Alien Abduction Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Sci-Fi Channel showed this movie over the weekend, and I'm seriously thinking of buying the DVD. Often their weekend fare seems to be low-budget techno-testosterone-adventure that's best avoided by anyone with a brain. But "Alien Abduction" is low-budget something else entirely.
It starts out seeming innocuously unoriginal, with four fairly annoying twentysomethings on a camping trip in the woods. They experience a horrifically gory alien abduction (hence the title), and then our lead woman wakes up in an institution for abduction survivors, where she has to figure out what's going on before what's going on kills her. We're not told whether the other three have survived, but they do reappear in the story after a while. (I'm being vague here on purpose.)
I knew from the outset that there would be a twist ending, and I assumed the twist would be fairly standard and predictable. Once the movie got going, though, it became obvious that I'd have to revise my prediction. I actually made several guesses through the course of the movie about what it would be, but was still surprised when it finally came. And it was pretty clever to boot.
All the hospital scenes are shot in a wash of green, or sometimes purple, contributing to the surreal, dreamlike atmosphere that pervades the whole movie. The only full color is when reality starts to intrude. If you pay attention, there are clues and red herrings scattered throughout as to the true nature of the situation, and some of them are actually not obvious, such as when the woman in charge says she is "responsible for all the abductions in the northeast region." In context, she clearly means that her hospital is responsible for the victims of such abductions. -- Or does she? The bizarre behavior of many (if not most) characters is another clue, but for this there are at least three potential explanations within the course of the story. Don't make the usual mistake of thinking this is merely bad acting. While it may be that, it also (perhaps unintentionally) has the effect of adding to the surreal, inhuman, disorienting quality of our heroine's surroundings, while at the same time preserving the quiet campiness, which turns out to complement the story surprisingly well.
Along her adventure, our heroine discovers scarred, murderous nurses; how easy it is to pose as a doctor in a military-run hospital; and the importance of wearing the right clothes for any given occasion. This is good dirty camp, and should be appreciated as such. Yet this character also acts in a completely consistent and believeable way, and turns out (after an initial spate of shrieking) to be a pretty sympathetic protagonist. This movie was made on a shoestring budget over a whopping one-and-a-half weeks, and the sound quality in particular suffered for it -- be prepared to turn your volume up, then down, then up again, several times. (This is frustrating but not fatal.) For the money and time they had, they did a pretty good job with a pretty good script.
All in all, the best B-movie I've ever seen.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Alien Abduction

ALIEN ABDUCTION - DVD Movie

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Alien Abduction

The Tenant (1976) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)...... or, "Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are In My Wall."
There are differing views on this somewhat small film, but I think in the big picture of RP's filmmaking career, The Tenant will stand out as his most personal work. If you know anything about this man's life, what he went through (and what he was about to go through, a scandal that caused him to flee the U.S.), the events in this very darkly humorous tale become all the more haunting.
The basic story: a socially awkward clerk moves in to an apartment previously occupied by a young woman who just died from injuries sustained by hurtling herself from that very apartment window. What he doesn't realize is that, by his moving in, the stage has been set for him to inherit the very miserable despair that possessed the former tenant. In the course of his solitary tenency, he hears disturbing sounds, sees strange things inside and outside his flat, and encounters inexplicable hostility from others in the building. Over time, he becomes increasingly unnerved and obsessed, incapable of controlling his own behavior, and the line between reality and delusion ultimately dissolves, giving way to psychosis.
This dark ride is not without Polanski's trademark warped, absurdist humor, and one gets a sense from sharing the deteriorating experience of his self-portrayed protagonist that he himself was trying to find a way to laugh at his own miseries and fears. This could be a therapeutic element of this film; by watching the ridiculously hopeless and wretched scenario unfold, hopefully we can laugh at our own vulnerabilities, while at the same time seeing that element in other peoples' callous behavior that drives others into such a state.
With Polanski's new found recognition in a film industry that cautiously turned its back on him nearly 30 years ago, we are finally given a chance to see this forgotten treasure, and it's about time. I've read many comparisons to Taxi Driver, but the subtle supernatural implications found in The Tenant's more surreal moments remind me more of The Shining, wherein an alienated individual renders himself prone to dark, irrational powers by way of his own obsession. A quiet, well-paced primal scream of a movie, this number will definitely give the viewer a twisted chuckle, and more than a few shivers after it ends. A no-holds barred, lights out masterpiece.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Tenant (1976)

Click here for more information about The Tenant (1976)

According to Greta (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just saw this film at its Santa Monica, California, premiere. It is truly a shame that the movie is not being distributed in theatres and instead is going direct to DVD & Blu-Ray. I hope the DVD contains some extras, especially a commentary, all of which were sadly lacking on the DVDs for Hilary Duff's earlier small, independent films of "War, Inc." and "What Goes Up."
For those who have doubted Hilary Duff's dramatic talent up until now, "According to Greta" should put those fears to rest. Duff turns in an unquestionably strong performance of a complicated character that will come as a surprise to those primarily familiar with her more tween/teen-oriented work such as the "Lizzie McGuire" TV series, "A Cinderella Story," and the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films. What the audience has borne witness to here is her genuine maturity as an actress and the possible paradigm shift in her career to more serious dramatic fare in the future.
Duff plays the title character of Greta, a 17 year old girl who has been "exiled" to her grandparents' home in New Jersey for the summer, given her mother's own inability to control her daughter and preference for saving her troubled marriage. Greta has decided to end her life once she turns 18, currently reflecting upon which method of death would be most desirable. Simultaneously, she has created a "bucket list" of sorts of things to experience in the final year of her life. The news of Greta's plans come as a surprise to her grandparents, especially her grandmother, played by veteran actress Ellen Burstyn. The Golden Globe- and Oscar-nominated Burstyn turns in a fine performance as Greta's "Grammy" Katherine, who is determined to give her granddaughter structure and discipline, and perhaps even aide in finding value in life.
Another surprise performance is given by actor Evan Ross, who plays Julie, a restaurant line cook with a shady past, who is committed to living as responsible and ethical a life as possible. Next to Duff's substantive performance, Ross' own poised and balanced performance will likely be a highlight of the film for viewers. In the movie, Greta and Julie become co-workers and eventually strike up a romance, one that comes off naturally, even in scenes of interpersonal character unease. But Greta's hardened attitude about life, her sharp hurtful words, and manipulative actions towards Julie, as well as her grandparents, threaten to drive those closest to Greta away, even as they all labor to help her see life's gifts.
Standing behind inter-relational tensions, is a haunting secret from the past. Will the recognition of this painful experience finally push Greta to take her life? Or can her grandparents and Julie -- or more pointedly, can she herself -- help transform her great pains into a realization for the sanctity of life? Check out the movie and find out for yourself.

Click Here to see more reviews about: According to Greta (2009)

Hilary Duff delivers the most unexpected performance of her career as Greta, a rebellious 17 year old ‘exiled’ for the summer to a sleepy Jersey shore community where she immediately informs her grandparents of her plans to kill herself by the time she turns 18. But before Greta can cross suicide off her ‘to-do’ list, she’ll begin an interracial romance with a young cook from a troubled background confront a tragic family secret and maybe even discover the promising young woman beneath her sarcastic shell. Just when Greta’s looking for a way out, will life find a way back in?

Get 40% OFF

Click here for more information about According to Greta (2009)

Wristcutters - A Love Story Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Most romantic comedies take place in... you know, the world of the living. They rarely star dead people. And not suicides, either.
But "Wristcutters: A Love Story" is not going to be tied down by that. This delicious, dark little cult film is about people who have committed suicide, and are now stuck in a limbo zone that is just like the living world, but less appealing. It's also dark, funny and poignant -- everything you want in a very original little indie movie.
Because of a breakup, Zia (Patrick Fugit) has decided that life is no longer worth living. He cleans his house, slits his wrists -- and finds himself in a strange twilight-zone with no sunshine, smiles, or appetizing food, and entirely populated by suicides -- think a Midwestern small town, but more depressing. He eventually gets a job, a nasty roommate, and befriends Eugene (Shea Whigham) a likably bombastic Russian rocker.
But then Zia learns from a new suicide that his girlfriend, Desiree (Leslie Bibb) has also offed herself. So he and Eugene bundle into Eugene's horrible old car, and start a road trip to find her -- picking up the pretty, feisty Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon), who says she's been placed there mistakenly. The odd trio rattles through this suicide world, until they stumble across a strange camp in the wilderness...
I first heard about "Wristcutters" a long while ago, on myspace -- but in the months that followed, it just sort of floated in a limbo of its own. Pretty frustrating, but Goran Dukic actually makes it worth waiting for -- it's a quirky and dark indie comedy, a tragedy, and a love story all in one.
As you can probably guess, the movie's main message is that you should live a life worth enjoying, and love someone worth loving. Yeah, the core of it is a guy who loses the girl, kills himself, tries to regain the girl, and falls in love with the worthier choice -- all while wondering if love is still possible for those whose hearts have stopped.
But that potentially soppy message is wrapped up in clever little quirks in Wristcutterville (Zia works at "Kamikaze Pizza") or the various deaths of the people who live there (Eugene electrocuted himself to get the crowd to pay attention). It feels pleasantly, wistfully warped -- both with macabre humour (the hole-in-the-head cop) and delicious dialogue ("I'm not going out tonight. It just makes me depressed." "So, what you gonna do? Kill yourself?").
And you gotta admit, this postmodern Purgatorio is an interesting concept -- it's portrayed with a sort of low-budget magical realism. Suicide wounds, pale faces, bleak landscape, and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a popular tune. It's pretty fitting that the place for those who have given up hope is a place where hope and joy are nonexistant.
It also has a very pleasant, poignant ending -- yeah, it seems like a bit of a cop-out, but somehow by the time we got there, I didn't mind. It ties in with the lesson of the movie, and the poignant little love between Zia and Mikal.
Fugit is a likably confused, sweet character who is just a bit dense, since it takes him awhile to figure out what a great, funny girl Mikal is. And Whigham -- whose character was partly based on Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz -- rules all the scenes he's in, as one of the few suicides who still has his vitality, libido and humour intact ("Everyone knows that man in back does not have c**k").
Sad, quirky and poignant, "Wristcutters: A Love Story" is an offbeat love/road-trip movie in the land of suicides -- it's a brilliantly warped little cult movie, and definitely worth seeing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Wristcutters - A Love Story

WRISTCUTTERS:LOVE STORY - DVD Movie

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about Wristcutters - A Love Story

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Two things killed this movie at the box office when it was first released: first, its title. Americans didn't seem to know what a "proxy" was, much less a hudsucking one. The second was its time of release. The movie came out in May as an early summer release but was actually a movie that would have been better received at Christmas. "Jaws" is a prototypical summer film. "It's A Wonderful Life," by comparison, would hardly be a summer blockbuster but sets the perfect tone for the holiday season. Come back in twenty years and you will find that "The Hudsucker Proxy" IS the Frank Capra classic for a new generation. It is Capra meets "Metropolis" blended with the smart humor of the Coens.The casting is near perfect. Tim Robbins is the naive and goofy savant. Paul Newman is as wonderful a villain as you will find as the evil Sidney Mussberger. Only Jennifer Jason Leigh takes a bit of getting used to as the tough talking reporter but she will move you by movie's end.I've had to beg, plead, wheedle and cajole my friends through the years to watch this movie and not let themselves be turned off by its title. Thus far it's left no one disappointed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

A clerk (Robbins) is promoted to company president as part of a stock manipulation scheme, but the clerk has an idea that will ruin everything if he gets the chance.Genre: Feature Film-ComedyRating: PGRelease Date: 7-JUN-2005Media Type: DVD

Click here for more information about The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

The Virgin Suicides (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)'The Virgin Suicides' is a beautiful, understated, and tragic drama, punctuated by great rock music of the late '70s, and featuring terrific performances, particularly by Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartlett, and a nearly unrecognizable Kathleen Turner. What makes the film even more remarkable is that it is the directorial debut by Francis Ford Coppola's daughter, Sofia, best known prior to this by her less-than-stellar performance in 'Godfather 3'! Her sensitivity with this material establishes her as a director to be reckoned with, and a true talent!
The film focuses on the five Lisbon sisters, beautiful, yet repressed by a religious and overly protective mother (Turner), who encourages their intellectual growth, but tries to block any sexual or emotional stirrings. The girls turn their passions into other channels, bonding tightly with one another, and viewing the world as outsiders. When the youngest attempts, then succeeds at killing herself, the family gains an unwanted notoriety, and a group of local boys begin to worship the remaining sisters from afar, gathering materials, and creating a fantasy world about them.
Lux, the most beautiful and free-spirited of the sisters (Dunst), attracts the attentions of the most popular boy in school, Tripp (Hartnett), who confuses raging hormones with love, and begins a campaign to 'have' her. Winning the respect of their father (James Woods, in another excellent 'against-type' portrayal), he succeeds in wearing the mother down, and arranges 'dates' for the sisters, so he can take Lux to the Homecoming Dance. The party provides the springboard for the tragedy that gives the film its name, and catapults the girls into icons that the boys who admire them can never forget.
There are many reasons to buy this film; Coppola's understanding of how boys and girls interact, and her sure touch with their issues about sexuality; Kirsten Dunst's best performance to date, conveying both sweetness, and barely suppressed erotic desire; Kathleen Turner's breakthrough as a character actress, sacrificing her glamorous persona for a stocky and frumpy matron. There are some excellent cameos, as well, particularly Danny DeVito as a clueless psychiatrist, Scott Glenn as a family priest who offers platitudes instead of comfort, and Michael Paré as an older Tripp, reminiscing about Lux, and their 'love'.
This is a very special film, one that you will not soon forget! I highly recommend it!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Virgin Suicides (2000)

In a quiet Michigan community in the mid-1970s, neighborhood boys try to piece together the lives of the five Lisbon sisters, kept isolated by their over-protective parents.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 9-AUG-2005Media Type: DVD

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about The Virgin Suicides (2000)

Seven Pounds (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I grew up watching Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, so he's a familiar face that I enjoy seeing. I truly think he's at his best in the drama category. His has such a soothing quality to him that can speak volumes in a couple words or a look. No one else could have played an IRS agent that doesn't immediately get a door slammed in their face.
For once, the plot was not spoiled before I could watch this movie on DVD. Usually you can't help but hear all about it before you see it. So I went into this knowing nothing, and while it's not completely surprising how it unfolds, it works in an amazing way.
For some, they will have a very large, elephant in the room problem with a film that concerns suicide(don't worry, not spoiling for you...this is the opening scene). This is a movie that develops like a symphony, slowly building before you. It will break your heart, but let you see that some people do have the best of intentions. They're willing to sacrifice more then you'd think.
Others have complained its "slow" or "boring". I believe 'seven pounds' is for those who like subtlety and things to think about. They don't give you all the information to figure out the story immediately.
I watched slumdog millionaire right before this, and honestly, thought this was stunningly better and I'm really shocked it wasn't nominated for an oscar. This would have been my personal choice for best film of the year.
Also, as I will always mention - finally, some good special features!! I love behind the scenes stuff, or the writers talking about how the story came to them. There is all that and more.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Seven Pounds (2008)

Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (2006, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, The Pursuit of Happyness) stars as Ben Thomas, a man at a crossroads searching for a way to redeem his heavy conscience. He discovers he has the power to change the circumstances of seven strangers who deserve a second chance. But when one of them captures his heart, he must decide if he should reveal his secret -- even if it means giving up on his plan.

Get 16% OFF

Click here for more information about Seven Pounds (2008)

The Sea Inside Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The rule of thumb is that Life is preferable to Death. But, on your mental scale, what value judgement would tip the balance towards the latter? THE SEA INSIDE is a forceful, emotive and sympathetic examination of assisted suicide. It's not a film for those seeking the usual Saturday afternoon pabulum of Hollywood escapism. And for those that believe that opting out of Life is never an option, it will likely be infuriating.
In a Oscar-worthy performance, Javier Bardem plays Ramón Sampedro, the Spanish poet who became a quadriplegic at age 26 when he dove into shallow waters and broke his cervical spine. In THE SEA INSIDE, it's now almost three decades later, and Sampedro is spending the last two years of his life petitioning the conservative Spanish government for the right to die with dignity via an assisted suicide. The film is an extraordinarily well acted piece by all members of the cast.
The family that cares for Ramón 24/7 includes his older brother José (Celso Bugallo), his brother's wife Manuela (Mabel Rivera), his father Germán (Alberto Jimenéz), and his nephew Javi (Tamar Novas). Besides the dedicated Manuela, who loves Ramón like a son, there are three other extraordinary women in his life: Julia (Belén Rueda, in her acting debut), the lawyer who handles Sampedro's legal case and who has a secret of her own, Gené (Clara Segura), the representative of a national right-to-die organization, and Rosa (Lola Dueñas), the single, working mother of two that just stopped in to say hello to the invalid and ends up adoring him. Indeed, the large number of caring females in Sampedro's stunted life yields perhaps the film's only trace of humor. When jealousies simmer among the gentler sex, Ramón discovers that he has women problems.
In emotional intensity, THE SEA INSIDE transcends that other recent award-winning film about assisted suicide, THE BARBARIAN INVASION (2003). At mid-point, in a sequence of devastating power, the camera becomes a window on Sampedro's fantasy that he can leave his bed. At another time, Ramón's bedridden helplessness is contrasted to the virile, active young man he once was through a series of old photographs examined by Julia. And the visual presentation throughout is mated to a dynamite soundtrack (that I'll definitely purchase!).
This production is Spain's entry into the 2004 Academy Award competition for Best Foreign Film. If it doesn't walk away with that golden statue, then I certainly want to see the film that does.
THE SEA INSIDE makes a strong case for voluntary Death with Dignity for those wishing that escape. It's certainly controversial, as evidenced by the Web sites attacking its stance. If you're looking for an intelligent, thought-provoking, sobering experience - I hesitate to use the word "entertainment" - see it as soon as it's released. It will likely remain in the artsy theaters and not go into wide distribution.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Sea Inside

Academy Award nominee Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) delivers a powerful and sensitive portrayal of a quadriplegic who fights to win the right to end his life with dignity. Based on a true story. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Director CommentaryDeleted Scenes:Documentaries:"A trip to The Sea Inside" Making-ofStoryboards:Theatrical Trailer:

Get 42% OFF

Click here for more information about The Sea Inside

Girl, Interrupted (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Winona Ryder is back from several years of lull in any highly memorable roles in major movies, and she is right on form with possibly her best performance yet. But that is certainly not all this movie has to offer. She plays Susannah Kaysen, an inpatient for a year at a mental hospital, who wrote the book about her real life story on which this is based. Not only Susannah but several of the other inpatients are most memorable characters. Angelina Jolie won Best Supporting Actress for playing Lisa, a sometimes menacing and always interesting patient there because of her anti-social personality. Other quite meomrable characters include a pathological liar who is Susannah's usually sweet roommate, played by Clea DuVall, and the Sullen and obsessed Daisy, who will eat nothing but chicken from her father's rotisserie, played by Brittany Murphy. Through her own struggles and interactions with the others, Susannah confronts in a memorable way some of the hot issues of the late 1960's, making this almost a nostalgia trip as well as a riveting human drama.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Girl, Interrupted (2000)

GIRL INTERRUPTED - DVD Movie

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about Girl, Interrupted (2000)

To Save a Life (2010) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)To Save A Life is a terrific movie for teens and adults. It has a Christian theme, but is extremely relative and appropriate for any teen or parent. The movie is very gripping for most people to watch, and definitely one that will stay with you after it ends. It has loud music, partying, and subject matter that many parents wish were not so close to every home these days--cutting, depression, bullying, alcohol abuse, sex, pregnancy, drugs, suicide, divorce, and more.
This is great for a family or groups to watch together. Great talking points to address with teens about the realities of life, consequences, and the fact that things can't always be "fixed" instantly or undone. Parents could rent this and watch it alone first, or just buy it. It is a movie that opens eyes, and one that you will want to share with/pass on to others.
For parents: If you forgot what high school feels like, watching this will bring back memories you may have forgotten, plus others you can hardly imagine your teen dealing with everyday. Way beyond pimples. Disturbing, but highly recommended!

Click Here to see more reviews about: To Save a Life (2010)

DVD-To Save A Life by Outreach Inc

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about To Save a Life (2010)