blazesnakes9
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Paul Schrader's version of Cat People is a movie that I've heard of, but never seen. After reading some of the reviews of the movie, I've decided to see on my own for the first time. I must say that I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of this movie because a lot of people who have seen it compared it to the original 1942 Val Lewton picture from RKO. Well, I was very impressed by this version of Cat People and I must say that it's a exceptionally well made, well acted psychological horror film.
Irena, (Nastassja Kinski), arrives in New Orleans, visiting her brother, Paul, (Malcolm McDowell), for the first time. As the movie begins, Schrader sets up the movie very well. Hundreds of years ago, the feline group of mysterious people, called the Cat People, have the ability to change into a black leopard after mating. Unknowable to Irena, Paul starts to develop a incestuous feeling toward her as in one scene, which is, one of the best scenes in the movie, he stalks her while she sleeps in his house for the first time.
Soon enough, Irena is given a job at the local zoo in New Orleans by Oliver Yates, (John Heard). Yates soon starts a relationship with Irena after he witnesses her watching a black leopard, roaming around its cage, milling for food. Irena doesn't tell Oliver about her family secret. Instead, the movie gets even better when Heard and Kinski start a relationship between the two while McDowell takes a turn of the worse, using his cat-like instinct to kill and prey on women, living in New Orleans.
Almost some of Paul Schrader's films walk a tightrope between sexual tensions. He never back away from that particular theme in Cat People. Schrader, as you may know, written the screenplay for Taxi Driver and also directed two feature films, Hardcore, which shares some of the same elements in this film and American Gigolo. His films are quite daring, but nevertheless, interesting and engaging.
Some people might look at this movie as a sleazy exploitation horror film. But, to the tell you the truth, it is not. This is a very good looking movie, with great cinematography, showcasing many colorful sets and sights in New Orleans. Some of the scenes are quite suspenseful, almost ranking up there with the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The imagery that is used in this movie are very well shot and photographed. One scene that sums it up at all up is when Kinski witnesses a leopard, tearing out a zookeeper's arm. What makes that scene work is that Schrader cuts that with a shot of a pool of blood, running through Kinski's shoes and into a drain in the floor of the zoo. That's very well done, indeed. You can almost feel the darkness and mystery of the picture itself, thanks to the superb music score by Giorgio Moroder.
Nastassja Kinski, I think, steals the movie, away from John Heard and Malcolm McDowell. She is one of the most interesting and mysterious actresses I've ever seen. She provides the movie with a spice of eroticism that lights up the scenes. You can't talk your eyes off of her nor ignore her. She is really something in this movie. Unlike so many other female characters in horror movies, she gives Irena a mind of her own when she develops sexual feeling toward the two completely different men. That's very daring for a actress to do in the movies.
Cat People is a very scary horror film that's very well made by Paul Schrader and also scored very effectively by Giorgio Moroder. An very good movie for adults to see. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.
Irena, (Nastassja Kinski), arrives in New Orleans, visiting her brother, Paul, (Malcolm McDowell), for the first time. As the movie begins, Schrader sets up the movie very well. Hundreds of years ago, the feline group of mysterious people, called the Cat People, have the ability to change into a black leopard after mating. Unknowable to Irena, Paul starts to develop a incestuous feeling toward her as in one scene, which is, one of the best scenes in the movie, he stalks her while she sleeps in his house for the first time.
Soon enough, Irena is given a job at the local zoo in New Orleans by Oliver Yates, (John Heard). Yates soon starts a relationship with Irena after he witnesses her watching a black leopard, roaming around its cage, milling for food. Irena doesn't tell Oliver about her family secret. Instead, the movie gets even better when Heard and Kinski start a relationship between the two while McDowell takes a turn of the worse, using his cat-like instinct to kill and prey on women, living in New Orleans.
Almost some of Paul Schrader's films walk a tightrope between sexual tensions. He never back away from that particular theme in Cat People. Schrader, as you may know, written the screenplay for Taxi Driver and also directed two feature films, Hardcore, which shares some of the same elements in this film and American Gigolo. His films are quite daring, but nevertheless, interesting and engaging.
Some people might look at this movie as a sleazy exploitation horror film. But, to the tell you the truth, it is not. This is a very good looking movie, with great cinematography, showcasing many colorful sets and sights in New Orleans. Some of the scenes are quite suspenseful, almost ranking up there with the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The imagery that is used in this movie are very well shot and photographed. One scene that sums it up at all up is when Kinski witnesses a leopard, tearing out a zookeeper's arm. What makes that scene work is that Schrader cuts that with a shot of a pool of blood, running through Kinski's shoes and into a drain in the floor of the zoo. That's very well done, indeed. You can almost feel the darkness and mystery of the picture itself, thanks to the superb music score by Giorgio Moroder.
Nastassja Kinski, I think, steals the movie, away from John Heard and Malcolm McDowell. She is one of the most interesting and mysterious actresses I've ever seen. She provides the movie with a spice of eroticism that lights up the scenes. You can't talk your eyes off of her nor ignore her. She is really something in this movie. Unlike so many other female characters in horror movies, she gives Irena a mind of her own when she develops sexual feeling toward the two completely different men. That's very daring for a actress to do in the movies.
Cat People is a very scary horror film that's very well made by Paul Schrader and also scored very effectively by Giorgio Moroder. An very good movie for adults to see. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.
Peter Weir's film about culture clash and an a mediation of violence in some of the most dangerous cities in America has culminated into a exciting, original, and even, powerful movie that I think is one of the most entertaining thrillers of the 1980's. That movie is, of course, Witness.
Harrison Ford plays a Philadelphia police detective who's assigned to investigate an murder witnessed by a 8 year old Amish boy. In the beginning of the movie, the little kid and his Amish mother, (Kelly McGillis), is on their way to visit the mother's sister in Philadelphia. Once the little boy witnessed and identified the person who's responsible for the murder of a policeman inside the train station's bathroom, Ford realizes that the boy and his mother are in danger of those who do know about the murder. After a short shootout inside a parking garage, Ford is forced to live among the Amish community in order to protect the boy and his mother. Soon enough, he starts to become one of them as he, at one point during the movie, raised a barn and even is greeted more kindly to the locals. But, it isn't long before the bad guys show up to interfere with Ford's relationship with the Amish locals.
The movie tells two stories. One is the murder story involving the little kid, which I mentioned above, and the other is a story of forbidden love. Ford and McGillis begins to show affections for the two of them and realized that their love for one another is banned due the Amish standards in the community. The most interesting scene that I like a lot is when, after Ford's character watches Gillis' character bathes alone and is surprised to see him, watching her, the two run into each other arms, confessing their love. Now, some people might think that this scene is corny. But, to tell you the truth, it is not. Their romance is very effective in this very well-told story.
Witness is one of the best thrillers, I think, of the 1980's. This is the kind of movie that Alfred Hitchcock would to make if he was still alive. Harrison Ford really does bring all his has into this movie. I was very impressed by how Ford was able to channel his action hero stardom into a more human character. His performance as John Book earned Ford his first and only Oscar nomination. He really deserved the nomination and it would've been something if he did win. Kelly McGillis is also riveting as the little boy's mother. Many people might think of her as a very sensitive person, when in doubt, her character really wants to break out of her culture and into the open world where she wouldn't have to follow in the local standards.
I also want to give credit to some of the other actors involved in this movie, including Danny Glover, who plays one of the cops that is involved in the murder and Lukas Haas as the little kid. Haas is, like Ford and McGillis, really does a very good job of portraying Samuel as a kid who's not like any other child actor that I ever saw. I believed him as Samuel from the moment we see him at the Philadelphia train station in the beginning of the movie. We can't really take our eyes off this character and either the other two mentioned above, but that what makes Witness all the more enjoyable. This is a great thriller. See it if you haven't seen it already. ★★★★ 4 stars.
Harrison Ford plays a Philadelphia police detective who's assigned to investigate an murder witnessed by a 8 year old Amish boy. In the beginning of the movie, the little kid and his Amish mother, (Kelly McGillis), is on their way to visit the mother's sister in Philadelphia. Once the little boy witnessed and identified the person who's responsible for the murder of a policeman inside the train station's bathroom, Ford realizes that the boy and his mother are in danger of those who do know about the murder. After a short shootout inside a parking garage, Ford is forced to live among the Amish community in order to protect the boy and his mother. Soon enough, he starts to become one of them as he, at one point during the movie, raised a barn and even is greeted more kindly to the locals. But, it isn't long before the bad guys show up to interfere with Ford's relationship with the Amish locals.
The movie tells two stories. One is the murder story involving the little kid, which I mentioned above, and the other is a story of forbidden love. Ford and McGillis begins to show affections for the two of them and realized that their love for one another is banned due the Amish standards in the community. The most interesting scene that I like a lot is when, after Ford's character watches Gillis' character bathes alone and is surprised to see him, watching her, the two run into each other arms, confessing their love. Now, some people might think that this scene is corny. But, to tell you the truth, it is not. Their romance is very effective in this very well-told story.
Witness is one of the best thrillers, I think, of the 1980's. This is the kind of movie that Alfred Hitchcock would to make if he was still alive. Harrison Ford really does bring all his has into this movie. I was very impressed by how Ford was able to channel his action hero stardom into a more human character. His performance as John Book earned Ford his first and only Oscar nomination. He really deserved the nomination and it would've been something if he did win. Kelly McGillis is also riveting as the little boy's mother. Many people might think of her as a very sensitive person, when in doubt, her character really wants to break out of her culture and into the open world where she wouldn't have to follow in the local standards.
I also want to give credit to some of the other actors involved in this movie, including Danny Glover, who plays one of the cops that is involved in the murder and Lukas Haas as the little kid. Haas is, like Ford and McGillis, really does a very good job of portraying Samuel as a kid who's not like any other child actor that I ever saw. I believed him as Samuel from the moment we see him at the Philadelphia train station in the beginning of the movie. We can't really take our eyes off this character and either the other two mentioned above, but that what makes Witness all the more enjoyable. This is a great thriller. See it if you haven't seen it already. ★★★★ 4 stars.
When Alfred Hitchcock died in 1980, there was only one person that could take over for the thriller genre. And that was Brian De Palma. De Palma, at this point in his career, was already making movies since the early 1970's. So far, he's made 3 feature length movies, including Sisters, from 1973, Carrie, from 1976 and Obsession, which was also released around the same year Carrie was released. Now, he brings an brand new thriller to the table.
Dressed to Kill is an exceptionally well made Hitchcockian thriller that's filled with erotic charged imagery and well-written characters that make the movie work well. Angie Dickinson plays a sexually frustrated housewife who can't seem to find satisfaction in her life. Her teenage son, (Keith Gordon), is a science geek who can't seem to fit in with his mother since his father left them for another woman. Dickinson's character even visits a local psychiatrist in New York City, played by Michael Caine. At first, Dickinson tries seducing him, but it fails. That night, after visiting a stranger in a museum, she decides to stay with him for the night. But, as soon as the night is over, she's brutally murdered in a elevator by a tall, blonde, woman, wielding a straight razor.
While all of this is going on, an call girl, (Nancy Allen), is questioned by the police since she witnessed the murder right in front of her. Meanwhile, the son wants revenge on his mother's murder. So, he and the call girl decides to track down the killer whatever means necessary.
Like other Brian De Palma's thrillers, Dressed to Kill renders on the Hitchcockian genre. The murder scene reminds us of the shower scene in Psycho with its portrayal of shock and awe, but what's interesting about this film is that it doesn't rip off that famous scene. What I expected out of Brian De Palma's other works is that he simply takes several Hitchcock's films and flips on its head. Even though there're several plot holes in this movie, I enjoyed the style more than the story.
As for the performances, Michael Caine does a good job, playing Dickinson's therapist. As for Angie Dickinson, she particularly steals the movie by giving us a very good performance as the troubled housewife. What I like also about Dressed to Kill is that Dickinson doesn't seem to be playing a helpless victim in this movie. Various people protest about the violence against women in this movie. But, to make things very clear, this movie is a lot more better than a dozen of slasher movies. This is an enjoyable thriller that does have a lot of style, but for the story, it does suffered a slight bump in the road for me. The music score by Pino Donaggio is quite splendid and beautiful at the same time. As I watching this movie, I could see that De Palma was trying so hard to make this movie closer to a Hitchcockian thriller and to tell you the truth, he does succeeds. Not only for this movie, but for another movie that he made four years later after this one, Body Double. With the pieces almost fitting together, Dressed to Kill is an frightening, erotic thriller with style and substance. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.
Dressed to Kill is an exceptionally well made Hitchcockian thriller that's filled with erotic charged imagery and well-written characters that make the movie work well. Angie Dickinson plays a sexually frustrated housewife who can't seem to find satisfaction in her life. Her teenage son, (Keith Gordon), is a science geek who can't seem to fit in with his mother since his father left them for another woman. Dickinson's character even visits a local psychiatrist in New York City, played by Michael Caine. At first, Dickinson tries seducing him, but it fails. That night, after visiting a stranger in a museum, she decides to stay with him for the night. But, as soon as the night is over, she's brutally murdered in a elevator by a tall, blonde, woman, wielding a straight razor.
While all of this is going on, an call girl, (Nancy Allen), is questioned by the police since she witnessed the murder right in front of her. Meanwhile, the son wants revenge on his mother's murder. So, he and the call girl decides to track down the killer whatever means necessary.
Like other Brian De Palma's thrillers, Dressed to Kill renders on the Hitchcockian genre. The murder scene reminds us of the shower scene in Psycho with its portrayal of shock and awe, but what's interesting about this film is that it doesn't rip off that famous scene. What I expected out of Brian De Palma's other works is that he simply takes several Hitchcock's films and flips on its head. Even though there're several plot holes in this movie, I enjoyed the style more than the story.
As for the performances, Michael Caine does a good job, playing Dickinson's therapist. As for Angie Dickinson, she particularly steals the movie by giving us a very good performance as the troubled housewife. What I like also about Dressed to Kill is that Dickinson doesn't seem to be playing a helpless victim in this movie. Various people protest about the violence against women in this movie. But, to make things very clear, this movie is a lot more better than a dozen of slasher movies. This is an enjoyable thriller that does have a lot of style, but for the story, it does suffered a slight bump in the road for me. The music score by Pino Donaggio is quite splendid and beautiful at the same time. As I watching this movie, I could see that De Palma was trying so hard to make this movie closer to a Hitchcockian thriller and to tell you the truth, he does succeeds. Not only for this movie, but for another movie that he made four years later after this one, Body Double. With the pieces almost fitting together, Dressed to Kill is an frightening, erotic thriller with style and substance. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.