Odd Girl Out

Amazon.com

"Girls are brutal," a father warns his young son in the course of Odd Girl Out. "They… tear each other to bits over the smallest things." Director Tom McLoughlin's 2005 film proves it, too, offering up a harrowing tale of one teenager's horrendous treatment at the hands of her high school classmates. When we meet Vanessa (Alexa Vega, also seen in Spy Kids), she's a reluctant member of a group of spoiled, snooty girls who rule the school hallways like designer-dressed harpies. But when she betrays "best friend" and clique leader Stacey (Malcolm in the Middle's Leah Pipes), it all starts to go south; little matter that said betrayal is actually concocted by the genuinely vicious Nikki (Elizabeth Rice). What begins as a relatively petty campaign of text messages, rumor-mongering, and daily ostracism soon escalates into full-scale torment and cruelty, including a particularly nasty website, an invitation to a party that doesn't exist (the better to humiliate the eager and insecure Vanessa), and her near-tragic reaction to these events. McLoughlin's resume includes TV shows based on A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, so it's no surprise that this film has a stylized, horror film vibe; there is nothing remotely light-hearted about this story (loosely based on Rachel Simmons' non-fiction book Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture Of Aggression In Girls), which focuses not only on Vanessa's nightmare but on the well-meaning but futile efforts of her mother (Lisa Vidal) to help. But having stoked the viewer to expect Stacey, Nikki, and their co-conspirators to get the comeuppance they so richly deserve, the director delivers a largely unsatisfying denoument. Too bad, because up until then, Odd Girl Out is a real eye-opener, and a frighteningly accurate account of the living hell that is high school life. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for Adolescents.......2007-07-14

I use this video as part of a bullying lesson. The kids love it and can really relate.

MEANEST ever! Truthfully mean, not a pop-culture joke--the real stuff as it happens!.......2007-07-14

MEANEST movie I ever saw! The horror film of girlhood! I think the only kind of person who would rate this badly is (A) someone trying to run away from how miserable they are, (B) someone trying to deny that they've been bullied, or (C) someone trying to deny that someone they know is being bullied b/c they don't want to have to confront it.

Truth hurts, and this is painful if you can truly let youself feel. It was amazingly true to the book, though couldn't cover everything as Simmons covered more than one movie can handle. EVERY female child should see this film. And I think it will happen, but unfortunately perhaps not the right way. I can just see it being played in Health class as a public school standard issue, and then laughed at, especially by the mean girls who will try to make it look stupid, rather than take a look in the mirror. There were some afterschool special style scenes, which I shuddered at because the rest was so good it didn't deserve any cheesiness. Nothing is perfect, but this was still GREAT! I just wish moms would show this to their girls in a serious way before they get too old to listen, and too old will depend on the girl. But like Simmons says, the problem is so huge it won't be solved overnight, and it will take a lot of work. At least this is a start. Anyway, the movie is great! Just remember, I don't know any mean girls from my past who are actually happy now. They spent so much time being mean that now they're constantly afraid others will do it back to them. Most aren't married, and those who are have husbands who are as mean as they are. What kind of way to end up is that? Spend time looking for love and happiness and that is what you will find. If you spend time being mean, well, you made your own bed, go lie in it!

great movie - but: another Pan&Scan DVD.......2007-05-13

This movie has been filmed in widescreen - like all movies today. Sadly, we only get a P&S Fullscreen DVD. What the....?

Despite that, the movie itsself is very good and needed to be seen

Must see for all.......2007-04-28

All of the reviews thus far have said most of what I would say. It is definitely a must see for all parents and their children (girls and boys). However, I must add that girls and parents that watch this movie need to look closely at all of the angles in it. Sure Vanessa is the clear victim and it is brought to you as bluntly as it is in life. I was that girl off and on growing up (although I was never driven to suicide). For me, this happened in junior high and high school, but it also happened to me in grade school and as an adult. So, parents of young girls should also take note of this film.

That being said, I also want to call attention to another aspect of the movie. It is so easy to be Stacy too. If you notice she reluctantly takes part in the bullying, if at all. She only goes along for the ride because of her own insecurities. This is not to say that we should take her side or excuse her. Just that it is easy to be that bystander who does nothing. That can be the most damaging part of it all. In this case it is a best friend that could have ended it, or at least been a true friend.

I have to admit that when it happened to someone else back when I was in junior high, I didn't say anything. I didn't take part in any way, but that doesn't excuse me either. I should've said something or done something. It is something I regret. Luckily, the people I knew back then weren't driven as far as Vanessa. And I did not sit back idly and do nothing when it happened in High School.

Odd Girl Out.......2007-04-15

This was a great movie, every parent should be required to watch this!!! Oh yeah, good service from Amazon too!-

Average customer rating:

Lewis's Giallo?
The most outrageous gore film ever made!
Zombies, pasties, and french fries, anyone?
Icky even for Lewis
HGL at his best

The Gore-Gore Girls
Starring: Frank Kress , Amy Farrell , Hedda Lubin , Henny Youngman , and Russ Badger
Director: Herschell Gordon Lewis
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305836965
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Description

The screwiest, sexiest, goriest one yet! A lunatic with a grudge against G-strings, pasties, and pretty women is slaughtering the sexy strippers who work for night club impresario Marzdone Mobilie (Henny Youngman. Yes, the Henny Youngman). Not content with mere murder, the psycho enthusiastically mangles and mutilates the women, thus turning Marzdone's go-go girls into The Gore Gore Girls. Trying to solve the gruesome goings-on which include buttocks bashing, eyeball popping, face ironing, and body boiling in a bowl of French fries are obnoxious private eye Abraham Gentry (Frank Kress) and ditzy reporter Nancy Weston (Amy Farrell). And by coercing Nancy to perform in an amateur strip contest, Abraham offers the killer the perfect bait...A wicked mix of sick comedy, topless dancing, and ultra-violence makes the final film from director Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast) one of the ultimate B-movie gross-outs of all time!

Customer Reviews:

Lewis's Giallo?.......2007-05-07

Well, Lewis will never be confused with Argento that's for sure. There are similarities to the Italian giallo pictures, but this is a Lewis film all the way. A killer's knocking off strippers and a snobby investigator and a journalist are on the case. That's about it. Lewis seems to be trying to outdo the gore of his previous films, and at times he succeeds. But as gory and sadistic as it is, this film is a comedy through and through. The whole thing is tongue in cheek making it easy to laugh with the film rather than at it for being cheap and silly. A good portion of chuckles comes from the investigator, Gentry, with his high falootin', arrogant, insulting and sarcastic attitude. The guy is almost like a cartoon character, and certainly wouldn't be able to go about like he does in real life without getting his teeth knocked out. His sarcastic, low key response to the killer's demise is hilarious...so is the killer's demise itself come to think of it. I also didn't realize back in 72, some people referred to their homes as "cribs" like they do today. Learn something new everyday, huh? Though comedic, I couldn't recommend it to just anyone, coz the violence could certainly be off putting, even for some horror fans. But anyone reading a Herschell Gordon Lewis movie review knows what they're getting into, so enjoy.

The most outrageous gore film ever made!.......2005-02-11

This has got to be the most outrageous gore flick I have ever seen and by far the funniest. The gore effects in this movie are so outlandish that it is actually not frigthening at all but extremely humorous (for those of us with a taste for black humor). A movie like this could only have been created by the "Godfather of Gore" Herschell Gordon Lewis. Known for his mix of sex and extreme gore, Lewis out does himself in this one as Go-Go girls at a nightclub are hacked to pieces one by one. A hot iron is used to melt the face of one helpless victim, another has her face fried in french fry oil, still another has her rear end turned into hamburger meat and of course the infamous scene where a girl has her nipples cut off (the left bossom spews out whole milk while the right spews out chocolate milk!). Faces are mutilated, eyeballs are squished, and even the killer appears to have a dark sense of humor (a lit cigarette is found between the toes of one dead girl and the word "OK" is written on her leg in blood). There is even a cameo by the "King of the one-liners" Henny Youngman (who denies ever having been in this film to this day). After making this film, Lewis retired from the film making business and went on to become a successful investor. That is untill 2002 when he is coaxed back into the director's chair for "Blood Feast 2: All you can eat". Gorehounds will LOVE this flick...most others will be repulsed by it but then again, that is the point of the movie.

Zombies, pasties, and french fries, anyone?.......2004-02-04

Ladies and gentlemen! H.G. Lewis, the Godfather of Gore, proudly presents an amazing shockfest of striptease slaughter! Released in 1972, the "Gore Gore Girls," a stomach-churning and brain-twisting follow-up to Lewis's infamous "Wizard of Gore," is one of the first horror films ever to be rated X! While assembled upon a generous budget of $63,500, "The Gore Gore Girls" is a cult masterpiece of blood, black humor, and burlesque. With its smart dialogue, laughable acting, and plenty of bare exposure, this movie will entertain and nauseate even today's audiences. Best of all, despite the slightly crude subject matter, the overall content manages to stay risque without excessive raunch.
Actor Frank Kress adapts the role of Abraham Gentry, a snobbish and arrogant private eye who is offered $25,000 to investigate a series of gruesome murders. He's hired by an attractive Globe reporter named Nancy Weston (Amy Farrell), who will do anything for a scandalous story. Thinking that Nancy is merely a novice in solving crimes, Kress doesn't want anything to do with her, and he doesn't make that obvious just by whipping his cane around. Thanks to his charms, poor Nancy spends the entire second half of the movie drunk on zombies and tequila shots (not to mention the winner of an amateur strip contest). Still, the two manage to travel from one strip bar to another. Audiences will be given the pleasure of watching several voluptuous women in their tassels and pasties...up, close, and personal. Eventually, Abraham and Nancy gather enough clues to target four suspects:
Joseph - a shy student who was seduced and jilted by the killer's first victim, Suzy Creampuff.
Grout - a sadistic ex-marine who crushed and disfigured the faces of several Viet Cong soldiers.
Mary - a radical feminist who thinks that topless dancers are degrading to women.
Marlene - a fuming barmaid who was once a famous female wrestler, only to have her perfect figure horribly disfigured in a fire.
A lot of dark and sexual comedy is laced in the plotline. Viewers will especially enjoy how Abraham's bon mots test the patience of the Police Department's hotheaded Lieutenant. Not only does Abraham refuse to provide accurate information to the Lieutenant, but he even tricks him into thinking that the killer is a devout Christian! And, of course, let's not forget the outrageous stand-up comedy of Henny Youngman, who plays the ambitious club owner Marzdone Mobilie.
Meanwhile, the mysterious psychopath is killing the dancers one by one, slashing their throats and mangling their bodies beyond recognition. Like "The Wizard of Gore," this movie makes the art of mutilation the main attraction. Even before the opening credits appear, the murderer grabs Suzy Creampuff by the hair and smashes her face against a glass mirror! From there, each victim's demise gets more grisly than the last, and the seemingly cheap effects will make viewers cringe to this day. In the film's latter half, Lola, a ditzy lady with false eyelashes, is attacked by the unnamed psychopath, who then bludgeons her buttocks with a meat tenderizer! The final two murders are perhaps the grossest ones ever to be filmed. The sick assailant burns one woman's face with an iron. Then, he/she has the other victim's skin sizzled in a pot of cooking oil!
If you are a fan of H.G. Lewis's lurid legacy, "The Gore Gore Girls" is worth buying. But, it's not for the easily squeamish. In fact, once you see this movie, you will never want to eat french fries again!

Icky even for Lewis.......2003-12-25

In 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis, an independent filmmaker known for making cutie pictures, changed forever the face of American cinema when he released "Blood Feast." This film, about as low budget as you could possibly get even in the 1960s, kicked off the era of the gore film. While it would be quite some time before Hollywood caught on to the fact that certain segments of movie audiences hungered for films containing nauseating scenes of explicit violence, H.G. Lewis took one look at the receipts for "Blood Feast" and decided he better quickly make another movie similar to this one. What followed was a series of gruesome zero budget shockers, films like "The Gruesome Twosome," "A Taste of Blood," "2000 Maniacs," "The Wizard of Gore," and his final cinematic gore masterpiece "The Gore-Gore Girls." Lewis retired after making this 1972 picture in order to concentrate on a career in advertising, an endeavor he found much more profitable than his work in the film business. It wasn't until 2002 that the director returned to form with "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat," a movie which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Godfather of Gore still has what it takes to gross out an audience.

A gruesome series of murders committed against some local club employees inspires a newspaper to offer a boatload of money to famous private detective Abraham Gentry (Frank Kress, a guy who looks a lot like Sydney the psychiatrist from M*A*S*H). The contact between the tabloid and Gentry is one Nancy Weston, an eager reporter who quickly develops a thing for the arrogant investigator. Abraham agrees to take the case and immediately begins prowling the local go-go clubs, asking questions about the victims and narrowing down his field of potential suspects. One man in particular, a Vietnam veteran with the odd habit of squashing fruit, initially attracts Gentry's attentions. Another suspect turns out to be the head of a small cell of rabid feminists who routinely turn up at the clubs to protest the squalid behaviors of its denizens. The case would probably be resolved in a speedier manner if Gentry didn't have such an annoying personality. He ambles around dressed in a three-piece suit with cane, making it a habit to insult everyone from a sniffling bartender (played by Ray Sager of "The Wizard of Gore" fame) to an obnoxious waitress to the owner of a string of clubs named Marzdone Mobilie (Henny Youngman, of all people). He even misleads the local police with a crazy story about a bible-toting killer just so he can solve the case and collect the award.

Meanwhile, the killer continues the rampage. Herschell Gordon Lewis created some nasty looking special effects during the course of his career, but the scenes of carnage in "The Gore-Gore Girls" plumbs the depths of sadism. Describing all of the crimes here in gruesome detail probably won't do, but if you can imagine the effects of bobbing for French fries or the result of applying a hot clothing iron to flesh, you are half way there. Even worse, Herschell plays some of the scenes for laughs, with the grisly highlight involving both chocolate and regular milk. One scene involves a head and a car that equals, if not surpasses, a similar situation in Troma's "The Toxic Avenger." Lewis's final film is only for the stoutest souls, those hardy individuals inured to this type of stuff because they have watched dozens of horror films. Weak hearted people should probably stay well away. Besides, if you cannot stand terrible acting, go-go dancers with about as much onstage energy as a group of geriatrics, or canned jazz music as a soundtrack you won't make it through this one anyway.

"The Gore-Gore Girls" initially resembles a giallo film. A black-gloved killer toting a whole mess of sharp instruments spends a whole lot of time tracking down decidedly unattractive go-go dancers in order to kill them. The first murder looks like it is straight out of a Dario Argento film. If it looks, tastes, smells, and feels like a giallo, it must be a giallo, right? Wrong! This is H.G. Lewis, the Godfather of Gore. The emphasis here is on shocking the audience to the core of its being rather than wasting a huge amount of time building up suspense, investing energy in coming up with inventive camera angles, or constructing a complex plot. Instead, "The Gore-Gore Girls" gives you lots of seedy atmosphere, pedestrian pacing, and amateurish editing (some of the dance sequences run on for WAY too long). One bright spot is the actress who plays Nancy Weston, a nice looking redhead out of place in a Herschell Gordon Lewis film unless you take into account her lousy acting skills. Yes, the film is painful to watch, but you know if you are a Lewis fan you will do it anyway and you will enjoy the trip.

The DVD is another winner in the Lewis catalogue. The director's commentary illuminates many of the hassles both big and small encountered during the production shoot, as well as providing lots of laughs over Lewis's philosophy about making low budget films. As for the picture quality, well, it leaves a lot to be desired. Colors look overexposed on numerous occasions, although that is probably how the movie looked when it was originally shot because anyone familiar with Lewis's films knows he had only a rudimentary knowledge about lighting a scene. Not my favorite Lewis film, "The Gore-Gore Girls" is still an important entry in the Lewis canon due to the over the top gore and the fact that it was the last film the director made for nearly thirty years.

HGL at his best.......2003-11-19

For those unfamiliar with HGL, I would recommend seeing Blood Feast first, for all others, skip the mediocre films that followed and go staight to the Gore Gore Girls. Don't get me wrong, his other films are entertaining in their own right if you are a fan of 'bad' cinema; however, this film is quintasencial 'bad' cinema. This is HGL at his finest, superbly combining slap-stick humour with over-the-top, albeit ridiculously executed, gore and violence. Do not approach this film expecting a horror film. It is not. It is an hilarious comedy that happens to be exhuberantly bloody (but in a darkly, twistedly funny way). You will never look at a glass of chocolate milk the same way again after viewing this film. Again, those familiar with HGL's work know that his films are far from 'slick'. They are characterized by rudamentary camera work, baddest of the bad acting, minimal production values, all doused liberally in vibrantly red blood. If these weren't present, they wouldn't be HGL films and they would certainly suffer for it. This is what exploitation filmmaking is all about, brilliantly executed by the master himself. If you haven't seen it yet, get it. You won't be disappointed.

Felicity - An American Girl Adventure (Gift Pack with Book and Doll)

Average customer rating:

Felicity - An American Girl Adventure (Gift Pack with Book and Doll)
Starring: Shailene Woodley , Kevin Zegers , David Gardner , John Schneider , and Marcia Gay Harden
Director: Nadia Tass
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000M5K9XQ
Release Date: 2006-12-20

Average customer rating:

Wacky Asian Comedy
Funny and Entertaining Indy
Rice Girl gets 5 stars
Prettier Woman
Destined to be a cult classic

Rice Girl
Starring: Pat Morita , Martin Kove , Ian Lithgow , Dean Haglund , and Cheryl Monk
Director: Michael Fischa
Manufacturer: Rice Girl
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002VGS08
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Customer Reviews:

Wacky Asian Comedy.......2007-01-19

Wacky, good natured comedy...I'm not that familiar with Asian comedy, but it reminds me of the few Asian comedies I have seen. Like Hong Kong action cinema copies American gangster films of the 30's and 40's, this broad comedy has roots in American slapstick comedies of the same period. Cheryl is a riot and it has a good cast of familiar Hollywood character actors...what the heck, give it a try and laugh out loud !

Funny and Entertaining Indy.......2006-09-01

I was very entertained watching "Rice Girl"--I smiled or laughed all the way through. Cheryl Monk's facial expressions were precious--so much fun to watch. Fairly impressive cast for an Indy film with Pat Morita and Dean Haglund. Eddie's character was a clever use of anthropomorphism in switching between animal, human, AND guardian angel--quite cute.

My only concern: to enjoy this movie, one must appreciate the occasional sideline comedy "shorts" spread throughout the movie. It will probably be hard to find them all funny, but still clever nonetheless.

Rice Girl gets 5 stars.......2006-02-18

One of the funniest most refreshing movies I've seen in awhile. Cheryl Monk and her crew kept me in stiches through the whole movie. Not only that Cheryl is a very pleasurable woman to look at. Even the Fish had me laughing....Pat Morita too. Definitely a movie for the whole family...I still think about it and chuckle out loud.

Prettier Woman.......2005-06-25

A little like a more sweet-natured Asian version of "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "Rice Girl" manages to mix up "The World of Suzie Wong" and about a dozen Chop-sockey shoot-em ups, and still manages to be a movie with genuine wit, heart and humor. You laugh at the movie, but you're laughing with the characters, not at them. Cheryl Ling is a genuine hoot as the eponymous heroine Windy Yee, so determined to get the title role in the movie "Hooker X" that she's willing to go (almost) all the way to do her research. This puts her in the way of Martin Kove and Ian Lithgow, undercover cops who blithely (and hilariously) explain their peculiar take on the pimp look (Mary Kay pink deVille, and clothes that look like a cross between the old duffer department at Sears and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders) by announcing they're from Texas. Naturally, Ian falls for our Rice Girl- who wouldn't?

There are very few false noted in this movie- the cast is obviously having the time of their lives: Martin Kove has more fun in 5 minutes with a powdered donut than any of the actors in the past 5 movies I've seen has, and Pat Morita's delivery of the line "It's FRIED RICE you pdick!" had me laughing out loud. I also really respected that this movie actually had the stones to gently suggest that perhaps selling one's body might not be the healthiest thing to do, physically or morally, but still never, ever isn't light, frothy and hugely fun.

I love finding independant movies like "Rice Girl": this is the best of Hollywood. It's not as slick as what you're going to find at the google-plex, but it being a little raw is part of it's charm. Plus, you can discover performers like Cheryl Ling while reveling in watching pro's like Martin Kove and Pat Morita given the grren light.

Worth every penny- buy this right now!

Destined to be a cult classic.......2005-04-10

Cheryl Monk is outstanding playing a wanna-be actress leading her through a bizarre chain of humors events. Rice Girl is destined to become a cult classic!

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