The Art of Murder

Starring:Michael Moriarty, Joanna Pacula, Boyd Kestner, Peter Onorati, Nathaniel DeVeaux, Kathryn Anderson, Betty Linde, Mark Brandon, Thomas Miller (VIII), Jaclynn Grad, John Nelson, John Tierney, Kim Stern, Frank Gorshin
Director: Ruben Preuss
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

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Battle Royale Directors Cut
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara , Aki Maeda , Taro Yamamoto , Chiaki Kuriyama , and Takashi Tsukamoto
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Manufacturer: Toei
ProductGroup: DVD
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Battle Royale

ASIN: B000F4LPJ6
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Amazon.com

With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence, it's only fitting that Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale is being touted as a Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese schoolchildren, whose bad behavior provides a justification for the "punishments" that will ensue. Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ("Beat" Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate: after an impartial lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the "Battle Royale." Their only chance of survival is through the death of all their classmates.

Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities' desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. Whether you consider the film an important social commentary or simply watch it for the adrenaline-fueled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. --Nikki Disney

Album Description

With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence it's only fitting that Kenta Fukasaku's Battle Royale is being touted as A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese school kids, whose bad behavior provides a justification for the 'punishments' which will ensue. To be honest, anyone who has grown up with Grange Hill will view these aggressive teenagers' acts as pretty moderate, but in the context of Japanese culture, their lack of respect is a challenge to the traditional values of respecting ones elders. Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ('Beat' Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate, after an impartial lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the 'Battle Royale'. Their only chance of survival in the 'Battle' is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. The film looks like a war-flick on occasions, with intense Apocalypse Now-style imagery (check out the classical score blasted over the tannoys with sweeping shots of helicopters). Yet, Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities' desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. But whether you view the film as an important social commentary or simply enjoy the adrenalin-fuelled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. Approx. 109 mins/NTSC/Region 0. Tartan Asia. 2001.

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Uncovered
Starring: Kate Beckinsale , John Wood , Sinéad Cusack , Paudge Behan , and Peter Wingfield
Director: Jim McBride
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001932ZU
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Masterpiece Theatre - Painted Lady (1997)

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Masterpiece Theatre - Painted Lady (1997)
Starring: Helen Mirren , Iain Glen , Franco Nero , Michael Maloney , and Lesley Manville
Director: Julian Jarrold
Manufacturer: Wgbh Boston
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Prime Suspect 5
Prime Suspect 6 - The Last Witness
Prime Suspect 4
Prime Suspect 1
Prime Suspect 3

ASIN: B0002XVRVQ
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Description

Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Clearing) stars in this compelling murder-mystery set amid the murky underworld of illegal art trade.

Maggie Sheridan (Mirren), once one of the most famous blues voices of her generation, lost decades of her life to drinking and hard-living. After a failed suicide attempt, she was taken in by Sir Charles Stafford (Iain Cuthbertson, Antonia and Jane) and his son Sebastian (Iain Glen, Tomb Raider). She has lived quietly on their Irish estate for ten years. But one summer evening, her peaceful life is shattered when Sir Charles is brutally murdered, and a valuable sixteenth century painting is stolen. The painting is one of several disturbing pictures sent to Sir Charles marking the major events in his life.

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While its sequels were formulaic and safe, the first Beverly Hills Cop set out to explore some uncharted territory, and succeeded. A blend of violent action picture and sharp comedy, the film has an excellent director, Martin Brest (Scent of a Woman), who finds some original perspectives on stock scenes (highway chases, police rousts) and hits a gleeful note with Murphy while skewering L.A. culture. Good support from Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as local cops not used to doing things the Detroit way (Murphy's character hails from the Motor City). Paul Reiser has a funny, brief moment at the beginning, and Bronson Pinchot makes a hilarious impression in a great, never-to-be-duplicated scene with the star. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Beverly Hills Cop (Special Collector's Edition).......2007-01-31

Beverly Hills Cop (Special Collector's Edition)~ John Ashton is a great Eddie Murphy. The plot is well written, the music is the typical 80's movie music and the special effects are just on the mark. Eddie Murphy is amazing in the role as Axel Foley and this is one of my favorite Eddie Murphy movies of all time. The movie sure has a lot of 80's references like German Marks, and could be tricky for kids that did not grow up during the 80's. Highly recommended indeed. The plot is so much better then the sequels and I rank it as one of the better made 80's movie. The clothes , style and art are all a total hoot. I give it 5 out of 5 stars easily.

Axel Foley.......2007-01-04

Since i was a little kid i use to watch this movie, i knew it line for line, and I think that it is still among the best.
Axel Foley is a detroit Detective, who is very hip to the way the system works, the criminal mind etc. friends with an ex-con who crosses path with the wrong fellow, he is killed and Axel goes off to Beverly Hills to find who killed his buddy. this movie is packed with comedy, crime and Eddie Murphy attitude.

One of the best "action cop" movies ever! .......2006-11-09

It's great to see Beverly Hills Cop getting the recognition it deserves
as a really good action film and not just another "funny Eddie Murphy flick". The acting is very well done by all, especially by supporting actors
Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. Eddie Murphy wouldn't have done as well in the movie without the superb acting of his supporting cast. I've watched this film more times than I can count - my kids have left the room more than once because they're sick of seeing it. I guess that's one way to get them to do their homework!

The Prototypical Cop Comedy.......2006-09-29

Every once in awhile a movie comes along that is truly different, truly fresh, and this movie was one of those. It stars Eddie Murphy as a Detroit cop named Axel Foley and is packed with action, comedy, a great soundtrack, and great scenes. The opening credits to Glenn Foley's "The Heat is On" are filled with a montage of Detroit street scenes that give a great flavor of Detroit, which will be juxtaposed with the glamour of Beverly Hills later in the movie.

The movie starts with Axel Foley negotiating the price of a semi truck full of cigarettes with a couple of mobsters. When they are surprised by a couple of uniformed Detroit cops in a squad car, one of the mobsters starts up the truck and takes off with Foley hanging on for dear life to a chain hanging from the top of the truck. This is one of the classicly funniest chase scenes ever done and ranks up with anything in the Blues Brothers.

Later Foley returns home after being chatised by his boss, Inspector Todd, played brilliantly by a real Detroit Detective named Gilbert R. Hill, only to find his friend from California in his kitchen. Later, when Foley's friend is murdered, he does the only thing a true friend would do, take vacation and head to California to track down the killers.

The rest of the movie is a look at how a gritty cop from Detroit gets along in glamorous Beverly Hills and more importantly how Beverly Hills gets along with a gritty Detroit cop.

Eddie Murphy is brilliant as Axel Foley poking fun at Beverly Hills, and Judge Reinhold and John Ashton are equally brilliant as Beverly Hills detectives assigned to watch Foley to keep him from creating havoc among Beverly Hills' elite. Along the way Bronson Pinchot almost completely steals the movie with an hilarious 5 minute part as a pretentious clerk in a swanky Beverly Hills art gallery.

All in all, this movie is a great two hours of entertainment that will leave you breathless, I can't recommend it enough.

Old School like the Old School.......2006-08-31

This is an excellent comedy/action movie that manages to be deeply funny without being offensive, a true accomplishment that sadly eludes many modern films. Set and cinematography are also excellent, without the over-the-top features that replace good plot and dialogue in many action/adventure/comedy films. Anybody without actual urban exposure might not notice the difference, but it was oddly nostalgic for me to see a close replica of my first crummy apartment in opening scenes of the movie.

Characters also, for the most part, manage to be interesting and compelling without being ridiculous and stilted steriotypes. Can you tell I have little patience for the increased-action-less-plot-and-character-development style of more recent movies? If you, too, like more story and personality in your movies, this is a great choice.

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What Great Movie Kuffs.
Time travel back to the early to mid 1980's
Kuffs
Sadly Overlooked Action Adventure Comedy
7 out of 10

Kuffs
Starring: Christian Slater , Milla Jovovich , Ric Roman Waugh , Steve Holladay , and Chad Randall
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B00009AOBM
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

What Great Movie Kuffs........2007-02-13

I forgot how funny this movie is kinda of a ferris bueller/fletch comedy thriller keep you on the edge of your seat while laughing too what a great movie. supporting cast is wonderful in this film you'll just love it.

It's PG-13 For Lauguage , Action Violence.

Time travel back to the early to mid 1980's.......2007-01-04

Now exceeding 20 years, this 1980's movie may attract
viewers on account of the big-name actress Ashley Judd in
it, although in reality she's shown for less than 90
seconds in the entire movie, and this in an action
sequence, showing a paint shop getting drilled with
machine gun fire. In that respect, KUFFS will be a major
disappointment for those expecting Judd to be at the
center stage.

In reality, the protagonist is the Jack Nicholson wannabe
or hopeful of the time, Christian Slater as well as the
city of San Francisco. Much like the other movie, also in
San Francisco, (TWISTED with Ashley Judd), that city is
prominently shown in various aspects, namely the world
reknowned bridge, and some surroundings of the area,
parks, hills, etc.

The story is not entirely serious, which is a benefit,
considering most people going to the movies want to relax,
so in this sense, the picture is successful, if not for
the not tasteless but redundant nudity involving Slater
and the lovely and young Milla Jovovich, playing his girlfriend.

The movie, from a visual point of view, works extremely
well, with many varied, sharp,colored and interesting
streets, buildings and filming locations chosen. Anyone
not having done tourism in that city or area will benefit,
much like that which is the case in another movie, showing
Raleigh, NC, "Kiss the Girls" with Morgan Freeman, for example.

There is a focus on the clothes people wear, obviously, as
the characters seem to only wear pastel-colored items that many
for some were trendy at the time, as made clear from other
movies, such as Miami Vice, also from the 80's, for example.
Ironically, in the opening sequence, the bad guy has his mug
shot stenciled onto his pastel T-Shirt, yet is covering his
face with a scarf, to avoid being later recognized. How
his victims would fail to remember to police the image seen on his
T-Shirt, to track him down, is less understood.

The weak spot, clearly, is the music, as it is had considerably
aged and seems considerably unsophisticated. In reality, the music may
or may not be a liability, considering often there's a
discrepancy in tastes and musical experience among the
audience, regardless of age, who themselves are very differnet
from one another.

A a recurring jingle is obviously inspired from the one heard
on Beverly Hills Cop, a big commercial success at about the
same year KUFFS was released.

Overall, KUFFS completely wasted Judd's acting talents, as
only 90 seconds were shown. On the other hand, for those
wanting a light-hearted time travel back to the early to
mid 1980's this is not a bad place to start.

Kuffs.......2006-01-15

This is a great Mid 90s movie.

Sadly Overlooked Action Adventure Comedy.......2005-01-16

Christian Slater's character reminds me of a young Jack Nicholson, who replaces his brother on the Police Force after he is murdered. I was surprised that he didn't become as popular as Tom Cruise after this film was released in 1992, but he had a few personal issues during the 90s that stalled his career. I think he's a better actor than most people realize, with much more talent than making below average movies like "Broken Arrow".

7 out of 10.......2004-08-18

Kuffs is a highly enjoyable Christian Slater film. Great narration. Very quirky ideas. Clever at a lot of times. Great acting by Christian Slater. There is a certain "Johnny Depp" quality about Christian Slater when I saw this film. He pulled it off great. Great comedy. Very good lessons taught here also. Consider the film as a smart comedy about being stupid but lucky. A couple highest points in this film were the gunshot wound lesson and the subtitles while being duct taped. There are other great moments. It is very unpredictable and fun movie to watch. This movie has solidified me as a great Christian Slater fan. Although it was made in 1992, I find it hard to believe that I haven't seen films like this. That is amazing. This kind of thing just tells me that Hollywood is releasing the wrong kinds of films. Kudos to Bruce Evans for witty direction.

Average customer rating:

Totally gutless on the follow through...
Lamo Movie
Boxing Helena
Not for the faint of heart
An erotic, psychotic drama thats still bizarre to watch

Boxing Helena
Starring: Julian Sands , Sherilyn Fenn , Bill Paxton , Kurtwood Smith , and Art Garfunkel
Director: Jennifer Chambers Lynch
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000059H96
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Amazon.com

The movie Boxing Helena is probably better known for the court case that sprang from it than for itself. Kim Basinger was famously sued for violating her oral agreement to play the lead role; the jury ruled against her to the tune of almost $9 million. Those who felt the ruling was unjust have no better evidence than the movie itself--who in their right mind would agree to play a woman whose obsessively jealous lover cuts off her arms and legs to control her? Boxing Helena wants to be a penetrating investigation into the dark side of erotic desire. It doesn't succeed. But it does achieve the dubious but delightful status of being an entertaining disaster. Glory in Sherilyn Fenn's amazingly sincere attempt to take the script seriously! Thrill to the completely gratuitous sex scene between Julian Sands and a woman who doesn't appear at any other moment in the movie! Gaze, jaw agape, at the ridiculous ending! The movie features a wonderfully overwrought performance from Bill Paxton (A Simple Plan, Twister) and what is to date the last film appearance of Art Garfunkel. While Boxing Helena doesn't have the relentless ridiculousness of something like The Lonely Lady (with Pia Zadora!) or Showgirls, it has a giddiness that builds as it gets more and more improbable. Bad-movie fans will find it a delectable treat. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Fantasy, desire and manipulation make for a savory-yet-volatile cocktail in this psychological thriller about a woman held captive by a man who loves her. First-time writer-director Jennifer ChambersLynch (The Diary of Laura Palmer) brings "stylistic flair" (The Washington Post) to this haunting, erotic tale of love and lust that straddles the fine line between devotion and obsession. Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands, Timecode) is a brilliant surgeon who seems to haveit allmoney, looks, prestigebut all he wants is someone he can't have a voluptuous, cold-hearted seductress: Helena (Sherilyn Fenn, Three of Hearts). After Nick fails to impress her withhis wealth, Helena is struck down by a hit-and-run driver outside his mansion. The good doctor saves her life by amputating her legs, then seizes the opportunity of her immobility to hold her prisoner. Now, he's in control of Helena's body, but not her mind, for this shrewd, quick-thinking vixen ishellbent on keeping Nick on his toes in order to foil his selfish plan to have her not only as a trophy wife but his personal Venus de Milo.

Customer Reviews:

Totally gutless on the follow through..........2007-05-03

Boxing Helena for me is the perfect example of potential-wasting, gutless filmmaking. Warning, spoilers follow. Philippe Caland and Jennifer Lynch presented a genuinely interesting and bold plot, that of a masochistic, mother-obsessed doctor (Nick) who desperately latches onto Helena, a beautiful temptress who wants nothing to do with him. Nick, after having inherited his mother's palatial estate and running into Helena in a bar, decides to throw an impromptu house warming party as cover for inviting Helena into his home where she yet again rebuffs his advances. Nick then lures her back to his house where she is accidentally hit by a car and has her legs horrible crushed. Being a brilliant surgeon, Nick manages to save her life though he amputates both of her legs, and it's at this point that the film becomes both remarkable and lackluster at the same time.

Jennifer Lynch, daughter of filmmaker David Lynch, seems as if she's taking a page out of her father's surreal dream-logic filmmaking book as Nick keeps Helena prisoner and begins to slowly and literally deconstruct Helena limb by limb until she's truly an object of his desire. Helena, on the other hand, spends her time digging into Nick's psyche, taunting his manhood and in a very demented twist, falling in love with him, I believe based purely on his desire for her, which transcends physical beauty (something she is used to men fawning over.) Unfortunately this second act is severely hampered by pointless complexity (in terms of the number of characters in the film) and some very forced and unconvincing performances (namely by Bill Paxton who's trying his best to invoke his character Sevren from Near Dark and Sherilyn Fenn whose stoicism is almost laughable.)

Though the acting is generally bad and the directing generic, the plot would save this otherwise mundane film, but this to is thrashed by a very trite and gutless third act that ends with an ambiguous twist ending, which implies that the entire second act was either a hallucination or a dream. 2 stars for the plot, but only two because it was handled terribly.

Lamo Movie.......2007-03-19

Saw this back around the time it came out but recently I watched it again and it is one of the worst movies of all time! Do not buy unless you plan to watch it with the sound off...

Boxing Helena.......2007-01-05

"Boxing Helena" is directed by the daughter of David Lynch, Jennifer Chambers Lynch. This is the only reason I wanted to see this movie. I always get curious when the offspring of a filmmaker decides to follow in their parents footsteps, but when it's the offspring of one of my favorite directors...That only makes it more interesting. And "Boxing Helena" is an interesting movie, very much in the vein of a David Lynch film. This film deals with dreams, sexual obsession, and a whole jubilee of weirdness. Watching the film, it amazed me that a woman wrote it. This film feels like it's written by a man, which I'll explain in a moment. The movie is about a doctor named Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands), who clearly has a few screws loose. He's got a beautiful girlfriend and, after the death of his mother, a mansion. But there's one thing he doesn't have and that is Helena (Sherilyn Fenn, 'Of Mice & Men'). Nick harbors a full-on obsession for Helena, a woman he had a one-night stand with and can't stop thinking about. He even climbs the tree outside her window to spy into her room. Warned by a fellow doctor/friend (Art Garfunkel) not to mess with her, Nick invites her to a party only to have his ego crushed when she leaves with another man. Fate steps in, however, when she leaves her purse at the party and Nick creates circumstances that cause her to come to his house and get it. While leaving his house, Helena is hit by a car and Nick is forced to perform emergency surgery to save her. He amputates her legs. Now Helena, legless and helpless, is trapped in Nick's house (think of it as "Misery" in reverse). Besides not letting her go and amputating her body parts, Nick doesn't harm her. The man loves Helena and doesn't want to hurt her, but simply wants her to have feelings for him too. What it is he sees in Helena isn't really made obvious. Besides beauty, there's not much going for her. She's rude, narcissistic, and cold. Anyway, the remainder of the film consists of Nick trying to keep Helena for himself while her boyfriend Ray (Bill Paxton, doing some of the worst acting he's ever done) looks for her. The ending is contrived and too reminiscent of earlier and later David Lynch films. The films weakness is both the ending and Paxton and the director's decision to use soft-core porn music for her score. There are also a few scenes that look like outtakes from "Wild Orchid." Meanwhile, you have Bill Paxton acting like he had never done so. His facial expressions and the way he recites his dialogue in this film is bad. I don't know if you can call it overacting, but it's definitely bad acting. Other than that, the acting is solid. Sands is a good casting choice, because he really portrays how pathetic and lonely this character is. Fenn is good too, making the character easy to hate without making us hate her too much. My only other complaint is the DVD. No subtitles and the audio track is less than spectacular. There's a lot of whispering in the movie (a lot of yelling, though, too) and subtitles would've been nice. Since this is the only film Lynch has directed, it's hard to say what she could accomplish if she made more movies. But this film shows her as a promising young talent, whose biggest mistake was drawing a little too much inspiration from daddy.

GRADE: B

Not for the faint of heart.......2006-10-10

If you're one of those people who only goes to see Box office smashes or likes movies to be completely concrete,this is not a movie for you. However,if you find yourself intrigued by cult classics and have an open mind,you may find this film to be a sinful pleasure.
The movie has beautiful backrounds and scenery throughout and some very sensual music. Many reviews state that the characters arent likeable,but that is the whole point! I liked the realness of these characters that's not sugar coated like in many other movies. You see them being awkward and insecure and hateful and neurotic.
I first viewed this film on HBO when I was home with nothing to do.Immeaditely I was pulled in and fascinated with it ever since. I tend to like movies that push the edge though~cult classics that dare to be different.If you are one of these people,this is the movie for you!!! If not,you will be highly disapointed it doesnt have the commercial appeal as most movies.

An erotic, psychotic drama thats still bizarre to watch.......2006-10-04

Boxing Helena is one of those films that became somewhat of a cult classic DVD more for its theme than its actors or overall dialogue and script. The plot is to good to pass up, its basically obsession driven to the extreme.

Boxing Helena stars Julian Sands as Dr. Nick Cavanaugh, who is somewhat of an introvert at heart, but can it be helped? The guy's mother was pretty much an aristocratic tramp who at the end of her life left him a giant mansion to stew in during his bachelorhood. Okay, he is not a hermit; he does have a girlfriend named Anne Garrett (Betsy Clark). It does not matter much though; as there is still a woman from his little black book he cannot stop thinking about. The woman's name is Helena (Sherilyn Fenn) and lives nearby. Nick is constantly trying to work his way back into her life, and eventually does. That does not matter either though, because she brushes him off time and time again like day old dandruff. Then the day comes when she is arguing with him near the street in front of his home, when something terrible happens to Helena.

Nick now has the opportunity he always wanted. Immobile from a severe injury, Nick keeps her at his house as a prisoner, constantly doting on her. The whole time of course, she is miserable and continues her verbal insults in hoping it's all just a bad dream. By this time the hospital is wondering where the doc is, and Helena's somewhat boyfriend Ray (A younger, and in this role MEANER Jim Paxton) who is like some sort of cast-off cowboy/biker type, is looking for her. The themes of love, obsession, and erotic desire are pretty thick in this film. Overall this part is done well. What drags is the acting I feel, of Julian Sands. At times he plays his character brilliantly, conveying Dr. Cavanaugh as a hopeless, sniveling person that has no confidence in himself. The dialogue gets a bit old as Nick continues to be caught in some dreamland of hope as he does an about face and despite Helena's verbal abuse (who can blame her?) continues to win her heart. Helena is at times extreme in the "shock and awe" department as we see how Nick continues to, um, do things to her to render her even more immobile. The ending is not expected at all, and overall this film is really one for the "contemporary" shelf, or something to watch if you want a mind tripping head game from that oh so recognizable obsessive male figure.

Sherilyn Fenn really steals the show here, although it's more for beauty and vicious vilifying than overall acting talent. Some always thought it was crazy that this was the movie Kim Basinger did a head fake on at the last second, dodging the role and going bankrupt because of the impending lawsuit. Looking at the careers of her and Sherilyn, I don't think in the big picture it really mattered. It is always fun to see Bill Paxton in this role as he's much younger and has not really played a character like this since. It's above mind popcorn, and below average, but considering the themes that it covers in an extreme and twisted kind of way, it works.

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mighty quinn review
the mighty quinn
Highly recommended
If we would be taking life as seriously as you....
A Colorful Mystery

The Mighty Quinn
Starring: Denzel Washington , James Fox , Mimi Rogers , M. Emmet Walsh , and Sheryl Lee Ralph
Director: Carl Schenkel
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000542CJ
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Amazon.com essential video

A highly enjoyable sleeper. The plot of The Mighty Quinn is a variation on one of those '30s studio pictures about two boyhood friends who grow up on different sides of the law--but it's 1989, and things are a bit different. Denzel Washington, smooth as Jamaican rum, plays the police chief of a Caribbean island, a place where crime isn't exactly a pressing concern. Thus the chief is put out when the clues in a murder case point to his old buddy, a dreadlocked ne'er-do-well played by a mischievous Robert Townsend. Director Carl Schenkel is much more interested in friendships and great island atmosphere than in the actual unlocking of the case, and that's just fine. Add in a bouncy soundtrack of reggae music, and The Mighty Quinn becomes one of those hard-to-resist vacation movies. --Robert Horton

Description

OscarÂ(r) winner* Denzel Washington (The Hurricane) and Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) star in this witty, romantic, entertaining and light-hearted who-dun-it (Vincent Canby, The New York Times). Filled with spice and adventure, The Mighty Quinn is delightful...a sunny Caribbean caper as seductive as a great big umbrella drink (The Washington Post)! Life in the easygoing Caribbean is hard on Police Chief Xavier Quinn (Washington). Dubbed 'theMighty Quinn by sarcastic islanders and nagged by a wife who d rather he were babysitting, Quinn is suddenly thrust into action when his childhood friend Maubee (Townsend) is accused of murder. Forced to search for his elusive friend, Quinn meets up with a colorful array of suspects, including thedead man's beautiful mistress who dreams of being a lounge singer (Mimi Rogers), an eccentric voodoo sorceress with snakes in her parlor (Esther Rolle) and a mysterious American visitor with dubious intentions (M. Emmet Walsh). *2001: Actor, Training Day; 1989: Supporting Actor, Glory

Customer Reviews:

mighty quinn review.......2007-04-05

I absolutely love this movie. When I feel like I need a vacation I watch this movie. The music is incredible and the story keeps you hooked.

the mighty quinn.......2007-03-08

Anything with Denzel Washington is a Plus for me but this is one of my favorites that he was in; HUGE FAN.

Highly recommended.......2006-08-30

"Mighty Quinn" features a young sexy Denzel Washington (Xavier Quinn) as a smart detective who did a stint with the FBI and returns home as police chief on a Carribbean island. There's a shadowy plot involving $10,000 bills, a guerilla movement and guns, but the movie focuses more on Quinn's conflicts because his childhood friend is suspected of a grisly murder, and Quinn's own discomfort from having "made good" but ending up caught between two worlds, white and black. He's also caught between the islanders' desire to protect their own and white political pressure to drop the investigation. This film is full of sexy island women, colorful reggae music, and real world dilemmas of race and identity. No matter that we couldn't quite figure out if the plot hung together. A winner!

If we would be taking life as seriously as you...........2006-08-27

... then this would be a really serious detective. As it's executed now, it's a superbly relaxed copper-gets-the-villain with serious undertones. Cool!

A Colorful Mystery.......2005-09-19

This colorful mystery harkens back to those old 1930's films of old friends like Gable and Powell who suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the law. There is a fun flavor and lots of great music in Carl Schenkel's take on this genre from Hollywood's past. Denzel Washington charms his way through this film set on a Caribbean island where nothing is done in a big hurry.

Denzel is Xavier Quinn, an easygoing ex-marine who has returned to the island where he grew up and become the Chief of Police. On the outs with his wife Lola (Sheryl Lee Ralph), he spends most of the film trying to charm his way back into her good graces so he can be with her and his son, who idolizes him.

When someone important ends up dead, and Thomas Elgin (James Foxx) wants Quinn to accept on blind faith how it happened, Quinn can smell something funny through the clear blue waters and goes fishing. Complicating things is Elgin's desire to pin the murder on Quinn's old childhood friend, Maubee (Robert Townsend).

Maubee is an island legend, loved and protected like Robin Hood. He is a likable guy who has never grown up. When someone compares him to Peter Pan, Quinn laughs and explains he's more like Bugs Bunny. Quinn has doubts Maubee would kill anyone. When a currency which doesn't even exist starts showing up, he knows more is going on here than meets the eye.

A couple of people end up murdered while Quinn tries to patch up things with Lola, look for Maubee, and avoid sleeping with both a lovely island girl, and the very sexy wife of Thomas Elgin, Hadley (Mimi Rogers). Rogers is especially terrific here and burns up the screen in every scene she's in.

Screen legend Keye Luke has a good role as Quinn's old friend, Dr. Raj, who Quinn sneaks in to do an autopsy he's been forbidden to do. Tyra Ferrell is lovely and sexy as Isola, and Ester Rolle has some fine moments as the very Caribbean Ubu Pearl, who Quinn believes knows exactly what's going on.

The story sounds dark, but it is filled with bright colors and the smooth flavor of Jamaican rum. This is a very fun to watch film that feels like a vacation in and of itself. Denzel is fantastic as Quinn, who avoids taking the easy route with the almost irresistable Mimi Rogers, and tries to avoid being Elmer Fudd to his old pal's Bugs Bunny.

This is an excellent mystery with a big splash of color and some great music that will be a favorite after you see it for the first time. A real winner!

Average customer rating:

Classic psychological thriller
NOT AMONG BOGART'S BEST
First Rate Noir from the 50s
A brave and intelligent twist to the "man alone" theme...
Bogie has anger issues.

In a Lonely Place
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Gloria Grahame , Frank Lovejoy , Carl Benton Reid , and Art Smith
Director: Nicholas Ray
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000087F79
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Amazon.com essential video

One of Humphrey Bogart's finest performances dominates this unusual 1950 film noir, which focuses less on the murder mystery at the center of its plot than on the investigation's devastating effect on a fragile romance. For Bogart, already a noir icon, the Andrew Solt script afforded an opportunity to explore a more complex and contradictory role--an antiheroic persona in line with the actor's most accomplished and absorbing triumphs throughout his career.

For maverick director Nicholas Ray, the film posed the challenge of taking crime dramas beyond their usual formulas and into a more mature realm, as well as a chance to cast a jaundiced eye on the film industry itself. Its protagonist is Dixon Steele, a Hollywood screenwriter with an acerbic wit and a violent temper. Tasked with adapting a bestseller, he meets a hatcheck girl who's read the book, hoping to glean its highlights before writing the script. When she's found murdered, Steele becomes the prime suspect, and a tightening knot of suspicion forms around the writer.

Steele's only, inconclusive witness is a pretty new neighbor, Laurel (Gloria Grahame), and the couple fall in love even as the pressure mounts. At first the new relationship is a tonic to the hard-boiled writer, who plunges into his script with a renewed vigor and discipline. But as the police continue to shadow him, Steele's own penchant for violence erupts against friends, strangers, and even Laurel herself, whose feelings are increasingly eclipsed by suspicion that her lover is a murderer, and fear that he'll harm her.

Bogart conveys Steele's world-weariness and underlying vulnerability, and manages the delicate task of making both his romantic yearning and sudden, murderous rages equally convincing. Ultimately, that performance and Grahame's sympathetic work elevate In a Lonely Place into what has been called "an existential love story" more than a crime drama. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Classic psychological thriller.......2007-06-15

A down-on-his-luck screenwriter's (Humphrey Bogart) violent, antisocial temperament makes him a prime suspect in the murder of a cocktail waitress and ultimately alienates the woman he loves (Gloria Graham). Bogart's performance is sometimes perfunctory and unconvincing in the fight scenes, but he projects a frightening intensity in numerous intimate confrontations with other characters. He creates a character that Graham could believably fall in love with and then just as believably begin to fear later.

NOT AMONG BOGART'S BEST.......2007-05-26

I watched this last night after not having seen it in about 30 years, I think. It's only because of that and the raves from other reviewers that I decided to rent it. The opening stop-light confrontation scene was familiar, but seriously, I don't believe Bogie as a physical, tough guy like when I was a kid. Look at how tiny his torso is when he's not wearing a jacket! He looked great in a tailored jacket. His wardrobe here looks just like his off-screen Hollywood night-club style you can see in all the bios about him.(Cagney really was tough! When he worked with the Dead-end Kids,he didn't take any crap off them the way Bogie did on the CRIME SCHOOL set.) The scene where he beats up a healthy looking young college guy half his age is ludicrous.
Otherwise the plot and pacing are dreadfully slow, and the other actors are more nostalgic than convincing since they were mostly in film noir movies. Frank Lovejoy as the cop buddy was interesting. Especially with the presumably Russian sur-name 'Nikolai.' The only other movie I can recall Lovejoy being in wasn't 'I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI' where his name was 'Cvetic.' In reality, I'm pretty sure he was Irish. Gloria Grahame was good in a part that wasn't written very well. Jeff Donnell was interesting to watch as Lovejoy's wife. I don't remember seeing her in anything else, but she was in 'SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS' as Tony Curtis' secretary.
Oh, I also liked the actual location shooting around L.A. and Hollywood.
I don't know if I'll watch this again in another 30 years.

First Rate Noir from the 50s.......2007-05-17

The aptly titled "In a Lonely Place" is harsh and stark film noir. As the story opens, Humphrey Bogart is a struggling writer with a reputation for being hard to work with and mean tempered. Bogey lands a job doing screenplay but is too lazy to actually read the book! HB invites a hatcheck girl, who has read it, to his apartment to relate the plot. Irritable and bored, he dismisses her. No gentleman, he directs the girl to a nearby cabstand. By the next morning, she is dead and HB is the main suspect. Viewers know Bogey is innocent but the cops don't. Sultry neighbor Gloria Grahame, builds up HB's alibi and the pair are soon in love. GG is the perfect noir girl; her gloomy performance perhaps enhanced by her deteriorating marriage to Director Nicholas Ray. The crux of the film is how the continuing pressure from the Law eats away at Bogey, exposing his fragile personality and worsening his already bad temper. He loses it in Grahame's presence once too often and she begins to doubt him. Afraid to spurn his marriage proposal, she plans to run away. And then? This reviewer won't give away the ending, but the final scenes are good, solid no nonsense, and uncompromising. One can hear that door slam at the fadeout. Viewers should be alert for two big clues. With 20/20 hindsight, the perp is actually quite obvious, in fact the crime is solved in the middle of the film.... but only the most observant will notice! This is because many scenes pass quickly-ILP demands utmost attention. Some will hit that rewind button. ILP will doubtless be more rewarding with multiple viewings; it has certainly aged well. This reviewer is not a major Bogey fan but the guy is well cast here. True HB devotees should pounce. A final thought: Here is yet one more example of why old black and white movies should never be colorized.

A brave and intelligent twist to the "man alone" theme..........2007-01-02

There was a brave and intelligent twist to the 'man alone' theme in an unusually literate thriller which isolated its ambivalent 'hero' inside his own destructive personality... This man was not physically isolated as Robert Ryan ('Inferno') had been: he was an embittered Hollywood screenwriter who lacked self-discipline and confidence. The lonely place in which he was trapped was his own psyche...

Perhaps some people thought Bogart over-acted, played the writer like a thug aggressively touchy... but he played his role well. No gangster this time, or cop, or private eye... He was a Hollywood writer - tough, irritable, moody, edgy, introspective; his nerve-ends constantly steaming; living alone with his talent, his reputation and his typewriter; irritated rather than fortified by a diet of alcohol and nicotine. His temper was uncontrollable: anything, it seemed, could explode it; and his violence was more than merely verbal.

Bogart found himself suspected of a murder that he did not, in fact, commit... He might have been anti-social, but he was no criminal... But the stress within him, reacting to the pressures without, built up so strongly that his rages, always near boiling point, became explosive... He hit people without good reason... There came a time when he was on the point of murder: in blood-hazed rage he 'could' have killed...

One watched the reactions of his friendly and beautiful neighbor, Gloria Grahame, and of his two loyal friends, a policeman and wife played Frank Lovejoy and Jeff Donnell-fully stable and controlled in comparison with the violent personality of Bogart... With them, one came to wonder if he was not really a killer after all...

No, he was not... But the thoughtful irony was that you realized that, if circumstances had been only marginally different, he 'could' have been a murderer... It was only chance, rather than character, which prevented it... In this compulsively furious man, there were the black forces that are inside all of us... The difference was that he could not exercise his control over them...

Bogie has anger issues........2006-12-21

In a Lonely Place is a lesser known Bogart film in which he shows great emotional range. He moves from witty & urbane to sardonic to vicious in a split second & then back again. He is Dixon Steele a screen writer, usually in trouble for starting fights. He picks up sweet young thing Mildred & takes her to his place. Not to seduce her, but to tell him about a book she has just read & he is to write the screenplay for. Too tired or drunk to take her home he gives her cab fare. The next morning she is found along a road, dead. Given the fact that she was last seen with him & his violent temper he becomes the prime suspect. Strangely, this highly amuses him. He demonstrates how she was killed & seems to know a lot. But there is no evidence & besides he has an alibi. His neighbor, Laurel (Gloria Grahame) covers for him. They commence a romance, & he seems invigorated, throwing himself into his writing & incidentally, Laurel. As their relationship becomes more serious, Laurel notices how trivial things enrage Dix. She become fearful of him & this comes to a head the day they become engaged. She realizes she cannot marry him. When he suspects this he becomes utterly unhinged. A little gem of a movie.

Average customer rating:

Death Warrant
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Robert Guillaume , Cynthia Gibb , George Dickerson , and Art LaFleur
Director: Deran Sarafian
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000542CC
Release Date: 2001-02-06

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Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as maverick cop Lou Burke, the only lawman tough enough to go undercover in a prison recently plagued by suspicious deaths. Posing as a hardened con, Burke stands up to sadistic guards and makes martial arts mincemeat out of brutal inmates, all the while investigating those mysterious murders. Following the standard Van Damme formula at the height of the actor's B-picture popularity, the script essentially inserts him in a series of increasingly nasty situations from which he then has to kick, punch, and chop his way out. For services rendered, the Muscles from Brussels gets to kiss Cynthia Gibb, who plays a lawyer assigned the dubious task of posing as Burke's wife. With Van Damme safely tucked into his story formula, a slightly more discriminating viewer can find pleasure in a supporting performance from Robert Guillaume (as an aging inmate), while freakier types will enjoy top-drawer nemesis the Sandman (Patrick Killpatrick), a psycho killing machine who forces poor Burke to break a sweat. --Tom Keogh

Description

Jean-Claude Van Damme faces his biggest challenge yet: a maximum-security prison! The internationalsuperstar spin-kicks his way through this action-adventure powerhouse that explodes with death-defying stunts and nonstop martial-arts wizardry. Filled with the same power, intensity and skill of itsunstoppable hero, Death Warrant is your ticket to a Van Damme good time! Van Damme is Officer Louis Burke, a roguish police detective who goes undercover to investigate a series of inmate murders at Harrison Penitentiary. Posing as a prisoner, Burke encounters brutal inmates, corrupt guards, death and betrayal at every turn. But when he unearths the shocking secret behind the penitentiary's inner workings, Burke must attempt a daring escape that pits him against not only hundreds of murderous inmates...but also a deadly enemy from his own past.

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