Amazon.com

Many folks have heard about the gorilla who learned sign language, butfew have seen the depth revealed in Koko: A Talking Gorilla. In 1977Barbet Schroeder and Nestor Almendros teamed up to explore the world of thisgentle ape and her researcher friends, and the film raises difficult issues,questioning basic assumptions of scientists and skeptics alike. Of vital importanceto both sides of the arguments on topics as diverse as animal rights and artificialintelligence is the question of whether Koko understood abstract concepts in thesame way we do, which is no clearer now than then. The film, though, is careful tofollow the gorilla's entire range of behavior and helps individuals decide forthemselves what was happening behind her eyes. Powerful, thought-provoking, andeven heartbreaking, Koko: A Talking Gorilla is essential viewing for anyoneinterested in intelligence, communication, and the nature of humanity. --RobLightner ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Awe Inspiring!
One word! Awesome! KoKo changes our view about Gorillas. Koko's emotions seem almost human. I found myself laughing and crying, but most of all unable to move from my seat. The scene after KoKo is told about the kitten is heartbreaking, and should make everyone look at animals, especially Gorillas differently. I will never look at a gorilla at the zoo in the same manner. It just makes me sad to think about these incredible, intelligent, gentle, but yet so fierce and wild animals. ... Read more

Description

The body of a young woman is found in a ditch in the woods of the small California coastal town of San Benito. SANDRA BULLOCK ("Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood," "Miss Congeniality"), stars as Cassie Mayweather, the seasoned homicide detective and crime scene specialist assigned to the case along with her new partner San Kennedy (BEN CHAPLIN - "Lost Souls," "The Thin Red Line"). The two dectectives make their way through microscopic hints of evidence, which seem to indicate a random act of violence, but Cassie has a gut feeling that there is more to this murder than meets the eye. Something about this case reminds her of her past exactly at a time when she is asked to appear at a parole hearing on an old police matter. These events force Cassie to revisit the past. ... Read more

Reviews (106)

An Well Done Thriller saved by Sharp Performances.
An Police Detective (Sandra Bullock) investages the Serial of Brutal Murder Crimes with the help of her Partner (Ben Chaplin). When two intelligent but deranged teenagers (Ryan Gosling & Micheal Pitt) find ways to hide all the evidences and clues before the Cops do but there's no such thing as a Perfect Crime.

Directed by Barbet Schroeder (Barfly, Reversal of Fortune, Single White Female) made a Smart Suspense-Thriller with an Good Script by Tony Gayton (The Seaton Sea). Bullock, Gosling, Pitt & Chaplin gives Terrific Performances bring this film to life with fine cinematography by Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria, Tenebre, Titus). Bullock also Executive Produced the film. DVD's has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD Extras are:Commentary Track by the Director, Behind the Scenes featurette & more. Do not miss this fine film. Grade:A-.

MURD3R 8Y NUM8ERS
Homicide cop Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock, who also executive produced)discovers the body of a female strangulation victim wrapped in plastic. But the problem with the investigation is that two rich kids, Michael Haywood (Ryan Gosling from BELIEVER) and Justin "Bonepart" Pendleton (Michael Pitt) have planned the murder and are observing the cops as they uncover each clue they have planted for them.
Directed by Barbet Schroeder (SWF, BARFLY) MURDER BY NUMBERS sometimes echoes Hitchcock's ROPE. Gosling and Pitt are good as the rich kids whose "perfect murder" turns out to be anything but. The planning behind the murder will fascinate crime buffs, and MURDER BY NUMBERS basic premise is helped considerably by strong performances from Gosling and Pitt; though the movie tends to fluctuate a bit in the last half hour. Still recommended. Luciano Tovoli's atmospheric photography aids greatly in helping maintain viewer interest.

Dumb and depressing!
This movie is so boring that I like literally found a cure for caffeine overload! Nothing is worth pointing out because there is virtually nothing worth watching iwth this film. Nothing else to say but that this crime borer is one to pass up.

A potentially great movie murdered by weak story.
I am very dissapointed with this movie even when my expectations were modest.

Two young men, likely around high school age, try to attempt to pull of what would likely be the 'perfect murder' and try to get away with it. Sandra Bullock plays a police detective with a psychologically painful and checkered past who is aiming to investigate and find out what happened when a women was found dead in a river recently.

This movie is unbelievably predictable that there is little of anything that instantly grabs your attention. The acting is incredibly hammy and it almost feels like you can tell that Sandra really wanted to walk off the set of this film and for good reason: "Murder by Numbers" is absolutely boring and never gets off the ground. The characters are weak and without any personality and the dialogue is virtually nonexistant.

A major dissapointment to say the least. Try out "Blood Work" instead because it is far superior even if it suffers too from some weaknesses.

Dull and Predictable Thriller
Extremely boring and unconvinced crime thriller in which two psycho teenagers commited a murder just to prove to them selves that they are genious. But they have to confront smart police officer (played with no intensity by Bullock)who take up the investigation of the gruesome case. Predictable, dull and unsuspenseful. A waste of time, in fact. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

camcorder, schmamcorder...still remarkable
this film would destroy hollywood if it could. in fact, the whole city of medellin, as chaotic and nihilistic as anything i'd ever witnessed, would gladly settle their issues with hollywood in a good-ole fashioned machete fight. but they can't, so the people (that is to say the drug runners, the real leaders of third world middle-south american countries) celebrate their dope deliveries to the states with a huge barrage of fireworks. it seems all is the remarkably fitting setting of the cynical fernando (a retired writer returning to his hometown to die).

this movie could be considered the extreme polar opposite of phillip lee williams work, the sentimental american novelist who wrote 'the heart of a distant forest' which detailed a retired professor returning to his family's cabin in the wisconsin? wilderness to die...in peace. fernando's fate as a free living sage in modern day middle america's largest city is an ugly one, without peace or humanity. here, god resembles a monster. and for the eye-opening experience alone, our lady is worth the view.

the acting is perfectly suited. throughout the film, i didn't have to ever stop and critique the actor's credibility. the whole experience will seriously suck you in. in some ways, the video quality is the perfect media for adapting the novel: gritty, realistic, portable, etc.

it was really really nice to finally find a movie that doesn't require high production values. this is like the great lo-fi of music. it ain't diltuted and could definitely plow it's way through most of american film. if you are of a thinking mind or film afficionado, do not let this get by you!!!

clean transfer, but still on a camcorder...

believe it or not, its real
i have read so many reviews of this movie saying "it's too fake, the violence is unconvincing."

i am a colombian who has experienced gang violence and crime. what people do not understand is that colombia is not compton, where the police come and record a crime. here are some facts

less than 3% of crimes in colombia are successfully prosecuted, a rate lower than that of the old west, a time and place taht was supposedly lawless

the murder rate in medellin (the city where the movie is set, where my family lives), including rich neighborhoods and slums is 465 per 100,000, compton, california (the birthplace of gang violence in the US and home of gangsta rap) was only 80.2 per 100,000 in 1987 (when things were supposedly much worse)

as far as the filmmaking itself, i cannot say it si a well made movie, my interest is solely in teh subject matter

the homosexuality adds a confusing dimension to the film that is not necessary when portraying violent crime in the most dangerous place in the western hemisphere

RENT, DO NOT BUY

and yes, the violence is real, contrary to what you may think living in the suburbs, medellin is the most murderous city in the world, 6 times as murderous as compton, california

Watch it...AGAIN !
This movie is worth seeing again. If you see the movie, you will WANT to see it again.
The subtle nuances of the film and character interplay are excellent! Fernando's sardonic wit is wonderful.
The camera work is amazing, and the pasodobles are great.
It is too bad that this movie's subject matter has hindered it from more acclaim. Another example of the many great films that didn't come out of the plastic Hollyweird movie machine.
Great characters, great director, great movie...see it, AGAIN!

The Satanic emissary, Mephistopheles from Faust......
I've been slowly getting acquainted with Central and South American journalism - and what strikes me more and more is the resignation and sadness that seems to inform so much of it - it's as if the world were portrayed in terms of bankruptcy, incompetence, poverty, and cruelty that just can not be overcome, no matter what.

It's very consistent with a gay-subject matter film now playing, "Our Lady of the Assassins," [La Virgen de los Sicarios], also set in Columbia.

This is a movie about this despair. The central character, Fernando relentlessly embodies a spirit of negativity towards absolutely everything - even his young loves (teen-aged boys) are assassins.

Considering the director's last name (Schroder) I'd guess there's a literary allusion here from his own background. In Goethe's Faust the Satanic emissary, Mephistopheles, is memorialized as " "Der Geist der ewig verneint," the Spirit which forever denies, and that's certainly Fernando. He's as much a cause of that spiritual "Colombia" as he and his loves are symptoms of it.

After all, if you deny any salvation, you must repeat the hopelessness of everything, make hopelessness inevitable.

Step by step Fernando exposes young Alexis to the death to which that boy is destined, a strange "being hatefully in love," as one of Alexis' lines has it. He's that ill-starred boys' codependent as, time and again, he does nothing to avert the youngster's fate, and everything that almost provokes the inevitable. Fernando, in his own rejection of hope, is as much a death-bringer as his young assasins, whatever his protestations.

The proof of this guess at a literary background for the film is Fernando's reminiscence that in childhood he had a family parrot named Fausto. There it is, Goethe's great work, and the key to Fernando's unwittingly Mephistophelian character. Fernando's despair is less than his own "negation" of all trust, all hope. He's in despair of himself, and, in that, I suppose, serves as a metaphor for self-reflective Colombia.

Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian novelist, recently pointed that out in the Latin American character, that profound distrust of all social institutions, that spirit of negation which undermines them even as people struggle to make them work. On one hand there's passionate self-sacrifice (even like young Alexis who throws himself in front of Fernando) and, on the other, profound corruption by mistrust of everything that might work. No accident, that the film is replete with themes of faith and utter doubt, salvation and slaughter in one character.

Fernando's despair is I think true but obvious; what's truer and beneath the surface is his own fatal negation of anything that might relieve his despair. Inevitably he loses one boy (whom he makes no effort to save), and, when he's offered a second chance, tries to save another when it's too late. So much of Latin America has something of this at work in it - those themes of love and death get handled with quite some consistency in those somber films.

The predecessor of that film, by the way, was Rodrigo D, a cinema verite treatment of the youngsters' gang battles in Colombia in the eighties. By the time the film was ready for release, seven of its twenty "street boy" actors were dead through that senseless, inevitable violence.

One of the BEST films ever made!!!
I do not praise films easily, but here is a movie that just BLEW ME AWAY, with its subtle recounting of a man's dying wish and finding ephemeral relationships in a lawless land. The violence is never gratuitous, beautifully shot by a seasoned filmmaker. This is no doubt his best work to date - and the most underrated.
A MUST SEE. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep play a couple going through a parents' nightmare: Their son (Edward Furlong) is accused of murdering a local girl. What's worse, he's gone into hiding, seeming to lend credence to the charges. Neeson, as a passionate, intuitive artist, tries to take matters into his own hands; when he finds what appear to be blood-stained clothes in the kid's car, he cleans the whole thing up and winds up destroying evidence, making matters increasingly worse. Beforeand After is a solid if stolid drama, with a strong, controlled performance by Streep as the worried wife and mother, while Neeson comes off as overwrought playing the controlling father. Given the subject matter and the presence of director Barbet Schroeder, this movie should be a lot more interesting than it is. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Finally, a "real" suspense with surpurb acting performances!
Despite the ignorance of this film, BEFORE AND AFTER is a truly intense and realistic suspense and drama. The acting is absolutely flawless by the entire cast, especially: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong, and Julia Weldon. This story is about a regular, normal, every-day Massachusetts family who are Jewish. They are a very respected family in their town and almost everybody knows them. But that all changes when the son, Jacob Ryan (Edward Furlong) is accused of murdering his girlfriend and then suddenly disappearing right afterwards. His family are despartely trying to find him. Finally, he is found - in jail. He is brought home, but nothing seems the same for his family after that. Pretty soon, the entire town knows about the incident and all believe Ryan killed his girlfriend. His father, Ben Ryan (Liam Neeson), will do anything to cover-up any evidence that leads to Jacob's case. But his wife, Carolyn Ryan (Meryl Streep) and daughter, Judith Ryan (Julia Weldon), want to tell the truth even though they know what will happen to Jacob. They feel it's the right thing, since they all know the real truth. BEFORE AND AFTER is the kind of film that will make you grip the bottom of your seat until your knuckles turn as white as a ghost. It's non-stop heart pounding action. And the acting performances are just incredible. It will make you feel bad for Jacob and hope the best for him. The movie is just so realistic you forget that it's a movie and feel like you're part of it. Go and see BEFORE AND AFTER. One of the best movies of the decade!

Toothless story
The great shame of this movie is that it veered so terribly from the premise of the novel.

Brown's novel was so gripping and emotionally difficult precisely because Jacob did murder his girlfriend in cold blood. We struggle with the family as they come to grips with this hard truth: a seemingly "normal" family can indeed produce a dysfunctional, disturbed child and educated, thoughtful parents are often powerless to understand why. All of the dramatic power came from the adults struggling to figure out what to do with a son they don't recognize, and a younger sister knowing very well who her brother is but unable to share that information because the adults are interested in hearing it.

The movie pulled the teeth from this story when it gave us the eleventh-hour confession of Jacob's crime as *an accident*. Good grief. The movie, which wasn't very good to start with, then collapsed into unbelievable, sentimental pap.

My sympathies are with the author, who must have been appalled.

HOLLOW CHILD
This could have been a riveting, thought-provoking film IF ONLY we understood why Edward Furlong's character was so troubled. There are no real indications of dysnfunctionality, only with the mention of the boy's fight with father Liam Neeson on the day the murder occurred. Also, the resolution is anticlimactic, with Julia Weldon's voiceover narration not adequately telling us exactly how the verdict affected the family.
Meryl Streep does a fine job as always, although Carolyn sometimes seem vacuous in her understanding of what her son has done; Liam Neeson overdoes his portrayal, yet has his moments, too; Edward Furlong does nothing to evoke sympathy in his wooden, James Dean like performance; Julia Weldon is very good in the role of the narrator/sister; Alfred Molina also does a great job in his role as the no nonsense lawyer.
Truth, is it important? Should one lie to protect a loved one? The movie never lets us know who to root for...it works mainly because of the beautiful setting and Meryl's presence is always worth watching.

Expect the unexpected
"Before And After" is a wonderful displiction of a family torn apart by a son's mistake. This mistake could mean them losing their son forever. Worse, he's accused of murder. As the son's temper inflames, the storyline continues to build keeping the audience's eyes attentive to ever event. The drama builds further when yet another crime is committed by another family member. The turmoil continues to keep the audience waiting impatiently for the next scene. Such series of events express the screenplay writer's capacity. He never lets down the audience. The director and the producers work at the same high level giving "Before And After" its depth and greatness.

Meryl Streep proves as always that she is one of the greatest actresses around. Her every action and word is always believable as if she's experiencing this in real life. Her role as the mother is flawless. Liam Neeson performs his role as the father with every drop of emotion dripping down his face. Edward Furlong's role as the accused son reaches the high level that few other child stars have accomplished. Alfred Molina's role as the determined attorney proves that he will reach further fame soon as he deserves. All the other actors, small or big, perform their roles wonderfully.

"Before And After" is a wonderful movie for everyone to enjoy. Some may have to watch it a second time to fully understand the series of events, but one will be glad afterwards. This is a movie no one will forget.

OH... WHAT A WEB WE WEAVE, WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE
This is a film that had a great premise going for it and, consequently, should have filled the screen with some semblance of suspense and drama. Unfortunately, as others have sagely pointed out, it resonates like a made for television movie, despite the stellar cast.

The film takes place in a rural area of Massachusetts, where an artist by profession, Ben Ryan (Liam Neeson), and his doctor wife, Carolyn (Meryl Streep), live with their two teenage children, Jacob (Edward Furlong) and Judith (Julia Weldon). Unbeknownst to Ben and Carolyn, Jacob is carrying on with the town's junior vixen. Things come to the fore when the young woman is found dead, and their son disappears. Naturally, things do not look good for Jacob. The well respected Ryan family suddenly find itself cast in the role of the town pariah, shunned by many of the local yokels.

Ben takes things into his own hand upon discovering evidence that would implicate Jacob in the girl's death and destroys that seemingly inculpatory evidence. When Jacob is apprehended and returned to face charges, the Ryans, upon the advice of a local attorney and friend, Wendell Bye (John Heard), obtain an experienced criminal defense attorney, Panos Demeris (Alfred Molina), for their son. Thereafter, Ben and Carolyn proceed to disregard everything that the attorney advises them to do. Moreover, they each do their own thing with respect to their son's interest, much to his detriment.

Ben comes across as a somewhat unlikable and doltish, single-minded character. While Carolyn, who seems to have a moral compass and knows the right thing to do, comes across as a foolish woman who neglects to include her son's attorney in the equation. Moreover, Liam goes and does exactly the opposite of what the attorney suggests, thinking that he knows better, as does Carolyn. The only ones in the Ryan family who are likable are our erstwhile killer and his sister.

Edward Furlong gives an excellent performance as Jacob, a young man who acts inappropriately when faced with what can only be characterized as a terrible tragedy, one that he did not foresee but perhaps should have. He ultimately finds his own moral compass, despite his father, and manages to make his troubled character sympathetic.

Meryl Streep gives a sanctimonious and priggish performance, barely able to rise above the banality of her character, while Liam Neeson's performance is best characterized as that of a bellowing bull in a china shop. Angelo Molina gives a an smoothly adept performance as the canny defense attorney who knows only too well what lies ahead for his hapless client, given the antics of Jacob's idiotic, though well-meaning, parents.

This is a drama that should have held the viewer spellbound, but which, instead, succeeds only in irritating the viewer for the most part. Moreover, the ending is absolutely ridiculous. The filmmakers should have had a legal consultant on the payroll, preferably one with a working knowledge of criminal law. If they did, then they should consider suing whoever advised them so poorly. ... Read more

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This remake of a 1947 film noir casts David Caruso (freshly escaped from TV's NYPD Blue) in the role originally played by Victor Mature. He plays Jimmy Kilmartin, a reformed criminal struggling to keep straight and keep his wife (Helen Hunt) from going back to the bottle. But a favor for his cousin lands him back in the clink, and when his wife dies, he comes out ready to make a deal with the D.A. He becomes an informant, joining the crew of Little Junior Brown (Nicolas Cage), a pumped-up, asthmatic psycho who weightlifts strippers for amusement. Eventually, Jimmy finds himself forced to keep his radar up for treachery from both the criminals he's finking on and the cops he's working for. This film, directed by Barbet Schroeder, didn't do much business, despite a powerful but controlled performance by Caruso and a scarily splashy one by Cage. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (8)

3 1/2 Stars
Kiss of Death was a decent movie , it's worth (...) but that's about it.Dave Caruso was in his prime back then so how can anyone say his acting sucks.But most people are right he should have kept that NYPD Blue gigg.Nic Cage does play a soft bad guy , even in Face / Off.But I give him more credit for taking such a role.John Travolta plays a good villian ! Kiss Of Death is worth 13 bucks , best 13 bucks you'll probably spend on a movie.

Who's afraid of Nicolas Cage?
All right, so he's not the most convincing goon. It's still amusing to see him in this role. I'd say these nay-sayers need to lighten up. As a poor country boy unfamiliar with the urban crime cliches and plot twists, I can honestly say I enjoyed this movie. No, it's no masterpiece, but it is entertaining enough to be worth seeing, even buying at such a reasonable price. Caruso and (as they all admit) a fine supporting cast do very well with a now conventional plot that is at least not as droll as they say. This is probably the first time I've rated something higher than others. Strange.

Kiss Me Baby!
When David Caruso made headlines by leaving the hit TV show "NYPD Blue," the question people were asking was "Is he making a mistake?" Looking back on his career the past few years, we have to say that he did. But you couldn't tell that from his performance in "Kiss of Death." He's actually quite good.

Caruso plays Jimmy Kilmartin, a reformed car thief with a wife and baby who is desperately trying to go straight. Before he does, though, he reluctantly agrees to help his worthless cousin Ronny (Michael Rapaport) on one last run. If he doesn't, then Little Junior (Nicholas Cage), a sadistic killer, will bury Ronny. Naturally, things go bad. A cop gets shot and Jimmy ends up taking the fall by himself.

True to his personal code of honor, Jimmy won't rat out the others no matter how hard the sleazy DA (Stanley Tucci) pushes him. Then Ronny starts to move in on Jimmy's wife (Helen Hunt) and things really go wrong. Jimmy agrees to make a deal and cunningly manipulates events so that Little Junior takes Ronny down.

Three years later, Jimmy finally gets out of prison. The DA's not about to let things drop, however. He wants Little Junior bad and he'll do what it take to get him, even if that means using Jimmy and his family.

The plot of "Kiss of Death" is loosely based on the 1947 original-a class film noir-which featured Victor Mature, and Richard Widmark in his star?making role. (Remember his maniacal giggle as he pushed the old lady down the stairs?)

The story's been updated and it is grittier, realer and even more gripping. Novelist Richard Price ("Clockers") wrote the screenplay and he is one of the very best writers working in movies today. He has a true affinity for the seedy side of life and the characters and situations that populate his films are always enthralling to watch.

The direction by Barbet Schroeder ("Reversal of Fortune") is tense, well?paced and energetic. The acting is very good, especially by Caruso and Cage. Caruso is a very subtle and contained actor, much like Robert Mitchum, a veteran of many films noir. Also like Mitchum, Caruso seems like a powder keg about to go off. He projects seething fire and intensity without overplaying his hand.

Cage is mostly known for his dimwitted nice guy, hero roles, but he shows here that he has some real chops, creating a maniacal thug with a hair?trigger temper. With his pumped?up body and goatee, he has a hard look that goes great with his intense persona. It would have been very easy to go over?the?top with this part, but Cage never does. This is a very good performance.

The ending is the weakest part of the movie. It seems that the filmmakers ran out of gas and had to settle for less than the picture deserves. This is not a great crime film like "Goodfellas" or "Pulp Fiction," but it still makes for an enjoyable viewing.

Very weak
this film suffers from bad writing& trying to showcase non-big screen acting David Caruso.he should have stayed on Blue.Nicolas Cage is okay.but only Samuel L.Jackson keeps your attention.this film goes nowhere fast.despite having names there's no Chemistry.

Caruso probably should have stayed with NYPD Blue
One reason Caruso was so missed after his departure from NYPD Blue was because he created a character that was so wonderful. His character of John Kelly was the backbone for that show. That is how great his character was! Well, if you're a fan of John Kelly, fear not, he's back in Kiss of Death. How can that be you ask? Well, the character isn't actually in the film, but he might as well be. Caruso sticks with what works and makes this character just like his NYPD Blue character, with the exception of him being a convict. But, he does this well. Its a fine performance. The performance that lacked was that of Nicolas Cage. The academy award winning Cage you ask? Yes, the same. But, evidently, he got better after this movie. He presents a mildly amusing villain who is so stupid, you get irritated after he gets off the hook time after time. Although this film has strong performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames, Helen Hunt, and Stanli Tucci, the script is lacking. Its such a shame that a marvelous cast can be assembled only to make a mediocre film. This was definately the wrong film for Caruso to launch a film career on. He probably should have just stayed with NYPD Blue, where his performances as a great guy could have been better appreciated. This film is only recommended for die hard Caruso fans or those who want a reason to dislike Nicolas Cage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The script for this movie was written by outrageous poet-author-alcoholic Charles Bukowski. But director Barbet Schroeder makes it into an oddly amusing story of a pugnacious drunk writer (Mickey Rourke) based on Bukowski himself. Rourke spends almost all of his time at the bar, struggling with sobriety (he's against it) and, occasionally, having fistfights with the bartender (Frank Stallone). He meets another souse, a formerly attractive woman (Faye Dunaway), and gets involved with her, which means they drink copious amounts of liquor and try to have sex. Not much happens beyond that, yet this film is strangely entertaining, for all of its bottom-of-the-barrel humanity. Maybe that's the secret: "Oh, the humanity...." --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (49)

A fascinating Dramatic Comedy.
When a real druken alcool (Mickey Rourke) has a real hidden talent for writing. While a drunken woman likes him (Faye Dunaway) lives with him in his apartment. A rich attractive woman (Alice Krige) bought the rights of his short stories. She tries to give him an new look for him and a change but he has to choose, what right for him or stay being one person rotten sodden sleazy misadventure after another.

Directed by Barbet Schroeder (Single White Female) made a hip, flip and often gruesomely funny Semiautobiographical film written by Charles Bukowski. Superb Performances by Rourke, Dunaway and Krige. As well as a Dynamite Jazz and R&B Score. Mickey Rourke was Nominated for Best Actor in the Independent Spirit Awards also for Best Cinematography. This Film is Not for all tastes. Rourke is a Standout in this. DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an good Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Sound. DVD has Interviews with the writer:Bukowski, Behind the Scenes featurette and Trailer. This is a cult classic. Exective Produced by Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalyspe Now). Grade:A+.

To All My Friends!!! - Hail to the Great Charles Bukowski
This movie is profoundly entertaining. Pick up and read some of the great Bukowski novels (Ham On Rye, Post Office, Factotum, and more), short stories (Tales of Ordinary Madness, South of No North), and books of poetry (Love Is A Dog From Hell, Play The Piano Drunk Like A Percussion Instrument Until The Fingers Begin To Bleed A Bit) and you will get a glimpse into the darkest depths of the supremely talented and tormented Charles Bukowski. This film is filled with so many quotable lines and is the only film of its kind. Mickey Rourke plays a wonderful Henry Chinaski and Faye Dunaway is brilliant. Pay attention to when Henry spots Wanda from across the bar. In that scene, when they pan across the bar, the old man tilting back a bottle of Budweiser is none other than the actual Charles Bukowski himself. For fans of Bukowski, this is a must see. For those of you who don't know him, read his stuff before and after you see this film and you will potentially find yourself turned on to one of the greatest poets and writers of the 20th century.

Love it or hate it
You will either love or hate this film and either way it will be for a good reason. If you like dark and subtle comedy, enjoy a movie that takes some time to develop the characters, like irony, like acting that is good but doesn't call attention to itself, and if you have seen drunks before and are not shocked by them, then you will probably love this film. If you don't get the comedy, if you are disgusted by drunks, if you like fast moving pictures, if you looking for redeaming social value and if feel a film must have an obvious and direct point, then you will not like this film.

Personally, I started out disliking it for all the reasons that others have said it is not worth seeing. Then about 1/4 of the way through, I got what the writer, actors and director were doing. I saw the irony, the undercurrents of social and personal satire, and the downright humor in it. I started laughing and enjoying myself, and I didn't stop laughing for the rest of the film.

The degree of subtilty is greater than we are accustomed to in a Hollywood film, so alot of people not only don't get it but don't know there is anything to get because they are not expecting anything this subtle. The Director, Barbet Schroeder, cut his teeth working with director Eric Rohmer, who is as slow and subtle as they come. The now common phrase, "Watching paint dry," was unfairly coined by an unappreciative viewer to discribe his films. Schroeder is no where near as slow as Rohmer, but he seems to have learned how to build up elements of plot and character that open new dimensions in the film and suprise the attentive viewer in very pleasing ways.

This is certainly true of Barfly. Aside from being funny it is also deep. If are looking for an action flic or light comedy, this is not for you. If you are looking for something to glance at while you are cooking dinner then this is the wrong movie. If you have the time and inclination to pay attention or you will be disappointed with it. It is not for everyone. Some people view film as only good for recreation and that is fine. But if you want to take the time to understand the subtly and humor of the film, you will probably enjoy it - a lot.

please kill me
this was one of the worst movies i have ever seen. it was a total waste of my time. please someone kill me for i have seen pure evil and i am now tainted from this stupid movie

One of My Favorite Movies
I first caught Barfly on Late Night Television about 12 years ago and instantly fell in love with it. I had been looking for a cheap used Uncut VHS copy of this for awhile and just couldn't come across one. So I just purchased The DVD version. I am glad I did. Nothing like watching an older Film without the VHS wear lines and squiggles. Back to Barfly, it stars Mickey Rourke in a powerhouse role as Henry Chinaski a mostly drunk modern day poet disenfranchised by life. Faye Dunaway does an awesome job as Crazy Wanda Wilcox, Henry's love interest and self styled drunk herself . Barfly contains an excellent cast, even Frank Stallone shows up in a great role as Eddie the Bartender. Barfly contains many lines that once you hear them they will be burned into your conciousness forever. ("To All My Friends"). Barfly Blows away Leaving Las Vegas and puts Nicholas Cage to shame. I can't believe no Oscar Nominations were handed out for this Film. Barbet Scroeder directed a true masterpiece. Writen by Charles Bukowski and Loosely based on his life, and I say loosely. The DVD version has some extras which include a piece on the making of Barfly. You can't go wrong with owning this picture perfect un-cut version of Barfly. ... Read more

Description

Lush, sensual, and aurally hypnotic, this renowned cult classic from Barbet Schroeder (Barfly, Reversal of Fortune, More, Maitresse) was shot by the legendary Nestor Almendros, and scored by Pink Floyd.Set in the rainforest of New Guinea, a restless diplomat's wife, played by Bulle Ogier (Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Maitresse), goes in search of a rare bird's priceless feathers.In the process she meets up with a group of hippies seeking spiritual and sexual enlightenment.Together they are transformed when they encounter the indigenous Mapuga tribesman and the secret "valley of the gods". ... Read more

Reviews (10)

La Vallee - Great for the true Pink Floyd enthusiast
Whelp, Ive waited a long time to see this movie. I am quite glad I own it and have seen it. It was not quite worth the 13 year wait to find a good copy, but it was a pleasure to watch. If you are buying this as a Floyd enthusiast, buy it. If you are looking for a good foreign flick, you might wanna check out other movies. The soundtrack by Pink Floyd is quite good and fittingly placed in the movie. The best example of this is of the opening credits. The valley "Obscured by Clouds" song leaves a longing for the truth of the valley. Good movie overall, but it was quite special to hear the Floyd in a different media. True Floyd fan?? Get it. If not, dont bother. Hope this helps.

Just buy the album...
Watching "The Valley" is a tedious chore. Pink Floyd's soundtrack is wonderful, of course, and was responsible for my desire to see this film. A collector of rare bird feathers gets hold of a specimen from the "bird of paradise" that lives in a valley in New Guinea that is always "obscured by clouds" (the name of the Floyd album). This valley is supposed to be paradise, and its geography is unknown, since no one has ever returned.

Most of the movie consists of the journey to this obscured valley. Along the way the characters ingest some native tree-sap hallucinogen and watch some indigenous folks slaughter a boar. They inexplicably carry blankets in a cooler. They espy the valley in the distance and then the movie ends.

I watched this movie with about six other people, and when the movie was over I was the only person still awake. My advice is to simply listen to the soundtrack, ingest some native hallucinogen if you are so inclined, and watch your own movie that will be immeasurably more interesting than this.

the mountains and the valley beyond
Opening scene: Vivian, a diplomats wife, is browsing through the artifacts offered for sale in a grass hut in New Guinea. Vivian is seeking some rare feathers that fetch huge sums at Parisian Boutiques. She is a socialite and yet she is also very comfortable in the very earthy surroundings she finds herself in while her husband is away on business. At first hers seems only a casual curiousity but then in walks a tall blonde hippie stranger who has just returned from the interior with a cache of rare feathers -- after that it is not only feathers she is interested in but the tall blonde stranger as well.

Vivian catches a ride with the stranger and accompanies him back to his camp site. As soon as the two enter the tent they see a couple laying naked together. Vivian is surprised and yet also turned on by these very relaxed living conditions. The hippies live very close to the earth and they want to get even closer. In this very sensually open atmosphere the blonde stranger shows Vivian where they intend to go -- it is a place which has no name because it has never been charted as it is invisible from the sky as it is perpetually obscured by clouds. To the hippies this last unmarked place represents a last promise of paradise. Vivian is skeptical of such notions but she cannot resist the heady atmosphere of dreaminess and sensual freedom that this group represents to her and so she decides to leave her socialite existence for awhile and accompany them to La Vallee.

The story is very simple and Barbet Schroeder's style is almost documentary simple -- Schroeder produced some of the early new wave films but his own films are nothing like those early 1960's films. More and La Vallee do not draw attention to the director as the new wave films did, Schroeders films concentrate on the vagaries of character and what different experiences feels like. The Pink Floyd soundtrack does more than the dialogue in giving us access to what these characters are going through. Though they are united in their search for paradise, each character is also on a very private journey and the music accents both the shared and private aspects of this cross country quest.

One of the most memorable sequences is when the group spends the day with several tribes of New Guinea bushmen who have gathered to recognize their ancestors. Two of the hippies dress in tribal attire and paint themselves and dance along with the tribesman but two do not. Vivian herself does not adorn herself but merely watches the goings-on from a comfortable distance like a journalist while the tall blonde stranger feels a deep depression that he unlike the tribesman will never feel at one with nature. At another point Vivian too will attempt to merge with nature with the help of a hallucinogen but it is only a momentary union. And so the film is dreamy and yet also it is a kind of lament that certain dreams will never be more than dreams.

Along with the subtle but perfect mood music by Pink Floyd the cinematography is absolutely exquisite -- New Guinea has never looked so good.

I like both More and La Vallee equally well. And yes Michelangelo Antonio's Zabriskie Point is also very good and also features Pink Floyd as well as the Grateful Dead. I think Barbet Schroeder's films are much more organic though and so more pleasing to the instincts than Antonioni's film. Antonioni is very intellectual and even when he gets organic he arrives there by intellectual routes. Herzogs Aguirre is excellent and it is similar in that it is also a search for a mythic paradise but its vision of nature and man is much harsher. Theres a lyric magic in Barbet Schroeders films that simply does not exist anywhere else.

Obscured By Clouds?!
Last year I set out to get my hands on the film, "More" (another Barbet Schoeder film) because the CD was great. Then I came across my very old CD "Obscured By Clouds". So wouldn't you know, I just had to get a copy of "La Vallee" despite, the not-so-great reviews."La Vallee", in my view, is better then "More", and certainly not as dismal. A rich diplomats wife, Vivian played by Bulle Ogier, is a restless "closet" hell raiser, who happens to have money to play with. She goes in search of a rare birds exotic and very beautiful feathers, and very illegal too. She comes across a group of hippies also looking for "a better way" but they will not sell her the feathers, but they do invite her to join their little expetition to "The Valley". However, Vivian is warned that they may not come back... Together they meet many different tribesman, mudmen, birdmen..you get the point. They also don't seem to give a damn about commiting adultry... After a long journey into the rain forest, they all get discouraged, tired, and hungry. One man says, if you listen towards the end of the film, "Ya know, we're never going to make it there." The other man replies, "we must keep going." Now, you never actually see this valley, but right at the end of the film, Vivan says while pointing, "There it is, I see it." -Fin- Yeah, and we never really know if they are all just delirious or high, or really there... This is a nice film, a rather boring and dry during the last hour or so; excellent score by Pink Floyd - which is the only reason I honestly purchased this-filmed beautifully in a rainforest of New Guinea. BUT, WHERE'S THE VALLEY?!

Remembrance on DVD
I saw THE VALLEY (Obscured By Clouds) in a theater in the 70s, though probably not on its first-run engagement. What I remember is the imagry, not the music (in hindsight I'm startled Pink Floyd supplied the mostly subtle score), and an awe for the film and an appreciation for the night on walking out of the theater. I remember the ad campaign, but it was a word-of-mouth hit -- "You HAVE to see this movie!"

Much of the content is dated to its times, but a surprising portion is not. Remember, too, that the term "hippie" was itself getting dated in 1972, the pursuit of personal pleasures rising, as one bit of dialogue touches on.

The DVD transfer is imperfect, but artifacts are not obtrusive. Some of the editing is abrupt, again not detracting from the whole. The film is largely in French with some English and native New Guinean; English subtitles are available, but only accessible by pressing the Subtitles button on the player or remote.

As with most art-house films, THE VALLEY is aimed at an adult audience. Contained are full-frontal nudity (both genders), sex, and the frank killing and slaughter of three pigs, as well as themes of sensuality, monogamy, societal rigidity, and natural mood-altering substances. ... Read more

Amazon.com

You can take this 1992 thriller one of two ways: it's either a highly suspenseful movie about an unfortunate young woman's psychological breakdown, or it's a glossy slasher movie starring two of Hollywood's best young actresses. Or maybe it's both at the same time--or perhaps it's the clever and well-acted thriller for its first hour before resorting to the routine shocks of a cheap horror flick. However you look at it, there's no denying that this is a dynamite showcase for Jennifer Jason Leigh as the roommate from hell who becomes the bane of Bridget Fonda's existence. First she picks up Fonda's mannerisms, then starts to borrow her wardrobe, cuts her hair to resemble Fonda's, and even "borrows" her roomie's boyfriend for a deceitful night of lovemaking. By that point Fonda's totally freaking out (wouldn't you?), and, well, that's when the whole thing gets a little too silly. Still, this is a nifty little shocker, and director Barbet Schroeder brings more intelligence and style to the material than it really deserves. Add that to the fine performances by the battling roommates and you've got a movie that will make you think twice before inviting total strangers to live with you. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Roomate from hell
Single White Female for most of its running time evolves into a truly creepy, menacing little thriller laced with moments to make the skin crawl. However all the psycholgical elements that are cleverly thrown into the mix, get flushed down the tube in it's final half hour. Fonda, after finding out that her boyfriend cheated on her, promtly boots him out of her flat and takes on a roomate in the form of Jennifer Jason Leigh. At first she seems sweet, kind and gentle natured but things start to change dramatically as Leigh transforms from a mousy, incredibly shy introvert to a total psychopath (to put it lightly). It seems Fonda's new roomate has ideas of not only borrowing a few items of clothing but taking over her life for herself completly. Both leads are convincing enough given the rather irrational screenplay and there are times when the film has it's inceredibly dark moments but it all ends up in typical slasher style somewhat butchering a half well made movie.

A Fight for Identity
This is a really good film that is more than just a thriller, but a statement about identity as well. Barbet Schroder (Murder by Numbers) scales the lonely apartment building with his camera and shows the gargoyle statues perched on the ledge. There are many shots like this and a theme of a very small person in a very large and modern world that is close to swallowing up our individuality is explored in this disturbing thriller.

Bridget Fonda gives a sweet performance as the emotionally vulnerable Allie Jones. She exposes her heart in an intimate moment with her boyfriend Sam (Steven Weber) when she tells him, "Your the best thing that's ever happened to me". When she is forced to advertise for a SWF roomate another sweet personality comes into play as shy Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wins over Allie and moves in.

What develops is a slow evolving nightmare as Hedra subtly transforms herself bit by bit into Allie. Barely noticable at first it becomes more and more pronounced until Allie must fight for not only her identity but her life as well. Leigh is great as always and we feel sorry for her at first just as Allie does. She seems to have no life at all. Even when Allie thinks Hedra might be fooling around with someone in the apartment what she sees is quite different.

Hedra taps into all Allie's insecurities until she is in danger of dissappearing. A scene in the dark where Allie's boyfriend Sam is sexually fooled by Hedra before he realizes it is not Allie is particularly disturbing. Schroder seems to be pondering if one person has become interchangable with another in today's world.

The ending is violent and bloody but it has no other place to go. Hedra can't live as Allie if Allie still exists and Allie must overcome her fear in order to live. Both Fonda and Leigh work well together and each gives a fine performance in this lonely feeling movie that makes us think about our own identity.

This is a good film to watch late at night with the lights off. It has a lonely and eventually disturbing feel to it and will have you wondering the next day how easy it would be....

Shocking!
Jenninfer Jason Leigh is totally out of control while Bridget Fonda fears for her life in this psychological thriller. Allie Jones (Fonda) puts an ad in the newspaper for a room mate wanted, a single white female. She quickly gets a response from Hendra Carlson (Leigh) and has Allie convinced. She moves in and seems like the perfect room mate. But Allie begins to notice some of her belongings missing and Hendra's style and personality changing. Before long, Hendra's obsession with Allie's life proves it's self when Hendra gets a complete make over and looks exactly like Allie. And to top it all off, Hendra tries to seduce Allie's boyfriend! When Allie finds out and confronts her about it, the film takes off into violence, mild gore, insanity, and murder. Allie tries to uncover Hendra's dark past before Hendra's increasingly violent behavior targets her. The worst scene is where Hendra becomes crazy-jealous after Allie leaves with her boyfriend. The dog is bothering her and she's so upset and irritated she throws it out the window! Allie and her boyfriend return to hear screams and the horrific mess on the pavemant. This film goes to great lenghts to terrorize the viewer!

A thriller the way they're supposed to be...
If you're looking for a truly creepy thriller than look no further than this one, containing flawless acting by actresses Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh. For those reviewers who say the film is let down by the final half hour I have to say: pah! That's the best part! The half hour climax where Ally (Bridget Fonda) desperately fights off a now totally psychopathic Hedra (Jennifer Jason Leigh) makes the film in my eyes. The basic film premise is this: Ally's live-in boyfriend cheats on her and is shown the door, not used to living alone, Ally advertises for a room mate, enter Hedra, a shy quiet librarian. The two become friends but Hedra's envy and awe of her new best friend's style and beauty leads her to begin to emulate her and become her twin (the reason for her obsession is revealed in full in the film but I won't spoil it for those who might want to see the film). When Ally makes peace with her boyfriend and wants him to move back into the apartment, Hedra grows jealous and incredibly vindictive at being asked to move out and begins to become obsessive, culminating in her offing a few characters (including one hapless soul having a stiletto stabbed through his eye in a very original and memorable murder scene). The final battle between the two ladies is nothing short of gripping, and the scenes incredibly convincing as they wrestle, shoot and stab their way through the apartment complex in an edge of your seat fight for survival finally ending down in the creepy shadowy basement in the belly of the building. A slew of these type of psychological thrillers followed after the success of this film (The Crush, Deadbolt, The Babysitter, Mother's Boys, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle etc) but none besides the latter of course being up to SWF's standard. High points of the film include the creepy somewhat infamous scene where Hedra emerges from the hairdressers, her hair cut from long and dark to short and auburn in an exact imitation of Ally's, and Hedra's violent disposal of a newly bought puppy that won't come to her. The film was adapted from an average novel titled 'SWF Seeks Same' but in it's adaptation to the big screen became a very stylish thriller. A hit at the box office when released it is well worth seeing and is a guaranteed tense and nail biting viewing experience for any fans of a good thriller. Five stars.

The roommate from hell.
While interviewing roommates Jennifer Jason Leigh shows up and gets the position. She wears Bridget's clothes, hair style, perfume and proceeds to mimic her in every way. She even kills her dog "Buddy" and blames it on the boyfriend. There's a lot more to this movie.

Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

A must-have movie. Don't take my word buy it for yourself from AMAZON.COM. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Drifter Olivier (Gérard Depardieu) lands in Paris and partners upon a friend's home invasion.Ostensibly they're breaking into the vacant flat of a vacationing old lady, but in reality it's the kinky dungeon of a high-classdominatrix with a powerful client list. The bearish Depardieu falls for the lithe professional, blonde Ariane (Bulle Ogier) in a black bob wig and dressed in tight leather and latex, and soon moves into her handsome flat while she plies her trade downstairs. Barbet Schroeder's kinky little slice of sexual decadence is initially titillating and erotic, but soon turns grotesque. Ariane's clients desire her domination but only as contracted: They control their abuse. The romance becomes a warped mirror of her career, Ariane allowing Olivier the appearance of control as he slides behind the driver's seat of her car, but setting the parameters of his dominance. Easygoing Olivier soon begins to simmer with frustration and jealousy, unable to comprehend her twisted world of sexual deviance, and attempts to "save" her from her lifestyle. Schroeder pushes the portrayal of S&M and bondage to the limits with graphic scenes of pain, torment, and mutilation, presented with a bland detachment that makes them all the more uncomfortable to watch. He brings that same dispassionate attitude to the romance, which results in an uninvolving yet undeniably fascinating story of a quirky affair. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A delicacy
The trained viewer will find the approach to this story very refreshing. The Hollywood formulas get very stale and this is no where near a cliche .
The dialogue is natural and intriguing. The characters are played with empathy. This movie is very elegant yet done with a very quiescent sense of realism. This quiescence ,in my opinion, contributes to the feel of the film, but to conventional film viewers it may seem a bit slow at times.
The best feature of this product is actually the interview with Barbet Schroeder the director. He is charming and once you get a taste for his style you will become much more discriminating in your movie critiques.
This item is worth it for collectors, and film connoisseurs.

"I'm not the cautious type."
In Barbet Schroeder's kinkfest film "Maitresse" small-time burglar Olivier (Gerard Depardieu) stumbles into the dungeon of high-class dominatrix, Ariane (Bulle Ogier). He's expecting to burgle an old lady's apartment, but instead he finds rubber masks, whips, various torture devices, and even a coffin. He's fascinated, and when rubber clad Ariane puts him to work, Olivier uses the opportunity as an excuse to strike up a relationship

Ariane--who lives with her Doberman, Texas--is a woman who enjoys her work. At one point, she even tells Olivier that she considers her clients to be her friends. Her facial expressions rarely change as she moves between clients--sometimes managing two or three at a time. She approaches her work with cold calculation, and the boorish Olivier cannot understand this, or her explanation: "all I do is direct the show." He asks Ariane questions about her past, and her reply is: "you shouldn't ask me questions because I either lie or I don't answer them." The film creates this unusual woman who defies every convention and every explanation, and then the audience is expected to swallow her need for a relationship with Olivier. The relationship between Ariane and Olivier just isn't electric enough. They have a rather boring domestic arrangement which seems to include Olivier laying around her apartment and snooping through her personal papers while she whips the you-know-what out of a client in the dungeon. The relationship between Olivier and Ariane remains unconvincing.

Gerard Depardieu is always at his best when his explosive and overpowering personality is allowed to rampage a bit--he's severely restrained in this film, and ultimately he appears sulky and a bit of a pouter. Olivier is consumed by Ariane's professional life, and yet he remains outside it. At other moments, the kinky becomes the mundane. In one scene, he sits reading the newspaper while Ariane dresses in a bizarre tight rubber outfit for an appointment. Some of the very best scenes occur when the boundaries between Ariane's private and professional lives mesh. Olivier simply does not understand that Ariane's clients pay her for certain performances within very strict and, therefore, safe perimeters. Olivier carries some of the abuse beyond these agreed upon perimeters, and ultimately, Olivier is just bad for business.

"Maitresse" is at first an interesting film, but then it becomes fairly standard fare. Olivier happily takes the money Ariane earns, but then inevitably he takes the standard predictable route and tries to save Ariane. The film had potential, but the plot devolved to the ordinary and banal rather quickly, and this seems ironic as the whole film is supposed to be about the extraordinary.

Araine's dungeon is a veritable den of iniquity, and Schroeder left nothing to the imagination when capitalizing on the shock effect of pure sensationalism. Viewers may find some of the scenes too difficult to watch. There's male and female nudity galore here--and most of the S&M acts that I can think of are here on film. These acts range from the mildly naughty to the extremely painful. Obviously, this film is not for all tastes. If you enjoyed the films "Crime of Passion" or "9 1/2 Weeks" you may enjoy this film. However, all viewers should be warned that the film contained one extremely graphic and hideous scene of the slaughter of a horse--displacedhuman

A shocking but moving film experience
In this Barbet Schroeder film, Olivier (Depardieu) burglarizes the apartment of a dominatrix named Ariane (Ogier). After Ariane catches him in the act, the two fall in love and Olivier struggles to accept his girlfriend's bizarre profession. In the uncut Criterion version, some of the torture scenes (which were purportedly filmed using real-life "slaves" of a real-life dominatrix) are truly painful to watch, and are undoubtedly some of the most shocking ever to appear in a non-pornographic movie. Which leads one to ask: Is Maîtresse an artsy exploitation flick disguised as a love story, or simply a love story that makes legitimate use of graphic (and violent) sexual imagery? Either way, the film is moving, provocative, and impossible to forget. Highly recommended.

Four stars out of five.

Upstairs - Downstairs Mistress...
Gérard Depardieu as Olivier enters an apartment in order to rob the place, but unknowingly breaks into a haven for sadomasochistic fantasies. During the burglary he encounters Ariane (Bulle Ogier) who he had met earlier, but this time she is a dominatrix who controls situations as she dives into other people's madness. Ariane is an interesting character that separates her life and her profession as skillfully as do her slaves who consist of lawyers, judges, and other high ranked individuals who seek punishment from her. Her cruel punishment is well molded after her "slave's" desires which consists of all forms of torture and degradation. Olivier is spellbound by Ariane as he falls in love with her, and it leads him into a scorching affair where he is bound to be burnt as he is mystified by Ariane's dark trade. Schroeder's creation of Ariane's dual nature can be seen through her use of a downstairs apartment for her dark fantasies and her upstairs apartment for more accepted desires. In addition, it can also be observed symbolically that the two sides coexists and never are entirely separated as Ariane brings her make-up, clothes, and feelings back upstairs. Maîtresse is an avant-garde film as it explores in-depth the theme of sadomasochistic fantasies and its sub-culture as set in a love story. As a cinematic experience, Maîtresse offers a shocking, for the unaware, experience that tells an intriguing story which imprisons the curiosity.

Interesting Start... that fades fast
Maitresse begins fairly interesting. But about 1/3 through, the energy fades. The plot slows down and seemingly takes a shallow, uneventful trip to a stupid ending.

There are some stops on the trip that are worth seeing. Mainly, there are some great fetish outfits. But even the S&M becomes as annoying as the droning dialogue.

It's worth adding to your collection, but you'll probably only watch it once or twice. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One of the most intriguing criminal trials of the 1980s involved Claus von Bülow, who was accused of sending his rich wife Sunny into a permanent coma with an overdose of insulin. Director Barbet Schroeder, working from Nicholas Kazan's evocative, darkly humorous script, turns the story into both a look at the lives of rich folks with too much time on their hands and a whodunit, as lawyer Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) prepares to defend von Bülow (Jeremy Irons) in court. Irons won an Oscar for his spooky, knowing performance, which hints at depths of degeneracy without ever putting a dent in a veneer of bored elegance. The contrast between the hard-charging Dershowitz and his eager-beaver Harvard law students and the eternally languid von Bülow adds unexpected humor. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (21)

It's all about Irons
This is a slyly clever adaptation of Alan Dershowitz' account of the retrial of Claus von Bulow. It features strong performances from Glenn Close, and Ron Silver as Dershowitz, and Barbet Schroeder won an Academy Award nomination as Best Director. But in the end, this movie is all about the portrayal of Claus von Bulow by Jeremy Irons, in an Oscar winning performance. Irons is superbly ambiguous throughout, never allowing the audience to finally settle its sympathies with his character.

Irons' final line is typically enigmatic: "Just kidding." This movie is well worth a look.

Fine Dramatization of Celebrated Rhode Island Criminal Case
Along with the scandal-ridden career of Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, the mayor of Providence, the Von Bulow case was, and probably remains, a popular topic of conversation in Rhode Island. Barbet Schroeder gives a mesmering look at a dark chapter in the history of Newport, Rhode Island with exceptional performances from Jeremy Irons and Ron Silver. Iron portrays Claus Von Bulow with the right mix of elegance and sleaziness thrown in, letting us know that he is not quite the man he seems to be (Indeed, Von Bulow had married far above his station when he wed Sunny - Glenn Close in the film; there are many who still believe that he deliberately tried to poison her for her wealth.). Fellow Stuyvesant High School alumnus Ron Silver is magnificient as Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz; although he doesn't quite resemble Dershowitz, he does a remarkable portrayal of the latter's personality, judging from what I have seen of Dershowitz during his conversations with television talk show hosts Larry King and Ted Koppel. This splendid film is both a first rate thriller and a revealing look at how rewarding justice can be for those who are wealthy. Without a doubt, it is one of the finest dramatizations of a celebrated criminal case ever filmed.

Exceptional drama of a legal defense
The murder of Sunny von Bulow (played by Glenn Close)was one of the most publicized murder cases of the 80s. This film tells the story of how well-known lawyer Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) reversed the guilty verdict of accused murderer Klaus von Bulow (Jeremy Irons), Sunny's husband. This film walks a tightrope between a dramatization of the facts in the case and an account that presumes to know what really occurred, so that by the end of the film, we still do not know who, if anyone, committed the murder. The film is filled with great performances. Irons won a best-actor Oscar for his role. Silver's Dershowitz is impassioned and driven.

Coma
Audacious, brilliant, cerebral yet firmly grounded in the stuff of life, Barbet Schroeder's "Reversal of Fortune" is as much a winner now as it was when it was first released, 14+ years ago. And this has as much to do with Jeremy Irons' performance as Klaus Von Bulow as it does with Schroeder's masterful writing and directing: here is an example of everything coming together in the right place at the right time.

Jeremy Irons¿ Great Villain[?]
Had occasion to see this terrific legal docu-drama again after 15 years and marveled at the performance of Jeremy Irons as convicted would-be-murderer Klaus Von Bulow. Buoyed by a great supporting cast, this movie tells the tale of the reversal of the conviction of Klaus for attempted murder of his socialite wife Sunny, played by Glenn Close. Irons steals the show though with his elegant, dark, emotionally hooded, and overtly sinister portrayal. While the film makes no moral judgments, and Bulow was eventually acquitted in real life; one can't help but wonder about the real outcome of the night that left Sunny a comatose vegetable to this day. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Keaton does a credible impersonation of Hannibal Lecter in this far-fetched but pulse-quickening thriller about a cop (Andy Garcia) whose dying son needs a rare form of bone marrow possessed only by a death-row psychopath (Keaton). After agreeing to become a donor, the killer uses the procedure as an opportunity for escape, taking over the hospital and grabbing hostages. The story's promising hook is that Garcia's character himself has to defy authorities in order to end the siege and extract Keaton unharmed. That's pretty much the course of action for the rest of the film, though a failure to make all this completely believable becomes a problem. Director Barbet Schroeder, pursuing a theme consistent with the unholy ties forged between crazies and noncrazies in his earlier films (Reversal of Fortune, Single White Female), strains to create a psychic bridge between the desperate hero and Keaton's mind-bending villain. While the effort is laudable, the connection between cop and criminal is a little too obvious for penetrating exploration. Some of the action sequences, too, are misguided and redundant. Having said that, however, it is always fun to watch Keaton play nut cases, and his character's glee at feeling his power exponentially grow in this situation is highly entertaining. Marcia Gay Harden does a good job as a kind of intermediary in the tense scenario, an ally to the good guy and forced confederate of the bad guy. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Too Fast & Slick For It's Own Good!
Boy this movie is fast. It certainly uses all it's cards at once and doesn't save enough moderately and sparsely. It really reminded me of Speed in some stark way.

Michael Keaton acts great, trying to be a Hannibal. He pulls it of well. Andy Garcia does an OK job but his acting wasn't spectacular.
For some inane reason I wanted Keaton's evil character to win through in the end. Wasn't he abused or something as a child. Again that's reverse psychology - the viewer going for the bad guy ala Hannibal.

The Australian DVD version has about 30 extra minutes of interviews and behind the scenes footage. That is something you Americans it looks like, don't appear to have. But we missed out - we didn't have any closed captions or subtitles. That would've been handy considering some of the dialogue was incomprehensible.

Overall I think this movie was too fast for it's own good. It should have slowed down a bit so the viewer isn't overloaded with too much pace. The aftertaste of the movie was one where you won't want to watch it again. But during it did have massive classic potential. But giving the viewer too much can lessen the goodness and impact of the movie...

Rating: 2 and a half stars out of 5!

Some plot is missing, but it has its exciting suspense
Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton) is in jail for several murders. He is one of the most dreaded criminals in his prison. However, a cop, Frank Conner (Andy Garcia), finds out that Peter is the only one who can save his son by giving him a bone marrow transplant. Peter agrees to do so after getting several of his privileges, such as smoking, back. However, things take an interesting twist after Peter somehow escapes while in the hospital. Frank can't allow anybody to kill Peter because that would kill Frank's son, but he also doesn't want Peter to do what he is known for, being a murderer.

I can't believe that "Desperate Measures" isn't getting a lot better ratings than it's getting. I thought it was a great movie. I like for movies to have a plot, and I'll admit that this movie is choppy in that department, but it does feature one of Michael Keaton's best job as an actor and it has great suspense. That's why I really liked "Desperate Measures." If you can put up with a movie that doesn't have one of the best plots in the world, but one that has good acting and great suspense, I recommend getting "Desperate Measures."

Just sad
Plot, writing, and dialog are rediculous. Both actors could do a much better job, but given the sillyness of the whole thing, did passibly well. Really silly b-movie horror ending. Yuck.

One of the best physcotic thrillers you'll come across
This movie has its point and the cast are amazing, especially Acadamy Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden. Action, Suspense, Thriller and drama provided, this movie is all what it is, Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton provide their best preformance and the race to save Andy's child begins...

Best to watch it in Widescreen.

Good Movie
This is a good movie.Not classic but not stupid a good suspence/action flick.Andy Garcia is a good actor ... Read more

Amazon.com

Barbet Schroeder, the Oscar-nominated director of Reversal of Fortune, made his debut with this jaundiced view of the European youth drug culture. Klaus Grünberg is a naive German student who falls for blond American junkie Mimsy Farmer and discovers drugs in Paris. He follows the flighty babe to Ibiza, a sunny Mediterranean island paradise, where he falls into the world of former Nazi-turned-heroin-pusher Heinz Engelmann and succumbs to addiction. Part counterculture portrait, part antidrug drama, it's a shaggy little film that suggests the New Wave influence in a rambling pace, gorgeous asides of fun in the sun (our heroes get high and tilt at windmills--literally--in one free and easy moment), and deadpan bursts of intermittent narration. But Schroeder has little affinity with youth culture, and the film more often fits the conservative tenor of American cautionary drug dramas of the 1960s and '70s. To the film's credit, it never succumbs to the druggie clichés of the time. You'll find none of the kaleidoscope lenses, whip pans, sunlight reflections searing the image, or choppy montages to rock & roll hits that fill the drug-culture classics, just the handsome, earthy, intimate photography of NéstorAlmendros. Today, More remains most famous for its subdued, moody Pink Floyd score. --SeanAxmaker ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Masterpiece of Early Seventies Cinema
This movie defies any easy description of it. What makes it so great is the way it transcends the confines of normal film narrative. And Pink Floyd does deserve a lot credit for that transcendant feel. The cinematographer and the great locations also have a lot to do with the feel of this picture. The actual plot is somewhat pedestrian. Two youths dropping out further and further. Both however are played by very appealing actors and Mimsy Farmer is especially interesting. She plays her role with a cool and naturalness making her seem like the very incarnation of the sixties spirit both the creative and destructive side of it. The male lead has less star appeal but he is solid. Its her movie though. Hers and the blue seas, and the soundtrack. Barbet Schroeder is not serving any script, rather he is capturing a mood, the story is incidental to the music.

A VISIONARY CLASSIC!
Dont listen to the naysayers below, MORE is a fantastic example of 60s counterculture cinema. The main reason, of course, is the classic soundtrack music by Pink Floyd (possibly their most underrated and overlooked album), but the film has a cool, laid-back late 60s European attitude that is very appropriate for the subject matter. The Paris scenes are great, but the real magic of the film happens on the island of Ibiza (where Nico would die in a bicycle fall during the 80s). It's a magical place that gives the cinematography of the film (by Nestor Alamendros) an almost mystical look at times. The German actor Klaus Grunberg plays the naive hero, Stefan, with a slightly campish quality that makes him rather endearing. And, of course, Mimsy Farmer is great to look at, especially in the many nude scenes that were edited out of the original 1969 American release. The 2000 rerelease of the film is fantastic, a beautifully remastered print with great sound, and letterboxed too! Light the sacred herb, and let the film draw you in slowly. It might take a couple of viewings to appreciate its more subtle points, but for Pink Floyd fans (and for Barbet Schroeder fans), this and it's companion film, LA VALLEE, are essential to your collections. And for $... each, how can you go wrong? FIVE STARS one of my alltime faves! check it out :)

Borderline
This movie vividly portrays the idealism of a young man and the manipulativeness of the young woman he idealizes. As he continues to try to feel loved and accepted by her, she oscillates between love and hate which makes his journey that much more painful. As he discovers more about her past, he wades further and further into his own denial about the reality of her problems. No one ever said heroin addiciton was easy and carefree. Certainly this movie depicts a common relationship dynamic between two addicts. They always try to fulfill each other's needs with each other but end up fulfilling it with heroin. His low self-esteem is no match for the occasional carrot she throws out to him. She only adds insult to injury by following her carrots with a really large hammer that always shatters his need for closeness that he feels only she can fulfill. Its a love/hate world and this movie is a great snapshot at the "I love you don't leave me" phenomenon that is portrayed in Mimsy. Poor guy.

review from ibiza
I saw the movie for the first time in my life some weeks ago.It`s not available on video in europe and the US standard doesn`t work in my player.
I can understand that the movie can be boaring and seems to be unprofessional,famous only because of the Pink Floyd music.
Some dialoges are really out of time and the timing: ok its the late 60s!See "man who fell to earth" or "rosemarys baby"Movies were slower at this time.
But I want to tell something about the place Ibiza.As I live here for 5 years(I`m german,not spanish)I think,I can say,that there is another way of feeling this movie knowing this very special place.From the late 60s to now Ibiza has a "strange atraction" to people,who want to change their life.Esoterical interested,drugusers,drop outs,for them Ibiza is a dream.Matter of fact we call it "Magic island" and speak about the "Spirit of Ibiza".Now the old hippie lifestyle has changed,but every summer the best DJs offer us high quality settings in techno and house(Sven Väth,Carl Cox,John Acquaviva etc)
So Ibiza is really what you see in the movie and the movie let me with a very strange bad feeling,because for this german guy the dream broke and the bad power of heroin won at least.
We have not so many heroin problems here,as one could think,but it is really amazing,that a place,which can give pure pleasure without taking any drugs has a big drug market.
To see "More" as a portrait from Ibiza is a way to understand it,a broken dream for some of us,but see also the beautines.
By the way,I didn`t like the way,the germans were presented,cause at this time the neonazi or old nazi problems were not as obvious and no woman or girl would bear the way this german macho treated her longer than 5 minutes.
I liked the movie because it made an echoe in my soul for some days,not a good feeling,but better than no feeling.
And its a portrait of a time.
Regrds from Ibiza,Thomas

Phew!!
I'm sorry. This movie has to rate as one of the worst movies ever made. I picked it up for the Pink Floyd score, of course. I knew I was in trouble from the opening credits; "Music by The Pink Floyd". Roger, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Pink Floyd was ever known as "The" Pink Floyd.
I give one star and that is only for the music. There are actually a few interesting musical elements that don't show up on the soundtrack. And what happened to "Cirrus Minor". I certainly hope the song wasn't cut to make room for more dreadful acting or laughable dialogue. There was plenty of th