Kate's Addiction

Starring:Sam Ameen, John Billingsley (II), Matt Borlenghi, Farrah Forke, Joel Gretsch, Lyle Kanouse, Daniel Murray, Robyn Norris, Matthew Porretta, Van Quattro, Natalie Radford, Julian Sado, Kari Wuhrer
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A good movie but depressing
A Great Movie
crackling humor and sad ending makes a great film
"OH MY GOD! THEY KILLED KENNY!!"
This is one of the best films I have ever seen.

The Ice Storm
Starring: Kevin Kline , Joan Allen , Sigourney Weaver , Henry Czerny , and Tobey Maguire
Director: Ang Lee
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000056BSG
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Amazon.com essential video

Asian American director Ang Lee sums up America in the early 1970s by focusing on the arrival of the sexual revolution in the 'burbs. Isolationism within a family, consumerism, and selfishness are personified by a cast that captures the self-obsession within two New England families. As the children struggle awkwardly with adolescence, their parents stumble through sexual experimentation. In the days of Watergate and Vietnam, society is breaking boundaries and ignoring convention. Following suit, these families are eschewing polite barriers and social taboos, with disastrous results. The "ice storm" of the title refers not only to a natural phenomenon but is a (rather heavy-handed) metaphor for a pervasive emotional temperament. The entire cast delivers textured, finely nuanced performances. This movie lingers in the psyche not only for the scope of the tragedy at its conclusion, but for Lee's often humorous and stingingly accurate assessment of pop culture. Based on Rick Moody's novel, this won the best-screenplay award at Cannes in 1997. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

When a self-centered husband's relationship with his wife and mistress grow cold, it takes a wife-swapping "key party" and a freak ice storm to clear the air and change their lives forever. Director Ang Lee offers a compelling look at a controversial era.

Customer Reviews:

A good movie but depressing.......2006-08-01

All the people in it are upper middle class white people. They seem to me to be bored. Their kids seem to want to either lash out (like Christina Ricci character Wendy) or withdrawal like Mikey (Elijah Wood). The adults seemed bored with life and was looking for excitement like "key parties" (throwing car keys into a fish bowl where women pick them out. A form of "Swinging").

It stuck me as terribly sad. Perhaps our way of life in Western civilization brings about evil. Too comfortable for our own good. Even in the poor parts of our country, we have it good compared to just a couple of hundred years ago. Yet human nature has this inbred part of us that says "more". Maybe it's our curse as well as our gift. To keep striving for more even if we have enough.

A Great Movie.......2006-07-22

Before I add my own comments to this review, I first want to quote a review I read in some book for this film:

"This film is based on Rick Moody's novel about Thanksgiving 1973 in a middle-class New England family, with adolescent children fumbling with puberty while their parents flounder in the backwash of the sexual revolution. Though expertly made and well acted, the film's characters are uptight and repellent, and the story is bleak and oversymbolic. More to be admired than enjoyed."

I read this "review" before seeing the movie and after watching it I can't help but think to myself...What was that guy smoking? "The Ice Storm" is directed by Oscar winning director Ang Lee (Best Director, 'Brokeback Mountain') and is just as good, if not better, than the movie he took home his Oscar for. This movie is no less than a masterpiece; It's got amazing performances, it has a very "American Beauty" feel to it. To say this film is more to be admired than enjoyed is idiotic. The movie stars Kevin Kline as Ben Hood, the father of a family all dealing with their own set of problems.
Son Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) has fallen in love with a beautiful girl named Libbets Casey (Katie Holmes), whom his friend (David Krumholtz, TV's "Numbers") has already started to move in on. Daughter Wendy (Christina Ricci) is a girl smack dab in the middle of that pubescent age where nothing is really off limits. His wife Elena (Joan Allen) is quiet and reserved longing for something more than she's getting in her marriage, which is mostly because Ben himself is having an affair with his neighbor Janey (Sigourney Weaver) who has also grown bored with Ben. In the course of one night, during a freak ice storm, all their lives will change forever. For some reason, two movies came to mind while watching this. American Beauty and Me & You & Everyone We Know. All three films have a strange quirkiness to them, but also manage to have the same dramatic impact. If you liked those two films, you should like this. This is a very entertaining film, very well made film that is one of Ang Lee's finest hours.
GRADE: A

crackling humor and sad ending makes a great film.......2006-06-09

after seeing brokeback mountain, i decided to see more of ang lee's films and came upon this gem that perfectly shows the same type of sad melencholy used in brokeback. the film takes place in the 1970's and centers around two family's the hoods (consisting of kline, allen, ricci, and mcguire) and the carvers (consisting of weaver, wood, and that one kid) who go through many events that boil together one night during an ice storm. the husband of the hoods is having an affair with weavers character, the kids are exploring sex and drugs, and allens character goes from shop-lifting to cheating on her husband too. the film plays out in two parts, the first hour or so is mainly a comedy while the last hour plays like a drama that leads to a very sad ending. truly a great ang lee film, must check it out if you loved brokeback.

"OH MY GOD! THEY KILLED KENNY!!".......2006-04-18

The Ice Storm might make a good sentimental date flick, a tear jerker that could put the average guy in good standing with his lady, as it creates a nice facade of sensitivity with the added bonus of placing the manly-man in great position to comfort his weeping woman, but as a work of cinematic art, which is what it pretentiously tries to be, it has some very major flaws.
The number one thing that a film maker has to avoid in dramatic cinema is causing a laugh riot at an inappropriate time, and most especially if that moment just happens to be the most critical scene in the whole movie, unfortunately, Ang Lee placed an image on the screen that would of worked far better in a South Park episode then as the peak moment of sadness in a tragic drama.
To explain; As the film neared this critical zenith of sadness, the adults in the story were all involved in a key party, a swingers game in which all the men place their car keys in a punch bowl as the wemen line up and one by one fish out a set of keys without looking, they then have to go home with the random owner of the keys they drew from the bowl. Meanwhile, Elijah Wood, who is playing the dejected teenage son of one of the sinful parents, is outside in the dark night playing in an ice storm. First he stupidly risks his neck by jumping up and down on a super slick ice incrusted diving board over the deep end of an empty swiming pool. Like many dumbed down highly manimpulated moralistic tales, Elijah Wood's tempting of fate and surviving is mearly the forshadowing, and prolonging of the unavoidable, his immanent death is around the corner, it is being milked all too odviously to increase the dramatic tension, and impose further sadness apon the audience.
Next he is seen sliding on his rump down the black ice of a curvy road, an image that already threatens to give a dark soul like mine an uncontrollable case of the giggles. He then stops to stare in awe at a crackling storm damaged electricle wire, while sitting on the metal guard rail of this frozen empty curve, only to watch as the wire snaps, and angrily slithers across the icy street to zap the metal guard rail with the necessary voltage to end his bodily functions.
It is bad enough to try to subject a particular emotion on an audience with such blatant plot devices, and absurdly ridiculous turn of events, but to top it off with an image of a face down body cloaked in a little red hoody, as it inces its way down an icy road is simply too much to take.
When I saw this movie in the theatre back in 1997, this image in conjunction with the overtly manipulated, force fed tone of pathos, caused me to double over in my seat with explosive laughter, so much so, that till this day, I am extremely greatful that I was'nt drinking anything, or holding any sharp objects in my hands at the time. When the film ended I became acutely aware of the fellow exiting movie patrons mean mugging me on the way out. The person I shared this cinematic experience with took full advantage of my captivated audience by loudly asking me what I had learned from the Ice Storm.
"Well what I've learned," I loudly replied." is that I better not get any wild ideas about sexing up my neighbors wife, because God will become angry and kill my first born male child, and since I don't have any children, he will be forced to kill my poor dog and send him sliding down the road in his little red parka."
In conclusion, I gave this movie 3 stars because it is very visually appealing, and has the best "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." scene ever put on film between Christina Ricci and a chubby boy, but outside of that I can only recommend renting this film, as it is too flawed in its story telling, and far too moralistic to warrant ownership.

This is one of the best films I have ever seen........2006-04-03

Really, it is. It may be too dark and too slow for some. It is not a happy film, and it may depress you terribly. It did depress me.

This is a film about alienation, and it is devastatingly accurate. If you dare watch it, take note of all the conversations. In nearly every scene one character tries to reach out to another character, to try to tell them something intimate or important. In every scene except one they are brushed aside or ignored. The only scene where two characters connect and actually communicate, they talk in code, not directly.

Yes it is beautifully shot and acted. It may well accurately evoke America of the 70s, I wouldn't know I wasn't there. A lot of people are doing squalid, illegal or kinky things in the movie. But to focus on these things alone seems to me to miss the real point of the film. I think it is alienation that drives the aberrant behaviour of these people, not the place or the period.

I don't think the film is meant to depict the failings of any period. I don't think there is any judgement or solution offered. It is simply a stark portrayal of alienation.

I haven't read the book, I would like to. Perhaps others who suggest the setting is more important than I do have their perceptions coloured by having read it. Before reading it I will go out on a limb and suggest the storyline and the setting are just a vehicle for this depiction of alienation.

This film is a disturbing masterpiece which may make you reconsider your own life relationships.

Average customer rating:

Not Kilmer's best work
Two movies for the price of one.....
What ever happened to John Holmes?
can't explain the fascination
Brilliant, Entertaining, and Frightening

Wonderland
Starring: Val Kilmer , Kate Bosworth , Lisa Kudrow , Josh Lucas , and Tim Blake Nelson
Director: James Cox
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00014K58W
Release Date: 2004-02-10

Amazon.com

The dark underside of Boogie Nights is tracked in Wonderland, a sleaze-filled look at the notorious "Wonderland Murders" of 1981. The movie attempts to explain how the legendarily endowed porn actor John C. Holmes was involved in the killings, while deliberately suggesting the difficulty of knowing the truth of a murky case. The police procedural aspects turn out to be less intriguing than the weirdly hapless domestic life of Holmes (Val Kilmer at his most dazed), who despite his promiscuity continues to rely on his starchy, clean-cut wife (an unflattering role for Lisa Kudrow, but the most interesting character in the picture). Well-known actors--notably a near-unrecognizable Dylan McDermott--slouch through the story, which rather distracts from the aggressively realistic approach. In the end, the unclean aura makes one yearn for the stylized ingenuity of Boogie Nights, or at least a reason to be watching this story this way. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Not Kilmer's best work.......2007-05-15

The life and times of John Holmes defines public perception of the adult entertainment industry. You occasionally come across an article or two nowadays talking about how its merely a business and its practitioners are really just entrepreneurs, how only a select few engage in the types of behavior exhibited by Holmes back in the 1970s and 1980s. What was that behavior? You already know. Think about your perceptions of the adult film industry. It's loaded from top to bottom with strung out junkies, misogynists, and women abused as children now taking their internal pain out on themselves. Producers and distributors don't escape scorn, either. They're abusers of female flesh always looking for the next buck, always looking out for some fresh perversion to put up on the screen in order to lure in customers. Drugs, anti-feminists, abusers, predators--not a pretty picture. John Holmes fit the bill when it came to drugs and other assorted criminal enterprises. After his career in the business faded, he sank into a personal hell of cocaine and heroin addiction. His death from the AIDS virus in 1988 only confirmed what many already thought about this sordid and seamy lifestyle.

"Wonderland" touches on one of the sleazier parts in John Holmes's long slide into oblivion. As we soon learn from the film, a heinous crime occurred in a known drug den located in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles. On July 1, 1981, someone or several someones broke into the house and severely bludgeoned all five occupants with steel pipes. Four of them died. The fifth victim, a woman, survived with serious injuries. A police investigation into the crime discovered that nearly everyone associated with the house was deeply involved in drugs. Then an informant named David Lind contacted the authorities. He told a strange story about the former film star John Holmes. According to Lind, Holmes frequented the drug parlor on a regular basis and was actually in the house the night of the murders. Moreover, he helped the gang in the house plan a drug robbery involving a big time cocaine dealer named Eddie Nash. Holmes helped eyeball Eddie's pad and then gave the information to his friends. They robbed the drug dealer, but Nash found out who was responsible and retaliated by putting out a hit on the residents of the house. When the police finally caught up with John Holmes, he offered up a different version of events.

The movie "Wonderland" presents to its audience both accounts of what happened in the house that night. Before we get to the good stuff, the film sets up the story. Holmes (Val Kilmer) spends all of his time with his underage girlfriend Dawn (Kate Bosworth) trying to score dope. Oddly enough, he still maintains contact with his estranged ex-wife Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), which often leads to very strange scenes when Holmes shows up with his girlfriend. Sharon will eventually play a small, albeit important, role in what happens later. Then "Wonderland" treats us to endless scenes of drug dealing and drug using at the house. It's fairly clear in at least one of the film's narratives that Holmes isn't well respected by the gang living in the house. They think he's a mooch and a loser whose only worth to them is one of cruel entertainment. For example, he's forced to show a couple of girls his...equipment...much to the amusement of the others. It's hard to see this pathetic loser actively participating in a series of brutal murders. According to David Lind (Dylan McDermott), however, that's exactly what happened. Holmes was not only there; he actively participated in the killings.

I think that summary pretty much nails it, although I wouldn't bet any money on it. That's the main problem with "Wonderland". The narrative style of the film incorporates at least two versions of events, and these stories move around in odd circles that make it tough for a viewer to keep track of the proceedings. Did Eddie Nash force Holmes to roll over on his friends? Or did Holmes decide to rat them out for his own personal gain? That's the crux of the story. We don't receive a definitive answer in the movie largely because the legal system never solved the case. Don't worry about the confusing plot, though, because the film does a good job of looking at the sordid underside of life in Los Angeles. The set pieces look great, and the performances work wonders. I wasn't that impressed with Val Kilmer as the main character; he's done much better work in other films, and he doesn't seem to have much to do here. Lisa Kudrow spellbinds in her small role, and Eric Bogosian exudes menace as the dangerous Eddie Nash. Look for appearances from Christina Applegate, Carrie Fischer, and Janeane Garofalo in smaller parts.

We've got a big slab of DVD to dissect here, folks. "Wonderland" as a two-disc set boasts a ton of supplements that will keep you busy LONG after the credits roll. You want a commentary track? We get one with director James Cox and some dude named Captain Mauzner. We also get deleted scenes, lots of short interviews with the cast, a brief Court TV segment dealing with the case, and trailers. The best extras are a long documentary on the life of John Holmes and a grisly 24 minute long LAPD crime video showing the inside of the house after the murders. We see the bodies and the blood splatter in nauseating detail, and it's nasty stuff. Keep that in mind if you've got a weak stomach. Ultimately, I'm going to give "Wonderland" three stars. I thought the film was only so-so. It's definitely not Kilmer's finest hour. Also, I don't really care much about the deaths of a bunch of low-life scumbags. Sue me. Still, you could do worse than give "Wonderland" a watch.

Two movies for the price of one............2007-03-07

Based on the true story of the "Wonderland Murders", this set is two DVD's. Watch disk two first to get a background and overview of the life and times of John C. Holmes, then watch the movie, Wonderland. You'll have a much greater understanding of the movie.

What ever happened to John Holmes?.......2007-01-28

"Wonderland" is for all those out there that ever wondered what became of Johns Holmes after his iconic/illustrious career as America's "Reigning King of Porn" came to an end. "Wonderland" covers the events such as Holmes' drug addiction, affair with a minor, his estranged relationship with his wife who wouldn't divorce him, and his involvement in the gruesome quadruple homicides on Wonderland Drive in the Hollywood Hills during the 1980s.

Great acting on the part of all those involved in this movie. This is not a pretty film and it takes a serious look at the events surrounding the Wonderland Drive murders and Homes' role in the crimes themselves.

can't explain the fascination.......2007-01-05

I can't explain the fascination some of us have with '70's porn, John Holmes, and the Wonderland murders. John Holmes had some life. As we all know, he was not the most handsome man, but he did have that one "asset" that made him famous and made him stand out above many others.

I don't want to give another synopsis of the movie. I read a lot of the reviews by movie critics, and I thought that most were a bit too harsh on the movie. I personally liked it a lot. The story is interesting and the movie is entertaining. Val Kilmer is probably better looking that Holmes ever was, and he did an adequate job of portraying a strung out porn "star" that was past his glory days and on a downward spiral. People in the adult entertainment business often seem to be self-destructive and live very sad lives after all. Perhaps they have nothing to go to once they are past their "prime" in the business. The movie has an overall darkness to it. Holmes was obviously involved with some very bad people. I think I tend to believe his version of events.

The best thing about the DVD is the bonus material that is provided. There are some awesome things here, including a documentary about the life of John Holmes. There is also some police footage of the Wonderland crime scene. I also want to add that I loved the title sequence at the beginning of the movie. The Bad Company song "Shooting Star" couldn't have been more appropriate. Obviously Holmes was a "porn star" and not a rock star, but the song parallels his own life so much.

Brilliant, Entertaining, and Frightening.......2006-10-08

WONDERLAND is probably the BEST all-around drug movie ever depicting the LA sex & drug scene of the 1970's-1980's. Oddly enough, at least for me, the scariest scene of the entire movie is a deleted one where Eddie Nash turns on John Holmes to the base (crack) pipe for the first time. The actors, screenplay and direction are all top notch. A very entertaining, yet frightening movie based on a true story.

Average customer rating:

dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a nail on the head
Outstanding, if very disturbing, film, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea
Phenomenal Movie
Normal Life
The Abnormal Life

Normal Life
Starring: Ashley Judd , Luke Perry , Bruce A. Young , Jim True-Frost , and Edmund Wyson
Director: John McNaughton
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
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ASIN: B0006Q948M
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Customer Reviews:

dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a nail on the head.......2007-01-07

Perhaps, in NORMAL LIFE, director John McNaughton never
realized his luck in combining the right timing,
assembling the right actors and actresses and the right
story, all wrapped into one movie, considering his other
boring one, Lansky, that was a sleeper, for example.

NORMAL LIFE is quite skeletal in its complexity (or in
other words, is not unnecessarily convoluted), telling a
dynamite story, hitting viewers not unlike a hammer hits a
nail on the head, such is the shock of seeing the
progression of a upstanding, law-abiding police officer
mutate into a hidious, stickup artist, on the word of a
hot, crazed, libido-filled, drugged, delinquent young
chick, played incredibly well by Ashley Judd, known to not
shy away from controversial, shocking and out-of-the-norm
roles.

A Christian friend of mine, having seen this movie,
admitted having cried from having seen it, in dispair of
the damage borne by the man, in an attempt to preserve
that monogamous relationship with Judd, satisfying her
many wants and needs, to the point of sacrificing his own
line of work, and putting his life on the line in criminal
enterprises for profit. Other people loved this movie,
from its originality, all praised Judd's natural feel in
playing the role that she did, and the maturity of Luke
Perry, who very well conveyed to the audience the anguish
and emotional torture endured from this wild ride of
a relationship.

Of course, NORMAL LIFE's ending, condemns the entire
behavior, as it obviously had to, considering the movie is
taken from a real life story, from almost 40 years ago,
in USA.

Outstanding, if very disturbing, film, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.......2006-06-26

A week ago I had never heard of this film and stumbled upon it on the Amazon website. I bought it on a whim and was amazed, I found this to be an absolutely oustanding film. The acting performance by Ashley Judd was unbelievable, I never considered her a serious actress until I saw this. She played the role of a `distressed woman' as well as Isabelle Huppert could have done, this was a performance worthy of the finest French actresses, not some lame Hollywood starlet. I can't believe I never heard of this film before, and I'm in stunned amazement that Judd could play this role so well. This is a story about a beautiful manic-depressive woman (Judd) who meets a straightlaced cop (Luke Perry) and they fall in love. Well, Perry's character falls madly in love with Judd's, and in her lucid moments, these feeling are reciprocated. If there is a better, more realistic film about mental illness, obsession, and manic-depression, I don't know what it is. We follow the ups and downs of the characters as they meet, get married, and begin their life together. They begin to have financial trouble due to Judd's obsessive spending, and Luke Perry's character resorts to robbing banks to recover their finances. This is like watching the build up to a train wreck; you know it isn't going to end well. There are some scenes in this film that are very disturbing (like the scene in which Judd shows up to her father-in-law's funeral wearing rollerblades - ouch), and this film won't appeal to everyone's tastes. If you like Huppert (particularly in films like La Ceremonie and other Chabrol films, or Coup de Torchon), you are certainly going to like this. Luke Perry also did a surprisingly good job in this film, although his role was much less demanding than AJ's. A great film, but this will not be everyone's cup of tea, so you should read the reviews and plot summaries carefully before purchasing.

Phenomenal Movie.......2006-01-12

This is a really great movie.....balanced all around
with many interesting aspects, very well emotionally
acted out by both leading actors, and so well constructed
that those watching the movie are pulled into the story,
and taken for a ride lasting almost 2 hours, much
like a rollercoaster. This is a movie very well done,
very challenging to write and film, I would guess -but
completed with incredible skill.

Normal Life.......2005-09-13

Based on a true story because no fiction writer could make it believeable. Well worth the time.

The Abnormal Life.......2005-08-26

Question: What can you do when you fall in love with a manic-depressive?

Answer: Why, rob banks of course!

Normal Life, ostensibly based on a true story, is a film about two social misfits, opposites in a way, who find each other and start living a life that is anything but normal.

Chris Anderson (Luke Perry), a straight laced policeman in a small Illinois town near Chicago, while having a drink with his brother in a a local bar, can't help but notice a lovely creature (Ashley Judd) sitting in a booth with two guys. All of a sudden she blows up arguing yelling at her companions and as they walk out on her, she smashes a beer glass, cutting her hand in the process. Our chivalrous knight, Chris goes to help and Pam is impressed. So starts a torrid courtship which doesn't slow down until marriage and the drudgery of making a living.

There is something wrong with Pam but Chris either doesn't see it or he's not willing to face it. Pam has short attention span and seems to be ambivalent about sex but nevertheless craves excitement for which Chris's answer is to buy her things on credit. Pam seems to be fighting a never ending battle with her inner demons. She drinks to excess and enjoys humiliating Chris. When visiting his family she ignore them and showed up at his father's funeral on roller skates. She fixes dinner for herself and forgets Chris, tears up the apartment, mutilates herself, threatens suicide. She is a disturbed, self destructive, manic-depressive, .

In the meantime Chris is starting to make enemies on the force and eventually is forced out. Pam works in a factory but they were having trouble with two paychecks and they certainly can't make it on one. Pam flips out and leaves reminding Chris that he promised to take care of her. When he finds her, he tells her that she doesn't have to worry because he will handle things.

That's when Chris starts robbing banks. Being an ex-cop helps if you're going to rob banks and Chris is successful for quite a while. Eventually Pam finds out and she is thrilled. She insists on helping him and he reluctantly agrees but the police and FBI are setting a trap.

CONCLUSION

First, I rented the un-rated CD version. I'm not sure what the difference was versus the R version but this version was fairly explicit and showed both Perry and Judd in the nude but Judd much more as she seemed to lounge around the apartment naked when she was depressed, which was a lot.

Since Ashley Judd is probably my favorite actress this was a pleasant bonus, seeing my favorite actress in the buff. But Ashley didn't just show off her physical attributes she really got into the part. This was some of her best acting if not her best. It's a shame that it was wasted on what is essentially a `B' movie.

The movie itself seemed hokey at times and except for the nudity, I would have thought it to be a low budget TV movie. The sets and the cinematography resembled a TV movie and I would say that most of that would probably fall on the director, McNaughton.

Perry's acting was also good but supporting actors seemed a little tentative. I thought the story was good and it was portrayed well, if cheaply. I thought the film was entertaining, though it is not one I'd like to watch more than once. I give Normal Life 31/2 stars rounded up because I like Ashley Judd.

Average customer rating:

"You can't fight this battle for her."
Pure
A Child's Unwavering Protectiveness of His Troubled but Loving Mother.
East London -- not Northern England
"I just know I can kick it!"

Pure
Starring: Harry Eden , Vinnie Hunter , Molly Parker , David Wenham , and Nitin Ganatra
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Manufacturer: Indican
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ASIN: B000ERVJPE
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Customer Reviews:

"You can't fight this battle for her.".......2006-10-22

Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon has a gift when it comes to telling a story through a child's point of view. In "Pure", MacKinnon doesn't sink into the lure of sentimentality, and neither does he make his ten-year old protagonist, Paul (Harry Eden), perfect. Set in East London, "Pure" portrays Paul's bleak life with unflinching, and painful honesty. Paul lives with his widowed mother, Mel (Molly Parker) who's a heroin addict, and a younger brother, Lee (Vinnie Hunter). Mel spends her days in a drug-induced stupor, and if she comes out of her haze, there's sleazy supplier Lenny (David Wenham), her dead husband's best friend, ready to ensure she never kicks her habit. Lenny not only supplies to the poverty-stricken neighbourhood of single mothers, but he also keeps the girls addicted while they earn money as prostitutes.

This is an ugly, desperate life with no hope of escape, and Paul's face reflects his cares. Some shots show him as prematurely aged, and he carries the sort of knowledge that no ten-year-old should be exposed to. Paul is caught in a net--with his mother a heroin addict, and Lenny keeping her that way. Paul is fiercely protective of his mother, and while he realizes on some level, that he's out of his depth, there's no one he can turn to for help. His options for outside help are the police--and he views them as the enemy--or his grandparents. Unfortunately, his grandmother dislikes Mel and blames her for her son's death.

Paul befriends a waitress named Louise (Keira Knightley), but fails to realize that she's hopelessly trapped too. Paul, in the throes of a crush, sees her as perfect and removed from the taint of their surroundings. MacKinnon captures the craftiness of the addict to perfection, and the scenes of Paul and his mother are painful--yet vividly true to life. Incredibly fine acting from Molly Parker and Harry Eden make "Pure" a memorable film. If you enjoy "Pure" I also recommend another film by MacKinnon, "Small Faces", and an American film that deals with the same theme "Fresh" directed by Boaz Yakin--displacedhuman

Pure.......2006-08-28

I probably shouldn't review it so soon after watching it, because my "intellectual side" probably isn't online right now. This is a powerful drama, flawless in conception and execution, about a ten-year-old boy with a dead father, a mother addicted to heroin, and various and sundry other problems to deal with. I've watched two British films about heroin addiction this year and been moved to tears by both, but I've never met a heroin user in my life. We don't have heroin in Watha. We probably don't have British DVDs in the stores either. We don't even have stores. But I digress. If you see this one, grab it. I know I'll watch it again. I just don't know how many times. Oh, and if you're an author, consider this. "There are no minor characters." If you'd like to see this premise in action, get this film. After all the crap I've reviewed this week, you don't know how happy it makes me to cite an instance where a novelist can learn from a filmmaker.

A Child's Unwavering Protectiveness of His Troubled but Loving Mother........2006-08-14

"Pure" could be viewed simply as a drug addiction movie, but I was relieved to find that it isn't simply that, as I've seen too many overwrought addiction movies at this point. "Pure" is the story of a 10-year-old boy trying to save his mother -save her from heroin, from her dealer, and from the law. Mel (Molly Parker) has been overwhelmed by life's demands since the death of her husband left her with 2 young boys to raise. She turned to heroin for consolation, but it got the best of her. She can no longer hold down a job or meet her children's needs. Young Paul (Harry Eden) knows only that his mother is sick, and he will do anything to help her -the household chores, look after his little brother, even prepare the "medicine" that makes Mel feel better. But Paul slowly realizes that something is not quite right with his mother. He doggedly tries to understand and resolves to help his mother kick her habit. But Paul finds himself navigating a complicated world of conflicting interests and values: his possessive grandmother (Geraldine McEwan), his mother's manipulative dealer (David Wenham), a police detective (Gary Lewis), Social Services, and his new friend Louise (Keira Knightley), a young woman with a heroin problem of her own.

I love the genuineness of Paul and Mel's relationship. Paul acts exactly as a bright, independent child would. He's fiercely protective of his mother. And he does what's best as he sees it, with limited perspective and little power, to help his mother and preserve his family. He pursues his goal with the single-mindedness and acceptance of a child and the determination of an adult. Paul and Mel express a closeness that is characteristic of a parent and child who work together to survive under difficult circumstances. They're flawed, and they know it. "Pure" has a great supporting cast, but there are many moments when Paul carries this film on his shoulders, which is a credit to writer Alison Hume, director Gillies MacKinnon, and Harry Eden, who was actually 12 years old when "Pure" was made. Keira Knightley was 16 or 17 when she played Louise, a likable young waitress who refuses to get her life under control no matter what the consequences, and Knightly fans will find this a promising example of her early work. "Pure"'s pacing could have been better. It's plodding at times. But the film's young perspective and honest emotion won me over.

The DVD (Indican 2006): Bonus features include a theatrical trailer, a Photo Gallery of 11 publicity stills and behind-the-scenes photos, a Poster Progression slideshow of 8 movie posters, a slideshow of 8 cast and crew bios (text), and an interview with director Gillies MacKinnon (34 min). The interview with MacKinnon is interesting, but it seems interminable. Too much of a good thing. He discusses the idea that "Pure" is not about heroin but about a "little boy's heroic attempt to save his mother'", in contrast to his 1990 film "Needle", working with a child actor, the reason the film unfortunately got an 18 rating in the UK, creating the mother/son relationship, colors, camera work, score, and more.

East London -- not Northern England.......2006-08-04

I just want to add to the very fine precis already posted a brief correction about location (Netflix has it wrong, too--they claim it's set in west London.) To those, such as myself, who are fanatical about English football the location is obvious from the very first seconds of the film, when "I'm forever blowing bubbles" is sung in the background and the camera pans down to an aerial view of the Boleyn Ground (Upton Park.) And throughout the film the central character and his younger brother sport the famous claret and blue of West Ham United--one of the best loved (though under-achieving) clubs in England, the pride of the Cockney homeland of London's East End.

I'm adding an extra star just for all the West Ham references!

"I just know I can kick it!".......2006-07-30

Socially conscious and beautifully acted, director Gillies MacKinnon sets his tale of junkies and young boys and wayward mothers in the working class housing estates of Northern England. This film has a gritty, uncompromising sensibility that is certainly going to repel some viewers, while attracting others and it mostly works until the end, when the film tends to replace hard-nosed and obdurate realism with contrived sentimentality.

Pure is a cautionary tale, a look at the world of suburban heroin abuse through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. Paul's (Harry Eden) dad has died of a heart attack and now he heads his household, looking after his younger brother Lee (Vinnie Hunter), and smack-addicted mother Mel (an absolutely terrific Molly Parker). Paul's grandmother (Geraldine McEwan) is not happy about this situation at all and has been trying desperately to keep Mel's addiction problem within the family.

Paul doesn't know what a "junkie" is and resents the schoolyard bullies who say his mother is one. Whilst he naively dolls out his mother's "medicine," he hangs around with the children of his mum's friend Vicki (Marsha Thomason). It is Vicki who seems more like a junkie, always on the verge of death and unopposed to selling her body in exchange for a fix.

Alarmed by Vicki's latest overdose, Mel wants to kick the habit herself and seeks to do so cold turkey, on her own, not in a clinic but barricaded in her bedroom. It falls on Paul to supervise her, to keep her locked up and away from the junk no matter what she says. This plan does not sit well with Lenny (David Wenham), Mel's dealer and sometime lover, who also abuses her and obviously does not want to lose a client to abstinence.

During the course of the story, Paul strikes up a friendship with Louise, (Kira Knightley) a kindly café waitress. Mel warns Paul to stay away from Louise as she's bad news and the local social services department has already taken her baby away from her. Louise also a client and Lenny's and thinks nothing of getting high in the presence of Paul.

Obviously the centerpiece of the film is the great love and the fierce loyalty that exists between mother and son. Even in the darkest days of Mel's addiction, Paul is determined to stand by his mum. Eden as Paul is stoic and fearless and is so convinced that Mel can break the cycle of drugs that he goes to extraordinary lengths to help her.

Pure is so well acted - by all the players - that despite its faults it deserves admiration. Molly Parker is quite a revelation as Mel, and you really do believe that she's a washed up junkie who just can't even get out of bed in the morning and is willing to sacrifice everything she loves, including her family for the drug.

It is interesting to note that although Kira Knightley gets top billing here, she is really only a supporting player. Yet her performance is still one of frantic hopelessness - there is little that Louise can do to escape the cycle of poverty and drugs and her final scene in the film is quite heart wrenching.

Of course, the ending tends to go for drug movie clichés - the police are called in for a big bust - and some of the plot points are manipulative on the one hand and at times defy credibility on the other. Yet Pure does present quite relentlessly, the social problems of heroin addiction, which tend to plague these Northern English housing estates and how children such as Paul must face difficulties and challenges that no child should realistically have to face. Mike Leonard July 06.

Average customer rating:

Wonderland
Starring: Christina Applegate , M.C. Gainey , Val Kilmer , Lisa Kudrow , and Ted Levine
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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ASIN: B000LPS4L6
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Description

On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes. You're about to experience both versions.

Average customer rating:

It's not only kate's addiction... but kate's obbession.
Not Too Good
Non-thinking fun
Thank God I only rented this one
Cheesy sexploitation flick.

Kate's Addiction
Starring: Sam Ameen , John Billingsley (II) , Matt Borlenghi , Farrah Forke , and Joel Gretsch
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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Poison
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Luscious
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Spider's Web (2001) (Sub)

ASIN: B00003M5G0
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Customer Reviews:

It's not only kate's addiction... but kate's obbession........2006-03-26

Like one of the reviewer said. don't let the cover fool you. but in my opinion, this movie hi-lights a woman's obbession with lying stealing and even murder to distroy a happy couples life like no other. it is fatal attraction, basic instinct, play misty for me malicious and noise rolled all into one nice neat package. and you kate's addiction. Farrah Forke looks like a sexy beautiful porn star... sorry guys and gals. not to be. at least I have never seen her in a adult flick yet. She plays a very innocent woman who is being tortured by her friend and roomate Kari Wurher. first off, a murdered boyfirend, and a slaying of a friend. forke's lover is questioned by the police and even by his new girlfriend [Farrah Forke] who do you think did it. well if you have seen the movie you know the rest. if not by the DVD and be surprised.

Not Too Good.......2003-09-22

A psychotic woman becomes dangerously jealous when her best friend begins dating a handsome man. She will stop at nothing to keep the two apart, even if it means destroying their relationship or even murdering one of them.

Non-thinking fun.......2002-01-26

If your a fan of the genre or the cast you can do worse then watch this. Kate (kari Wuhrer) hears her only real friend Sara (Farrah Forke) is getting married, since Kate is in love with Sara this is bad news. So Kate heads off to pay her a visit - complete with gun. However being close to Sara only strenthens Kates fixation, so much so that Kate turns to flirtation, lying, even murder, in order to win Sara's love. Sure you know how the movie is going to end but considering the small budget used KA is pretty impressive.

Thank God I only rented this one.......2001-11-30

Where's the button for no stars?

Cheesy sexploitation flick........2000-08-01

Every so often, I like to rummage through the minor titles to see if I can find a sleeper. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark. This is a rather cheesy production featuring two attractive actresses in an obvious attempt at sexploitation for commercial gain.

Kate (Kari Wuhrer) is obsessed with Sara (Farrah Forke), her best friend from high school and college. They were going to open a business together in their hometown of New Orleans until Sara went to California and met a guy. So, Kate goes to visit her plotting to break them up. What follows is a twisted tale and lesbian seduction, blackmail and murder, just to name a few of the evils Kate employs to keep Sara close to her.

The writing and direction by Eric Delebarre in his first feature film was second rate. The plot is thin and contrived, stretching credulity repeatedly. This has B movie stamped all over it; poor sound and cinematography and a general low budget look.

The hook here was the lesbian seduction scene where Kate gets Sara stoned and then ravishes her. This was obviously a male fantasy lesbian scene, where Sara is taken by a predator rather than having sex by mutual consent. From that standpoint, most male viewers will likely be disappointed since it shows little more than kissing and groping with everything covered.

The acting was mediocre to poor. Kari Wuhrer lacked subtlety and duplicity as the antagonist. Her body language and sarcastic delivery made her motives so obvious that it was impossible to believe that the other characters wouldn't have noticed sooner. Farrah Forke was better than Wuhrer. She gave a very sincere presentation of her character, albeit overly naïve. Her unaffectedness and spontaneity made the romance scenes with her boyfriend work well. The rest of the acting was mundane.

Customer Reviews:

"Shameless" insufficient use of Jeremy Brett.......2006-12-06

I don't usually make a point to watch films this bad (predictable plot, laughable dialog, horrible music soundtrack, etc), but when I saw that my all-time favorite actor Jeremy Brett had a brief but memorable role in "Shameless" (originally titled "Mad Dogs and Englishmen"), I couldn't resist. It's a bizarre experience to witness an actor -- who so perfectly embodied the iconic Sherlock Holmes in the beloved Granada TV series -- appear in such an odd role of a drug-supplying sugar daddy. It's even odder to see a glimpse of him in a modern-day sexual scene with a young woman. Regardless, as usual, he stole the movie even if he was only barely in it. I only wished the director has used Brett to his fullest talents instead of as an aside eccentric.

A young Elizabeth Hurley makes a mediocre attempt to portray a bored little rich girl with drug problems and C. Thomas Howell does his best to seem sexy in a grunge biker kind of way. But Brett's booming voice, subtle expressions and dynamic presence wakes you up for just long enough to pay attention to his character. Once he disappears from the screen, you realize all too soon that the rest of the film is worthless. It takes a great actor to lift up a role from the muck, and I'm sorry to see that this was Brett's only chance to do a modern-day storyline from his usual historic epics before he passed away.

He briefly commented in an interview why he did the role, and soon realized the film was a disaster.

On "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" (1995)-- "I was mad to do it, but I wanted to show the world that I was still alive and I could do other things apart from Sherlock Holmes. I hope they don't release it..."

3 stars for beautiful Elizabeth Hurley.......2001-06-10

Originally entitled "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", this movie is a typical British second grade thriller. Its tagline says all: "Murder, Vice, Corruption -- All good English values". Well, if you're looking for a movie that delves into the complexity of London's drug cartel and aristocratic world, you may be disappointed. But any fan of Liz Hurley can't afford to miss this one, because she wouldn't pose nude again, not even in "Dangerous Grounds". The cinematography deserved a star too.

Stunning cinematography!.......1999-01-27

Some of the best lighting I have ever seen on face of that hunk C. Tommy. John Peters is a genius!

Average customer rating:

Very Heartbreaking Story!!!

Scattered Dreams
Starring: Tyne Daly , Ed Grady , Rhoda Griffis , Macon McCalman , and Gerald McRaney
Director: Neema Barnette
Manufacturer: Direct Source Label
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000GRUR50
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Customer Reviews:

Very Heartbreaking Story!!!.......2007-01-16

This is a very heartbreaking story about a 1951 Florida tenant farmer Family being with the mother and father being imprisoned for 7 years hard labor for owing a 200 dollar grocery bill when they get out they struggle to get their children back who are now up for adoption.It's a must see!!

Average customer rating:

Eccentric Biopic For An Idiosyncratic Performer
A different kind of biopic: the Gould variations
A real treat
Not short enough
The film won awards because it should've.

32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
Starring: Colm Feore , Derek Keurvorst , Katya Ladan , Devon Anderson , and Joshua Greenblatt
Director: François Girard
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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Glenn Gould - The Alchemist
Glenn Gould - On & Off the Record
Glenn Gould Hereafter
Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould: Motion Picture Soundtrack (1993 Film)

ASIN: B0000544LY
Release Date: 2001-02-20

Amazon.com

François Girard originally conceived 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould as a biography to try to explain the bizarre genius of the master pianist who stopped touring in 1963 at the height of his success. The 32 parts play out key moments of Gould's life without stringing them together. They go from realistic (a scene in a Hamburg hotel in which Gould turns a maid on to the wonder of music) to nihilistic (a segment solely made up of the drugs Gould presumably took). Stratford actor Colm Feore is quite good as the slyly introverted, soft-spoken figure, although this film is more of an examination of loneliness than of music. The key question is, Does this docudrama enlighten us better than a straightforward documentary on Gould would? Probably not. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Eccentric Biopic For An Idiosyncratic Performer.......2007-06-16

Perhaps you are a Gould devotee or perhaps one with little patience for his many oddities or the cult-ish devotion showered upon his legacy. For either case this biopic tastefully illuminates some of his major obsessions and choices: the decision to stop performing in public, his self-important opinions on the role of the artist in society, his delirious love of music and the sharing of it...

This amalgam of short vignettes sidesteps the many trappings of cinematic film bios. Gould is never sentimentalized and the filmmakers never try to embellish or over-interpret the fact that Gould's personae was, an remains, a difficult nut to crack. The short films recreate significant moments in his life, interviews with associates, and more mundane events that nonetheless sparkle, such as one in which Gould prompts a housekeeper to listen and ultimately engage in this music. By the end you feel you know something more about him, yet you hardly know him, a truth many film bios feel an urge to manufacture their subject's motivations. Indeed, the lead actor is never shown playing the piano. More importantly, you feel Gould's connection to the music, and its infectiousness will make new fans of many who see this.

A different kind of biopic: the Gould variations.......2007-04-18

Usually most films with biographies of famous people have mostly the same structure: born, struggle, die - but this movie is different. It is obviously based on the Goldberg Variations, or, in this case, the GOULD variations. We see 32 different aspects of Gould's life: from his obsessions with medication to the way he was fascinated with conversations in a diner - that led to his audio documentaries. It is interesting, different storytelling. One of my favorite biopics!

A real treat.......2007-03-01

It is a shame this DVD is out of print. I have an old VHS which I've enjoyed immensely and would dearly love to get a fresh copy. The film offers a very unusual look at an unusual musician. Gould always was a bit of a recluse, with a lot of strange habits. Colm Feore does a wonderful job of capturing the great pianist and composer, famous for his interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Gould had an ear for a panoply of sounds as well as music, which is captured in the scenes of Gould listening into the talk swirling around him in a diner. The short films capture a wide range of moods, summing up as best as one can Glenn Gould's enigmatic life.

Not short enough.......2006-06-24

Based on my back-of-the-envelope calculations, this has 37 more short films about Glenn Gould than I'm willing to watch.

The film won awards because it should've. .......2006-02-07

Colm Feore is excellent as Glenn Gould, and there is the film. There are some wonderful musical interludes and visual interpretations, but Feore is the film.
Now, does the film cover every aspect of Glenn Gould's life? No. But what biographical film ever does? I've read a couple biographies, and some entertaining facets of Gould's life were missed. The characters he created and performed as weren't even mentioned but his wit and warmth as a human being were expounded upon by people who actually knew him--now that is valuable, seeing and hearing the people who were touched by that great pianist.

Average customer rating:

Hillarious!!
R&R Frankie wierdly satisfying
actually -100 stars
Rock n' Roll Frankie rocks!
A big disappointment

Rock & Roll Frankenstein
Starring: Tonio Descanvelle , Daniel Dresner , Kate Fallon , Barry Feterman , and Joan Gerardi
Manufacturer: E.I. Independent
ProductGroup: DVD
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Frankenstein '90

ASIN: B00006BS81
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Customer Reviews:

Hillarious!!.......2004-03-25

Every musician has dreamed of their dream band, but this movie takes it one step further, a fat, cigar smoking record exec wants the next great entertainer. So what to do? Dig up parts of dead musicians and put them together! With Jimi Hendrix's hands and Jim Morrison's penis how can you go wrong? Easily, accidently use Liberace's penis for your creation!

The funniest part is when 'Elvis' is having sex with a groupie. He actually puts a gay porn magazine on her back while doing her. This is the kind of humor we see here folks. I won't even get into the 'Death by hanging yourself with your own penis' climax.

PS -- Oh yeah how could I forget? The penis talks!!!!

R&R Frankie wierdly satisfying.......2004-02-22

Rock and Roll Frankenstein is not for the easily offended. That has to be said right from the start. But for the rest of us it offers a hardcore chance to laugh at those we know are easilly offended. This movie takes "over the top" over the top and it does it with panache. If you're as sick of pretend A-movie wanabe
shock value flicks as I am - you'll love this honest to goodness
B-movie slugfest. R&RF takes aim at all the sacred cows of our times and delivers the laughs while doing it. Why isn't this the ROCKY HORROR of the new millennium?! See for yourself.

actually -100 stars.......2004-01-03

Standard Shock-o-rama cinema BOREfest.The term cruel and unusual punishment do not even begin to describe the experience of having to sit through this "movie".

This movie is sooo unbelievably boring, that about half way through the film i just couldn't take it anymore and went to go wash dishes.. after that i just got back in time for the last 5 mnts. That was enough to make me want to burn the dvd (...). This movie is utterly stupid and not funny at all, although it seems like they makers were really trying desperately to be funny. Seriously, A Rose for Emily was a barrel of laughs compared to this crummy afterbirth excuse for a movie. I cant even believe people actually think this is funny. not funny, just painfully stupid.

shock-o-rama makes the worst movies, and r-n-r f proves it...

Rock n' Roll Frankie rocks!.......2003-07-16

A sensitive and heartfelt story of a monster and his uncooperative genitalia. A washed-up music agent needs a new star and his nebbishy nephew, Frankie Stein, has developed a rejuvenation process which can reanimate lifeless body parts. Together they scheme to create a superstar by assembling the remains of rock 'n' roll's dead elite. A burnt-out roadie with a knack for grave robbing, Iggy, is enlisted to acquire the legendary body parts. The plan proceeds smoothly until Iggy screws up big time - instead of pilfering Jim Morrison's genitalia he swipes Liberace's. After the "monster" is brought to life problems soon arise. Equipped with the head of Elvis and the love tool of Lee, a schizo relationship develops between the monster and his privates. And sure enough, people have to die!

A big disappointment.......2003-05-22

Rock & Roll Frankenstein sounds like it should be hilarious; once I read the plot summary, I just had to see the film. It's clearly a bad movie from the very start, yet it does have some funny moments - at first. The basic plot owes as much to Reanimator as it does to Frankenstein, as you have an outcast medical-type guy who has discovered a way to reanimate body parts and is anxious to see if he can give life to a human being composed of parts from different people. What makes this film so different is the fact that our medical wonderboy has an uncle in the music promotion business who really, really wants to create a new superstar. His master plan is to steal the best body parts from the greatest musicians of all time and reassemble them in one body. Thus, the monster has the head of Elvis, the hands of Jimi Hendrix, and other parts from legends such as Buddy Holly and Sid Vicious. The greedy uncle wants his star to be a big hit with the ladies, as well, so the final body part (and I think you can figure out what I'm referring to here) is to come from Jim Morrison; accidentally and most unfortunately, though, the final body part ends up coming from Liberace. This is where I began to sense really big trouble. When Liberace's special little body part started talking to the monster, Rock & Roll Frankenstein pretty much flat-lined as far as I was concerned, quickly turning into one long, extended dirty joke. There are a few killings thrown in along the way, but these are actually handled so distastefully as to be remarkably not funny. Once the plot went south, there was no hope of salvaging much of anything from the movie as a whole. The cast members, for their part, didn't help the cause. The uncle's role calls for nothing but foul language delivered very loudly, the monster is just a caricature of Elvis (one who looks nothing like him despite supposedly having his head), and the young medical genius (with a history of necrophilia) seemingly refuses to even try any degree of acting whatsoever. If you can listen to a dirty joke told over and over for hours on end, you might enjoy Rock & Roll Frankenstein. As for me, I find it unfortunate that a somewhat promising premise was basically abandoned halfway through the film, decry the fact that one highly controversial scene was included for no good reason whatsoever, and admit I found nothing of value and far too little humor in this movie to justify its strange existence.

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