A Killing Affair

Starring:Elizabeth Montgomery, O.J. Simpson, Rosalind Cash, John Mahon, Priscilla Pointer, Allan Rich, Charles Robinson, John P. Ryan, Dean Stockwell, Dolph Sweet, Todd Bridges, Fred Stuthman, John Steadman, Michael Durrell, Stephen Parr (II), Ed Knight, Michael J. London, Morgan Farley, Georgia Schmidt, Natalie Core
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Studio: Westlake
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Gorgeous movie
Mia Farrow sucks
THE GREAT GATUBY
Sam R-M's thoughts on the Gatsby film
Maura Lacey Period 8 Reveiw

The Great Gatsby
Starring: Robert Redford , Mia Farrow , Bruce Dern , Karen Black , and Scott Wilson
Director: Jack Clayton
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AUHQT
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Amazon.com

This adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, puts costume design and art direction above the intricacies of character. It's certainly a handsome try, and perhaps no movie could capture The Great Gatsby in its entirety. Robert Redford is an interesting casting choice as Gatsby, the millionaire isolated in his mansion, still dreaming of the woman he lost. And Sam Waterston is perfect as the narrator, Nick, who brings the dream girl Daisy Buchanan back to Gatsby. No, the problem seems to be that director Jack Clayton fell in love with the flapper dresses and the party scenes and the Jazz Age tunes, ending up with a Classics Illustrated version of a great book rather than a fresh, organic take on the text. While Redford grows more quietly intriguing in the film, Mia Farrow's pallid performance as Daisy leaves you wondering why Gatsby, or anyone else, should care so much about his grand passion. The effective supporting cast includes Bruce Dern as Daisy's husband, and Scott Wilson and Karen Black as the low-rent couple whose destinies cross the sun-drenched protagonists. (That's future star Patsy Kensit as Daisy's little daughter.) The film won two Oscars--not surprisingly, for costumes and musical score. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous movie.......2007-06-28

This movie was lovingly made, and it shows in every gorgeous scene. There are some slow moments, but it's a fine adaptation of one of the greatest novels of all time. Redford was made to play Jay Gatsby, the hopeless romantic, and Mia Farrow is picture-perfect as the fickle Daisy Fay Buchanan.

Mia Farrow sucks.......2007-06-27

While this version of the movie is truer to the novel than the PBS version, some of the Redford/Farrow scenes are hard to watch. My students like the newer version better because the acting is more credible and Mira Sorvino is a "hot" Daisy, but this is closer to the book. We need a third version of this movie with me as director.

THE GREAT GATUBY.......2007-06-12

It reached by even three though only one was ordered.
The order for the cancellation was disregarded.
It resents it very much.
It wants it according to returned goods.

Sam R-M's thoughts on the Gatsby film.......2007-05-29

This interpretation of The Great Gatsby portrayed my view of the setting and of Nick very well. The contrast between Gatsby's house and the Valley of the Ashes enlightened my picture of these places when I read about them. As for the characters, I thought Nick Carraway was performed brilliantly. He was the perfect contrast to self-absorbed high class society and portrayed Nick's sense of quiet akwardness. Tom Buchanan should have been a larger and more intimidating character. It said in the book that his muscles could be seen moving through his clothes and that when he walked into a room he filled the doorway, yet in this movie he appears to be too normally built for a football player. Daisy's character annoyed me, though this may have been done on purpose, and her scenes with Gatsby at his house when they are portrayed "in love" were so cheesy that I could not help but laugh. Overall, however, the movie is a great choice for anyone who is seeking a visual portrayal of The Great Gatsby because it follows the book fairly accurately, though I was not pleased with the absense of Owl Eyes in the film. Samuel Rodgers-Melnick Period 8

Maura Lacey Period 8 Reveiw.......2007-05-29

The movie version of the Great Gatsby was very similar to the book but better. The movie had alot of the same quotes as the book did and allowed you to get a visual representation of what was going on. My favorite character in the movie was definately Jordan Baker. She was most like the Jordan Baker I imagined when reading the book and was cast perfectly for the movie. She was showed how arrogant all of the people in their society were and definately broght the sense of how rich they were to the movie. Nick was cast good too and he proved to be a good actor. The movie is old but yet it seems as if you are watching a fairly new movie. The scenes at Gatsby's parties are very good and really bring out the feelings of the times. Overall, the movie is really worth seeing. It is definately a lot better than the book. If I were to change one thing, I would like to see mrytle be played by a different actress. Other than that though, it was excellent.

Average customer rating:

ROMP HOUSE
FEISTY FIFTIES FEMME FLAILS THRU FIFTY FOOT FREAKOUT!
One Star schlock = cult classic: It's so bad, it's good!!!!!
Loads of fun..
Don' t take it too seriously!

Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman
Starring: Allison Hayes , William Hudson , Yvette Vickers , Roy Gordon , and George Douglas
Director: Nathan Juran
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OHZJFK
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Description

Nancy Archer has had an alien encounter and it's left her 50 ft. tall! Now she sees the men in her life from a new angle--looking down on them--and it's time to fight back! Director: Nathan Juran Starring: Allison Hayes, Yvette Vickers, William Hudson

Customer Reviews:

ROMP HOUSE.......2007-07-04

You can see through her. She doesn't quite get to 50ft in some scenes, while in others she's taller than the title promises (a bonus there). On the cover she has auburn hair, on the back, she's a blond and in the film, its dark. She drinks too much, loves too hard, has too much money for her own good and always falls for the wrong man - she is the 50ft WOMAN and she is on the ATTACK, but only in the last few moments of the film... as for the rest... it's a tale of a woman hooked on sour mash and her man, who's looking for fresh grapes.

Love hurts. ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN is a cautionary tale of what happens when aliens meddle in romance and what path of destruction a 50ft woman will leave in her wake trying to right the wrongs done to her. It's a campy, well shot, well performed, sketchy effects cocktail that is sure to leave you calling for another round, but at a mere 66 mins, closing time comes too early for this classy little film. ATTACK is a lot of fun, and more serious than you first realize, and honestly seems like two different films grafted together, yet neither completes (or compliments) the other very well. But, you don't really notice it too much as the film hurtles along from one idea to the next until the end.

Commentary is included with Tom Weaver and Yvette Vickers (HONEY PARKER), and Yvette brings much of her experience both on ATTACK and on her acting career to the table, while Weaver brings a copy of her original script (with her handwritten notes), and some solid background information on the production - but, unlike other commentaries where Weaver is alone, he does not relate the full story, instead he interviews Vickers for information and insight. It's good, it's funny, and you do learn a lot, but I did miss the rapid fire delivery and depth of backstory that Weaver has brought to other commentaries.

ATTACK is a smart film. The title and suggestive, yet inaccurate, poster art may turn some people away, but for the brave, and for the fans, ATTACK is a must have, and no collection would be complete without it.

FEISTY FIFTIES FEMME FLAILS THRU FIFTY FOOT FREAKOUT!.......2007-06-13

Jeez, can't a guy spend an enjoyable evening quietly two-timing his wife in a seedy dive without her giant rubber hand smashing through the ceiling to stub out his worthless life like a stale cigarette? Well ... apparently not. At least, that is the disquieting possibility explored in Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman, a grade-Z sci-fi classic from the 50's. Brimming with bargain basement effects, cardboard characters, and cheese whiz dialog, it is completely wonderful in its awfulness - or awful in its wonderfulness, if you prefer. It's certainly a giant rubber hand slap across the kisser to anyone who thought that the Donna Reed decade was all about female conformance and passivity. Hah! This dreckathon gamely puts paid to those stereotypes, what with an oversized Allison Hayes, nursing an outsized anti-hubby grudge, ripping the roofs off Hicksville to exact a super-family-sized spousal payback. Yes, it's the battle of the sexes waged on a giant scale - or a fifty-foot scale, anyway. Make sure you see it with someone you love ... it's the perfect couples movie!

One Star schlock = cult classic: It's so bad, it's good!!!!!.......2007-05-02

Like a previous writer, I grew up in suburban New York (Darien, CT.) watching Chiller Theatre every Saturday night with my older brother: The Cyclops, Frankenstein's Daughter, The Hideous Sun Demon, Plan 9 from Outer Space and this classic, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

I love this film, because it represents a time when kids and teens were easier to please with regard to movies. I remember being facsinated by the giant alien - who looks like a bald gladiator, picking up the sheriff's car with his hand and throwing it down on the ground. For a five year old in 1961, that was scary. All those movies on Chiller Theatre (on WPIX Ch. 11, New York)were scary, and my brother and I always looked forward to watching these movies every Saturday night at 8:30-10:00.(Yes, I was allowed to stay awake until 10pm on Saturdays, just to watch Chiller Theatre.) You have to appreciate the 50's sci-fi mentality to enjoy this film. Special effects are cheesy, but then, who cares? This stuff s all about nostalgia and growing up in a simpler, more innocent time.

Loads of fun.........2007-04-26

Why is it that some movies that aren't that good fun to watch??Some hold up and some don't.I must admit,I love this movie,even though I expected to see what was on the poster,but maybe they didn't have the budget.First off,you have to ask one simple question:How does she fit in that house when she's big?? Are her arms and legs sticking out of the windows or what?The truth is that it doesn't matter.Just have fun with it and enjoy!I could see MST3K riffing on this and maybe you will,if you decide to purchase this.If not,don't take it seriously and enjoy it for what it is..Allison Hayes was a great B movie actress who died too young,so check out her other films,too,like THE UNDEAD or THE GUNSLINGER.Just to name a few..This is NOT serious sci-fi,but who cares?? It's a fun movie..check it out!

Don' t take it too seriously!.......2005-12-19

If you have nothing to do, the weather is rainy and cold and there is nothing to watch or even read in your home, come for this amazing and grotesque characterization. It is delirious portrait of fantastic humor, if I may use this term.

Average customer rating:

The Conversation
Sound and Fury
You need a lazy afternoon for this one
Over The Top Coppola Masterpiece
Better than the "Godfather"(sacrilege to some I know but true)

The Conversation
Starring: Phoebe Alexander , Timothy Carey , John Cazale , Harrison Ford , and Frederic Forrest
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00003CX9I
Release Date: 2000-12-12

Customer Reviews:

The Conversation.......2007-07-05

Made before he began work on "The Godfather II," Coppola's prescient, haunting drama is a brilliant character study set in a pungent atmosphere of paranoia and conspiracy. Hackman is the dark heart of the film, playing a profoundly solitary man tortured by guilt, complicity, and his own inability to trust anyone, including girlfriend Amy, sweetly played by Garr. Coppola's most artful film, "The Conversation" is dark, brooding, and mysterious, but absorbing nonetheless. Look for a young Harrison Ford in a key supporting role.

Sound and Fury.......2007-05-22

THE CONVERSATION (1974) does age well as a character study. Its technology seems dated, of course. Surveillance today I have no doubt would put that old reel to reel tape technology to shame, in the era of microchips and miniaturization. Coppola likes this little film, and he had trouble initially getting it produced. Only his success with THE GODFATHER allowed him the clout to twist a few arms. As a writer, influenced by Tennessee Williams, he wanted to take his small projects and make intimate films, not blockbusters. Isn't it odd that GODFATHER and APOCALYPSE NOW to this point stand as his cornerstone works, allowing him to do several other less successful smaller projects.

Coppola chose his brother-in-law, David Shire to compose the music for THE CONVERSATION, and his haunting single piano seemed to hit just the right emotional timbre; and then to make Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) a saxophone player, who sits solo at night and wails away, was a wonderful secondary touch. Caul was such a cold fish, such a secretive human being; it was fun to hear complete statements coming from him in the language of jazz. It is an interesting name, Caul, meaning veil or membrane over the face of a fetus; heavy symbolism. Coppola stated that he was heavily influenced by Antonioni's BLOW UP (1966), and he liked the idea that the director's camera was watching the surveillance expert as he "listened" to other characters; working in a mystery that was also homage to Hitchcock. He, like Antonioni, shot abstractly at his characters, through and around plastic a lot; smoked barriers, rippled windows, pebbled glass, and the incessant appearance of Caul's god awful clear plastic raincoat.

Robert Duvall did an uncredited cameo, and Frederic Forrest, John Cazale, and Teri Garr all did fine work as members of his repertory. Allen Garfield did a bang up job as the competing surveillance expert, Bernie Moran. Garr's sweet, yet sad, cloistered mistress cloys to our minds, in her white socks and short blond locks. A nice surprise was how good Harrison Ford really was in what could have been a non-descript walk on. Coppola was impressed with his inventiveness. Hackman found in Caul a character he could barely live with, and he had difficulty shedding it off camera. Still it stands as some of his best work

Haskell Wexler shot the big opening sequence in the park, with the whole surveillance team. Then he and Coppola had an "artistic difference of opinion", and he was replaced by Bill Butler who did a seamless job of the rest of the film. Coppola said he closed down the film four days early because he was so stressed out. The dream sequence with Caul and Cindy Williams in the park, midst all that fog, was supposed to be part of the actual ending of the film, but the fog machine got out of hand, and people complained, sending in the SF police to harass the team. Coppola was faced with providing us with a different ending, and he found a perfect one. Caul, at last succumbed to his personal paranoia, tearing up his apartment looking for the bug Moran used on him, and then sitting exhausted in the wreckage, blowing out his pain in jazz riffs on his sax. Coppola suggested later that the bug might have been in the saxophone strap itself.

You need a lazy afternoon for this one.......2007-04-26

The development, acting and plot progression is exceptional. In comparison with today's Big Brother thrillers, The Conversation appears to be a slow-moving flick. The viewer is gradually pulled inside the head of a burned-out spy who happens upon the conversation of a couple with bad intentions. His feeling of isolation becomes real to the viewer, and you begin your search with the same information with which our spy is equipped. His paranoia and desperation are well portrayed. Getting past the dragging introduction, a viewer can involve himself in the quest of the spy to solve the mystery. Not an exciting film for group enjoyment, yet quality is undeniable.

Over The Top Coppola Masterpiece.......2007-04-25

This is without a doubt one of the greatest personally insightful films that delves into the ambience of eavesdropping and mystery. I beg and incourage anyone who finds this film even remotely captivating to purchase this film.Yes, it doesn't contain action, but it proves that a film doesn't require action in order to be spectacular and mesmerizing.And I can't say that the premise sounds interesting but please believe me that there is more than meets the eye.

In this film Gene Hackman (perhaps his greatest performance) plays a preeminant reclusive eavesdropper hired by the great Robert Duvall to eavesdrop on his wife played by Cindy Williams prior to Lovern and Shirley.That's just a superficial synopsis of this classic.The film also stars Harrison Ford, John Cazale who played Frado in the Godfather. Coppola brilliantly weaves mystery, isolation, loneliness, and conspiracy into this unique picture.

So please do yourself a favor and watch this film instead of the rubbish that is being made these days. You won't regret it.

Better than the "Godfather"(sacrilege to some I know but true).......2007-03-29

Yes I said it and I'm glad i said it,I love the "Godfather" and it is one of the best movies ever made but this is one rung above it. Now that I've mad everyone mad < let me tell you why I love it this much.
Gene Hackman HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER THAN HE IS HERE. His Harry Caul is a man defined by his work only. He has no real life of his own, he just spies on real lives for his own gain. He just does a job, it's the people who hire him who are responsible for what is done with the knowledge he gives them. All of this changes on his latest job, as he begins to suspect that the young couple he is asked to tape is being set up to be killed. From the first shot to the last heartbreaking, but logical shot Hackman owns this spellbinding movie about paranoia and personal liberties being taken from you. It more than holds up today,even if the technology is now dated. There is no wild car chase or big bangs here only food for thought tied to a very downbeat but fantastic script. Mr. Coppola has outdone himself here and the film is his masterpiece in my eyes. Not one false note or scene in this one,as close to prefect as a movie gets. YOU WILL NEVER FORGET IT ONCE YOU SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

EVES BAYOU
Under-recognized
More Dis-unity
Love this movie!
"I need to be a hero."

Eve's Bayou
Starring: Jurnee Smollett , Meagan Good , Samuel L. Jackson , Lynn Whitfield , and Debbi Morgan
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 1573623768
Release Date: 1998-03-25

Amazon.com

Actress Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve's Bayou begins with ominous narration: "The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth. Barely seen during its theatrical release, this lushly photographed film deserves to be rediscovered on digital video disc. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

EVES BAYOU.......2007-05-21

This is a wonderful story set in beautiful New Orleans, that showcases young Jurnee Smollett and a host of other seasoned actors . The story is at times funny and heartbreaking tale about a young girl who discovers her father is just a man with faults and vices like any other man. Played by Sam Jackson Her Dr. father is having multiple affairs with his female patients. After her older sister accuses him of molesting her, The youngest daughter seeks help from the local voodoo practitioner(PLayed by the wonderful Diahnne Carroll) to get revenge for what she believes is the ultimate betrayal. There is also an aunt who is clarivoyant who seems to be doomed to lose her husbands in violent ways. I wont tell any more of the story except to say that once you have seen it you will watch it over and over again its a classic .

Under-recognized.......2007-02-28

Most quality films these days are the ones that fly under the "Hollywood Radar." And "Eve's Bayou" is one of them. Wonderful ensemble cast, beautiful setting and a troubling and intriguing storyline makes this one of the best I have seen in the past decade. Debbie Morgan's performance was outstanding and Jurnee Smollet had great depth for someone so young as she was at that time. All in all, a great film.

More Dis-unity.......2007-02-16

Another tired story about the Blackman as the horrible villian and the Blackwoman as the innocent victim...And we wonder why our community has so many problems..Maybe it's because of attitudes that are based on fantasy like this film and some other films..."Color Purple" , "For Colored Girls...." etc. We need to stop the finger pointing a realize that liberation can only occur if we "work together"...That means Blackmen and Blackwomen...

Love this movie!.......2007-01-12

Eve's Bayou is one of my all time favorite movies. The entire cast is excellent! This is a must see.

"I need to be a hero.".......2006-05-22

As this wonderful movie opens, we enter the world of Eve's Bayou, the Louisiana home of ten-year old Eve (Jurnee Smollett) and her charming, philandering father Louis (Samuel L. Jackson), her glamorous and superstitious mother, her psychic aunt (Debbi Turner), and her big sister who idolizes Daddy as much as Eve does. The narrator's opening line concerns a murder, and we wait for this terrible event to occur.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It drew me in and held me spellbound, with it's believable story and likeable characters. We really get to know and care about Eve's family and all their secrets. The actors are uniformly excellent, especially the young star, Jurnee Smollett. The director succeeds by constantly reminding us of the picturesque bayou setting and its unique community. As the story got closer and closer to the inevitable tragedy, I was almost holding my breath. It's an intense story about real, multi-layered people. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Deluxe Edition Delivers
FANTASTIC! Gets better each time I watch it...
Amazing film!
Neo Noir South Florida
the vamp & the weak

Body Heat (Deluxe Edition)
Starring: William Hurt , Kathleen Turner , Richard Crenna , Ted Danson , and J.A. Preston
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HC2LHG
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Amazon.com essential video

While scoring high-profile credits as a screenwriter (including The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark), Lawrence Kasdan made his directorial debut with this steamy, contemporary film noir in the tradition of Double Indemnity and other classics from the 1940s. In one of his most memorable roles, William Hurt plays a Florida lawyer unwittingly drawn into a web of deceit spun by Kathleen Turner (in her screen debut) as a married socialite who plots to kill off her husband with Hurt's assistance. Kasdan's dialogue is a hoot (sometimes it borders on satire), and the sultry atmosphere is a perfect complement to the perspiration-soaked chemistry between Hurt and Turner, whose love scenes caused quite a stir when the film was released in 1981. John Barry's score sets the provocative mood, and both Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke are splendid in memorable supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon

Description

William Hurt and Kathleen Turner strike sparks in Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat, a sexy, haunting tale of desire and skullduggery that echoes 1940s film noirs but is charged with an energy and passion that could only flare in the '80s. Aided by a sultry John Barry score, Kasdan's assured directorial debut foreshadowed the emotional textures he would bring to later films The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist and Grand Canyon. Sit back and bask in this contemporary classic's wicked warmth.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes
Featurette:Body Heat: The Plan Body Heat: The Production Body Heat: The Post-Prodution
Interviews:1981 Interview Footage with Kathleen Turner and William Hurt
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Deluxe Edition Delivers.......2007-05-27

Body Heat is one of my all time favorite movies. I am a big fan of film-noir, of which Body Heat was a modern exemplar as well as an example of a time when adults made movies for other adults.

Since other reviews amply explain the plot, I will restrict my comments to the DVD. I do want to say that part of the magic of this movie is the pitch-perfect casting from William Hurt as the over-matched, incompetent lawyer, to the gorgeous and sensual Kathleen Turner as his femme fatale, to even those acting in smaller roles such as the Ted Danson as the dancing DA and Mickey Rourke as an expert arsonist for hire. There is not a bad casting decision here, nor a wasted scene.

The Deluxe Edition DVD provides several worthwhile extras. Most notably, interviews with Kasdan, Hurt, Turner, and Danson shot recently, provide a great deal of insight into the intent of the movie, how the actors were selected, why the movie was shot in Florida instead of New Jersey as originally planned, and some of the obstacles that had to be overcome (the cold weather!, Alan Ladd's objection to Hurt's mustache, Turner's shyness about filming nude during the sex scenes, and so on). Most interesting to me was the explanation of what Maddy Walker (the Turner character) was feeling at the end of the movie in the final scene. The movie always seemed ambiguous to me with respect to whether she really cared for Racine or not. The documentary provides some insight from Kasdan's and the actor's perspectives.

The axed scenes are also of interest. I almost always agree with the decision to exclude scenes when I have seen them on DVDs and this is no exception. However, it is interesting to see how the story was originally planned and that there was actually a failed attempt to murder Maddy's husband prior to the successful attempt. It is also nice to see Turner in a sexy stewardess outfit (in the movie the Racine character has a thing for women in uniforms).

The sensuality of John Barry's wonderful jazzy score can not be emphasized enough. The score is, as Kasdan remarks, a character in the movie.

In short, the Deluxe Edition is worth the extra few dollars over the regular edition for any Body Heat fan. Would that they made movies like this today!

FANTASTIC! Gets better each time I watch it..........2007-05-22

I bought this after seeing it on cable and being reminded of what a good film it was.

On the off chance you are looking at this review and haven't seen it, William Hurt is a small town lawyer seduced by a local femme fatale, Kathleen Turner, and he gets in over his head in doing her bidding. His best friend, a assistant district attorney, played by Ted Danson, is in the unenviable position of having to investigate his friend. The drama and plot twists unwind from there...

I have now watched it several times, and I actually think it gets better each time you watch it, because you start noticing small details about the scenes and plot that you might have originally missed...this film has aged beautifully. Amazing ambience and Hurt,Turner, Mickey Rourke (back when he was cool), Danson, and the other supporting actors are great.

I bought this exact DVD off Amazon, so I can speak about the extras. This specific DVD includes some scenes that were cut--including one scene involving a first murder attempt on Richard Crenna that failed. The other extras included some interviews in Europe that took place in 1981 with Turner and Hurt. The next set of extras is discussions with the actors today about the making of the film--interesting to see how they have aged. Lawrence Kasdan, the director, is also interviewed. There's a LOT of interesting information about how it was filmed (it was cold, not hot when they shot the movie!), some artistic choices that were made, etc. I actually thought, for once, that the extras were valuable, because I had never seen film noir, and the extras really emphasize the point that Kasdan was going for a sexy recreation of old film noir like the Asphalt Jungle. Never seen those, but if they are as good as Body Heat, I will go rent...

Amazing film!.......2007-02-21

This film is definitely not given the credit that it is due. It is spicy and enticing all the way through. As a student of the law I can definitely relate the everything that occurs in this film. The main characters are full of plotting, schemes, and deceit. This movie teaches a great lesson for life, showing what can happen when you are not careful, let your guard down, and get too entrapped in physical relationships. This movie is highly recommended. You will love it!

Neo Noir South Florida.......2007-01-04

I continue to go back to certain movies. This is one that gets better with each viewing.
William Hurt and Kathleen Turner provide the melting point, but the supporting cast is entirely up to the needed level to make this one of the best dark thrillers of the past 25 years. Ted Danson is particularly good in his turn as prosecutor, while the late Richard Crenna turns in a creditable performance as the money machine that ignites the fires of greed. J.A. Preston is terrific as the police investigator who follows, or is he led?, the trail of the crime.
Moody, dark and intricate, with everything working, this is one of my favorites.

the vamp & the weak.......2006-12-01

"You wanna hear something wild?...". No doubt about it: best erotic thriller ever. Story and characters totally pull the viewer into a world of crime, greed and blind passion. Superb music score by John Barry. South Florida's money and temptation at its best.

Average customer rating:

murder at 1600
review for Murder at 1600
Great Political Thriller
Great Movie of Murder at 1600
More of Diane Lane please...

Murder at 1600
Starring: Wesley Snipes , Diane Lane , Daniel Benzali , Dennis Miller , and Alan Alda
Director: Dwight H. Little
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Absolute Power
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ASIN: 0790732149
Release Date: 1997-08-06

Amazon.com

There were two movies about murder and the U.S. presidency released in 1997, and when you compare it to Absolute Power, this one is clearly the lesser of the two. That doesn't mean it's a bad movie, but it does make it a mildly disappointing one, and it illustrates the hazards of crafting a film to fit the persona of its leading man. In this case, you've got Wesley Snipes, a young, savvy man of action, playing a Washington, D.C., police detective assigned to investigate the murder of a woman in the White House. The president's son is a prime suspect, but there's a cover-up underway that forces Snipes to intensify his investigation beyond normal parameters. For a while at least, this makes Murder at 1600 a sharp and interesting film, and while the national security advisor (Alan Alda) seems highly cooperative (but don't be so sure), Snipes meets a secret service member (Diane Lane) who shares his belief in a high-level conspiracy. Unfortunately, that's when the film takes a downward plunge, resorting to a series of thriller clichés including an unlikely chase through secret tunnels beneath the White House. We're not suggesting this couldn't happen, but it's the kind of thing you typically see in movies that have run out of original ideas before they're over. Kinda makes you want to watch Absolute Power again, doesn't it? --Jeff Shannon

Description

Wesley Snipes plays a Washington, D.C., homicide detective who is called in to investigate a murder in the White House and becomes embroiled in a top-level cover-up plot.

DVD Features:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

murder at 1600.......2007-01-09

I'am a big wesley snipes fan, have about all his movies. If you like try to figure out who done it, then this movie for you

review for Murder at 1600.......2006-07-15

This movie was actually a gift for my father. He really liked it a lot, and said he would watch it over and over again.

Great Political Thriller.......2006-05-27

Snipes and Lane make a great team in the high pressured thriller that has more then just "who done it?" riding on the line. In what I think is his best role, Wesley Snipes plays a tough, hard nosed cop who is sent to investigate a murder in the White House. With no one on his side and the government covering all the bases, Snipes turns to Diane Lane, at best his only hope for solving this crime. Together, they uncover clues and cover-ups in crime that goes deeper then just a simple murder. A gripping movie you will not soon grow tired of, "Murder at 1600" is must own for any fans of thriller/action movies.

Great Movie of Murder at 1600.......2006-04-09

I really liked this movie. I like the way Wesley Snipes played the detective and dug till he found out the murder. What I thought was great was - who was the real person who did the murder. The movie keeps you suspense till the end. You will be very suprized to see who it is. I am not telling- sorry. I liked the whole action and drama of the movie. It was action, suspense, and total fun. It is worth every penny and cent. IT was fun and totally a movie to own. Go buy it.

More of Diane Lane please..........2006-03-06

Murder at 1600, brings to the screen the story of a D.C. detective as he tries to solve the mystery surrounding the murder of a young woman found dead within the White House. What he encounters though, might be more than he bargained for...
Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane (who is GORGEOUS!), Alan Alda, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows, allowing for a highly entertaining movie.
It's too bad we don't see "more" of Diane Lane, even though she is quite "gifted..."
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all very good.
In short, though not a masterpiece it is definitely a movie worth watching, as it will surely provide for an evening's entertainment.

Average customer rating:

Great Sequel
As Good As It Gets
Not Better Than Chinatown, But What Is?
Can murder or suicide ever be truly altruistic?
A worthy sequel to CHINATOWN...

The Two Jakes
Starring: Rubén Blades , Rebecca Broussard , Paul A. DiCocco Jr. , Richard Farnsworth , and Frederic Forrest
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Chinatown
L.A. Confidential
Prizzi's Honor
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Five Easy Pieces

ASIN: B000022TTF
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Amazon.com

Set more than a decade after the story in Chinatown, this 1990 sequel brings Jack Nicholson back to the screen as L.A. private detective Jake Gittes. Older, fatter, worn, and frustrated, the Jake of 1948 is still haunted by the tragic events of the earlier film. While investigating a case involving adultery and questionable land dealings by an L.A. tycoon (Harvey Keitel as the other Jake), Gittes unexpectedly confronts a few old ghosts and discovers that the resource of choice in Southern California--one for which people die--is no longer water but oil. The film had a notorious production history, with Nicholson taking over the project from writer-director Robert Towne, and the dense plot can be difficult to follow. But if The Two Jakes doesn't measure up to the legendary status of its stylish predecessor, the film does satisfy on its own terms and brings the events of Chinatown to a moving conclusion. Terrific work by Keitel and supporting players Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Eli Wallach, and Ruben Blades. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Great Sequel.......2006-11-12

Nicholson is as cool as ever in this sequel to Chinatown. Great film noir style.

As Good As It Gets.......2006-10-04

Usually sequels are not as good as the original films they follow...one need only think of,say"Jaws"to get this point..But with "The Two Jakes"the sequel to"Chinatown"the sequel is every bit as good as the original...The film follows the main charecter from "Chinatown",detective Jake Gittes,who has a new and disturbing case that has threads reaching back into time and inter-connecting with the original plotline..Many of the stars from the original reprise thier roles,most notably Jack Nicholson,who also directed..At the time of its original theatrical release the critics were not kind to the film,or to the director/star...Perhaps this was to have been expected,inasmuchas "Chinatown"ranks high on the list of"Best ever"films..
on the other hand most professional film critics are not only herd animals,who too often follow one another's lead like dogs sniffing each other's rear ends but have little regard for what the public thinks..if one or two"Famous"critics get a bug up thier backsides about a film it is a sure bet that the rest,afraid of being contrary,.will follow suit..also,having to sit through films of all sorts make these people jaded...they expect novelty,and are disappointed by stories,direction,acting,ect that the rest of us find quite entertaining...And most professional critics seem to find the most obscure,often foreign films to be spectacular,while most normal people do not,as if cutting edge films about,say,three men who have hernias and like bowling together on friday nights offers the very zenith of acting and film-making achievement...
So forget what the professional critics might have thought about"The Two Jakes",it was a dandy film...You won't be disappointed...

Not Better Than Chinatown, But What Is?.......2006-07-22

"The Two Jakes" is the sequel to "Chinatown." Chinatown is one of my favorite films, it's number 19 on AFI's Top 100, it won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Robert Towne. A sequel didn't seem necessary, and it's not, but this somehow managed to work. This movie has the formula for a bad sequel; different plot, different actors, different director. Well, not different actor's...Only one character returns from Chinatown, the plot is semi-related, and Jack Nicholson is the director. He's not bad either. The script is by Robert Towne, which is even more surprising. I can't believe he would be inspired to write a sequel. The Two Jakes was made 16 years after Chinatown (in 1990) and it does take place a significant amount of years later; But Jack is still Jake. Nicholson returns as Jake Gittes, our protagonist who walked away from a death at the end of Chinatown. The events from that movie still plague him, but he still does what he does best...He's a private investigator and frequently investigates what got him caught up in all the trouble from the first movie...Marital infidelity. Gittes is investigating whether Jake Berman's (Harvey Keitel) wife is cheating on him, and she is. When Gittes schedules the confrontation, Jake (the Keitel one) shoots his wife's lover...Who also happens to be his business partner. Now Jake (the Nicholson one) is caught up in another conspiracy, which might be directly linked to his past. If you haven't seen Chinatown, don't see The Two Jakes.
There are a few references to the first film in here which people who haven't seen the first one won't get. The Two Jakes is entertaining, smart, occasionally exciting, and this is just one of those character's that Nicholson was born to play. Problem is, it drags in places (and it's 7 minutes longer than Chinatown at 138 minutes). As far as sequels go, however, this is a real winner. If you liked (or loved) Chinatown, then you should check this out...But it's definitely not required watching.

GRADE: B+

Can murder or suicide ever be truly altruistic?.......2006-06-30

This is the kid sister of Chinatown. She is not as clever or as pretty as her elder, but she raises the same question: Why do we go to Jack Nicholson movies anyway? There are many allusions to Chinatown and lots of characters to figure out how they fit in. Be careful and don't take it any more seriously than it takes itself and it is reasonably amusing.

A worthy sequel to CHINATOWN..........2006-03-20

As I recall, this movie was originally shunned upon it's theatrical release in 1990. It was an ambitious sequel to one of the milestone films of the 70's that went through a troubled production and studio turnaround through years. Yet star/ director Jack Nicholson slips comfortably back into JJ Gittes territory and creates a damned fine film with as much mindbending twists as featured in CHINATOWN. Though maybe not as amazing as that film, THE TWO JAKES is still worthwhile in its own right and features a terrific cast: Harvey Keitel, Madeliene Stowe, and the late, great Richard Farnsworth. As usual, Paramount has given us an anemic and strange DVD (the thatrical trailer is included, letterboxed to 2.35:1 even though the film itself is 1.85:1???) and due to the film's poor box-office showing it will probably never see a better release, even though it deserves one.

Average customer rating:

Great coming of age classic
Who knew George Hamilton could act?
HOME FROM THE HILL - A TREASURE OF A MOVIE
Home from the Hill
Can the run time really be only 90 minutes?

Home from the Hill
Starring: Robert Mitchum , Eleanor Parker , George Peppard , George Hamilton , and Everett Sloane
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000JLTR9A
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Amazon.com

Home from the Hill is among the underrated titles in the careers of Robert Mitchum and Vincente Minnelli, two disparate talents who create a potent familial saga here. The setting is East Texas, where Mitchum's philandering patriarch rules the local area. His wife (Eleanor Parker) has raised their son (George Hamilton) as a momma's boy, the kind of soft kid who gets bamboozled into going on a "snipe hunt" with the pranking locals. His opposite number is a manly farmhand (George Peppard) with his own bond with Mitchum. Southern melodrama thrives in such a setting, and the film doesn't avoid all the traps, but Minnelli suffuses the movie with the same emotional effects of color and movement that he brought to his direction of musicals. Minnelli's sensitivity and Mitchum's strength carry the movie, but the secret weapon is the unexpectedly good work from the two Georges, both of whom were at the beginning of their careers. (You can see from this film that Peppard is a dead-cert to become a major movie star, which he almost did--but then didn't, for a variety of reasons.) The film was shot on location around Paris, Texas, and although this is far from Minnelli's An American in Paris, the exciting hunting sequences are solid proof that you can't pigeonhole a talented director. You can't pigeonhole Mitchum, either, and this is one of his best roles. --Robert Horton

Description

Un portrait de famille Ã lâ€™intensitÃ© dramatique incomparable Dans lâ€™un de ses plus beaux rÃ´les, Robert Mitchum interprÃ¨te le Â« Capitaine Â» Wade Hunnicutt, un influent chef de famille dont la passion commune pour la chasse et les femmes aura des consÃ©quences dramatiques pour toute sa famille. Adaptation du roman best seller de William Humphrey, cette grande saga se focalise sur une riche famille dâ€™une petite ville du Texas : le mari bourru et coureur de jupons (Mitchum) ; sa femme amÃ¨re et distante (Eleanor Parker) ; le fils faible et introverti, Theron (George Hamilton) ; le viril fils illÃ©gitime de Hunnicutt, Rafe (George Peppard) ; et la femme magnifique (Luna Patten) dont les deux garÃ§ons sont amoureux. Quand la jeune et influenÃ§able Theron apprend lâ€™inavouable vÃ©ritÃ© sur son pÃ¨re, les sentiments refoulÃ©s de la famille explosent, dÃ©clenchant un cercle vicieux qui conduira Ã lâ€™apogÃ©e dramatique du film. SaluÃ© par la critique, Celui par Qui le Scandale Arrive bÃ©nÃ©ficie de la rÃ©alisation impeccable de Vincente Minnelli et des performances mÃ©morables de jeunes acteurs comme George Hamilton et George Peppard qui font leurs premiers pas sur grand Ã©cran.

Customer Reviews:

Great coming of age classic.......2007-05-07

Robert Mitchum at his finest as a "Man's Man." The tangled web of this Vincent Minnelli classic is the conflicts and camaraderie between the three main characters which have two early career George's (Peppard and Hamilton)showing their future success. This film details a way of life which is rarely seen today but takes the viewer to a simpler is not politically correct time in America.

Who knew George Hamilton could act?.......2007-03-20

Guess I saw an article about Robert Mitchum in the paper the other day because I find myself with like five of his movies checked out from our library and waiting on top of the tube to be enjoyed. "Home from the HIll" was first.

Anyway,it started a little slowly, but quickly developed into a very moving film where you really cared about the characters and what happened to them-rapscallion father (Mitchum), mother (later Maria's adversary in "The Sound of Music"), son Theron (Hamilton) and--ahem--bastard son Rafe (an unrecognizable but most excellent George Peppard)--all do superb jobs of acting. The ending went an entirely different direction than I expected (an added bonus!!!)and left me satisfied and contemplative.

HOME FROM THE HILL - A TREASURE OF A MOVIE.......2007-03-09

Home from the Hill is a story of how one secret can ruin your life and the lives of everyone whom it touches. The lead roles are wonderfully acted by Robert Mitchum and Eleanor Parker. Robert Mitchum has two sons,one played by George Peppard is illegitimate and the other played by George Hamilton is the naive son from his marriage. The story could have been a complete tragedy but kindness for the most unexpected person can sometimes be what is needed to turn the wrongs in life to rights. Beautifully filmed and beautifully acted, Home from the Hill is a treasure not to be missed.

Home from the Hill.......2007-03-08

This is Mitchum at his best...great opportunity to see him...a young George Peppard and George Hamilton....Elenor Parker does a great job of playing the revengeful wife. Unfortunately both her and Mitchum resolve their issues with each other too late.

Can the run time really be only 90 minutes?.......2007-01-05

I'm hoping that the run time listed with the DVD specs is wrong. The movie is supposed to be 150 min long. If someone edited this down to 90 minutes it will be an atrocity. If this is really the case the DVD will not sell.

Average customer rating:

Adam"s Rib is kicked in the Ribs!
Recommended for mature audiences only...
Definitive Tracy-Hepburn Vehicle Dates a Bit with Polemics But Remains a Comedy Classic
One of the best
In a word, delightful

Adam's Rib
Starring: Spencer Tracy , Katharine Hepburn , Judy Holliday , Tom Ewell , and David Wayne
Director: George Cukor
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Woman of the Year
Desk Set
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Pat and Mike

ASIN: B00004TJOD
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com essential video

There are two great husband-wife teams (one on-screen, the other off) involved in this classic 1949 comedy. Not only do Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy throw comedic sparks as a married team of lawyers on opposing sides of a high-profile case, but their exquisite verbal jousting was scripted by the outstanding team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon. Leading all of this stellar talent was director George Cukor at the prime of his career. The result is one of Hollywood's greatest comedy classics, still packing a punch with its sophisticated gender politics. Arguably the best of the Tracy-Hepburn vehicles, Adam's Rib shows the stars at their finest in roles that not only made their off-screen love so entertainingly obvious, but also defined their timeless screen personas--she the intelligent, savvy, rebellious woman ahead of her time, he the easygoing but obstinate modern man who can't help but love her. Screen teams don't get any better than this. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Adam"s Rib is kicked in the Ribs!.......2007-01-05

I was disappointed with the colorized version of this film the processing is horrible! I bought it curious what it would look like in color! Believe me the b/w version is the winner! But to give a compliment deserved the audio quality is superb. Do yourself a favor if you want to own this Tracy/Hepburn comedy gem buy the b/w version on vhs not the colorized version on vhs you won't be disappointed that's a fact!

Recommended for mature audiences only..........2006-12-30

What can one say? It's like the original film of The Producers: perfect yet better with each viewing. The complexity & depth of the two main characters,(to say nothing of the amazing spontaneity of the performers), Adam & Amanda has been rarely matched on film, perhaps more readily on stage, mostly in Shakespearean works, but it's all the extras that makes this film soar, the sublime mirrored performances of wife & mistress by Judy Holiday & Jean Hagen (the original Billie Dawn & her understudy in the Broadway version of another Garson Kanin classic, Born Yesterday), the hilarious courtroom scenes & finally (but not definitively) the unforgettable scene with the gun...ummmm, licorish.
Gawd this is a fabulous movie!

Definitive Tracy-Hepburn Vehicle Dates a Bit with Polemics But Remains a Comedy Classic.......2006-10-27

Seven years into their screen partnership, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made what is arguably their best effort together, the sixth of nine movies they made together. The zingy repartee and old-shoe comfort in their relationship are in full bloom in this 1949 comedy classic directed by George Cukor. Written by the legendary husband and wife writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, the plot focuses on a headline-grabbing court case involving Doris Attinger, a dim-witted wife who shoots her philandering husband Warren just as he is caught with his blowsy mistress Beryl Caighn. Representing the wounded husband is Assistant DA Adam Bonner who is looking for a quick conviction of the wife. However, his proto-feminist attorney wife Amanda sees the alleged crime as an act of justifiable defiance and decides to defend the wife.

This potentially tense set-up leads to a trial where Amanda sets out to prove that a double standard exists for women and that Doris was merely defending her family and home. Adam, however, believes that the law is the law no matter the gender of those involved and that a murder was indeed attempted. Consequently, the story is not so much about Adam's inherent sexism as it is about Amanda's single-minded determination to prove her point even as the case degrades into a media sideshow. Over half a century later, Amanda's arguments sound rather dated, one-note and frankly ill-conceived with many of her lines simply polemics. At the same time, Hepburn plays such a convincing litigator that her case actually sounds persuasive at times. Tracy is also in top form as he brings his unique combination of sympathy and combustible bluster to a man who respects his wife deeply but becomes increasingly disillusioned with her unlawful stance.

Together, they banter terrifically throughout, but it's in the domestic scenes, for instance, the home movie of their Connecticut farm and the late night meal preparation, where you feel their natural chemistry the most. As Doris, Judy Holliday delivers in her first significant screen role, bringing a deeper pathos to the scorned wife than you would expect. Several years away from "The Seven Year Itch", Tom Ewell plays Warren for the smarmy, sexist cheater that he is, while Jean Hagen expertly plays Beryl as a media-hungry floozy. As the Bonners' next door neighbor Kip, David Wayne acts rather fey for someone who supposedly wants to run away with Amanda, but I suppose the approach was intentional to ensure nothing would really threaten the Bonner marriage except the case. However dated some of the sexual politics feel, the film is still one of the most smartly played of romantic comedies. Unfortunately the 2000 DVD has no extras.

One of the best.......2006-09-06

One of the best Tracy-Hepburn films, though I liked Desk Set a little bit better. Still it's a marvelous film, with a great supporting cast including Judy Holliday and Tom Ewell. whose marriage sounds more like a boxing match than a marriage. David Wayne is the obnoxious next door neighbor who keeps playing a song he wrote about Hepburn which irritates Tracy, no end. Story is about two married lawyers one the defense attorney, the other the prosecutor. Hepburn is defending Judy Holliday for shooting her unfaithful husband, and Tracy is prosecuting her for shooting him. The result is that their marraige begins to take on the same issues of the people they're defending. Fun from beginning to end!

In a word, delightful.......2005-12-29

I am, unfortunately, not as well versed in Spenser Tracy as I am in Katherine Hepburn, but I'm guessing I can say with some conviction that these roles were perfect for the two of them. What I can say with full knowledge is that Katherine Hepburn was perfect for this role, playing the same sort of independent woman she herself tended to be from time to time.

This is a richly written movie about a married couple, Adam and Amanda, who are both lawyers and who are both working on the same case... opposing each other. A woman shot at her uncaring, unsympathetic husband. Adam claims that it's necessary to bring her to the attention of the law. Amanda claims that she won't be given fair treatment as a woman. A battle of the sexes ensues.

The best part of this movie is showing this rather adoring and loving couple as they go through the day to day stresses of their jobs and yet try to maintain a home life at the same time. However, that's just the first element, as of course the stresses of facing each other has to be taken into account. Indeed it's hard to say quite for sure where the movie's going to go, but once it's ended it seems like it couldn't have been presented in any other way.

George Cukor does a brillaint job with directing it. I particularly like how he often sets the camera in a room and lets the characters weave in and out of the area in a way that evenly presents both the disconnect and the miscommunication of the couple from both perspectives. This movie is brilliant in that it is capable of maintaining two (or more) points of view entirely at the same time.

All in all, a very good movie, one of those that makes one nostalgic for the warmth and compassion often felt in older movies. Considering Tracy and Hepburn's relationship, it's interesting to think how this movie might have affected (or reflected) the conversations they might have had.

--PolarisDiB

Average customer rating:

Please enter a title for your review
Good.
Unbelievable!
First outing for the Coens is an outstanding 80's film noir thriller
A stylish film noir...

Blood Simple (Director's Cut)
Starring: John Getz , Frances McDormand , Dan Hedaya , M. Emmet Walsh , and Samm-Art Williams
Director: Joel Coen , and Ethan Coen
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005LC4P
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com essential video

The debut film of director Joel Coen and his brother-producer Ethan Coen, 1983's Blood Simple is grisly comic noir that marries the feverish toughness of pulp thrillers with the ghoulishness of even pulpier horror. (Imagine the novels of Jim Thompson somehow fused with the comic tabloid Weird Tales, and you get the idea.) The story concerns a Texas bar owner (Dan Hedaya) who hires a seedy private detective (M. Emmett Walsh) to follow his cheating wife (Frances McDormand in her first film appearance), and then kill her and her lover (John Getz). The gumshoe turns the tables on his client, and suddenly a bad situation gets much, much worse, with some violent goings-on that are as elemental as they are shocking. (A scene in which a character who has been buried alive suddenly emerges from his own grave instantly becomes an archetypal nightmare.) Shot by Barry Sonnenfeld before he became an A-list director in Hollywood, Blood Simple established the hyperreal look and feel of the Coens' p