DVD

Average customer rating:

One of the best movies I have ever seen!
Not wonderful
The Client
Good movie, however, we have the positives and the negatives.
mostly good, some flubs

The Client
Starring: Susan Sarandon , Tommy Lee Jones , Mary-Louise Parker , Anthony LaPaglia , and J.T. Walsh
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Pelican Brief
A Time to Kill
The Firm
The Rainmaker
The Fugitive

ASIN: 6304712952
Release Date: 1997-12-17

Amazon.com

The exceptionally fine cast--Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, J.T. Walsh, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Edwards, William H. Macy, Anthony LaPaglia, Ossie Davis, and Brad Renfro--goes a long way toward making The Client one of the more solidly enjoyable screen adaptations of a John Grisham southern gothic legal thriller. Teen-hearthrob Renfro is a natural, playing a kid whose life is in jeopardy after he witnesses the death of a Mob lawyer. Susan Sarandon is the attorney who decides to look after the boy; nobody can match her when it comes to playing strong and protective maternal figures (Thelma and Louise, Lorenzo's Oil, Dead Man Walking). Sarandon won her fourth Oscar nomination as best actress for this role, before finally winning the following year for Dead Man Walking. Author Grisham was so impressed with former window dresser/fashion designer/screenwriter-turned-director Joel Schumacher's work on this movie that he later asked him to direct A Time to Kill. --Jim Emerson

Description

Settle in. Take a deep breath. Hold tight. The best screen version yet of a novel by John Grisham (The Firm, The Pelican Brief) delivers all-out, moment-by-moment suspense! Headliners Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones join newcomer Brad Renfro in The Client, a whirlwind thriller that "starts like a house afire and keeps on blazing" (Chicago Tribune). Renfro plays Mark Sway, an 11-year-old torn between what he knows and what he can never tell. A hitman will snuff him in half a heartbeat if Mark reveals what he learned about a Mob murder. An ambitious federal prosecutor (Jones) will keep the pressure on until Mark tells all. Suddenly, Mark isn't a boy playing air guitar anymore. He's a pawn in a deadly game. And his only ally is a courageous but unseasoned attorney (Sarandon) who risks her career for him...but never imagines she'll also risk her life.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best movies I have ever seen!.......2007-07-05

This DVD arrived in excellent shape and in a timely manner. I can honestly say that it has to rate as one of the best movies I've ever seen. I don't think I got up once during the whole movie - it was like holding you on pins and needles.

Not wonderful.......2007-06-14

The Client was a disappointment.

I thought the book was very good and some of the characters in the book were outstanding. The movie was not coherent and certainly not at the level of the book.

The Client.......2007-01-29

Sarandon is always good but if you like Tommy Lee Jones you will love it.

Good movie, however, we have the positives and the negatives........2006-10-07

Plot: A mafia lawyer commits suicide. But before he does, he forces 11-year old Mark Sway (Who lives with his brother and mother in a trailer park) into the car. And so he tells Mark secrets about where Loisianna Senator Boyd Boyette was buried. Since Mark's little brother has a stress syndrome (he can't see anything scary), Randy Sway had to go to the hospital. Ever since his father was divorced, he tends to believe that lawyers are morons (at times, they can get in the way) and gets his info about courts and judges on T.V. Mark meets Reggie Love, a woman lawyer who used to have a drinking problem; at first, he doesn't trust her. After many pelts by F.B.I, mafia, and annoying reporters (already sick of Elvis sightings), Mark has to trust her.

Positives: Mark is told by Reggie that he can't lie, or he'll be just like them (mafia). As such, the mafia in this movie are seen as a bunch of criminals. Even though Mark was threatened by a very nasty mafia "dude", he tries to tell the truth, he didn't tell about where Boyd was buried. Many scriptures from the bible are written in cells and there is a picture of Jesus in the hospital. Though Mark can be a pest at times, Reggie tries to help him because she cares about him.

Negatives: For those people who don't like cursing, there is a moderate amount of cussing in the film. 1/3 of them comes from Mark Sway's mouth, which disturbed me a bit. Mark also gives a mafia guy the middle finger secretly. Mark disobeys his mother by going in the woods and therefore, getting mixed up with all this. Mark got his info about an affair like this on T.V, and he claims that he saw a guy having his legs blown off because of the witness protection program (on T.V, though this isn't shown). Due to medication, Mark's mother fights the F.B.I at one point, though you have to watch to find out.

Funnies: In the hospital, "Elvis" complains about his guitar. The way Reggie deals with Mark at times can be humorous.

Conclusion: If you can take the negatives, then I highly recommend this movie. Though, I'd like to say that you shouldn't buy "The Client" To anybody younger than thirteen because even though violence is rarely seen.

mostly good, some flubs.......2006-06-02

The movie started out nice and exciting, then, unfortunately, every few scenes would have a slip in reality that makes you say "oops".
Here are just a few:
1. Boy does not actually see a man die, but is traumatized nevertheless (for the balance of the movie).
2. Person shoots a lock open with gun (just like in the movies), though it never happens in real life.
3. In a closed dark boathouse, there are the convenient reflections of light on the water to illuminate everything we need to see.
4. At least one, if not two, people should have fired or not fired their gun (I don't want to spoil it). Instead, we get the usual Hollywood "talk-down"... (oops, I spoiled it).
5. In one scene, the police supposedly have cordoned off a parking lot to try to locate someone, yet there are many pedestrians, and in fact it is the important escape scene in a car that just drives through among the cop cars.

Apart from those and other similar gaffes, it was a well-made movie with a long list of notable actors. I enjoyed some supporting characters (Anthony LaPaglia, JT Walsh) more than the top 3 leads, however.

The DVD has some skimpy text-based extras about cast/crew, a few boring paragraphs of "behind the scenes", a bit of text about casting Brad Refro, and some "reel recommendations" that show the cover of some related DVDs.

If you are not picky about "reality points" you can easily add another star.

Average customer rating:

Perfect for July 4th viewing!
WITCH TRIALS, PART I
Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself.
Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction
A Film for all Seasons

The Crucible
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis , Winona Ryder , Paul Scofield , Joan Allen , and Bruce Davison
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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In Search of History - Salem Witch Trials (History Channel) (A&E DVD Archives)
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ASIN: B00013F2S6
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Amazon.com

The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama, but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner, and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

The Salem witch trials of 1692 are brought vividly to life in this compelling adaptation of Arthur Miller's play, directed by Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George"). A group of teenage girls meet in the woods at midnight for a secret love-conjuring ceremony. While the other girls attempt to cast love spells, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) wishes for the death of her former lover's (Daniel Day-Lewis) wife. When their ceremony is witnessed by the town minister, the girls suddenly find themselves accused of witchcraft. Soon the entire village is consumed by cries of witchcraft, and as the hysteria grows, blameless victims are torn from their homes, leading to a devastating climax.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for July 4th viewing!.......2007-06-19

I have no in-depth review. I'd just like to say that THE CRUCIBLE would provoke maybe a shudder or two if it were not based on fact! I've made a ritual of viewing this film every July 4th for the past several years as I believe it's a perfect illustration of why we needed our independence from England and the CONTINUED need for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM and the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!

WITCH TRIALS, PART I.......2007-06-07

This film, based on the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690's that New England still has not lived down, was written by Arthur Miller in an earlier period in American history, the 1950's, when hysteria over the alleged internal "Communist menace" dovetailed with the opening of the coldest part of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The dramatic tension of the play cannot be understood except as a parable on that then current atmosphere. Miller draws parallels with the earlier period of hysteria, in this case the irrational hysteria over witches in the isolated, inward-looking Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. The comparisons in reaction to the witches and `reds under the bed' are startling as far as the response of the societies and individuals in those societies community were concerned. Obviously in the play one needs a hero, even if it is the flawed and `fallen' John Proctor who will stand up, in the final analysis, even unto death for his principles. We will always find a few, even if reluctant, fighters. What is more compelling, and frightening, is the reaction of the `honest' town folk. Then, as in the case of the Cold War hysteria, those `good' folk turned the other way, joined actively in on the action or in some way justified the trials. As we are again in a period when the new hysteria is over Islamic fundamentalists and their motives this remains an extremely powerful cautionary tale. Read the play and/or watch a movie version of it.

Excellent Adaptation Of The Pulitzer-Prize Winning Play. Star-Studded Cast & Written For The Screen By Arthur Miller Himself........2007-05-25

Adapting his own Pulitzer-Prize winning play for the silver screen and enlisting a top-notch star-studded cast, Arthur Miller creates a cinematic masterpiece. Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor
for "My Left Foot") and Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder ("Bram Stoker's Dracula"; another excellent adaptation of the vampire novel penned in 1897) star in this classic film version, supported by Academy Award winner Paul Scofield (Best Actor for "A Man For All Seasons") and Academy Award nominee Joan Allen. Well worth viewing. Rated PG for brief nudity.

Years later, better appreciation for movie's direction .......2007-05-12

The film version of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is quite a satisfactory visualization, especially for anyone who is looking for a good supplement to the play.

Being a film, the traditional play can be a little loose in its translation, usually a negative trait in transferring a work from book to film; but in this case it definitely gives the work a little more intensity. What the work loses in its claustrophobic atmosphere of being primarily in a courtroom, it gains in its hysteria-laden tone. Sometimes this works (Abigail's chilling screams in the courtroom have an eerie mood to them), and sometimes this goes to excess (case in point: Mrs. Putnam's screams are overtly hysterical to the point of overkill).

Still, bringing the play to film does have its advantages over all. We get to see the Puritan town of Salem, and the people who move about through place to place. The few scenes between Abigail and Proctor make their past history a little more apparent, and this helps in illustrating Elizabeth's cause for concern and her lack of trust in the initial part of the film. And, other parts of the play just work well outside, one of the best being Mary Warren screaming wildly after the girls turn on her, in which she frantically runs to the water and screams out against Proctor.

I had viewed this movie once before, thinking it quite mediocre at film's end, but, years later, watching it again, have a better appreciation for it. The film's intensity really picks up in the second half of the movie, particularly in Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of John Proctor. One of the film's climactic moments, when Proctor gives his "Because it's my name!..." speech to Danforth, is perhaps the most impressive and dramatic of all the film's scenes.

Written as a reaction to the McCarthy trials, The Crucible's literal witch hunts are somewhat bizarre and somewhat chilling, and this film successfully and succinctly captures this mood. While this film is not a work of art, and certainly has some "Hollywood" in it, it is a satisfactory retelling in the long run.

The DVD version also includes an interview and behind the scenes between Arthur Miller and Daniel Day Lewis. If you aren't familiar with the story, you should check this part out.

3 ½ stars

A Film for all Seasons.......2007-04-03

Aside from a bit of Hollywood dramatic overkill, this film captures the subtle essences of the original play by Arthur Miller.
The gradual advance of hysteria in a community, and the abuse of power that results, is a lesson for all who hope to live in a rational and just society.

Average customer rating:

Love it
Rather enjoyable movie
"One For All, and All For One!"
bad acting, bad script, terrible movie
" Nobility Is Born In The Heart ~ The Greatest Mystery Of Life Is Who We Truly Are"

The Man in the Iron Mask
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio , Jeremy Irons , John Malkovich , Gérard Depardieu , and Gabriel Byrne
Director: Randall Wallace
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Count of Monte Cristo
The Three Musketeers
Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves
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First Knight

ASIN: 0792839137
Release Date: 1998-08-12

Amazon.com

Footnotes in movie books are likely to reduce this swashbuckling adventure down to a simple description: it was the first movie to star Leonardo DiCaprio after the phenomenal success of Titanic. As such it automatically attracted a box-office stampede of Leo's young female fans, but critical reaction was deservedly mixed. Having earned his directorial debut after writing the Oscar-winning script for Mel Gibson's Braveheart, Randall Wallace wrote and directed this ambitious version of the often-filmed classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. DiCaprio plays dual roles as the despotic King Louis XIV, who rules France with an iron fist, and the king's twin brother, Philippe, who languishes in prison under an iron mask, his identity concealed to prevent an overthrow of Louis' throne. But Louis' abuse of power ultimately enrages Athos (John Malkovich), one of the original Four Musketeers, who recruits his former partners (Gabriel Byrne, Gérard Depardieu, and Jeremy Irons) in a plot to liberate Philippe and install him as the king's identical replacement. Once this plot is set in motion and the Musketeers are each given moments in the spotlight, the film kicks into gear and offers plenty of entertainment in the grand style of vintage swashbucklers. But it's also sidetracked by excessive length and disposable subplots, and for all his post-Titanic star power, the boyish DiCaprio just isn't yet "man" enough to be fully convincing in his title role. Still, this is an entertaining movie, no less enjoyable for falling short of the greatness to which it aspired. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Love it.......2007-06-24

Kinda historical, more for eye candy and a rush. Overall, a really cool movie. If you like Count of Monte Crisco you will love this.

Rather enjoyable movie.......2007-06-15

I've enjoyed this movie several times and know that it is a family hit. It shows the contrast of good and bad decisions and how they can effect an entire kingdom. The honor and loyalty of the royal guard to the people in conflict to their responsibility to their king.

I thought the acting was very good and convincing as well as the scenery and the storyline was good. It had my interest and I was left satisfied with no real unanswered questions at the end.

I would recommend watching this movie, and even adding it to your library.

"One For All, and All For One!".......2007-04-25

This is a magnificent movie and would be a great addition to anyones' collection. The actors do an amazing job portraying the musketeers in this version of the Man in the Iron Mask. The sounds and scenery add to the wonderful ambiance created in this film. I have owned it since it came out and still enjoy watching it every time. It has one of the greatest endings of any movie I have seen, every director should strive to have an ending like this.

I guess all I can say is, if you don't at least see this movie you're missing out.

bad acting, bad script, terrible movie.......2007-04-18

This is an unsophisticated, badly written, terribly acted movie that just doesn't work. I can't imagine what the reviewers who like it were thinking. DiCaprio is ghastly. None of the actors can read any of the lines convincingly. The damsel in distress has the most childish, silly voice.... Awful movie.

" Nobility Is Born In The Heart ~ The Greatest Mystery Of Life Is Who We Truly Are" .......2007-02-19

After a cursory scrolling through the previous 190 reviews on this film I've come to the conclusion that the '98 release, `The Man in the Iron Mask' is one of those movies you either love or hate. As for me, I love it!

The scenery is exquisite, the soundtrack inspirational and uplifting, the storyline epic and filled with pathos and the cast is amazing. Gerard Depardeieu (Porthos), John Malkovich (Athos), Jeremy Irons (Aramis) and Gabriel Bryne (D'Artagnan) breathe new life into Dumas' musketeers mythos. Seeing these four legendary warriors gallantly charge King Louie's muskets as they fire from point blank range was as heroic a scene as I've ever seen captured on film. It gives me goose bumps just to think about it.

As for Leonardo DiCaprio, he is magnificent in the dual role of King Louis XIV of France and his twin brother Philippe. His ability to appear so arrogant, hateful and despicable as King Louie one minute and transform himself into the timid, emotional and caring Philippe a moment later is truly amazing. This is by far my favorite DiCaprio performance.

This is a film that can be watched over and over again without losing its emotional impact on the viewer. 'The Man in the Iron Mask' is a keeper, I wholeheartedly recommend that you add it to your personal DVD library.

Average customer rating:

Great Suspense Thriller..!!
Film is good, commentary terribly disappointing
Period piece
Great Cast Wasted on One-Dimensional Characters in a Dull Plot.
Brilliant post WW2 psychological thriller

The Stranger (MGM Film Noir)
Starring: Orson Welles
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir)
A Bullet For Joey (MGM Film Noir)
Kansas City Confidential (MGM Film Noir)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Street / Where Danger Lives / Tension)
Ace in the Hole - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B000PMFRVU
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Amazon.com essential video

The legendary story that hovers over Orson Welles's The Stranger is that he wanted Agnes Moorehead to star as the dogged Nazi hunter who trails a war criminal to a sleepy New England town. The part went to E.G. Robinson, who is marvelous, but it points out how many compromises Welles made on the film in an attempt to show Hollywood he could make a film on time, on budget, and on their own terms. He accomplished all three, turning out a stylish if unambitious film noir thriller, his only Hollywood film to turn a profit on its original release. Welles stars as unreformed fascist Franz Kindler, hiding as a schoolteacher in a New England prep school for boys and newly married to the headmaster's lovely if naive daughter (Loretta Young). Welles the director is in fine form for the opening sequences, casting a moody tension as agents shadow a twitchy low-level Nazi official skulking through South American ports and building up to dramatic crescendo as Kindler murders this little man, the lovely woods becoming a maelstrom of swirling leaves that expose the body he furiously tries to bury. The rest of film is a well-designed but conventional cat-and-mouse game featuring an eye-rolling performance by Welles and a thrilling conclusion played out in the dark clock tower that looms over the little village. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Great Suspense Thriller..!!.......2007-04-29

Title of this movie is "The Stranger" and stars Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, and Orson Welles. Robinson plays a Nazi hunter from the war crimes commission who has tracked Welles to a small New England town where he is teaching at the towns college. A game of cat and mouse ensues with the towns people slowly coming to realize that a Nazi has been hiding in their town. A very good movie with the three main actors giving great performances. Well worth seeing..!!

Film is good, commentary terribly disappointing.......2006-12-27

I, as many others do, consider this one of the classics in Orson Welles repertoire of films. Not only is his acting superb, he's young and handsome in it to boot! Loretta Young may get on some people's nerves with her innocent and slow hysterical breakdown, but she's still a great actress in this film and it shows. And of course, Edward G. is fantastic.
Unfortunately, to be blunt, the Jeffrey Lyons commentary blows. He starts out kind of talking about the film and says a handful of facts about the actors, but then he seems to get bored with it and just starts
making wise-cracking jokes throughout the rest of the film that are completely annoying. Why did he bother?

Period piece.......2006-01-19

This movie could only have been made immediately after World War Two. It was already "dated" a couple of years after the war ended. It had to come along as soon as the war ended, at a time when the American people finally knew about the Holocaust but had not yet transfered their animosity from Germany to Russia. Thus the date of the movie - 1946, possibly the only year it could have come out.

This makes it a very specialized movie, one that would only make sense during an extremely short window of time. The villain, Orson Welles, is a Nazi who has every intention of renewing the struggle begun by Hitler. The word "Nazi" inspires horror in Orson's new wife, Loretta Young. Orson is incognito, a secret Nazi with a terrific American accent, a former leader of the Holocaust, masquerading as an innocent schoolteacher.

The movie held my interest. It seemed quaint in its focus on the danger of the Nazi party in post-war America. It seemed like a dusty antique.

Other reviewers on this site point to the connection between director Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. I can't put my finger on exactly why or how, but this film does feel like a Hitchcock film to some degree. And yes, I did notice the ever present cigar in the mouth of Edward G. Robinson, Nazi hunter.

How did Robinson know that Welles was a secret Nazi? He learned it over dinner, I think. He was asking Welles for his opinion of the German question, just what to do about them, and Welles replied that all Germans should be exterminated because they are simply too dangerous and incorrigible. But then Welles gave himself away, by denying that Karl Marx was a German, referring to him only as a non-German, a Jew. The wily Robinson decided there was something suspicious in that, something Nazi-ish.

The funny part to me is that Karl Marx was being lauded as a freedom lover, a sort of American in his love of freedom. It's hysterical. A few years later, Marxism would be vilified in America.

As I said, this film could only have been done in 1946, a very short window of opportunity, before the McCarthy era, before the arms race with Russia, before America's love affair with Stalin ended.

Isn't it a pity that America and Russia, who both fought so hard and sacrificed so much to win the single most important war in the history of mankind, couldn't come out of it as friends. But keep in mind that Russia originally wanted to be on Germany's side of it, until they were attacked by their ally.

After all, shortly before the war broke out, Russia was sending troops across Poland to split the country with their German allies.

Other than the history lesson, all I can say is that it was a pretty interesting period piece, not a masterpiece, but worth a look.

Loretta Young plays an idiot. It seems like an odd role for her.

Great Cast Wasted on One-Dimensional Characters in a Dull Plot........2005-10-12

"The Stranger" was Orson Welles' effort to show RKO studios that he could deliver a movie on time and within budget. It worked so far as that goes. It was his first commercial success as a director. Mr. Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), an agent of the Allied War Crimes Commission, has decided to let Konrad Meineke (Konstantin Shayne) go free in hopes that the man will lead authorities to his former boss: Franz Kindler, a fictional mastermind of the Nazi genocide. Meineke tracks Kindler to the quiet town of Harper, Connecticut, with Wilson close on his tail. But before he can see who Meineke meets, Wilson is knocked unconscious. Working from a list of men who arrived in town within the past year, Wilson narrows the suspects down to Mr. Charles Rankin (Orson Welles), a professor at the local boys prep school who has recently married Mary Longstreet (Loretta Young), daughter of a famously liberal Supreme Court Justice.

The trouble with "The Stranger" is that we have a bunch of one-dimensional characters in a story that is just plain dull. The great Edward G. Robinson does nothing more than recite lines as Wilson the Nazi hunter. Charles Rankin/ Franz Kindler does an amusing -but implausible- job of deriding Germany while betraying his Nazi ideals all the same. Kindler is so obviously unstable and out of his mind that he's really a cop-out: The Nutty Nazi. An excuse not to write a real character with credible motives. Mary is a nice woman who inexplicably goes along with her husband's bullying and ill treatment of her dog. But Loretta Young is responsible for the only credible emotion in this film: Her hysterical denial when she is told that her husband is a Nazi war criminal. "The Stranger" might work as an unsophisticated thriller, but it is devoid of character writing and interesting plot points. This terrific trio of thespians -Robinson, Welles, and Young- is wasted.

The DVD (Delta Entertainment 2001): This print of "The Stranger" is unrestored but without major flaws. The "delta" logo appears in the lower righthand corner of the screen 3 times during the film, however. The logo appears for less than a minute and then disappears at these points in the film: 51 minutes, 1:11, and at 1:31. There is a "Bonus Trailer" for Welles' 1958 film "Touch of Evil" (2 minutes) and a "Tony Curtis Intro" (3 ½ minutes) in which Curtis says a little about "The Stranger" and about Orson Welles' career. The second feature on the DVD, "Orson Welles on Film" (30 minutes), is a documentary about Welles' films, meaning those he directed. It says a little about Welles' youth and radio days before tracing his career from his 6-picture contract with RKO, though his Hollywood and European periods, until the recognition he received from Hollywood in the 1970s and 1980s. The emphasis is on the films he directed, with only brief discussion of each film.

Brilliant post WW2 psychological thriller.......2005-06-20

"The Stranger" is a gripping and tense 1946 thriller directed by the creative mind of Orson Welles who also starred in it. Welles creates a deep feeling of paranoia in his characters throughout this story surrounding the hunting a fugitive Nazi war criminal.

Edward G. Robinson is outstanding as Mr. Wilson, an investigator for the Allied war crimes commission. Robinson has purposely released a Konrad Meinike, a former Nazi concentration camp commandant, in the hopes that he will seek out his superior, the notorious Franz Kindler. Kindler was a prime architect of the Holocaust and had escaped apprehension.

Robinson trailed Meinike, played by thickly accented Konstantin Shayne to Harper, Connecticut, where he makes contact with a professor Charles Rankin. Rankin, played by Welles, we soon find out is really Kindler, He is posing as a professor in a boys prep school above suspicion. Coincidently, he is to be married that very day to Mary Longstreet, daughter of Supreme Court justice Judge Adam Longstreet, and played by Loretta Young. Fearing exposure Welles kills Meinike hiding his body in a shallow grave in the surrounding woods.

Robinson sets himself up in town posing as an antique dealer and eventually befriending the Longstreet family. Robinson reveals his suspicions about Welles to Noah Longstreet, Mary's brother played by a youthful Richard Long. It seems that both Kindler and Rankin both have an obsession for fixing and working on clocks. Rankin has been trying to restore an antique bell tower clock in the town.

Robinson, aided by the Longstreet family reveal to Young their beliefs about Welles' true identity. Young, deeply in love with Welles and in a terrific performance, struggles with incredulity and indecisiveness as to what to do. Welles plots to kill her in a clock tower scene reminiscent of Hitchcock's superb "Vertigo". Welles, the epitome of evil meets an appropriate fate as he is undone by the instruments of his passion, Young and the belltower clock.

Welles and Hitchcock are so obviously influenced by each other as evidenced by their directorial styles, both able to create unease and tension in their plots. They both use camera angles and techniques which are repeated throughout the movie to create dramatic effects. A perfect example involves the pipe smoked by Robinson in the film. In the beginning of the movie he accidently breaks it in a passionate speech to his colleagues. At different points of the film, we see only the pipe, it's stem taped together, to indicate the presence of the relentless Robinson.

Average customer rating:

Worth Watching
The Iceman Interviews
Iceman Is A Great Name For This Man
The Hitman
The Iceman Interviews

The Iceman Interviews
Director: Jim Thebaut
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Iceman - Confessions of a Mafia Hitman
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer
Murder Machine (Onyx)
Gladiator Days - Anatomy of a Prison Murder
Serial Killers 2-pack

ASIN: B0000C23T4
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Description

An abused young man. A hair-trigger temper. A trail of dead bodies. What makes a cold-blooded killer tick? THE ICEMAN AND THE PSYCHIATRIST is now available for the first time on DVD. Renowned forensic psychologist Dr. Park Dietz gets up close, personal and even confrontational with psyche of one of the most dangerous men alive. Bringing together the earlier THE ICEMAN TAPES: CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER and THE ICEMAN: SECRETS OF A MAFIA HITMAN with the newly released Dietz interview, this new special edition, THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS is the ultimate compendium of the mind of a murderer. Includes Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski's riveting on-camera confession, exclusively for HBO, of the murder of police officer Peter Calabro. Making news in February 2003, Kuklinski accepted a plea bargain for a concurrent 30-year term to his 60-year prison sentence and implicated Sammy "The Bull" Gravano in the crime. THE ICEMAN INTERVIEWS - this new special edition is guaranteed to run chills up and down your spine all over again.

Customer Reviews:

Worth Watching.......2007-06-12

If you like documentaries this is worth watching. It was worth the money i spent on it. It is a good movie also, if you like anything to do with the mophia.

The Iceman Interviews.......2007-06-02

THIS IS JOURNALISM AT ITS BEST - CAPTIVATING AND RIVETING; WELL DONE.

Iceman Is A Great Name For This Man.......2007-05-15

I have never seen such a cool customer - you really have to see this DVD to believe it.

The Hitman.......2007-05-08

Don't bother. Get the HBO DVD and call it good. This is just a poor repeat.

The Iceman Interviews.......2007-05-06

If you are a true crime addict, as I am, this interview will chill you to the very core. The Iceman was a stone-cold killer and this interview gives one insight into a mind without feeling. He did, however, show human emotion when speaking of his wife and children. A wonderfully well-crafted interview that should not be missed.

Average customer rating:

Classic John Wayne
Classic Wayne with help from Dean Martin
Very fine Wayne Western with many recognizable faces in solid roles
The Sons of Katie Elder 1965
"the sons of katie elder" john wayne's first film after first bout with canser

The Sons of Katie Elder
Starring: John Wayne , Dean Martin , Martha Hyer , Michael Anderson Jr. , and Earl Holliman
Director: Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005ASGH
Release Date: 2001-06-05

Amazon.com

John Wayne recovered from his first bout with cancer to appear in this 1965 film as the brother of Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson Jr. All four characters are wandering souls prone to trouble, but after the funeral of their frontier mother, they set out to avenge her death. Directed by Henry Hathaway (Wayne's director on True Grit), the film moves like a conventional, latter-day Western, with good performances from Wayne and Martin, who'd already costarred with the Duke in Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo. Nice support from Dennis Hopper (who had a legendary conflict with Hathaway on this film), Strother Martin, and George Kennedy. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Classic John Wayne.......2007-05-07

This is one of the first John Wayne movies I saw as an adult. Meaning I actually paid attention. :) It is one of the handfull of movies I still would go back and see again and enjoy as well.

The interaction between the brothers, all so different from one another is very good. Sibling Rivalries and memories mixed with the loss of their Mother.. The Mother they all had left behind in their pursuit of life. Now they must face what she faced, put the wrong to right and talk some sense into the 'baby brother'. In the course of the action, they find the brotherhood they had forgotten.

Classic Wayne with help from Dean Martin.......2007-03-05

This is one of the Duke's classics from the 60's. Surrounded by a group of great actors that include Dean Martin and Dennis Hopper, this film tells the story of Four brothers brought together for the funeral of their mother. They discover treachery behind the death of their father and the loss of the family ranch. Action and drama aplenty fill the screen in this taut western. Don't skip this movie, Katie wouldn't like it.

Very fine Wayne Western with many recognizable faces in solid roles.......2006-06-15

Wayne even kept Marvin 'on the wagon'
in next movie, which starred a young
James Caan. Solid Western-Actioner,
sort of a revenge/ambush tale. Fourth
best Wayne Western of the Sixties!

The Sons of Katie Elder 1965.......2006-04-05

Katie Elder bore four sons . The day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater , Texas to pay their last respect . John Wayne (1907-1979) is the eldest and toughest son , a gunslinger . Tom ( Dean Martin 1917-1995) is good with a deck of cards and good with a gun when he has to be . Matt (Earl Holliman 1928- ) is the quiet one -noboby ever called him yellow..twice . Bud (Michael Anderson,Jr (1943- ) is the youngest . Any hope for respectability lies with him . Directed by Henry Hathaway (1898-1985) an acknowledged master of the western , the story has a dual theme : Not only this a he-man?s story but also a drama of the material influence of Katie Elder , movingly portrayed from Beginning to conclusion ! Is this a good Western Movie ! -No it?s a bad plot and nothing realy of sense happend here .Transfer in high Quality .

"the sons of katie elder" john wayne's first film after first bout with canser.......2006-01-23

after having a lung removed for canser john wayne's first film back is this fine "family" western in which wayne, together again with dean martin, and farl hollman, and michael anderson jr. as brothers who come together to find out who killed their father and stole mom's land. a much slower pace than some wayne movies but it still has some great fistfights and gunfights as wayne bounces back in fine form after his health problems and shows he still had stuff to hang in there with. story is slight but they do seem to be having fun.

Average customer rating:

Being beautiful never looked so crazy!
1940's Drama
You can't always get what you want...
20th century fox at its worst
Over-the-top romance in gorgeous technicolor

Leave Her to Heaven
Starring: Gene Tierney , Cornel Wilde , Jeanne Crain , Vincent Price , and Mary Philips
Director: John M. Stahl
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00074DY0M
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Amazon.com

Leave Her to Heaven is one of the most unblinkingly perverse movies ever offered up as a prestige picture by a major studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Gene Tierney, whose lambent eyes, porcelain features, and sweep of healthy-American-girl hair customarily made her a 20th Century Fox icon of purity, scored an Oscar nomination playing a demonically obsessive daughter of privilege with her own monstrous notion of love. By the time she crosses eyebeams with popular novelist Cornel Wilde on a New Mexico-bound train, her jealous manipulations have driven her parents apart and her father to his grave. Well, no, not grave: Wilde soon gets to watch her gallop a glorious palomino across a red-rock horizon as she metronomically sows Dad's ashes to the winds. Mere screen moments later, she's jettisoned rising-politico fiancé Vincent Price and accepted a marriage proposal the besotted/bewildered Wilde hasn't quite made. Can the wrecking of his and several other lives be far behind? Not to mention a murder or two.

Fox gave Ben Ames Williams's bestselling novel (probably just the sort of book Wilde's character writes) the Class-A treatment. Alfred Newman's tympani-heavy music score signals both grandeur and pervasive psychosis, while spectacular, dust-jacket-worthy locations and Oscar-destined Technicolor cinematography by Leon Shamroy ensure our fixed gaze. Impeccably directed by the veteran John M. Stahl (who'd made the original Back Street, Imitation of Life, and Magnificent Obsession a decade earlier), the result is at once cuckoo and hieratic, and weirdly mesmerizing. Bet Luis Buñuel loved it. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Leave Her To Heaven is a stylish psychological thriller starring Gene Tierney as Ellen, the stunningly beautiful wife of handsome writer Richard Harland, played by Cornel Wilde. Ellen panics as her perfect marriage unravels and Harland's work and invalid brother demand more and more of his attention. Her husband becomes unnerved by her compulsive and jealous behavior. And when the people close to him are murdered, one by one, it is obvious that this dream marriage has become a full-fledged nightmare. Based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams. This film won the Oscar(r) for Best Cinematography (Color) and received three other Academy Award(r) nominations: Best Actress for Gene Tierney, Best Sound Recording, and Best Art Direction (Color)/Interior Decoration.

Customer Reviews:

Being beautiful never looked so crazy!.......2007-07-08

Leave Her to Heaven starring Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde is an interesting little film to say the least. Tierney is gorgeous as ever and she freaks you out too playing a manipulative, jealous woman who will stop at nothing to have her new hubby all to her self. She would kill for him, lie for him, and boy does she ever. It's not a perfect movie but it's good enough to watch every now and then. If you are a Gene Tierney fan like I am than Leave Her to Heaven is the movie for you. Enjoy!

1940's Drama.......2007-06-28

The most wonderful thing about the golden age of Hollywood were that stars of that time were not interchangeable. None of the stars looked or reminded you of anyone else, they were all highly unique. Especially the beautiful and icy Gene Tierney, who gives an outstanding performance as the jealous and possessive bride of Cornel Wilde. Anyone who enjoys old movies will love this one and it doesn't have the usual "pat" ending. It will leave you wanting to see more of Ms. Tierney's films.

You can't always get what you want..........2007-06-10

...but if you try enough, you can cause to the object of your desire a lot of suffering and torment.

Gene Tierney, the most beautiful villainess on the screen in "Leave Her to Heaven" (1945) is ready to destroy herself if it causes her husband whom she madly loves to suffer. What a killer combination of divine beauty and insane possessive jealousy that would hurt even beyond the grave.

There are many reasons to see this stylish, well written and acted thriller/noir/drama. One of them is the astounding Oscar winning color cinematography by legendary Leon Shamroy who had been nominated for an Oscar 18 times - more than any other DP. He won four Oscars.

4.5/5

20th century fox at its worst.......2007-05-12

gene tierney was a major star in the 1940s, but i will never understand why. well, she WAS pretty -- but so were a lot of other actresses; her acting ability consists of little more than that, and this "womans movie" (today we call it a "chick flick") with pretensions of film noir never takes off, save for the famed one minute sequence of the funeral-cum-horse ride down the beach. second stringers cornel wilde and jeanne crain offer little support, while the usually reliable vincent price is a mad magazine parody of his "laura" personality. and then theres child star daryl hickman, now in his 70s, offering some of the most ridiculous commentary ive ever heard (hey, this guy thinks he was a star, and not just dobie gillis's brother). a real time waster.

Over-the-top romance in gorgeous technicolor.......2007-04-14

Gene Tierney plays a possessive woman who snares a successful writer played by Cornel Wilde. Her obsessive love leads to murder.

Unusually for its time, Leave Her to Heaven is (beautifully) shot in gorgeous technicolor. The set decoration and location shooting takes full advantage of the color photography.

The film loses its grip a little bit during the stylised courtroom sequence which is totally over-the-top only to grab you again with a rousing finale.

Excellent commentary included on the DVD by Time film reviewer Richard Shickel and Darryl Hickman who played the writer's disabled little brother Danny in the film.

Average customer rating:

Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell & a Calfornia beach at night..
Drifter stumbles into a small town murder
Three and a Half Stars
"I got everything by talking fast in a world that goes for talking. And ended up with exactly nothing."
Very entertaining film noir

Fallen Angel (Fox Film Noir)
Starring: Alice Faye , Dana Andrews , Linda Darnell , Charles Bickford , and Anne Revere
Director: Otto Preminger
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CNE088
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Description

June Mills (Alice Faye) and her sister Clara live a quiet life in a small coastal town until Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews), a smooth-talking con man, comes into their lives. He seems to fall hard for June but Clara believes he?s only interested in the family fortune. Meanwhile, sultry waitress Stella (Linda Darnell) catches Stanton's fancy and thinks he might be her ticket out of town. The local cop (Charles Bickford) knows more than he's telling about his fellow citizens and their tangled relationships which draw even tighter after a shocking murder.

Customer Reviews:

Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell & a Calfornia beach at night.........2007-05-31

How can you beat that? One of my favorite of the genre' so far. Eric (Andrews) rolls into town penniless. He's been kicked off a bus headed for San Francisco. He finds himself at Pop's, the local diner. The biggest attraction in town is the waitress, Stella (Darnell). Keeping track of her are Pops, the jukebox repairman, the local retired big city dick (Charles Bickford) & Eric who falls for her immediately. Stella is looking to blow this town. Eric wants it to be with him. He needs $$ & after a brief business deal, he meets decides to romance the richest girl in town, June(Alice Faye). She's not exactely chopped liver but is very gullible & falls for Eric immediately. In a matter of days it seems, they are married & headed for San Francisco . She has given Eric full access to her $20,000. At this point, Stella wants nothing to do with Eric. He's a married man. Besides, she also has other men she is stringing along. Eric & June return & that night Stella is murdered. Eric is not found in his bride's bed the next morning. Guess that would make him the prime suspect. The retired cop starts a velvet glove investigation he was famous for back east. The end may surprise you. Otto Preminger knows how to direct noir, & Andrews is very good in this one.

Drifter stumbles into a small town murder.......2006-09-13

Otto Preminger's deft directing and production crafted the hard boiled film noir "Fallen Angel", with the aid of an accomplished cast, into a genre classic. The film's murky, moody plot along with some typically dark cheerless black and white cinematography perfectly set the tenor of the film.

Penniless and scheming drifter Eric Stanton played masterfully by Dana Andrews disembarks from a Greyhound bus in the small seaside California town of Walton. Walking into the local diner, Pops, he is immediately smitten with sultry waitress Stella played by the alluring Linda Darnell. Darnell happens to be the amorous focus of most of the menfolk of the small town. Looking for a way out of town, she almost falls for the glib tongued Andrews' promises to marry and take care of her.

Andrews has also become acquainted with the upstanding Mills sisters June and Clara. Desperate for money to woo Darnell, Andrews with eyes on $25,000 of the Mills sisters inheritance, marries younger sister June played by Alice Faye. The plans immediately change when Darnell is found murdered and Andrews is implicated.

The investigation is headed by a tough, craggy Mr. Judd, a retired ex- New York cop played by Charles Bickford who is aiding the Walton chief of police. Bickford's brutal, kid gloved technique causes Andrews to flee the scene with the faithful Faye in tow.

Three and a Half Stars.......2006-09-06

This is one where you want the half-star option. This film is better than three stars, but not really a four. Fans of pulpy film noir will recognize many of the elements which make those movies what they are - down and out characters, seedy atmosphere, a murder . . . The story here is pretty average and not terribly compelling, and the plot twist at the end feels a little far-fetched. But what makes the movie watchable is the acting and dialogue. The best moments are the conversations between Eric Stanton -the drifter who wanders into a seaside town and winds up getting torn between the town's femme fatale diner waitress and one of its virginal well-off spinsters - and Stella, the head-strong waitress. Very watchable, but not unique enough to stand out very far from the pack.

"I got everything by talking fast in a world that goes for talking. And ended up with exactly nothing.".......2006-07-06

"Fallen Angel" is the second film that director Otto Preminger made with cinematographer Joseph LaShelle and actor Dana Andrews, the first being his 1944 masterpiece "Laura". This time Dana Andrews brings his deep voice and nuanced deadpan delivery to a film noir based on the novel by Marty Holland (who is actually Mary Holland), adapted by first-time screenwriter Harry Kleiner and photographed with Joseph LaShelle's spectacularly fluid camera. After an attention-grabbing credit sequence speeds down a dark road at night, Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) gets off his bus before it reaches his destination. He ran out of bus fare. He finds himself in a small California coastal town, where an errant waitress named Stella (Linda Darnell) catches his eye. She's a tough-talking beauty coveted by every man she meets. But only the one who will marry her and give her a comfortable life will get her. Eric wants that to be that man, so he schemes to seduce money out of prim and proper June Mills (Alice Faye). But when Stella is murdered, circumstantial evidence points to Eric.

Dana Andrews was fantastically suited to film noir. Like Humphrey Bogart, he barely moved his facial muscles when he spoke but was able to deliver a layered performance without emoting. It's interesting to watch his face in "Fallen Angel", because so much of Eric Stanton is revealed in his forehead. It's an exercise in acting with fine muscles only. Unlike Humphrey Bogart, Andrews had an imposing speaking voice. He could deliver dialogue forcefully without raising his voice. Again, perfect for film noir. Three films that Andrews made with director Otto Preminger and cinematographer Joseph LaShelle are often classified as "film noir". One of them, the brilliant "Laura", is not film noir in my book. It's mystery/romance. The other, 1950's "Where the Sidewalk Ends", is often considered superior to "Fallen Angel" due to its psychological complexity. But I prefer "Fallen Angel" for its fantastic crane shots, its far more complex women, and its aggressive introduction to its protagonist, who gets off the bus and immediately starts conning the local conmen.

Credit is due Alice Faye for bringing depth to a character that could easily have been saccharine and two-dimensional. "Fallen Angel" was to be her dramatic comeback after her great success in musical roles. It didn't work out that way, because she felt that producer Darryl Zanuck had butchered her part so walked out on her contract. But I'm impressed with Faye's ability to convey subtle desperation underneath June Mills' sensible, uptight exterior. June is more terrified of ending up a spinster, like her sister, than she is of losing her money, her reputation, or marrying a swindler. And when it looks like her sympathy and loyalty will not hold her flimsy marriage together, she's distraught. But her comportment changes only once. She's a credible and sympathetic character, not just Eric Stanton's saving grace. "Fallen Angel" is a superb film noir, with a knock-out performance by Dana Andrews, a star-making appearance from Linda Darnell, a dramatic turn from Alice Faye, great supporting work all around, and a seamless, mobile camera from Otto Preminger and Joseph LaShelle.

The DVD (20th Century Fox 2006): There are 3 photo galleries: A "Publicity Gallery" (20 posters and ads), a "Production Stills" gallery (49 photos), and a "Unit Photography" gallery" (38 behind-the-scenes photos). The theatrical trailer (2 1/2 min) is interesting in that it features a voice-over narration by Dana Andrews, a common technique in film noir, but one that is not featured in "Fallen Angel", except in the trailer. There is a good audio commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller and Susan Andrews, who is Dana Andrews' daughter. Accordingly, there is a lot of discussion oft Dana Andrews, his career and many personal anecdotes, which is a nice addition to the commentary. Eddie Muller provides background on the actors and creative crew, as usual, and discusses Preminger's distinctive camera work, the long takes and mobile camera, the transitions, dialogue, censorship and themes. Subtitles are available for the film in English and Spanish.

Very entertaining film noir.......2006-06-09

I really enjoyed this movie, not just for the dark film noir so excellently directed by Otto Preminger and the acting skills of Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford, Linda Darnell et all. Those are a given. This film was filled with new things galore, and I love how the DVD features a commentary by Dana Andrews daughter and Eddie Muller explaining all the nuances and little quirks to be found in the movie. This is basically a movie about a con man who falls for a fallen woman (Darnell) and attempts to get this fallen woman by seducing a prim and proper virginal woman (Alice Faye) to get the money for it. Some have ridiculed some of the premise of this movie, but one has to remember this WAS made in 1945!!!
This movie also represents another fall, one in real life, of the great Alice Faye. I'm sure the story has become well known of how she quit Twentieth Century Fox over how her scenes were cut. I just found out from the commentary that she had a scene where she sang the theme song! That should have been in the movie and the DVD, sure love to see that. For Alice was first and foremost a vocalist, she could make you feel the words of a song by her emoting and facial expressions along with her lovely lovely contralto. She was a treasure, and it's sad to know this movie, however entertaining, caused her to leave the business for so long. Although it was her first true dramatic role Alice in no way could be said to be a great actress because of this role, but I felt she held her own.
Dana Andrews is a master, and as some have said the chemistry between he and Linda Darnell's character is palpable. The feel, the interplay between the characters and the small town feel of the setting gives this movie that dark mysterious attraction of a true noir, and as the plot unfolds and reaches a surprising climax resulting in the "fallen angel" of the title, I don't see how a true film buff could not be entertained!

Average customer rating:

A Marvelous and Multi-Faceted Film
Love the nightmare
Dense plotline, pretty interesting approach
Interesting
Potent

sex, lies, and videotape
Starring: James Spader , Andie MacDowell , Peter Gallagher , Laura San Giacomo , and Ron Vawter
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0767812158
Release Date: 1998-10-07

Product Description

Winner of the Palm d'Or and Best Actor awards at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, sex, lies, and videotape transformed the independent film industry and turned writer-director Steven Soderbergh into the envy of aspiring filmmakers everywhere. Sly, seductive, and coolly intelligent, the movie explores the sexual shenanigans and personal preoccupations of its four central characters, revolving around a selfish lawyer (Peter Gallagher) who responds to his wife by having an affair with her free-spirited sister (Laura San Giacomo). But when the lawyer's college roommate (James Spader) arrives for an unexpectedly extended visit, the neglected wife (Andie MacDowell) is surprisingly responsive to his seductive hobby of videotaping women as they describe their sexual fantasies. It's his way of compensating for impotence, but the curious wife considers this a sexual challenge, and Soderbergh turns sex, lies, and videotape into a fascinating chamber piece that puts a decidedly different spin on the consequences of infidelity. Balanced on a risky and finely tuned performance by Spader, the film delivers frisky passion and emotional intrigue, and yet much of its allure is found in the exchange of secrets and the hidden mysteries of sexual desire. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A Marvelous and Multi-Faceted Film.......2007-07-07

I've had a personal journey with this film that is quite unique in my own experience, but perhaps not unique among others who have enjoyed it. I first watched sex, lies & videotape in a theater and was bored by it. Perhaps the title had me looking for more explicit elements in the film that just aren't there. As other reviews here point out, the film is far more subtle than its bold title would suggest.

Months later I was in a video store and decided to give the movie another try (my companion when I first saw it had loved it, so I figured it was worth a shot). Upon the second viewing, I really liked it, appreciating more in depth the interaction of the characters, the challenges (mostly internal) that they face, and the story lines of the film.

Several months passed after this second viewing and again I returned to it at the video store, being one who gravitates toward old favorites more often than not. Watching the film for the third time, I found myself appreciating the film as a love story as tender and touching as others I'd seen, though far more quirky than your typical love story plot.

The next time I picked up the box in the video store (yes, I did eventually just BUY it!), I noted a review that proclaimed the movie as "hilarious", which really caught my attention. Here I had seen the movie three times, in three different ways and yet I could not remember at any time finding anything remotely funny about it. So again I rented it and, yes, found myself laughing out loud at times during the movie. Don't get me wrong, it will never be mistaken for Caddyshack, but it does have its own quirky sense of humor.

Now, the movie is naturally among my all-time top five. Soderbergh has gone on to become a great director that at times is very heavy-handed artistically (e.g. Limey, Traffic), while at other times letting the story or the actors lead they way (e.g. Erin Brockovich). In this first critical and commercial success, however, it is his writing that is perhaps most impressive.

Love the nightmare.......2007-06-26

Claustrophobic, dyspeptic and pathological, sex, lies and videotape revisits the insalubrious Freudian vertigo first visited upon the public with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Tormented, arrrogant, self-destructive Spader made his case as Gen X's Richard Burton with this, then Crash. Unlike the Great Drunken One, however, it's Spader's feminine facial features (prominently displayed here) that gives the plot thrust it's disarming realism. Of course, Andie MacDowell kicks off proceedings in therapy, where her professional medicine man fails to get her talking about ... sex. Soderbergh is a clever lad - notice MacDowell mimicking Spader's black top and blue jeans near the close. Queasily perfect -

EXCEPT the final scene. What's up with the happy ending? I LIVED this movie and, let me assure you, there is NO happy ending to this stuff.

Dense plotline, pretty interesting approach .......2006-11-11

This movie was very erotic without being truely graphic. It was a new approach for it's time. James Spader was very good (best actor though?), and Andie Mcdowell played the neurotic housewife well. Based in New Orleans, Mcdowell finds herself in therapy and in a loveless marriage, while her husband is confirming her suspiciouns of an affair. Then, a stranger comes to town from her husband's past and turns her life upside down. The pace is slow at times, but it pulls you through just fine. The ending was lackluster, but they had to end it somehow. If you like darker movies, with a little dark humor, then this is worth a watch for you.

Interesting.......2006-06-20

I already knew Steven Soderbergh was a talented director, but I'd never seen a film that he had written. This movie, his first, is written and directed by the Oscar winner (Best Director, 'Traffic') and it's one of my favorite movies by