This is essentially an insurance scam movie starring Fred McMurray -- the same guy that
did all those Disney 'Shaggy Dog' movies and the television series My Three Sons. Despite McMurray's
very Disney-esque filmography, this one has a very 'film noir' feel to it - almost like a Hitchcock film. It
actually took me a few minutes to get into because of that disconnect, but McMurray does a good job -- the
disconnect was in my own head...
Overall, this movie is well done for the 40's (not that movies were BAD then, but movies today certainly
have a lot more going on... for the most part). And you do get to see some interesting societal quirks
that you just won't see today: drive up restaurants where you can drink a beer right in your car (for
when you're just too lazy to get out of the car to wander into the corner bar); references to
"colored" people, usually in service context - waxing car, door man, housekeeper; and so on. There is
just a quaint feel to the movie that you just don't see today -- a product of a different era where racism
and bigotry were just facts of life and not something we were embarrassed about. Ah yes, our grandparents
were just so enlightened. And it was not really THAT long ago! Pretty creepy, actually...
Anyway, the movie itself was very moody. Good atmosphere, intrigue, and an interesting
little time capsule of a simpler (?) time where murdering someone for a mere $100,000 was worth a little
pro and con session. Kind of fascinating, actually. A little bit of film history.
I hate romantic comedies, as a general rule, but this one is ok. Reynolds does a good job
portraying someone in his situation (and an actual human being, to boot) even though he slips back into
his quirky humor frequently. Bullock is as charming as ever, but her role is very hot/cold without
too much in between -- there is no true melting period for the stone cold bitch to become a lovable woman
that an actual human man would want to marry.
This is a very formulaic movie. You won't be surprised by anything that happened, and if
you've ever seen a Sandra Bullock movie in your life, then you've actually seen this one before too.
But... I forgive this movie just enough to recommend it to Bullock fans. Reynolds and Bullock, while not
actually generating a lot of love chemistry on screen, are not supposed to be generating
that kind of chemistry. So, kind of forgivable, actually. I've seen worse movies, and this one really
isn't that bad when it comes down to it.
There is just something about pig tails coupled with cherry red lipstick that just feels...
naughty. I realize Jane March is older than she looks, but yikes did this one feel wrong!
Not surprisingly, there is a very strong Lolita theme to this one, which is scarily intriguing, and yet
also kind of disgusting. To state that this movie can be a little graphic would be an understatement. This
is a movie about lust. Not love. Not even passion, really. Just plain, pure, unadulterated lust... and
the dangers and corruption that come with allowing your life to be consumed by that lust.
Although the subject matter is pretty fierce, and probably a little offensive when taken at
face value, it is also fascinating to watch. There is an awful lot of nudity in this one, so make sure the
kids are asleep and that grandma is tucked in too... 'cause she's not gonna like this one. Otherwise,
a pretty entertaining movie, overall.
This is a surprisingly twisted movie, and yet also pretty easy to follow. It takes a
while to really get started, but once it gets going it travels to a lot of strange and interesting places.
Nick Chinlund does a fantastic job in this role. I mean, this guy has been in EVERYTHING: from shows like
Castle, X-files, Law & Order:SVU, and ER; to movies like Tears in the Sun, The Chronicles of Riddick,
Below... and the list goes on and on forever. It's good to see Chinlund stretch his character-centric muscles and to star in the title role. And quite frankly, this character is far more complex than
the one dimensional roles in which he is usually cast.
While you may guess the ending of this one pretty early
on, I can almost guarantee you're going to change your prediction at least twice before the movie actually
ends. I liked that. And I think you probably will too.
Movie to Skip #1: Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
This film is truly not about what you think it might be about...
although sex does play a pivotal role in the story. It really is a love story, and the dangers of
making love when you're not married and living in a society that still stones people for such
"horrible" acts. Oh, but only the ladies. Isn't mysogeny fun!
While this movie is played by Indians, the film is actually in English and uses
the typical western linear story telling, for the most part. Frankly I thought that was a little safe,
and really missed an opportunity for a wee bit of cultural exploration.
The problem is that I didn't really care about anyone in this story: I didn't like the
crazy sister -- why did she expect to be happy, she was marrying a pig; I didn't care about the crazy
aristocrat (the pig) because he couldn't understand why a life of constant leisure was fulfilling and
didn't seem to get why more and more extreme sexual escapades with harlots was bad for his marriage; and
I didn't really care about our fearless sexually adventurous heroine either-- she was a whore... literally,
and when you live by the, er, sword, you get what people pay you for...
There just wasn't anything in this story that I connected with. There wasn't anything
shocking, and the characters were just so pathetically wrapped up in their own stupidity, that
they just didn't give two shakes about what their antics were doing to the people around them. Have you
ever watched a movie where you thought, "wow, if there was a gas leak and it blew up all of these
characters in one fell swoop within the first 10 minutes of the movie, this would have been a better
movie?" That's kind of how I felt about this one.
While an occasionally funny line was muttered now and then, or something shocking would
occur that also happened to be funny, ultimately this was a pretty dark little drama. Not really
a comedy at all. And because just about everything was mumbled and hard to hear, it also was not
terribly fun to sit through either. I kind of feel like this is the kind of film that John Waters would
make if he was trying to be serious... and was asleep. Totally skipable.
English, Hebrew and Russian are spoken throughout this dark film of, well, ascendance? So,
unless you speak all three languages, you're gonna have to read at least some of this movie... and most of
us will only be able to listen to a handful of English lines.
Olga Kurylenko stars in this pseduo-Nikkita role as sex-slave turned assassin. What, you
don't think that sex slaves have the skills to become an assassin? Surely you jest. Of course they do!
Ninette Tayeb plays the battered neighbor in this one. Tayeb is a singer from Israel with a reputation for
media gaffs and run ins with the tabloids... whatever that means in Israel. Interestingly, Tayeb has a
really spooky resemblance to Eve Myles from Torchwood, which made me do a double take several times during
the film. Tayeb could easily be Myels' hotter younger sister... or cousin, or whatever.
while the women were hot, the sad fact of this movie is that it is a one dimensional action
movie that tries too hard (and fails) to be a serious drama. Unfortunately, it's just too long without a
"good" drama element. Personally, I hate to give a "movie to skip" rating to anything starring Kurylenko... but I just
have to do that for this film. It's just too transparent and has a really confusing message that is hard
to follow. If you want to see a FAR superior Kuylenko film where she kicks ass, see Centurion instead.
This is a movie about a boy and his psychic dog on a quest through a post-apocalyptic
United States. The boy's quest: to find a girl to rape. (?!) Yeah, no joke -- that is all this guy
wants to do. This movie really is that screwed up. I kept digging for something more as to what the
hell this movie was really about, and I honestly couldn't find it. The subtitle for this one is: "A rather kinky tale of survival," except I'm not sure that rape is kinky...
just sick and wrong.
In the end I just kept hoping that this one would get better, but it fought me every
step of the way by repeatedly disappointing me. How did Don Johnson actually build a career on this
movie?! Yikes. Do yourself a bit of a favor and just let this one continue to collect dust.
