Reviews (43)

Eastwood returns to directing
Eastwood's directorial debut was "The Unforgiven", a stylistic return to the glory days of the western. This time he has entered a new one, films about the death penalty. Eastwood plays a barely-sober hack newspaper reporter. His character is very enigmatic, although I think that was much more to do with Clint than with the story. He is walking a fine line between being a brilliant asset to the paper and being fired. You see, he has a tendancy to go on crusades, and he is about to embark on a fresh one with his current writing assignment. His job is to write a "human interest sidebar" about the execution of an accused murderer. The problem is, Clint thinks he's innocent. Is Clint stupid for going off half cocked? Is he just being reckless with his career, or is he brave in standing up for what he beleives is right? These are the questions the film asks us to contemplate as Eastwood gets clues and revelations about the case. I like to see Eastwood in this type of role, which is quite similar to that burgler one a few years ago. A low key guy struggling with his role in life. Quiet and subdued, he constantly wonders about what is the right thing to do. I was never a fan of "Dirty Harry", or those Sergio Leone films. We see a rare raw side of Clint Eastwood the man here, instead of Clint Eastwood the cardboard cutout. The title says it all, this is realistic, not superhero fantasy.

Worth seeing for stellar supporting cast performances
This is a decent, if not stellar, movie rental for those who like mystery/morality plays. I rented the video and then bought a previously-viewed copy to keep because of the fine support performances by Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton; these 2 tug your heartstrings with their portrayal of a loving couple facing the ultimate separation of an enforced death penalty. If you have the patience to sit through all the side stories (and there are way too many) told to illustrate that Clint's character is an aging hack without a personal life or moral conviction to speak of, then you'll see some great acting by Washington and Hamilton, as well as James Woods as Clint's editor. Other stupid side stuff: the inclusion of Clint's ex partner, their daughter, and his current wife in cameo roles and some haggling-for-money-sexual harrassment scenes by a homeless man intended to be humorous but which were just annoying and dragged the movie out still further. In conclusion, this film needed a much tighter editor/story but the supporting cast still makes it worth viewing.

Clint Is Still Number One
Clint Eastwood's 1999 release, True Crime, was based on an Andrew Klavan novel and filmed in a style that reminds me of movies made in the late 70's or 80's. As I watched the first few minutes, my first thought was that poor Clint was to old to portray the part of Steve Everett and this movie had been a waste of money. At first, it actually kind of "creeped me out" watching him come on to the beautiful young women in the movie, but you cannot always judge the movie by your first impressions. Steve Everett is a cheating husband, a horrible father, a recovering alcoholic, and a womanizer, but he is, first and foremost, a newspaper reporter with a "nose" for the truth. His boss, Bob Findley (Denis Leary), assigns him to cover an execution as a human-interest story. Bob has a hard time working with Steve, knowing that Steve has been sleeping with his wife, and struggles to maintain a professional office relationship. Steve has a hunch that Frank Beechum (Isaiah Washington), a black man convicted of the murder of a pregnant white girl, is innocent, but only has one day to come up with evidence before the execution takes place as scheduled. The plot to this movie is predictable and has been done in other movies many times, but Clint Eastwood's skill as a director turns this otherwise "dog" into a suspenseful thrill ride. The performances of Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton are precise and moving. James Woods is hilarious and Francesca Fisher Eastwood, Clint Eastwood's daughter in real life, is adorable. Michael Jeter, Michael McKean, Bernard Hill, and Diane Venora also give great performances and help make True Crime a very good movie that is definitely worth 127 minutes of your time. Oh, and about my first impressions, I was wrong, Clint is not too old for the part or the beautiful young women. Clint is still number one.

Eastwood Is The Man
Another great Eastwood directed film with terrific performances by everyone in the cast especially (i.e. Isaiah Washington, Lisa Gay Hamilton and James Woods). Eastwood is one of my favorite directors ever. If you are in any way familiar with an old radio show called "Nightbeat" this film is very similiar. This one has a very suspenseful ending.

A RACE TO THE FINISH
Okay, let's get two sore points out of the way: Yes, Clint is really a little too old for the leading role, especially in pairing him with such young ladies; and yes, James Woods goes way over top in his cartoonish role as Alan, the editor in chief. But, aside from that TRUE CRIME is an astounding work for the director Eastwood. The real stars of the picture, however, are Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton. As the doomed but innocent Frank Beecham, Washington controls his performance, making him both heartbreakingly real. No overacting here. He uses his face, his body, his voice to convey the hopelessness and fear of his impending execution for a crime he did commit. Hamilton as his wife, Bonnie, has a very demanding role, and her grip on this character is unbelievably subtle and intense. Some real tear-jerking scenes in this one. Hard to believe Washington and Hamilton were overlooked at Oscar time. Denis Leary is exceptionally good as Eastwood's boss who finds out his wife is sleeping with Eastwood. Leary could have taken this over the top, but he again controls the anguish, jealousy (both professionally and personally), and doesn't resort to familiar tactics. Bernard Hill as the warden, Michael Jeter as a key witness, and Michael McKean as a really scuzzy minister also do well.
Also, the lovely song voiced by Diana Krall, should have made it to the Oscar nominations too! Her voice reflects the hopelessness and despair of the film's script. The writers should also be commended for its faithfulness to Andrew Klavin's excellent novel.
A very good film and worth seeing.
IT MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY. ... Read more

Reviews (163)

Like many other SNL films
A lot of films based on SNL characters unsurprisingly fail at the box office because of the inability to actually develop the characters. The only exception, and everyone knows this, is "Wayne's World" with the exception of the sequel. "A Night At The Roxbury" follows the two misadventures of Steve and Doug Butabi, two hopeless romantics and brothers who spend their days irritating their dad (Dan Hedaya) at his plastic plant shop, and their nights at attempted club hopping which results in them getting shunned away by the doorman. Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan are very talented but they try to make their SNL characters real and it just doesn't work. Everyone knows the theme of the overplayed and now familiarly known as the Roxbury Theme. The problem is, the film just doesn't seem to go anywhere. It gets inevitably boring and recycles jokes in the movie continually. Look for then unknown Michael Clarke Duncan as a doorman.

Oh great, another SNL skit run right into the ground!
After watching this movie, I have to say that the jokes run out real quick and physical comedy will only get you so far. The great thing about the original skit with the Roxbury brothers is that we saw celebrities acting just like bafoons picking up chicks, but when you're watching a couple of the regular bafoons trying to pick up chicks - it makes you wonder how fast the writer wrote the script. This movie is so bad, with the over-acting by Molly Shannon, I was hoping Chris Kattan would pull it out of the water in time...but the jokes quickly drowned.

Happy Tears, in fact.. Tears of hysterical laughter
Was it a good film?
No....YES!

I absolutely adored this film. Not many films have me rolling on the floor clutching my side from too much laughter. Will Ferrell is hilarious and with Chris Kattan, what could go wrong? The two brothers are so pathetic that you just want to root for them. Eventually the underdog wins and there is a happy ending.

PS- Hey Emily, nice bulbs.

Very bad.
This was not very funny as a Saturday Night Live skit, so making it into a movie was even worse. Not funny at all, and very bad.

Nevermind if the movie is not great, it's still fun!
SNL alums Will Ferrell(before he went 'Elf' on us) and Chris Kattan play dumb, club-hopping brothers from LA. Both stars are hilarious because they never score with the ladies while at the clubs. They come up with the worst lines, which makes it even funnier.

OK, so it didn't win any Oscars, but i know it's not good. In fact, it's only the very few films I admit I enjoyed. The Butabi brothers are so over the top, I can't help myself laugh. The story is non-existent, but the characters help carry this film. It's pure escapist fun. I want to get the DVD, but I'm afraid to buy it! ... Read more

Reviews (203)

Neve Campbell steals the show
Wild things is an easy movie to love. It tells the story of a Blue-Bay highschool teacher ( Dillon ) who is been accused for rape by two of his female students , spoiled rich kid Kelly ( Richards ) and drug-addict basketcase Suzie ( Campbell ) . Did he really do it ? The script provides more than just a yes-or-no answer during the one and a half hour the movie lasts . It includes a little more than a few plot twists and manages to constantly suprise us and turn things around. In addition to all that this is an extremelly well-made film , surely one of the sexiest movies you'll ever get the chance to see.The love scenes are simply sensational , steamy yet never cheap.All the members of the cast deliver some good perfomances but eventually it's the two girls who stand out. There's a first-class chemistry between Campbell and Richards . Campbell gives her best perfomance yet as confused freak Suzie.She totally crashes her next-girl image and prooves she's capable of playing many different kinds of characters with equally good results.It's actually weird that after that role she disappeared from the spotlight when one might have excpected that then was the time where her star would rise even higher.Denise Richards is really charming as Kelly Van Ryan too.She's one more person i hope i'll be seeing more in movies in years to come.Also great are many of the supporting roles.Bill Murrey , Daphne-Rubin Vega , Theressa Russel and Robert Wagner have all been smartly casted in roles they seem to fit perfectly with their physique . Director McNaughton knows how to handle all the above and achieves to make a movie you won't feel bored with for even a second.Let yourself free to enjoy the guilty pleasures of this film which combines crime , corruption and sexuallity so succesfully you'll have to see it twice to believe it.

This movie left me saying WOW
Wild Things is one of the most draw dropping movies I've ever seen. It had so many twists and turns I had to see it again to believe what I had seen earlier and had just seen again.

Matt Dillon plays a high school counsler at a high school in South Florida. He is well respected and loved by the students. He is really loved by his student played by Denise Richards. She likes to him to a very dangerous point. She later accuses of him of rape to the local cop played by Kevin Bacon along with another student played by Neve Campbell. Matt's character is hated by the community and he hires a lawyer played by Bill Murray to defend him. However, the movie turns into a story of sex, murder, and betrayl that like I said earlier will leave you saying "WOW" and have you watching it again.

Denise Richards is absolutely crazy in this movie. I couldn't believe this was the sweet innocent girl I had seen in Starship Troopers. Denise, Matt, and Neve shoot a soft porn in the movie when they do a three some. I couldn't believe it. I think this is the best acting Denise has done in her young carear. She is a beautiful woman and I love her to death. Most guys become a fan of her from watching this.

Kevin Bacon has a nice role in the film. It's one of the better performances of his carear. I hate his character in the movie. He plays a huge role in the film though, and Bacon liked this movie so much he helped produce it.

This is a different kind of role for Matt Dillon in the beginning of the movie. However, by the end he won't disappoint his loyal fans as he returns to the kind of character he typically plays.

I liked Wild Things. It's an insane sexual thriller. If nudity is not your thing I would not get this movie. Nevertheless if you want to see a movie with a ton and twists and turns this is it. Men will really like Denise in the movie. But like I said this movie will leave you saying "WOW" and will have you watching at again.

Keeps you guessing
...that's for sure! This movie really does keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don't and are very far from the truth. It has so many twists in the plot that you really do have to pay close attention to it the first time you watch it or you will miss something vital to understanding the ending. I liked it mainly because I thought I had it figured out but when the end came I was totally wrong. I enjoy movies that are unpredictable, which this one most definitely is. The movie is cast well. It includes Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, and even Bill Murrey. I think as far as casting goes the actors were prefct for the parts. Matt and Kevin play somewhat bad guys, which don't they usually. Neve Campbell plays a strange girl from the wrong side of the tracks and just nails the part. I like this movie and would recommend it to those that like a good ending and maybe some of you that want to see Neve Campbell making out with Denise Richards. Not my favorite part, but I know many guys would enjoy that scene.

Best Movie Ever!
This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Its has a mixture of fighting,cat fighting,drowning,betrayl,lieing,decieving, and just everything that makes a movie good. I would reccomend this movie to anyone.

Trash of the Gods!
"Wild Things" is a gloriously lurid and decadent little gem of a movie. I love movies that respect the intelligence of the audience while pandering to their base desires (most studio releases skip that first part), and "Wild Things" fits the bill perfectly.

The plot is - well, the plot is twisted, in every sense of the word. The story that seems to be unfolding ends at the halfway point of the movie - and then the real story begins. And in a technique I've never seen before, it continues through the ending credits, as director McNaughton gleefully fills in the holes.

"Wild Things" offers great, juicy turns from Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Theresa Russell, and especially Bill Murray as a hilariously corrupt small-time lawyer. Along the way we get lots of steamy, lurid peek-a-boo sex and nudity (which is so gratuitous it inspires genuine laughter), violence, and characters motivated by nothing more than pure greed. Put 'em together in the Everglades, and you have one hot movie.

I generally don't like movies that mess with the audience by hiding information, and then springing it on them later as a "twist." But twists work beautifully if the character is just as befuddled by them as the audience. Since "Wild Things" offers nothing but characters who think they have secrets and alliances but are actually only pawns in a game, every twist is justified.

This new "unrated" version incorporates scenes that aren't necessary, but are joyful anyway. If you have the original cut and you've got the money to throw around, go for it. If you haven't seen it, well, it's probably not for anyone. But if the thought of a wicked little Hitchcockian melodrama, dripping with sex and humor and directed with a wink, appeals to you, you can't go wrong with "Wild Things." ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Gripping
Morgan Freeman gives one compelling performance in Lean On Me. He really captures the spirit of Joe Clark in portraying the turn around at East Side High. The film is loaded with dynamics. The scene where he shows Sams that he is no fool and dares him jump is a bit unrealistic and even inappropriate, but you got to admit it makes a point. It dares Sams to make a change if though it takes some time. The chaining fo the fire doors and the confrontations with the drug dealers also add fire if not totally realistic.

The many moments of heated confrontations between Clark, the teachers, the students, and the school board parents will definitely keep an audience listening. It delivers a good message that one man with a strong will can certainly accomplish a great deal. Realism aside this is a good movie. And anyone, does everything have to be so practical?

'Crazy Joe' goes Hollywood...
'Lean On Me' has become one of my favorite inspirational movies involving real people and events, despite the simplified and sometimes sappy-sickly-sweet Hollywood 'feel-good' treatment it's been given, along with a happy ending that ties everything up a bit too neat and nice. The forces trying to stop Joe Clark's straightforward efforts to turn Eastside High School around has been simplified for the movie, basically involving just a disgruntled parent and the city mayor. Even the many heated arguments between Clark and his faculty & superiors are less than sophisticated in wording and tone. None the less, I've always loved Morgan Freeman's performance of Clark.

Clark's expulsion of the most delinquent students was a pretty neat scene, and was something of a surprise when I first saw it. Anyone who'd attempt that nowadays would probably get sued penniless. And the rooftop scene where he tells expelled crackhead student Thomas Sams to just jump off the roof of the school and kill himself swiftly rather than slowly by smoking crack is one of my fave film moments, and the best 'tough love' moment in movie history: "It kills your brain cells, son, it kills your brain cells!"

And as the school improves, Clark does as well. In the movie you see him learning and adapting alongside the students & faculty. Even with his best efforts, he discovers that can't turn things around by himself. At first, his gruff behavior and strongarm approaches to solving problems makes most of the teachers reluctant to help him out. But they learn to adapt to Clark, and he learns to soften his methods a bit, and even gains a sense of humor.

Sadly, the real Joe Clark, to a small degree, has 'gone Hollywood'. His big gig nowadays is working the lecture circuit, as a motivational speaker. He's even written a book about what to do to save America's public schools. I've heard some of his speeches, and found them rather compelling, but I feel his talents and drive are best suited for running a school in need of a decisive, no-nonsense leader who gets things done.

'Late...

Perseverance and Determination
Morgan Freeman plays an excellent role as principal Joe Clark of a crippling New Jersey high school. The school was falling apart because of neglect from the teachers, parents, community, and state government. Joe Clark stormed in and fixed all that with old-fashioned techniques by getting everyone involved in the school and its students. Clark didn't back down despite the powers that be that were against him. The supporting roles from Robert Guillaume and the late Lynne Thigpen helped make the movie a good watch.

Entertainment value *****: Credibility *
"Lean on Me" is one entertaining movie, and Morgan Freeman is sensational in it. In fact, if he hadn't made another movie that year called "Driving Miss Daisy," he probably would have gotten an Oscar nomination for this. That said, I have to say the film has gotten the traditional Hollywood biographical treatment, which is to say credibility and plot coherence take a backseat to uplifting entertainment. The final score: for entertainment value, give "Lean on Me" *****; however, it only ranks a * on the credibility scale.

The plot has been regurgitated enough by previous reviewers, and several of the more honest reviews have been incisive and accurate in pointing out the flaws in the plot. I, too, had a hard time with the chaining and locking of the school doors; this act is such a flagrant violation of the fire code it is laughable and puts the safety of hundreds of students at risk. Also, the speech Clark gives where he blames the faculty for the failure of the students (in front of the student body, no less) is offensive and disrespectful and totally ignores a more important problem altogether: the total unwillingness of many parents to take responsibility for their failings as parents and for the acts of their children. And I truly doubt Clark could get by with expelling three hundred students and face the wrath of a small group of angry parents led by what can only be described as a cruel stereotype: the loud-mouthed, trouble-making, liberal-minded, white and authority-hating ghetto mother, played by the late, wonderful character actress Lynne Thigpen. (Even she struggles with this dreadful role.) And the entire student body rallying to Clark's defense when his irresponsible actions finally catch up with him? Laughable, to say the least. But I have to disagree with the reviewer who characterized the story as a "liberalization" of what really happened. If anything, Clark's tough-love approach to running the school is extremely conservative in nature, and many of his educational tactics are reminiscent of G.W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" educational programs, which is the main reason Thigpen and the other parents fight him as hard as they do.

But as I said up front, the film is definitely entertaining if it isn't taken too seriously. Director John G. Avildsen approaches the material in the typical crowd-pleasing, underdogs-win-in-the-end-so-let's-have-a-good-cry manner, which is effective until fifteen minutes after the film is over and you kick yourself in the butt for being manipulated. And the supporting cast is stellar, including Robert Guillaume, Beverly Todd (as the beleagured vice principle) and Michael Beach. And the wonderful Regina King has a touching two-scene cameo as a depressed, unemployed mother who no longer feels worthy of her daughter's love.

But this is Freeman's show and his incredible performance dominates the proceedings. No matter how ridiculous his actions, no matter how over-the-top his character travels, (picking up a baseball bat and declaring to the press: "They call me "Crazy Joe" now they can call me Batman!") he makes Clark believable and manages to pull back and reflect on his own shortcomings and accept criticism at just the right time to keep the character from becoming a total egomaniac. He is sensational, and "Lean on Me" was one of several consecutive films (including "Street Smart," "Clean and Sober," "Driving Miss Daisy," and "Glory") in the late '80's that made him one of the most unlikely superstars in cinema history.

Believe me, you'll love "Lean on Me." Just don't be surprised if you end up hating yourself for it.

Inspirational
'Lean on Me' truly inspires its audience. Morgan Freeman triumphs in this drama turning a ghetto-style school filled with gangs, under-achievers, and drugs into a scholastic phenomenon. The bad reviews below seem pretty shallow to me. But don't trust any review, just watch the movie and decide for yourself. ... Read more

Reviews (107)

A Lawyer who tells the Truth?
Now there's a twist.

But that's the theme of the movie. Jim Carry plays the part of Fletcher Reede, a young, promising (and very unscrupulous) lawyer who always manages to win his cases. But there is a darker side to his life. His wife has divorced him because of several affairs, and his son (who he dearly loves) has been neglected for his professional career. Clearly, Mr. Reede is a man who never settled down to the more serious business of life and responsibility.

However, Reede's day of come-upance has arrived. Forgotten about one too many times, his son makes a birthday wish that his dad would have to tell the truth for 24 hours. An outside wind blows the cake candles out and the stage is set.

Mr. Reede intends to go about his daily, lie-ridden life (his natural style) but is flabergasted to suddenly find that whatever he tries to say, the truth always comes out - and with hilarious results ("I can't believe I said that"). Jim Carrey has the gift of gab, and God, does it come out in this film. Either he is very adept at learning complex lines or he is a natural comedian to whom words flow like water.

There are sight-gags in the film, but these are really secondary to the dialog -- which is priceless.

Unlike "The Mask", this film has a more serious side in the pathos of a neglected family and a wrecked personal life. Still, the movie is light-hearted and fun to watch. Jim Carrey does it once again.

~P~

Jim Carrey at the top of his game!
Fletcher Reed (AKA: Jim Carrey) is a lawyer and yes he lies alot when defending his clients. He is also a divorced father of one. He never shows up on time or sometimes doesn't show up at all to any of his son Max's special events. Hurt by these actions and the lies his father tells when explaining why he is late or why he didn't show up, Max makes a wish on his birthday that his father can't lie to him for 24 hours. Unfortunately for Fletcher, it comes true!

What follows is one of Jim Carrey's best films ever. If you like Jim Carrey and haven't seen this movie yet, you will love it. The thing he does best in this movie in my opinion is his physical comedy, especially the scene where he beats himself up.

Highly recommended for Jim Carrey fans who have not yet seen this one or for anyone who likes slapstick comedy movies that have a point in the end.

One of Jim Carrey's best movies
Fletcher Reed is a lawyer who always wins his cases by lying. But unfortunatly the judge isn't the only person he makes a habit of lying to. His constant promises to spend time with his son Max never come through at the last minute.

So when Max makes a wish that for 24 hrs that his dad cannot tell a lie, he never expected it to actually come true. Unfortunatly in the affected 24 hours, Fletcher has a HUGE divorce case to settle and his fabricated story cannot be told.

At the same time, Max's mother Audrey has been offered a marriage proposal from her boyfriend and plans to take Max to Boston with them. Now Fletcher must deal with not being able to lie and try to change Audrey's mind before he loses Max forever.

One of Jim Carrey's best movies, it made me lol the whole time.

Recomended only for Jim Carey fans
I have seen better from Jim he tried to hard to have a family one here and be funny at the same time wich he is but he is not regular Jim Carrey and I don't know why in this case some of his other movies are the Jim Carrey movies of choice.
Action 7 Story 10 Direction 8 Action 6 Entertaining 8
Overall=39/50 Still 4 stars however wich is nice

HA HA!
One of my favourite movies of all time!It's just hilarious all through.It is about a little boy who wishes his lawyer/liar father would tell the truth just for one day.What follows is heaps and heaps of Jim-Carrey-ish situations.
I'm so glad the pen is blue!! ... Read more

Reviews (428)

A tale of revenge, lies, secrets, and other stuff
I first saw Cruel Intentions on tv. I didn't see the whole thing but it looked pretty good so I decided to rent it. The movie is very good and takes many twists and turns. I sometimes felt as if I would be able to predict what would happen next, but of course it didn't.

The movie starts out showing Sebastien (Ryan Phillipe) with a therapist. Sebastian talks about his so called former life where all he thought about was sex. He says he has changed but that is not true. I'll skip some unimportant stuff and go on.

He goes home where his stepsister Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is talking to Cecile's mother. Cecile is a girl who will be attending Kathryn and Ryan's school next year. Afterwards, Kathryn wants to destroy Cecile's reputation because Cecile dated her ex-boyfriend. Kathryn wants Sebastian to seduce Cecile to enhance his reputation. Sebastian is known for sleeping with tons of girls.

Sebastian would rather sleep with the new headmaster's daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon) who writes articles about how she is a virgin and plans to wait. Kathryn and Sebastian make a bet. If Sebatian can't bed Annette, Kathryn gets his car. If Sebastian wins, he gets Kathryn.

The movie goes on from there with Sebastian falling for Annette and Kathryn trying hard to destroy Cecile. Overall, a very good movie worth watching but NOT for the kids. Trust me on that one.

Excellently Crafted
Cruel Intentions portrays a tale of seduction, betrayal, selfishness, and love in an excellently crafted manner that will leave you breathless after the film is completely over.

One thing that should also be noted about this film, is that it also supports a top notch cast. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is my favorite actress, plays the selfish self-absorbed Kathyrn with great grace and talent. This character is a complete opposite from her television character Buffy Summers, and Gellar manages to play it off extremely well and convincingly. Ryan Phillipe plays the sex-driven scheming Sebastian who begins to fall in love with the sweet and charming Anette, played by Reese Witherspoon, who is supposed to be the target of his bet placed with Kathyrn. Selma Blair and Joshua Jackson also co-star in this well written, superbly directed film.

The DVD contains whopping extras such as music videos, trailers, featurettes, commentaries, and deleted scenes. I highly recommend this film for anyone's DVD collection because it contains something interesting for just about everyone.

A hate crime
This is the most viciously homophobic movie that I have ever seen. It's incredible. The director should be ashamed; obviously he hates gay people, but he should exercise a little responsibility. I can only imagine the number of gay teen suicides this movie has caused.

this rocks
i loved this movie and it's second best out of the trilogy.3 uis the best though no contest.

Cruel Intentions...
Cruel Intentions is a GREAT movie. It is sexy, witty, and thrilling. It is highly reccommended, and so is this Special Edition DVD (it has very good special feautires). If you liked this movie I would recommend "Dangerous Liaisons", which was made in 1988 and won 5 Academy Awards. Cruel Intentions is based on that movie, but they were all originally based on "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" which is a very popular classic book! ... Read more

Reviews (133)

Disappointment if you were really into the book
If you were a HUGE fan of this book by James Patterson, then keep in mind this is merely based off the book. There are parts that are left out of the movie that could've otherwise been included. The story is the same but other things could've been differentiated.

Matt Whittman plays Gary Soneji, a kidnapper at a private school who kidnaps the senator's daughter. Morgan Freeman plays Detective Alex Cross on his trail. Monica Potter plays Jezzie Flanagan, Cross' alias in getting Soneji.

I guess the first annoyance of this movie is that its only "based" off the book. So a lot is changed around. The beginning starts off with Cross' partner (and it isn't Sampson for those of you who read the book) in a car with a killer and eventually action comes into play and she's soon killed off merely 5 minutes into the movie (not including the opening credits). There's the attention grabber...unfortunately the movie can only go downhill from there.

Gary Soneji is very out of character. This isn't bad for those who haven't read the book. But the movie fails to show depth to Soneji's character. This isn't just Soneji but Alex Cross as well. The characters in the movie feel wooden at times. The dialogue is pretty corny at times so likewise most characters feel the same.

The other part that annoys me is in the book they constantly told you that Gary Soneji wanted to commit the crime of the century. In the movie there is no motivation whatsoever so you wonder "What is Soneji's motive?" "Why is he doing this?" Believe me you'll learn that it isn't for money.

The plot twist wasn't done too well either. We're supposed to believe that the senator's daughter was kidnapped from the boat Soneji imprisoned her on when we NEVER see it happen! You wonder how she got to her new location near the end of the movie.

Lastly, the ending. With a few exceptions its easy to say the ending is usually changed for the worst and in this movie IT WAS FOR THE WORST! Alex finds the girl and then it just...ends. No falling action or resolution it just ends.

If you really loved the book the movie will more than likely disappoint you. If you didn't read the book the movie has a "Love/Hate" relationship. I'm sure that if you haven't read the book you could pull the movie apart.

A good film but an even better novel
Glossy thriller doesn't measure up to James Patterson's excellent novel but does have great work by Morgan Freeman and enough action and suspense to make for a good film. Alex Cross is on the trail of psychopath Gary Soneji who has kidnapped a young girl from school and murders a schoolteacher for good measure. Monica Potter seems self-conscious and stiff and doesn't breathe enough life into Jezzie Flannigan's character. Penelope Ann Miller is fine as the distraught mother of the missing girl and Mika Boorem is heroic and resourceful as the kidnapped Megan. The film's opening sequence of a helicopter surveillance of Soneji with Cross' female partner in harm's way provides one of the movie's best moments. Jerry Goldsmith's music score is moody and understated and is a great asset to the movie.

Alex Cross returns
If you are real generous and forgive some major leaps of logic, than "Along Cane A Spider" is a pretty good little thriller. Detective Alex Cross(played by the ever reliable Morgan Freeman) is brought in on a high profile kidnapping case patterned after the Charles Linbergh baby kidnapping. Gary Sonji is a very worthy advacary indeed. With out giving too much away, there is a lot more to it than that. Director Lee Tamahori dose a lot to give the movie a slick style, and that works well, in a "Miami Vice" kind of way. As said before, Morgan Freeman gives a very good performance, though I have a few comments on his Alex Cross. The Alex Cross character is based on James Patterson's novels, and that version of Cross is much younger (in fact I picture Denzel Washington or Wesley Snipes), also with a son and daughter. Also his personal life usually gets a lot of attention (though I liked the movie's decision to not concentrate on his family.) Another complaint is that, yes, Cross is very smart; but to make some of the connections he made to figure out what was going on, he has to be psychic. That seems a little silly. Monica Potter's Jezzie Flenagan was alright, not a lot of depth to her (in the book, she was Cross's lover; that was another change I was happy about). Michael Wincott is the cold blooded Gary Sonji, changed a lot from the book, and not a good change. I liked him a lot, but there really wasn't a lot to go on while trying to figure out what makes him tick. The little girl, Mika Boorem, dose a good job, at least she didn't cry all the time which always gets on my nerves. But on the other hand, she seemed a little too smart and resourceful to be only 10 years old. All in all, it isn't bad, just a little too contrived for my taste.

Kidnapping with a Surprise Ending
The daughter of Senator Rose is kidnapped by her "teacher"; another teacher is killed. This crazy killer hides young Megan Rose, and calls Dr. Cross, a profiler. (How did this "teacher" pass his background checks?) The problem is to recover Megan Rose unhurt by solving this crime. The Secret Service agent who failed to protect Megan Rose partners with this profiler whose previous partner was killed on the job (an omen?).

Dr. Cross discovers a clue hidden away in a digital photograph. (This crime is modeled after the Lindbergh kidnapping.) Megan Rose tries to escape, the man who tries to help her is killed by kidnapper Songee. There is an attempt to meet another student that goes awry, almost trapping Songee! The police seem to be closing in. Songee calls for $10 million in untraceable diamonds, but this call can't be traced. (Have they no Caller ID?) A series of phone calls leads Dr. Cross to the transit system to deliver the ransom. While this pair discuss the case, Songee invades their house to question them! (Believable?) This mistake leads to Songee's death. But Songee never got the ransom! Is there another criminal involved? The brains behind this plot is a killer! Now Megan Rose knows too much, and must be silenced. But Dr. Cross arrives to stop the killer and save Megan Rose.

This is an entertaining story with plot twists; but the final ending seems incredible to me.

Convoluted Plot
It seems as though I am in the minority with this film. I enjoyed the plot twists, though you had to follow them carefully. If you were watching you could, in theory, figure out who the bad guys are, though you really do not have all the facts to truly figure out every detail, somewhat like a Sherlock Holmes story.

Our story focuses on one Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott), who has carefully planned to kidnap the daughter of U.S. Senator Hank Rose, unconvincingly played by Michael Moriarty. The point of the kidnapping is not to kidnap Megan (Mika Boreem), but to get access to a foreign diplomat's son, who is good friends with Megan. Mr. Soneji is, as might be guessed, a bit of a wacko. He wants Dr. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a famous profiler, to chronicle the battle of wits between them. Ultimately there is a showdown between the two of them, but the showdown does not reveal the location of Megan.

The plot twists and thickens more, and yet, there were clues in several places, I thought. I was quite puzzled when the security guards went running out the front of the school instead of just closing the gates. Further, I thought someone would have at least tried to grab a car to follow the kidnapper. Later, Jezzie Flanagan (Monica Potter) has a chance to shoot the kidnapper and does not, though she seemed to have a chance to wound him. All these little tidbits hint at the convolutions within the plot that are revealed only near the end of the movie.

The convolutions did entertain me, and I got much more enjoyment out of trying to figure out the plot than with gunshots and car chases. However, I prefer "Murder, She Wrote," "Columbo," and "Sherlock Holmes" to movies with nearly all action and no intelligence in their plot. When you watch this movie, you do have to pay attention or you will lose direction, and you will see more plot holes than there actually are. I thought nearly everything was explained as the movie progressed, and the only plot holes were mistakes by those involved in the kidnapping of Megan.

There were four standout actors in this film. Morgan Freeman is excellent, as usual, as Alex Cross. Michael Wincott is quite convincing as the marginally sane Gary Soneji. Monica Potter brings a good balance of strength and vulnerability to her role as Secret Service Agent Jezzie Flanagan. The real surprise performance is by Mika Boreem as Megan Rose. Megan tries very hard to get away throughout the movie, and uses her head continuously, incidentally saving her own life. Mika's performance is better than many of the adult actors in this film, and bodes well for a future career in acting.

It could just be that I'm getting older, and car chases and flying bullets just are not as enjoyable as they once were. Or it could be that I just liked the intellectual challenge of unraveling the threads of the complicated plot. In any case, this movie is clearly not for everyone, but I would love to watch it again. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

ONE FINE THRILLER
Amidst all the suspense, shocks, and chills of this superbly made thriller stands the awesome performances of Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. Ever since she pioneered the "female buttkicker" in the Alien movies, Sigourney has stretched her range to show the immense amount of talent she possesses. Her role as agoraphobic Helen Hudson is one of her finest; she lets us feel every nuance of her frustration, her terror, her anger, her intense ability to be strong even when she admits she's weak. Matching her performance is the understated portrayal of cop M. J. Monahan by Oscar-winner Holly Hunter. Hunter's bravura etching of this likeable cop is extremely effective in counterbalancing the tormented Weaver. Although the fate of Dermot Mulroney as Monahan's partner is questionably appropriate, it does serve as a motivating factor in Hunter's pursuit of the serial killer. William McNamara's performance as Peter Foley may seem underplayed, but it serves to heighten the normal-ness of this obviously demented young man. Like life, the good guys don't always come out unscathed. The film is dark, brooding and its ending is chilling in that Harry Connick Jr.'s imprisoned psycho is obviously going to continue his quest for revenge on Weaver. A sequel would have been nice; I would have also liked to have had at least one scene with Weaver and Hunter after the explosive ending. But, as far as thrillers go, this is a great addition to a small set of classics.

A good thriller.
Serial killer expert Dr Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) lives isolated in her apartment after being the victim of a murder attempt. When a new killer wreaks havoc in San Francisco, the police contact her for help. They soon figure out that the killer is copying old, famous murders. In order to catch the killer, and avoid becoming his victims themselves, they have to try to figure out his next moves.

It's a good thriller with some quite chilling scenes. Sigourney Weaver is good as the traumatized Dr Hudson, and Holly Hunter is charming as always as the good cop. The supporting cast is good as well. If you like thrillers and haven't seen this movie, you've got two thrilling, entertaining hours to look forward to. And it may be worth watching more than once.

Fantastic!
Having watched this movie in Law class, I can definitely say it's one of the best of its genre. It was fast-paced, thought-provoking, and utterly gripping.

Sigourney Weaver turns in a brilliant performance as Helen Hunt, a retired and agoraphobic woman with all the knowledge she'll ever need of the criminal mind - having been nearly murdered at the movie's beginning my Darryl Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr), the man behind everything. The other actors give us great insight of the way things work in a serial case, their mannerisms and skills as actors (especially William McNamara, the seductively charming psychopath) chilling us as we watch the drama unfold.

If you're looking for something new in the Thriller category, you could do much worse than this.

copycat - scary as..
Copycat - very well done thriller , with high empathis put on suspense and shock rather than merely gore an violence, keeps you in suspence and guessing till the end, in the same kind of legue as Silence of the Lambs, Seven ect. one of my favourite all time films as well as one of my favourite horror films - one of the few horror films i can watch numerous times.
Definutly worth watching, makes you think as well - certainly not your average horror film.

One of the best suspense films of the 90's
COPYCAT stands on it's own despite being compared to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Truly frightening and suspenseful in scenes, the film works beautifully because of the cast (Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver) and the excellent script.

Sigourney Weaver character was stalked by a serial killer some years before, and as a result, is confined to her home where she lives in understandable fear. The police now consult with her in her capacity as a criminal psychologist to find the identity of a new serial killer. In the process, her world is once again turned upside down in a way which will make you want to jump up and lock your door.

CopyCat is a true gem of the suspense thriller genre but overlooked by so many as a 'copycat' of other great films. Trust me, it really does deserve merit for its ability to remain as fresh today as it was upon first release.

Deserves a place in your DVD collection. ... Read more

Reviews (284)

Face Off DVD
The DVD of FACE OFF is one of the best, and a must-buy on the format. John Woo, uber director of The Killer (1989), Hard Boiled (1992) and Broken Arrow (1996) proves that even after the move to Hollywood, he still knows how to create fantastic action and Face Off is no exception. Building on the good but not great BROKEN ARROW, this one is a fantastic action ride. The film stars Nicholas Cage as Castor Troy, a villain, and John Travolta as agent Sean Archer, the only man who can stop Castor from unleashing a nuclear device.
Woo's trademarks are all present here: slow-mo gunfights, explosive action and those perennial doves. And both Nic Cage and Travolta are brilliant, especially Cage, whose eccentric performance is one of his most unrestrained and outstanding. One of the best (If not THE best) action films ever made. Excellent.
The DVD extras are sparse, with only a trailer. One hopes a future re-release will come soon...

Face/Off
Director John Woo's famous big-budget action-packed flick.This is the film that put John Woo on the map in America.Packed with guns, bullets, bombs, explosions and action scenes that are so original there choreographed like a ballet or a dance routine.

FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta)has been trying to apprehend terrorist, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) ever since he murdered Sean's son six years ago.Sean apprehend's Castor during a violent shoot-out in an airport and as a result of this puts Castor into a deep comma.Sean then undergoes new surgery involving swapping faces with Troy.He does this to try and find out where Castor has planted a deadly bomb hidden somewhere in L.A.Castor awakes from his comma, with Sean's identidy and takes over his life.Sean(really Castor) disarms the bomb which he planted and becomes an instant hero.Meanwhile Castor (really Sean) is a high-tech prison trying to find information about the bomb from Castor's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola).Since Sean(Castor) has destroyed all evidence about the surgical swap, Castor has to try and break out of prison.Not only does he have to fight for himself but for wife Eve (Joan Allen) and daughter Jamie.

This is a superb film with enough plot to become a series.It does sound far-fethced in places but John Woo makes it believable and real.Great performances all around including the two main stars, Joan Allen and the sexy tough female Gina Gershon.

face off
he best movie in the ear 1997 it is perfect action good and adventure good nice acting for john travolta and nice acting for nicolas cage

One of my all-time favorite action films!
Place this modern action classic up there with DIE HARD, SPEED, and THE NEGOTIATOR as one of my personal favorite action films.

Before watching FACE/OFF completely, I had taken a look at one of director John Woo's Hong Kong action epics, THE KILLER. I must say, I prefer FACE/OFF better. Sure, both films have that same over-the-top operatic style, but at least FACE/OFF isn't as shamelessly sentimental as THE KILLER was. In THE KILLER, Woo's main characters both demolished hundreds of extras in graphically bloody style, and towards the end it got a bit too much even for me. In FACE/OFF, the gore isn't quite as graphic, and while the body count is still pretty high, it never got to the point that I was disgusted.

I'm not a knee-jerk admirer of John Woo as some people are. That slow-motion technique of his can become wince-inducingly excessive, especially now that many lesser action directors have started to rip off his style. In this case, though, one is too engrossed in the plot and in awe of the high-energy action staging to notice.

Of course, most people probably already have an idea of what the plot is about: criminal Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) dies, but he has planted a bomb somewhere in LA, so obsessive detective Sean Archer (John Travolta) literally swaps identities with his arch-nemesis to go undercover at a high-tech prison to find out where that bomb is. Obviously, this situation leads to various complications as Troy wakes up from his coma, takes Archer's face, kills the doctors who performed the operation, and then tries to find Archer. It's the typical body-switch, and I would be remiss to mention that Troy is responsible for the death of Archer's son many years ago, and thus Archer has a vendetta against him that explains his obsessiveness.

It's a potentially laughable premise, but the actors and director make you buy it. Travolta and Cage are both convincing and have a lot of fun playing each others' characters, and the supporting cast is just as believable. The script, by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, may have its bum dialogue lines here and there, but it's filled with ingenuity, plot-wise, as Troy tries to fit in with Archer's family and Archer tries to function in a prison. And of course the script gives director Woo plenty of leeway to go all-out with action scenes, and Woo does not disappoint, giving us plenty of stylish gunplay and loud explosions for about three action films, and even an audacious soundbite of "Over the Rainbow" as characters blow each other away. Woo sure lets his inventiveness run free here.

So okay, the film may be a little overlong, and that final gun battle at a church is perhaps too reminiscent of a similar battle in THE KILLER, right down to the flying pigeons motif. But all its flaws are forgivable in this case, since the movie is so thrilling matters of logic fall by the wayside. FACE/OFF may not be Woo's best film ever (I haven't seen HARD-BOILED yet), but it's pretty close to it, and in comparison to other modern action films, it stands pretty high there too. It'll ceratinly forever be one of my favorites. Recommended.

Action as Art
While the plot of this movie is relatively interesting, this movie is really about two things:
First, the lead actors get to do the characters they do best as fully as they know how. Cage is his typical, neurotic, repressed, and emotionally conflicted self. Travolta hams it up in the outlandish, larger-than-life way that he often does. Despite what could be seen as overacting by both the leads, the almost absurd disparity between them is one of central things that makes this movie work.

Second, this movie has the most beautiful action sequences of any action movie I have ever seen (excluding epic-type movies, i.e. LOTR, Star Wars, Braveheart, etc.). This is a film that knows it's an action movie and revels in it. The cinematography in the fight scenes simultaneously displays the nature of the characters and the intensity of the battle between them. There are so many moments when you will just delight at the visual art that is every action sequence in this film. Needless to say, this movie has all the gunfights, fistfights, chases, and large explosions that one would expect in a serious action film.
If you like action movies, this is the first one I would recommend. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pick Up the Pieces
Interesting film in that it shows the same actors - Anouk and Jean Louis playing the same roles twenty years later. It's interesting to see how they both have changed. BTW: Jean Louis is terrific as the Brain in City of the Lost Children. Great to hear both actors in their native tongue as compared to the original A Man and A Woman which is only available in the States in a dubbed English version. I watch that film with the sound off! This follow up movie displays Director Claude Lelouch kinetic camera work with some nice visuals on movie sets, in Paris, in North African Desert and back to Deauville the site of the original A Man and A Woman. Francis Lai, the composer add alittle Jazzy flavor to the soundtrack. Unfortunately the story is like a puzzle with the missing pieces. Still I enjoyed the film because I really can not watch the original in a dubbed version! Bloody awful! For a better Claude Lelouch film, I recommend his version of Les Miserables with Jean Paul Belmondo. Great story, great visuals and original language and with all the pieces together!

Worth watching if you really liked the original movie.
Not as good as the original movie, but worth watching if you want to catch up with the characters twenty years later. Interesting to see how their children have grown up (good casting - daughter looks very much like Anouk Aimee). The "movie within a movie" is dull - watch it the first time, then fast forward for later viewings. The ending is satisfactory, but I would have liked to have seen Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant on screen together more. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Demanding, brilliant and not an easy one to watch.
A disturbing, yet deeply moving film. It struck me as very like watching a cinematic outpouring of images from the collective unconscious, with all the beauty and horror and mystery we see in dreams -- and nightmares. A journey of transformation and pain, and an indictment of European imperialism, as well as the cruelty of the missionary zeal of the Catholic Church. I felt I was watching an average human being undergo loss of ordinary self, thus opening him to a wider and deeper experience of life. It is worth watching, and perhaps employing as a means of searching one's own moral position in regard to life and one's reflection in relation to other, and thus unfamiliar human experience.

Captures the Essence of the Account
I don't normally address other reviewers in my reviews, but in this instance I believe the reviewer from Arizona who gave this movie a one star rating to be totally off base. That, and the fact that he posted two one-star reviews to bring the totals down for an international award winning film. I've read de Vaca's account, and it is indeed a great tale, which is why I was so looking forward to this movie's measuring up to the original narrative. I was not disppointed in the slightest, although naturally the movie doesn't portray all the passages from the account.

It's evident from every frame of this film that the filmmakers invested a great deal of love, energy and artistry to their task. Director Echevarria gets the utmost out of his outstanding cast. The Spaniards and the Native Americans are entirely believable, and the film depicts one of the most authentic representaions of Native American cultures I've seen on screen. The only film that comes close is Last of the Mohicans. It's definitely a case of the good, the bad and the ugly. The clash of cultures couldn't be represented any better.

Juan Diego as de Vaca is a revelation. He should have been up for an Oscar for his performance. The dwarfish villager who first vividly menaces and later befriends de Vaca has to be one of the most memorable characters in recent cinema. The same can be said for the village Shaman, also an exceptional performance.

From the credits, it is evident that the Mexican Government had a hand in funding the filming of this movie. It is well that they should have, as this has to be something of a national treasure.

Definitely disregard any negative comments about Cabeza de Vaca. It's a great film about an amazing man, whose courage and fortitude may have been unmatched in the annals of European exploreration of the New World. This is decidedly a must-see.

BEK

A Must See!
Buy it, rent it, borrow it... but watch it. Any bad reviews come from small minds and I am amazed that this movie is not more recognized than it warrants. Absolutely outstanding movie!!!!

Could have been SOOOOO much better...
I agree with the last guy. This movie could've been great. Indeed, it WANTS to be great, what with the cinematics and what all. But it's not great. It's politically-correct history revision. God forbid PC Fascists should ever stay true to the original story and keep a positive picture Christianity in it! Oh no, don't do that. Twist up truth to fit your New Age Fascist needs.

Why i give a low score to a great movie?
I agree whit all the good reviews, is not a good movie, is one of the best movies I have ever see, great in any aspect, but, Yes here comes the problems! The DVD is just a bad copy, whit the subtitles built in, no menues and the worst, Huuuu! This just make me sick! No 16:4 How can that be posible? Is a great movie, So why is not realised like a movie? I just hope this get to the person that is responsible of those mistakes, and even if there is no menu at least take off the subtitles and put it on whide screen the way is sopese to be. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

HEAVEN CAN WAIT
Shot in black & white, spanish director Luis Bunuel's VIRIDIANA won the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Festival. VIRIDIANA is the first spanish movie of Bunuel since L'AGE D'OR and UN CHIEN ANDALOU, two Movie History classics.

Silvia Pinal plays the character of Viridiana, a young girl about to take her vows as a nun. Just before taking this decision, she visits her uncle, played by the bunuelesque Fernando Rey, who falls in love with her because of her tremendous resemblance with his own wife who died during their wedding night. He tries to take advantage on her while she is sleeping but abandons this idea at the last minute. Viridiana decides then to stay at the family farm and take care of the poor people of the nearby village.

Unpitiful, the movie shows how Viridiana will be forced to abandon her mystic hopes to bring some good in this world. The beggars she has offered a home to are cheating on her and will almost rape her. The last scene of VIRIDIANA is masterfully ironic, a visual metaphor of the victory of materialism over spirituality only a genial Luis Bunuel has been able to create. Another scene which will stay in our memory and in Movie History is the recreation of La Cena by Leonardo da Vinci with the beggars in the role of the Christ and the Apostles. A great moment.

A movie zone No Respect.

Splendors and Miseries of a Virgin
Exiled from the safety of the convent, Viridiana is forced to see the world in its magnificent perversity and savagery. Since this is a Bunuel movie and even the chaste Viridiana is not entirely innocent. Her religious rituals borders on the sadomasochistic. Is Bunuel suggesting a parallel between religious and sexual ecstacties? And what's up with Viridiana's uncle's morbid fetish? When the camera follows a group of beggars, it finds them violating the space and honor of their benefactress. The scene climaxes into a mock reenactment of the Last Supper. Everyone's a Judas.Viridiana is the work of a Spanish discontent. This film (re)viewer found it the most 'Spanish' of his movies, in which Bunuel statement that 'every one of his films are meant to be pornographic' comes into lucid fruition. What could be more pornographic than seeing an innocent, holy fool degraded into seeing the world as it really is? The final scene explains it all. A masterpiece.

THEY WHO INHERIT THE EARTH
When Franco came to power in Spain, Luis Bunuel chose self exile. (After all, they DID shoot Lorca.) In 1959 the Franco government was convinced it would help lighten their fascist image by inviting Bunuel back to Spain & giving him some money to make a movie. They must have breathed a sigh of relif when Bunuel said he would base his movie on the life of an obscure Spanish Saint, Viridiana. But when it was finished the government took one look & was so horrified by what it saw that it threw Bunuel out of Spain permanently & tried to get the rest of the world to ban his movie. The rest of the world, instead, started giving it prizes. Two cousins inherit their uncle's farm. The niece, a pious, convent bred girl about to take vows toward becoming a nun, decides she can do God's work in the world. She collects the local homeless & sets them to work in her fields with hoe & pitchfork. The nephew, a wordly man who likes his creature comforts, hires people adept in the latest in agricultural sciences, moves in modern equipment & the housekeeper into his bed. The film then becomes a study in contrasts: Old vs new, sacred vs profane & superstition vs reason. The climax (literally) comes when the cousins are in town attending to personal business. While they are away the rag-tag band of the blind, the lame & the halt decide to have their own little Festival of Fools up at the big house. And this is when all hell breaks loose. Some people were so appalled by what they saw that they thought all hell really DID break loose. (When you see the movie you'll know what caused the ruckus & why.) Fernando Rey is the goatish uncle with decidedly de Sadean intentions toward his neice. Silvia Pinal as Viridiana seems, as usual, to be in someone else's movie but given her character here perhaps it works. (She's like Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers but without the passion.) Francisco Rabal as the nephew who is also an observer (possibly standing in for Bunuel) catches the requisite tone of irony & he gets the last line in the movie which suggests a sort of MARIAGE A LA MODE. The film doesn't have the deftness & flow of the French films which were to follow beginning with Bunuel's very next movie THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID. Instead it is primitive & crude like the Mexican films before it. Still it has all the exuberance of a little boy splashing about in a mud puddle. He knows his betters will think he is being naughty & that eventually he will have to pay a price but for the moment he is having so much fun that he just doesn't care.

Hypocrisy exposed
This is one of the best pictures I have seen in my short life of 75 years. The plot is economical and exellent. The direction of Bunuel is outstanding (hardly news that). The plot exposes the hypocrisy of the devout, the fallibilty of human nature, the hopelessness of poverty and the uselessness of instictive philantropy. It would be difficult to make a better picture on the subject. I have seen it many times and I would see it again and again. Bunuel had to smuggle it out of Spain while Franco was ruling it but Franco loved it too... He would watch it in private...

Bunuel dares you to laugh.
'Viridiana' begins like a mad Spanish variant on Roger Corman's Poe adaptations. Don Jaime is the Vincent Price-like mad widower (his wife died of heart-attack on their wedding night), haunting his crumbling manor, neglecting his decaying lands, mournfully playing an old piano or listening to Bach and Handel records. At night, by a coffin in which is draped his bride's wedding dress, he wears her shoes and corset. In his past is a shameful story of youthful transgression, and an abandoned, illegitimate son. He invites his niece, Viridana, a dead ringer for his wife, to stay with him for the few days before she takes holy orders. In a fantastic ritual, he asks her to wear the wedding dress and proposes marriage; when she refuses, he drugs her, with the aid of his devoted servant - to whose daughter he gives the skipping rope that takes on an importance from the merely symbolic into the fetishistic and violent - and takes the niece to the bedroom for a necrophiliac rape. Prior to this, he had caught her in one of her sleepwalking trances, throwing her knitting into the fire, and pouring ashes on her uncle's bed. Pure Poe.

Poe was one of the acknowledged precursors of the Surrealists, and in 'Viridiana', Bunuel makes use of two Gothic tropes - the Gothic house/castle/manor is often a figure for the disintegrating mind, but also a metaphor for the nation: Don Jaime's madness, his gentility masking a dangerous egotism, his passion perversely and inwardly directed so that it feeds on itself, his neglect of the land, are all tenets of Franco's Spain, a pinched, gnarled, sterile world in this film.

The Gothic was also the genre in which society could dramatise those anxieties - death, sexual deviance, social disruption - not talked aobut in the middle class public sphere. Gothic novels often featured representative, hyper-virtuous heroines who had to negotiate evils such a society would cast out. Such a reading applies to 'Viridiana' also, with the title character, who has spent most of her life closed off from the world, hidden from its temptations, confronted with unpalatable distortions of desire, family, the body, community, class etc.

In 'Viridiana', however, Bunuel conflates these two movements - the Gothic as social allegory, and as site of released repressions. The film's infamous second half - in which Viridiana attempts to atone for a suicide by caring for beggars and outcasts, and her uncle's son's attempts to modernise the home - savagely mixes them up. The beggars, embodying a whole antheap of qualities, desires, realities the Spanish ruling class and bourgeoisie everywhere suppress, take over the mansion, mishandle its possessions, parody its civilising artefacts (food, music, painting, sculpture), a destructive Bacchic frenzy contemptuous of viewers - we may cheer when the meek inherit the earth, but a greater pack of brutal thugs, informing sneaks, loathesome lepers or frothing rapists you'll never see; while Don Jaime, for all his monstrosity, has a quiet grace absent from the other characters. His servants assume their own thuggish hierarchy when faced with the amoral vagrants, asserting their perceived superiority. The celestial Viridiana's initiation into the 'earthy' is not something anyone, whatever their politics, can buy.

It is wholly characteristic that Bunuel should couch this moral dynamite in one of his most visually beautiful films - the recurring Bunuel motifs (feet, ropes etc.; religious paraphernalia as bondage gear); the dense compositions, at once framing characters in their environment and mocking them; and the startling zooms out, from intimate close-ups on parts of the body to the shocking realisation that someone is always watching. ... Read more

Reviews (1112)

Not very original
I seriously think that if this movie did not star the voices of Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz, it would have only about a quarter of the popularity and hype it does have. This is because, while Shrek is very funny and enjoyable, the storyline is weak. In fact, it's extremely predictable. Before half the movie was over I had it figured out that Princess Fiona turns into an ogre after sunset, and I'm sure that everyone, before even seeing the film, knew she and Shrek would end up together. OK, here's the story: Shrek, shunned for his ugliness, lives on his lonely swamp, and is befriended by a very funny but also very annoying talking donkey. Lord Farquaad banishes all fairy tale characters from his kingdom and onto Shrek's swamp. Shrek goes to him to straighten it out, and is sent on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona, whom Farquaad needs to marry to be titled King. Of course, on the way back to the castle, Fiona and Shrek fall in love, and the rest is like, "Well, duh!" We learn that when Fiona was young, a witch cast a spell on her to turn into an ogre every night. We never find out why, which I consider one of the major flaws with this plot. I mean, come on, witches don't just go turning people into nocturnal ogres for no apparent reason! Also, she says to Donkey that she can't stay with Shrek because princesses are supposed to be beautiful. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Shrek is ALWAYS ugly. He can't be picky. He would still probably love her even if he knew her secret. I guess what the princess said is plausible, when you consider that she wants to marry Farquaad because he's her true love and that would break the spell, but I really don't know. She's never even seen this guy, shouldn't she be able to tell he's not gonna be her true love? Anyway, as far as humor, voice talent, and music go, Shrek is a great movie. But those wanting a really original plot that makes sense from almost any viewpoint may be disappointed. It's not especially creative. The DVD extras, I should add, are good, particularly the technical goofs. In the great Shrek VS Monsters, Inc war, I would definitely say that while I enjoyed both movies, Monsters is better.

An Excellent Animated Treat
Adults will enjoy this movie with it's vast array of stars. With humorous performances by Mike Myers as the voice of Shrek, Eddie Murphy as The Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, John Lithgow as Lord Farquad and the supporting cast of "Fairy Tale Things" this movie was truly a funny movie. It begins with the introduction of Shrek, an enormous green ogre who lives alone in a swamp. Then through a twist of fate, Eddie Murphy as the hilarious talking donkey enters Shrek's life as his un-invited companion. Shrek then finds his swamp bombarded with "Fairy Tale Things", including a decapitated Gingerbread Man as well as the Three Blind Mice and Three Little Pigs and hundreds of other creatures who were forced onto Shrek's property by the evil Lord Farquad. Shrek then begins a journey to see Lord Farquad to remove the creatures from his property, who sends him on a journey to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from the fiery dragon to be his bride so that he may become King. The action is non-stop as are the laughs in this movie. The ending has the usual twist with hilarious outakes and a kareoke scene by all the characters at the end. Overall, this film is a must-see for children and adults alike.

im makin' waffels
why the hell does everyone say that??
good movie dont see shrek 2 looks dumb

shrek is cool
shrek is a funny movie. the funniest thing in this movie is shrek's friend {or not} that he meets in his swamp{were shrek lives}. once i saw this movie i was hoping there would be a shrek 2 and now there is. in shrek farquad the very evil and short king sends shrek on a quest to find princess fiona a princess trapped in a castle with a fire breathing dragon gaurding her. shrek saves her and has to go bak i would tell more of this movie but i would give away the fun of it

Really apart of what you've seen
This is a must-see. And it's not a easy way to define this film. This is for everyone, no matter of your sex, your age, your attitude to fairy tales, to cartoons or to music. "Shrek" has it to surprise and to enjoy each and everyone of your family or even none of your relatives.

It is easy to see with every kind of company. It's sweet, it's bitter. It's plenty of laugh and plenty of love. Music is really a big part of the film and every tune is perfect. I don't know of anybody who dislike this film. Extremely enjoyable. ... Read more

Description

The Oscar®-nominated film Tristana continues a devastating critique of social convention by direct