It does not appear to be a startup problem, so I doubt the suggestion from kaos will work, but worth a try.
Not too clear from your post, but are you getting to the desktop in safe mode, or is that also failing?. Also, are you trying the startup repair from the Installation DVD? If you are not even getting to the desktop in safe mode, it looks like a fresh install may be in order. If, otherwise, you are getting the desktop, you could try uninstalling the updates back to where you thought the problem started, and then "hiding" them, so that they do not reinstall.