genius of Breakin' the first could be repeated and duplicated in a sequel? I set the bar to high, and I got hurt. So, you may ask why this youngster who uses a thesaurus a little too much for his own good would rate this movie so high after writing such a deplorable (and, might I add, superb) review? Well my friends, there is an answer to this seemingly unsolvable conundrum. The answer is that by watching this film, one attains a greater appreciation for the awesomeness that is "Breakin'." The inferior nature of "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" amplifies the greatness of the first "Breakin'" film. I sincerely hope that this review will shed some light on the true nature of the Breakin' films, in all their glory. Thank you. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

DVD at last!!!
...It's got the lot - 1 on 20 fight sequences, great stunts, fantastic B movie acting, lots of uneccessary flipping around, cool ninja tools, weapons and mystic chanting. Throw in a fair helping of gore and the odd bit of nudity, and voila... An 80's classic. All at last on a DVD that presents the most complete cut of the film I have ever seen. The UK version has always been heavily cut (as was the norm in the 80's clampdown on violence), but this version not only contains the whopping 8 or so minutes cut from the UK, but also re-instates all of the cuts made in the R rated US version. So this really is the definitive version, and an absolute must for Kosugi fans, or fans of those great 80's ninja flicks!

Finally - the ultimate ninja film arrives on DVD
Anyone who, like me, grew up watching this film will be celebrating at long last a DVD release, which is well overdue.

The best news of all, is that for the first time ever, we are getting the most complete cut of the film to be released. Previous home VHS releases in the USA have had numerous scene cuts and it's even worse in the UK, where whole sections were cut out. However, the restrictions on film violence have changed over the years which means that for this DVD release, everything is in. By that I mean, the shuriken fighting, the face injuries, the nunchakus, even the ridiculous blood spurt at the end - all in.

Whether these improve the film is debatable - but for Sho Kosugi and martial arts fans - at least we are now getting the whole picture.

The DVD features the original trailer - which contains yet more scenes that would never make the final cut - and are forever lost. Although the DVD is light on extras, it does present the film with a very crisp and wonderful newly mastered DVD print - everything looks better than ever before.

It's still silly. But it happens to be the best ninja film ever made, and Sho Kosugi's finest hour. A must-see that goes into the collection with the Bruce Lee epics.

What a fun movie to watch!!!
This movie was great. The action was non-stop and it was even a little funny in spots. Some of the stunts were a bit over the edge and they wound up looking pretty numb. Yes, the special effects are a little rough but man does the fight scenes make up for it in the long run. Sho Kosugi kicks major butt in this flick. Probably the strongest film of its genre, I've seen many by comparison and they just don't stand up. Kosugi's real son had a role in the film. Watch out for that little man, he'll whoop yours and my butts at the same time. I give it a 4.5 otta five. A must have if you can find it.

The greatest bad movie ever made.
If you were to look up the term "Guilty Pleasure" in the dictionary, Revenge of the Ninja is what you will find! I'm embarrassed to admit I saw this film three times in the theaters back in 1983. It's as good (and bad) as I remember. The film has something for everyone. A good ninja, a bad ninja, a hot babe, offensive stereotypical villains, and wall to wall action. Although the film takes place in Los Angeles, you'll laugh out loud when you see snow covered mountains in the background of several scenes! Sho Kosugi and real-life son Kane Kosugi provide most of the action, but the terrific Keith Vitali gets in a few licks as well. And the villains? How about a tomahawk wielding Indian man and a drug trafficking evil ninja? I love how the laws of physics are violated in nearly every scene. Leaping over brick walls in a single bound, tossing suriken stars like frisbees, and a crossbow-launched arrow drills itself into a concrete wall! This is all in good fun, of course. On the downside we get threadbare acting and a distracting music score, but those are minor quibbles for a really fun movie. The film's stunt coordinator plays the cowboy thug in the playground fight scene, and Kosugi's other real-life son has a cameo as the boy who is slain in the film's opening sequence. As for the DVD, the film is presented in full frame picture and mono sound, but still looks and sounds fine. Don't look for any extras, as there are none to be found. About four seconds of footage has been added to this DVD version - a quick shot of spewing blood at the film's conclusion. Other than that, this is the same good ole ninja flick we all remember. Hail Sho Kosugi!

the coolest ninja movie of all-time
I like this movie because it is very well made and authentic.I love the fight scenes and the acting.I practice ninjitsu like sho so i can understand a lot of the technical stuff.I also would like to recommend 'pray for death'. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

G.I. Joe packs a punch and a smile!
American Ninja is basically a star vehicle for Canon films hot young property Michael Dudikoff. While he is no Chuck Norris he has some cool moves and a warm smile. He rescues his Colonels pretty daughter from an ambush of ninja warriors. They escape by jumping in a river. Of course, they both are soaked to the skin but they dry off together in the woods before returning to civilization! Using his own martial arts skills he learned as a child from his foster father, a ninja warrior, he foils dastardly plots that are brewing and gets the girl.

While that sums up the plot, Michael Dudikoff, ably assisted by another rising star Steve James, makes this action movie work well enough to spawn a series of sequals. While no nominations are in order, the movie certainly is more entertaining then many higher budget action films are today. The DVD is in Widescreen with an aspect ratio of about 1:85:1. It includes a trailer sporting a pre-release working title for the film. The VHS editon enhances action in the center of the screen which has its advantages as well. Both releases are Closed Captioned. So make a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show. Best Wishes, CAL

US armys Joe Armstrong kills a smuggler & hundreds of ninjas
This movie is the chop sockiest ninja flick since Jackie Chans fests. It centers around Joe(The none too articulate Michael Dudikoff),a ninja with amnesia who joined the army after nearly killing someone. After getting into a fight with smugglers,he causes the death of 4 soldiers,(By ninjas)putting his reputation at stake.Joe rescues the colonels daughter and falls in love with her.After scrapping with Curtis Jackson(The too articulate Steve James),a corporal,they become friends.It turns out a smuggling operation is going on,and they want Joe dead for he knows too much. The black star ninja (Tadashi Yamashita) nearly assassinates him on several points. Eventually Joe learns the secrets of his past and.....watch the rest yourself! Its a great martial arts movie,and so was #2. Unfortunetly,3&4 are not worth mentioning. "He possess great skills!" END

Dudikoff, baby!
Our buddies at Cannon figured they should strike while the iron was hot and get a little more out of their successful ninja franchise. Having found success with already established action stars, they tried to make their own in the form of MICHAEL DUDIKOFF-THE AMERICAN NINJAAAAAA! Well, Dudikoff never achieved superstardom, but he'll always be recognized as "Joe". His screen presence isn't bad at all. He's got a boyish look and a rather soft spoken demeanor different from most action tough guys. He plays a soldier who, like Rodney, gets no respect. When he finally beats Steve James(a cool sidekick I might add) in a fight, he becomes rather popular. He takes on an army of evil ninjas that threaten the fate of the world! Ther lead ninja is a mean brute who kills his fellow ninjas during routine practices. This movie's fun.....very fun. Sure it's lame as all hell, but someone must have liked it coz it spawned four sequels.

THIS WAS A GOOD MOVIE, SCREW WHAT THEM CRITICS SAID!
IN THIS CULT CLASSIC, AN ARMY RECRUIT [MICHAEL DUDIKOFF] MUST STOP THE ARMY FROM DOING A MAJOR WEAPONS DEAL WITH SOME RICH BAD GUYS. THOUGH THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH TO THE MARTIAL ARTS THAT'S DISPLAYED HERE, IT'S STILL A FUN MOVIE TO WATCH, DESPITE THE BAD THINGS THAT ALL THE CRITICS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS MOVIE AND ITS SEQUELS, I'LL ADMIT IT, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS MOVIE. SCREW WHAT ALL THE CRITICS SAY, GO PICK UP THIS MOVIE NOW. MICHAEL DUDIKOFF AND STEVE JAMES HAVE AMAZING CHEMISTRY. FOLLOWED BY FOUR SEQUELS.

a cult was born
one of the best ninja and action films of the 80's.
michael dudikoff at one of he's best, good fightscenes and fantastic music.
the reason for only 4 stars: it's very tragic thats the film only is in widescreen! ... Read more

Description

After a few too many clashes with his superiors, brash agent Nick Slaughter find himself out of the Drug Enforcement Administration and on the beautiful atoll of Key Mariah.What appears as a calm, idyllic setting for retirement quickly proves to have more than enough work for Nick and his more rational counterpart, partner Sylvie Gerard.The appearance of dead bodies, drug running and beach women all draw Nick into a series of steamy new adventures. EPISODE 3 - FOWL PLAY:This episode is strictly for the birds.Nick is persuaded by Sylvie to take on the case of some dead rare exotic birds found on a local beach.The client is an overzealous, yet perky naturalist with hidden animal magnetism.The scent from the expensive poultry leads the two straight to some animal smugglers and a deranged reptile lover.The adventure is crawling with poisonous and slimy characters, and the reptiles are dangerous also.In solving the case, Nick and his client fit in a little romance with some odd mating rituals and help from a mouthy parrot. EPISODE 4 - SHE:Nick faces his past in this heart-touching episode.If the pain of a broken heart is not enough, Veronica, his old flame, is nothing but trouble for Nick.First, this beautiful blonde gets him fired from his DEA position five years ago, and now she returns with yet another favor to ask of him.She's found a wealthy older man to marry and wants to forget her drug days, but an old druggie buddy threatens to blackmail and expose her ugly past.The suspense builds to murder, voodoo and the occult with passion and action abound. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

If you have to see Quicksand, rent it -- don't buy it!
This is one of the very worst movies I have ever watched. I am surprised the US Marine Corps has not sued the producers and studio for defamation of character. Plus, the actors can't act and the story author can't write.

If you must see it -- rent; don't waste your money buying it
This has to be one of the worst movies in years. I am surprised the US Marine Corp doesn't sue for defamation of character. They should have hired someone that knew something about military unifroms, insignia, customs and courtesies, bases, and on and on. And saying that, they should have hired actors and writers too. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Really lousy
I haven't seen Spiders 1, so I can't compare it to its sequel, but for its sake I hope that the old saw about a sequel being worse than the original is true. Spiders 2 was awful. Terrible. Stupid. Poorly acted. Badly written. Unimaginative. Even badly lit.

Now, granted, a B (or C or D) movie like this isn't going to have a plot out of Shakespeare, but why not have a story that makes a modicum of sense? There are so many flaws I can't possibly enumerate them all, but here are a few: Spiders 2 takes place on a cargo ship containing a secret lab in which spider and human DNA has been combined--what better place than a ship rolling on the high seas to have a lab full of glassware for experimentation? Human DNA does nothing but make the spiders supersized, like a McDonald's Value Meal--there are no hideous human/spider creatures (think The Fly or Alien Resurrection), just big bugs. At the end of the movie a truly gigantic spider as wide as the entire ship and ten times larger than the human sized spiders we'd seen before emerges--where this beast could have been throughout the rest of the film we have no idea, and it does nothing more than go down with the ship. In the final scene, guys in the rescue helicopter drop a hand grenade down to the heroine, who's holding on to her husband with one hand, being pulled down by a giant spider on one leg, with the wash of the helicopter rotor affecting her from above and the motion of the sea on the crate the spider is in from below--and she catches it one handed. Sign the girl up as an outfielder in the big leagues! Even the shoes the heroine wears are stupid--she was rescued from a sailboat where she'd undoubtedly be wearing deck shoes, and we're told that she's the only woman on board so the clothes they give her will probably be too big for her (fortunately, they aren't, and the tank top she wears is quite fetching)--where did the pumps with two inch heels come from? Is the ship not only infested with giant spiders, but also drag queens? Hmm, come to think of it, that would have made a better movie. There are a few decent special effects, but some really awful ones. Frankly, much of the film looks like what my son did when he was about five years old, playing with his rubber toys.

The only two reasons to see this are if you think it's campy enough to be funny (maybe, especially if you're influenced by hallucinogenic substances, but remember, the drag queens were my idea) or if you've got the hots for Stephanie Niznik. She's a fox, but can't save the film for me. Better spend your money on Deep Rising, a terrific, scary, funny film with another gorgeous heroine.

Spiders 2: Mad Scientist Meets "Aliens"
There is absolutely no connection between the original SPIDERS and SPIDERS 2, except for the inevitable big crawling and bouncing arachnids. Director Sam Firstenberg tries with middling success to meld the traditional Big Bug movies of the 50s with the claustrophobic feel of Sigourney Weaver battling the slimy Aliens of that series. The result is a mess that does not allow for either plot believability or character/audience involvement.

Stephanie Niznik is Alexandra, who, with her remarkably wimpy husband, is picked up out of the ocean by a sea captain (Daniel Quinn) and a mad scientist type (Richard Moll), both of whom are conducting experiments to combine spider with human DNA. Naturally, no explanation is given as to why this should inevitably lead to spiders growing as big as Buicks. SPIDERS 2 starts out more as a dramatic mystery that only hints at the existence of huge spiders. Alexandra's husband is less interesting than the Daniel Quinn character who takes a liking to her. Richard Moll gets to prance about waving his arms as he shouts out, "My experiments will revolutionize genetic science!" The second half bogs down into a scene by scene ripoff of ALIENS 2 and 3. Ms. Niznik battles both evil henchmen and mutated spiders, even as she wears the same T-shirt worn by Sigourney Weaver. The assorted spiders seem more disgusting than threatening. SPIDERS 2 would have been greatly improved had director Firstenberg tried for originality rather than variations on the tough broad in a T-shirt theme.

THEY TOOK THE SEQ OUT OF SEQUEL
Why didn't they just go ahead and name this Breeding Ground or something? It does not pick up where Spiders left off. It really has nothing to do with the original. So why do these movie makers try and "cash in" on a previous films success by fooling the viewer that it is a true sequel. Anyway, now that we've dealt with that, let's move on to this subpar sequel. First of all, Richard Moll (the only known actor) in this movie is worse than any of the less known performers. Makes one wish Vincent Price was still alive or they had the money to pay for someone like Christopher Lee. At any rate, he is so inane and ineffectual, one can't wait till he gets his just dessert!
Stephanie Niznik could easily pass for Susan Sullivan (Falcon Crest) daughter, and joins the countless females who finds the opportunity to strip down to her Sigourney Weaver t-shirt when it comes time to battle the monsters. It ticks me off that they're gearing away from male heroes, particularly when Niznik is so unsupportive of her husband when he was right. The film-makers then decided to make her husband (the dimpled Grant Cromer) look wimpish. Add Daniel Quinn as the oh-so-nice captain who wants to woo Niznik away from her seemingly demented husband, and what a remarkable cast of bad actors looking good. As for the effects, considering the budget, they were okay. Some shots looked good; others not so good.
But after all was done, I still had a good time. There was some tense moments and the ending pretty wild. (Kudos to the writers for not having the happy ending turn sour, and believe me, they could have.)
Anyway, Spiders 3 should bring back Josh Green and carry on with their storyline.

Not a direct sequel
Although the first Spiders movie was quite good, this one lacks most of what made the first enjoyable.

There is no solid plotline, no interesting lead characters, no conspiracies, aliens, Men in Black, etc. All it really has going for it is seeing Bull, from TV's Night Court, as the villain.

A couple are rescued at sea by a large freighter. On board is a doctor who is conducting experiments on giant spiders. The couple figures out what is going on, realize they are intended as victims and accidently release all of the spiders.

In the original movie, the spiders were fearsome and nasty. Here they are almost backdrops. With the surface of the ship literally crawling with the beasts, they mostly just stand around and do nothing, not even chase their prey.

Stick with the first movie and avoid this thematic sequel.

my oh my
what are people thinking when they make a film anyways? the first spiders was actually a pretty good movie but then they make a complete disaster here in the sequeal, i mean just terrible, good god what happened?? one scene it looks like toy spiders crawling on a boat made from legos or somethin, i mean just terrible. nothing realistic looking at all in this film. i wouldn't pay a penny for this flick. its just that bad people! ... Read more