Soldier's Girl [2003] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

The most powerful true story I have ever seen.............2007-05-08

Well I don't know where to start with this. This film was so moving, shocking, powerful, and sad. It made a HUGE impact on me!

As someone who lives in the U.K, I only remember hearing brief news reports about the murder of Private Barry Winchell in 1999. It was 2005 when I learned that a film about this had been made.

I have no idea why this film never had a U.K release on DVD, or why it has never been shown on British television. It really deserves to be released over here! I already had a copy of "Boys Don't Cry" - which I found to be a great film, but "Soldier's Girl" was far more powerful indeed!

I recently purchased a Region 1 (NTSC) version of the film, and I'm so glad to now own a copy of this little known gem.

There may be a few inconsistencies with actual events (for example Calpernia didn't live in a trailer park), but in general, the film stuck to the truth and handled the subject matter in a brilliant and sensitive manner.

SOLDIER'S GIRL was a made-for-cable (Showtime) U.S film that tells the true story of the relationship between Private Barry Winchell, and a Transgendered nightclub performer "Calpernia Addams". Winchell was a young 22 year old soldier, who was serving at Fort Campbell. There he shares a dorm with Justin Fisher - A loose cannon with several issues in his life.

Fisher one night takes Winchell (and some other fellow soldiers) to a nightclub called "Visions" where Transsexuals perform. He tells Winchell that bringing him there was "a test of character", but whilst Fisher knocks back the beers, he gets in a argument with Winchell, leading to one of the performers (Calpernia) breaking up this disagreement and taking Winchell back stage to clean some beer from his shirt.

Winchell is interested in Calpernia, and after talking to her, asks for her phone number. She gives him it, as she seems genuinely fond of him. Winchell doesn't tell his fellow soldiers what he and Calpernia talked about- or that he has her number.

3-4 days later Winchell telephones Calpernia (who seems a bit surprised that he actually phoned her back), and she invites him to a BBQ at her home later in the week.
The two meet up, get along very well. And before long they share their first kiss. Winchell is a straight man, and doesn't see himself as "Gay" since Calpernia is in herself "A Woman" even though she hasn't had full surgery yet. But as their relationship progresses, and news starts to spread around the barracks about Winchell's behaviour (mostly from Fisher), people start to accuse him of being Gay.

Later in the film we see a new soldier joining. He is 17 year old Calvin Glover. Fisher takes no time in winding up Glover by accusing Winchell of being "A Faggot", and telling Glover that someone needs to sort Winchell out.

After getting the young and unstable Glover drunk during the July 4th celebrations, Fisher gives Glover a "Luisville Slugger" - a vintage baseball bat, and tells Glover to sort Winchell out whilst he lies in bed asleep.

I found this to be almost unbearable to look at as Glover beats Winchell over the head several times with the bat. (This was so graphic that you could actually see bits of brain matter all over the wall!)

Glover returns to Fishers room covered in Winchell's blood, and at this point Fisher is shocked as to the extent that Glover went to. Winchell was close to death, but still alive after this brutal beating, but no ambulance arrived to take him to hospital for an hour due to the 911 system's being supposedly "down".

When Winchell eventually made it to hospital his injuries were so bad, that his parents asked the doctors to switch off his life support machine.

Glover was sentenced to a lengthy sentence, and Fisher was given a shorter sentence (Fisher has recently been released on parole).

Calpernia Addams had the final stage of her sex reassignment surgery, and is now working in hospital administration in LA.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would highly recommend this film, as it shows just how cruel we human beings can be, and that everyone deserves love, no matter who they fall in love with.

SOLDIERS'S GIRL, is a truly brilliant film that will have you glued to the television screen for the whole 112 minutes, and will in no doubt leave you shocked and saddened by the end of it.

I feel total hatred towards Glover and Fisher for what they did to an innocent man who did no more that fall in love with someone who's life wasn't called "normal" - Who are we to say what's normal or not!

A fantastic film that will stay in my mind for a VERY long time.

10/10

Average customer rating:

first she mates...

What was that?

Lady Terminator [1989]
Starring: Barbara Anne Constable , Christopher J. Hart , Claudia Angelique Rademaker , Joseph P. McGlynn , and Adam Stardust
Director: H. Tjut Djalil.
Manufacturer: Mondo Macabro
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Action & Adventure | Action & Adventure | Categories | DVD | Video
All Horror | Horror | Categories | DVD | Video
DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Virgins From Hell [1987]

ASIN: B0002VER3S
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Customer Reviews:

first she mates..........2006-04-17

...then she terminates. when this is the strapline you get the idea quality was never on the agenda, and so it is proved.
gotta disagree with the other reviewer. this one falls firmly in the 'so bad its good' category. yes, the plot is flimsy and the acting laughable but that's not the point. when i saw this in the cinema (horror festival, believe it or not) it had me (and others) in stitches. whether the people involved believe in what they are doing and are breaking their backs on this is not the issue.
get the lads round, crack open a few beers and relax. oh and yes, she does at one stage say 'i'll be back'. worth the admission price alone

What was that?.......2006-03-14

Ok, I like a joke as much as the next guy, however this left me feeling confused and a little ill as I had forked out my hard earned cash. There is no saliant, discernable plot, the acting and spFX are terrible, oh and the 80's music made me want to puke. Avoid for Gods sake......it really isn't worth it!

Average customer rating:

Good, up until...

Not Craven's best

very very dissopointed

Pretty enjoyable...

Wes Craven's Don't Look Down [2002]
Starring: Megan Ward , Terry Kinney , Billie Burke , and Angela Moore
Director: Larry Shaw
Manufacturer: Prism Leisure
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Horror | Horror | Categories | DVD | Video
DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Deadly Species [2002]

Do You Wanna Know A Secret? [2000]

The Frightening [2001]

The Barber [2001]

Sleepaway Camp [1983]

ASIN: B00009P9ON
Release Date: 2004-10-04

Customer Reviews:

Good, up until..........2006-12-27

i really liked this film. it wasnt terrifiying, like saw, or phsyco, but it made you think, & i identified with the main character. but the ending was a real dissapointment. totally unbeleivable, & it gave you no leads to it throughout the film. worth watching, but if you dont, not a real miss.

Not Craven's best.......2006-03-01

Wes Craven, Horror movies with a 12 certificate. Not two descriptions you would ever expect to hear in the same sentence but here we are. This film is not bad, but it certainly is not very good by any means, although it is far better than his latest pile of crap Red Eye. I found the story intriguing enough for me to buy this movie and decide my thoughts. There were some genuine scares in here and some rather shocking moments, but nothing in the same vein as Nightmare or Last House. This is one to scare the girlfriend with on a first date. Please do not buy this film, rent it have a laugh then take it back, but it is not a film I would personally have purchased (although it's a bit late for that now). Wes, go back to hard, bloody and disturbing good funs.

very very dissopointed.......2005-11-23

My mate told me youve gotta watch this film it is well good, I thought ok, when i so a horror film was only a 12 I expected it to really bad, it wasnt, but it didnt make you want to hide behind the sofa. My mate gave it 5 stars but I only think it deserves 2. Still bye it, it is good for your childs first horror movie. My little sister loved it, I suppose Stacey is just a big baby.

Aimee-Leigh xx

Pretty enjoyable..........2003-08-21

This made for tv film has Wes Craven's name on it, but don't be fooled, he had very little input except in his executive producer role. That said, for what it is - this is an enjoyable film. It centres on a young woman Carry, who's sister is tragically killed out on a photo shoot while the her husband is taking photos of her. Carry then becomes afraid of heights and seeks help in the form of an experimental group using radical new therapies. Haunted by guilt and ghostly apparations of her sister Carry begins the road to conquering her fears, only for the therapy group to start getting picked off one by one by an unseen killer. Has her sister returned from the grave to exact her revenge? Or are people more than what they seem? All in all a nice little film that kept me interested throughout. Worth a watch!

UK DVD:

UK DVD List

UK DVD