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The First 9 1/2 Weeks (1998)
Probably the worst movie I've seen set in New Orleans
Some people can write and direct movies with competency, but Alex Wright is not one of them. Making this a prequel to a "classic," he thinks moving the location to New Orleans and showing Mardi Gras and the addition of a bit of nudity will add luster to this series.
I don't think Malcolm McDowell puts this on his resume. His acting like a crusty old southern gentleman is completely unbelievable. I wouldn't complain so much except he's English. I'm sure they could have picked an American for his dozen or so, scenes.
I'm sure the only reason this DVD is bought is for the sex scenes between Paul Mercurio and Clara Bellar. Wright gives meaning to scenes ripped off from other movies, as Bellar and Mercurio have sex in many parts of the Dubois mansion.
I can understand why I didn't watch this movie for six or seven years. It's THAT bad. Pink Flamingos is better than this, and that's saying something!
Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978)
I remember this program fondly...
I remember this program fondly due to the fact I was an extra in the production. The episodes of the show were filmed between June/July 1978 and lasted for the better part of a year. I know some people who were extras in all of the episodes of the show, meaning they spent their days dressed in various outfits either sweating or freezing their collective butts off! The weather was extreme, as temperatures would reach over 100 degrees during the summer days, when the production would routinely film for close to 12 hours at a time. However, in early January of 1979, I remember standing in the only sand that wasn't covered by snow in 15° weather. It was SO cold in the winter months in Page, (where the production was filmed) that extras were issued thermal underwear - sometimes two pairs!! You may wonder why or how a person who lives in Maryland was in this production... At the time, I lived in Page, Arizona where they have filmed numerous productions over the years. The Lake Powell region looks very much like the desert of the Middle East with lots of sand and rock formations. I think all of the Planet of the Apes movies have been filmed here, as well.
Contes immoraux (1973)
An interesting guide to morals and values
I had the opportunity to review this film when it was released on DVD about 9-10 years ago. Although the IMDb was in its infancy at the time, I read about the film before reviewing it. I found this to be an interesting guide to morals and values.
Walerian Borowczyk is one of Europe's most controversial filmmakers. I had heard that Immoral Tales, the English title of Contes Immoraux or Unmoralische Geschichten, was not too much different than most of his other work. Borowczyk has also directed many sexually themed movies, including two parts of the erotically charged Emmanuelle series.
Bordering on the thin line between hardcore and soft-core pornography, Immoral Tales is a film that leaves you guilty and shocked. Not many films include two forms of incest, masturbation with a vegetable, the killing of naked virgins for their blood, and sex at the Vatican. Interestingly enough, the last two parts of the movie are supposedly true! It is extremely hard to put a film like Immoral Tales into words. Shocking in some spots, yet artistically titillating in others, the movie is paced too slowly in spots. This could be Polish director's Walerian Borowczyk's preferred style, but the film drags on and on with excess. I was able to get over the two cousins having sex in the first act, but the English translation certainly could have been better worded. Eight minutes of a young girl doing odd things with a cucumber after reading the bible is just a little more than I needed to see.
Even so, this film is a delight for anyone who has considered himself or herself voyeuristic. When the viewer sees over twenty underage naked teenage girls running around (Erzsébet Bathory)... Let's just say it is hard to describe. Lucrezia Borgia is almost ceremonious at times, and shows the baptism of Lucrezia's incestuous child. Unfortunately, some of the shots are gratuitous at best, and although this film can be great in spots, it fails in others.
Definitely worth seeing, but certainly for those who are open minded and don't mind the various actions that happen on screen. Although I rated it lower when originally reviewing it, I rate it higher after multiple viewings.
Urgh! A Music War (1981)
URGH! A Music War
Quite possibly the best concert movie of all time! I was able to copy this off TV a few years ago, after watching this NUMEROUS times during the 1980's and wearing out a VHS tape. (it may have been Betamax!) The Police are the biggest name of the 36 acts that appear, but there are SO many different bands that perform. I could list them all, but that would be redundant. However, there are some performances that are very good.
If it wasn't for this movie, I probably wouldn't own any CD's by XTC or many of the featured bands. It's too bad that the video was licensed for a type of system that is no longer made, or we might have seen the DVD sooner, than later.
For some of these bands, it was their 15 minutes in the spotlight, so to speak. Some never made it past 1985 and very few are still performing today. Some have reformed, but it was this concert movie that put them on the map in the first place.
If you can find the DVD of this for a reasonable price, buy it, because the chances of this showing up on DVD in the near future is the same as a snowstorm in July.
Twisted Tales (1996)
An Australian Twilight Zone movie.
The movie consists of four vignettes that last about 22½ minutes apiece orignally broadcast on Australian television. Do you remember the Twilight Zone television program? If so, Twisted Tales is a movie that is right up your alley. Consider the X-Files meets Twilight Zone. There are four stories. Each story is considerably different than the others. What they have in common is that each story has it's little "twist" at the end. This is currently released as Twisted in the USA. This was made available on DVD 6/15/99.
There are some good acting performances given, especially Geoffrey Rush and Brian Brown's. Brown had a big hand in this production, producing and is the "host" of the movie and appears at the start and in one of the four segments.
The story lines aren't too complex and the brevity of the performances are better than attempting to sit through a 90 minute feature on each subject. In other words, this movie moves VERY fast. There are few, if any, wasted moments as in many other movies or television shows.
If nothing else, these short episodes are perfect for American viewing clocking in at about 23 minutes apiece.
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
The worst, but funniest DVD I ever bought.
OK. You've seen the movie. You either like it or hate it. Personally, I thought this movie should have had an R rating, and so do the directors in their commentary. The movie, complete with every flaw imaginable is commented on by the directors and Seth Green. They literally laugh at the scenes which were cut, explaining why they were cut.
BUT, this is a high school party movie.
The only flaw about this movie is that it didn't have an "R" rated cut on one side of the DVD and a theatrical release on the other side. The theatrical release steals scenes from many different parties from other movies, and the directors acknowledge some of their "steals." I would REALLY like to see this movie in an "R" version, so I could get to enjoy it at it's fullest.
Try to find a movie which has people who are actually closer to the age they're portraying. Believe me, it's not easy! There were too many people over 21 in the movie in real life to believe they were high-school students. Selma Blair, 26 or 27... Gimme a break!!!
I could go on about this one, since Ethan Embry was the Bass Player in "That Thing You Do" and that was made a few years earlier. However, Embry gives the best performance, and I liked Lauren Ambrose, too. Jennifer Love Hewitt's performance was not that good, but they explain the movie was shot at night during Party of 5 shooting. Hence, Jennifer could have been a bit tired. Also, her name on the movie probably put more fannies in the seats. Sure there are a lot of cameos, but most of the people in the movie probably thought it was going to be an "R", instead of a PG.
Cut like it is, it's a poor excuse for a party movie. Maybe a date movie, but certainly not reality. I can't give it more than 1½ stars out of 5, and that's being generous. There are a lot better movies geared to teenagers "then and now." Try Fast Times, Say Anything, Breakfast Club or even PCU - a college movie but Jeremy Piven is 32 and really starting to show his age (balding).
Now, had this been a college party instead of a high school party, things would have worked and the plethora of deleted scenes would have been added and you would have seen people actually drinking and smoking and having a good time. Not a scene with cupcakes as breasts!
This is one movie I'd leave off the resume, if I was affiliated wit the film. It's not realistic enough. Too much movie magic in one movie results in a poor showing for all.