Lie With Me

Amazon.com

Shot in sunny Toronto and set to a dreamy score, Lie With Me looks and sounds like an art film, but the end result isn't quite so lofty. The plot is thin and the dialogue superfluous, but no matter--Canada's Clément Virgo (Love Come Down) just wants to turn you on and he has enlisted two attractive, uninhibited young performers to assist in his aims. Leila (Lauren Lee Smith, The L Word) and David (Eric Balfour, Six Feet Under) meet at a party. He's with his girlfriend, but finds himself drawn to her. The feeling is mutual. She's alone, but quickly finds an unattached hipster with whom to have a tryst. David catches her in the act. Instead of turning away, he watches. They start seeing each other immediately afterwards. "I'm not hooked on danger, [I'm] hooked on sex," Leila claims, but she isn't exactly the most trustworthy narrator. She wants a purely physical relationship, while David wants something more. They return to their old lives, but the obsession refuses to die. Based on the novella by Virgo's partner, Tamara Berger, Lie With Me plays like a low-budget cross between Adrian Lyne's overrated 9 1/2 Weeks and Wayne Wang's underrated The Center of the World. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Utterly Unsatisfying.......2007-07-30

What can I say? I'm sure I bought this for the same reason everyone else did, and boy what a let-down.

Not to be ignorant or apathetic, I will focus my review on the film as a whole, not just the much talked about "graphic scenes of real sex" *cough cough*.

Allow me first to point out all the good things, then all the bad:

GOOD: The female lead is gorgeous.

That's it.

I guess the score has its charm too, but only cos it's always set to shots of her attractive face, so I'm gonna lump that all in as one bullet point.

NOT SO GOOD: Where do I start? Although the girl is very attractive, the scenes of her having sex are not in the least bit exciting, so she might as well not be.

The male lead is UTTERLY miscast, as a romantic lead, as an erotic lead, this guy totally misses the mark on ALL counts. And did I say romantic? Come to think of it, did I even say erotic?? Sorry guys but this film is a big fat neither. The much hyped "real" sex scenes are nothing short of completely pathetic, with not a single sexual encounter between the two "stars" (of which there are only two or three in the whole film) lasting more than a minute - literally, a 60 second minute. And these aren't artfully composed edited highlights, these are beginning-to-end realtime scenes. Think I'm kidding?

I can understand the first time they're together and there's all this sexual tension and electricity and lust (although as a viewer I just had to assume this, I certainly didn't feel any of it coming from the two actors) and the guy just can't contain himself, but this and every subsequent time they're together he finishes in less than a minute.

Which leads to another thing; throughout the film the girl narrates a contrived monologue sprinkled liberally with new-age promiscuous pleasure-seeking slang, this girl obviously thinks highly of herself sexually, yet the whole point of the film is that she becomes consumed by physically being with a man who cannot last more than 60 seconds in the sack. Even within the shallow parameters set by the film itself, this film fails to convince; and on any real level beyond that, it completely falls flat on its face. At one point he tells her he thinks about her all day and all night etc. etc. and I was left thinking "Whu?". There's just no passion between these two whatsoever, not as people, and not as bodies in a bedroom either. The simple and usually obvious dialogue is left to convince us of something entirely lacking in any other place we might look for it.

At one point after being with the guy the girl tells us, "I always thought a man loved with his c_ck", as if she now knows real love and a man who can love her with something other than his c_ck, after what? A one night stand with a guy whose only interest was to have sex with you??? How does that work?

Well, quite simply, it doesn't. Neither does the rest of this film. Not for a second.

If you're only interested in the real sex scenes, I can open a raincloud on your parade and tell you that the films entire sex scenes tally less than a few minutes, and are utterly uninteresting anyway. If you're interested in this film in a more holistic way, I can tell you that you're barking up an even wronger tree.

If this review is all over the place it is only cos the film itself is an equal mess.

STAY AWAY!

Recommended.......2007-07-01

Lie With Me is more than just lust and sex. David for example doesn't know what he wants they show him with his dad, which we know is an invalid. He has trust issues just like Leila. When he first sees her, I think that he is infautated with her. He helps her at the party when she becomes dizzy, he watches her when she is walking through that wooded area. Basically he is in love with her. When Leila is having sex with that guy he can't help but feel lust for her at first. I mean the guy watches her and then they make a connection. Leila is dealing with the collaspe of her parents marriage and struggling with herself and what she wants. She meets David and she feels actual love i mean she can't be away from him for one second without wanting to feel him. She talks about how when she has sex that she can feel the pleasure inside of her but wants to feel something completely different with someone else. You guessed it that someone is David she wants to love him but she doesn't know how that is why she leaves him. Then she realizes how much she wants to be with him and he pushes her away. She is persistant and then she shows herself to him. In turn he rips out her heart and tells her he doesn't want to be with her, but that is all a lie cause the hurt in his eyes shows through. I think that Leila freaks out because she doesn't know how to comfort him when his dad dies, because you comfort the ones you love in their time of need. Plus i think Eric Balfour has a nice everything in that movie. Both are passionate towards each other even in those scenes when he gets jealous or is still grieving he hurts and the one person who he loves, leaves him. I don't think that he needs a mommy i thinks he needs a lover and someone to show him who he is. Also when they show Leila like having sex form behind i think that she is scared to let someone make actual love to her but David changes that i mean he asks her out on a date. You don't date someone you just want to have sex with. I love this movie i mean yeah theres graphic nudity but its hot and steamy and the actors make David and Leila come to life. Both Eric Balfour and Lauren Lee Smith are the perfect actors to play them.

A range of emotions on film.......2007-06-24

I bought this movie out of curiosity. I love this movie because of the range of emotions many of us experience when one desires and loves. Virgo uses long scenes with few cuts and dialogue to show what's felt when one falls for another. There's lust, attachment, uncertainty, and resolution. The movie shows how one may grow or regress because of these feelings. Rather than lots of dialogue, Virgo uses the nonverbal communication to show what's felt - the trembling of the lips with anticipation, the attachment to another when kissing their arm while asleep, or the misery and disconnect from being without the other. The plot is simple, but many of us have felt the contents of the movie at some point in time. This movie is the first that has delved into the depth of these feelings and put it brillantly on film.

If you're looking for erotic scenes, they're definitely there, and add to the content of the movie. However, if you're thinking this movie is about nothing but sex, you're misled.

Lie With Me will make you think and feel for these characters. Take the 90 minutes; it's worth the time.

Clement Virgo's Lie With Me is self-indulgent porn masquerading as an 'art' film.......2007-06-23

I've learnt to spot the danger signs of an impending bad movie. One of them is when the director is also the screenwriter and producer -- in short, there's no one there to put the brakes on when the film starts to get too self-absorbed. Such is the case with this Canadian indie film that seems to have gone straight to video.

Based on Tamara Berger's novel of the same name (published by the appropriately named Gutter Press), we meet Leila (Lauren Lee Smith), a young woman at a party. She's more than a little tipsy, and looks to be on the scrawny side, dressed clearly with the message that she's there to get laid -- oops, I mean have a good time. One man there is pretty bold about eyeing her, and the pair end up in the bathroom, where he helps her to sober up a little with a drink of water. It almost turns into sex, but his girlfriend calls for him outside and he leaves. He, we find out, is named David (Eric Balfour).

She leaves the party, taking with her Shy Guy (Michael Facciolo), and proceeds to have sex with him outside, up against a chain-link fence. Sitting in his car, watching the pair, is none other than David, along with his girlfriend. David and Leila watch each other getting laid, mimicing each others actions, as it were. At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what this film was going to be about, but as I have this thing about finishing the book or film I start, I didn't turn it off right away.

Eventually, Leila and David meet up again, this time in a public playground, and in a daring moment, she exposes herself to him, making her own interest pretty well known. They move onto his apartment for sex, and the sexual compulsion between the two of them gets going. And in fact that's what most of this film is about -- we're either watching Leila and David going at it like deranged rabbits, or she's letting us know her thoughts and experiences in a voice over that supposed to be titillating and erotic, but sounds more like a bad memoir.

The relationship is pretty predictable -- lust, jealousy phase, playing house together phase, she tries to get it past sex, he withdraws and treats her like trash, they break up, and so on and so forth. Yawn. We've seen this before. While I have to say that the sex at least looks real and honest, the rest of the film isn't that interesting. David, in particular, strikes me as the sort of young man that is fashionable these days -- unshaven, grungy and without any visible means of support. He does take care of an elderly, ailing father, so I guess that's something in his favour. But who in their right mind goes about in dirty jeans without underwear? I had a strong urge to go dip him in a vat of lye.

Leila's not much better. She's perpetually rumpled in skimpy clothing that looks to be ready to fall off at anytime. It's a cheap and sleazy look, and if she's looking for true love or respect from men, it's not a way to really inspire it either. Her personal life isn't that much better -- her parents are going through a divorce, her job is a dead-end job, she seems to spend her free time on the couch watching porn, or partying it up with weed and alcohol. She's not someone I would really care to know in reality either.

In short, this is a couple made for each other. Neither one of them are very responsible, and frankly, he treats her like a piece of meat. I suppose this is what makes this a modern, young adult relationship, sex without strings or emotion. And while the sex does get interesting, I've seen far far better in x-rated film, the only thing this lacks is what is known as the money shot in the trade.

Indeed, Virgo tries to make this as arty as possible, with lots of soft lighting, on location shots in Toronto, use of colour and texture, and I guess that works. But there isn't any sort of plot in this except for the so-called romance between the two leads, and their sexual shenanigans. Oh, there's an attempt or two with the illness of one parent, and the impeding divorce, but the central relationship is so tawdry, the viewer is left with the attitude of so what? by the end.

I don't demand syrupy romance, as long as there is some sort of passion there, but these two are so out of touch with themselves, how can they possibly make it work with each beyond the rubbing together of two body parts? That was the other big complaint with this one -- no one hits a climax that fast, and here it's the slam-bam-thankee-ma'am sort of sex. I kept thinking that she must have had insides of old leather to put up with that.

This is not for children of any age, and I would suspect that most adults would find it a bit on the disturbing side. There is quite a bit of sex in this, with male and female frontal nudity, sex in public, public exposure, sex in public, in cars, with lots of foul language and every form of straight sex that can be performed. There's plenty of drug and alcohol abuse as well. But they do try with a bit of condom use -- after all, this is the age of safe sex, I suppose.

No subtitles, some lackluster trailers for other films, and a voice-over commentary from the director. Nothing really special to watch either.

This is certainly a D-list film. Those who prefer their film to have sex and be honest about it might find a few minutes worth watching, but this 100-minute clunker has nothing else going for it. Those who are looking for a love story will be turned off by the callous brutality and attitudes. It's not a likeable film at all, and I urge you to spend your time with something, anything, else.

Not recommended.

a porn movie disguised as a 'b' movie.......2007-06-21

this movie was about a female sex maniac seeking free rides in the city of angels. there were lot of love making scenes in this hollow movie. the screenplay writer was the original author of that book titled in the same name. if this movie was shot in the '70s timeline, i'd accepted it unconditionally, but regretfully, this is a 2005 movie, aids, hiv and other diseases transmitted from random sex are real. so every time when this young woman involved in free sex, i was just sick to death.
a big question here: what's the point of making this movie?

Average customer rating:

ok movie
4.5; one of Cameron's more funner movies
3 FOR 3 BY THE SCHWARZENEGGER/CAMERON DUO!
Fantastic movie, crappy DVD
Favorites

True Lies
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Jamie Lee Curtis , Tom Arnold , Bill Paxton , and Charlton Heston
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: 6305364648
Release Date: 1999-05-25

Amazon.com essential video

From The Terminator to Titanic, you can always rely on writer-director James Cameron to show you something you've never seen on the big screen before. The guy may not consistently pen the most scintillating dialogue in the world (and, especially in this movie, he doesn't seem to have a particularly high regard for women), but as a director of kinetic, push-the-envelope action sequences, he is in a class by himself. In True Lies, the highlight is a breathtaking third-act jet and car chase through the Florida Keys. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a covert intelligence agent whose wife of 15 years (Jamie Lee Curtis) finally finds out that he's not really a computer salesman and who becomes mixed up in a case involving nuclear arms smuggling. Tom Arnold is surprisingly funny and engaging as Schwarzenegger's longtime spy partner, and Bill Paxton is a smarmy used-car salesman (is that redundant?) whom Arnold thinks is having an affair with his wife. Purely in terms of spectacular action and high-tech hardware, True Lies is a blast. --Jim Emerson

Description

Arnold Schwarzenegger is special agent Harry Tasker, a top spy in the ultra-secret Omega Sector who also dances a mean tango- although to his neglected wife, Helen, (Jamie Lee Curtis) he's just a dull computer salesman. But while Harry's been busy fighting terrorists, Helen's been gathering secrets of her own. And when their two secret lives unexpectedly collide, Harry and Helen find themselves in the clutches of international terrorists, fighting to save not only their marriage but their lives as well. Packed with non-stop action, spectacular special effects and unprecedented stunts, this "domestic epic" from director James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is a rollicking `90's twist on the super spy genre.

Customer Reviews:

ok movie.......2007-08-07

This was an ok movie. It holds your attention. Gives you the highs and lows. Makes you care for the characters and the situations they are in. The most redeming part of the whole film was where they were trying to trick arnie's wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) by think that she was a spy and had her give her own husband a strip tease. The best! For all the right reasons. but it did lack some pizazz, and some middle of the road special effects. So overall it was something that would hold your attention and not be disappointed.

4.5; one of Cameron's more funner movies.......2007-07-29

All of James Cameron's films have a sense of seriousness to them, even with a little humor now and then. From the wonder of the Abyss to the technology-run-rampant theme of the Terminator films, it's interesting watching True Lies and you keep wondering whether this is the same guy. But rather than a less-than-stellar flirting with an action und comedy (gotta love Simpsons references), True Lies is actually a really fun film to watch and although it may not have the cultural staying power of Terminator 2 or Titanic, it's still quite a good ride.

Harry Tasker is a boring IT salesman; well that's what he wants people to think as he really is a government spy helping to bring down terrorists and their organizations. But like a lot of spies, he doesn't bring his work home, leaving his wife Helen and daughter Dana unaware of his "real" job. But when a terrorist group planning to bring a nuclear weapon onto US soil, Helen inadvertenly gets involved and Harry has to come clean to his family...oh and save the country too.

Cameron is one of the few directors who knows how to shoot action sequences and have them be exciting and make sense, unlike someone like say, Michael Bay, who uses quick editing to mask his ineptitudes as a directors. Some scenes with highlights involving a rescue mission on a bridge, a chase scene with a horse and another scene involving a Harrier jet are fun but we also care for the characters involved in the scenes and they're not just action figures doing crazy stuff.

It's funny to say this is probably one of Arnold's better performances who manages to use his action hero persona as well as comedic workings yet both work together unlike say Junior where it was just...bad. Then of course we have Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold who manage to be funny without that sort of annoying "comic relief" character. The one weak link, and really it's not an acting thing, is Bill Paxton. Playing a swarmy car salesmen who lies to bed women, he plays it as he should be but it's probably the most unnecessary role. It strengthens Harry's devotion for Helen and he also realizes how safe her life has been but Paxton's character doesn't really do anything better writing could've done without him.

Either he's busy getting Avatar off the ground or he just doesn't want to but it's sad this film doesn't have a special edition. Granted it's not as popular as Terminator 2 or massively well-known as Titanic but you'd think we'd have had something by now. As of now, this is incredibly bare bones and it would've been great to have some insight look and even a commentary but who knows when that'll be.

Interestingly, 2 of my favorite directors (one being Cameron, the other being David Fincher) lead similar careers. For every great movie they make, they have one that somehow slipped through the cracks. In that sense, True Lies is like Fincher's the Game: they're both good movies that for some reason people just kind of forgot about except for diehard fans. I wouldn't call myself a "diehard" fan but True Lies is just a fun movie in the end so that's good enough.

3 FOR 3 BY THE SCHWARZENEGGER/CAMERON DUO!.......2007-07-16

James Cameron is one of the greatest filmmakers in the business. He combines great and spectacular action sequences with interesting and often funny characters. And when he pairs up with legendary action-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, the consequences are fantastic! After the stellar "Terminator" films, they teamed up once again for "True Lies," a stellar action film with awesome action sequences and great storytelling! The cast and crew do a fantastic job of bringing Cameron's story of terrorists and spies to the screen! Fans of Cameron and Schwarzenegger will not want to miss adding "True Lies" to their movie collections!
Movie/DVD Grade: A

Fantastic movie, crappy DVD.......2007-06-18

"True Lies" is one of my favorite action films, being at the same time one of the prototypical mid 1990's action films and a parody of the same genre. It strikes a perfect balance between humor and action throughout the course of the film. It's a must see if you like Arnold.

However, the DVD release presented here is brutal. Do not let the THX certification on the front of the DVD case fool you. The film is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ration, but is not anamorphic widescreen, a format optimized for widescreen televisions. It is presented in letterbox format instead, which means that the picture is much, much worse than its anamorphic equivalent because the black bars at the top and bottom are actually encoded into the video stream. This process leaves less room in the video encoding for the actual image, reducing its quality. Anamorphic widescreen leaves the black bars out of the video encoding, preserving more of the video stream for the actual image and allowing the DVD player and TV to add the black bars if necessary. Since a widescreen TV does not have need for these bars, they can be left off entirely, leaving only the high quality image.

Anamorphic widescreen has been a standard feature of DVDs for years now, so it's easy to forget that not all DVDs have it. Old DVDs are especially suspect on this front. If you have a nice television, the lack of anamorphic widescreen will be very noticeable and distracting throughout the film. Maybe it will be out on Blu-ray soon...

Favorites.......2007-05-13

In this movie Arnold Schwarenegger is perfectly paired with Jaime Lee Curtis, and is a pleasure rewatch if one likes the genre.

Average customer rating:

Just what I wanted!
GOOD CHILLER & HOMAGE TO HITCHCOCK!
A performance driven Hitchcockian thriller.
"She looks like me...only she had green eyes.."
Secrets and lies

What Lies Beneath
Starring: Ray Baker , Mitch Carter , Wendy Crewson , Tom Dahlgren , and Moosie Drier
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
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ASIN: B00003CXI7
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Amazon.com

A good old-fashioned thriller that wears its Alfred Hitchcock pedigree proudly on its sleeve, What Lies Beneath stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as picture-perfect married couple Norman and Claire Spencer, who seem happy and content with a fabulous house, college-age daughter and still-active libidos. When said daughter heads off to college, Claire starts obsessing about her new neighbors, and becomes convinced that the moody husband killed the neurotic wife, and that the wife's ghost has a desperately important message for her. Yes, it's true, there is a ghost, and there is a message, but it has decidedly more personal--and life-threatening--implications for Claire and Norman. Suddenly, that car crash last year that Claire can barely remember and the circumstances surrounding it start falling into place, and Claire begins to realize Norman may have a secret.

Director Robert Zemeckis loads the first half of What Lies Beneath with humorous cheap thrills (the suddenly ringing phone, etc.) that poke fun at Claire's dilemma while simultaneously making you tense beyond belief. Between each goofy thrill, though, is one true one that will make you jump out of your seat, including a bathtub that keeps filling itself. And all the while, Zemeckis subtly telegraphs the fissures in the Spencers' marriage, slowly revealing that all is not well between these two. Yes, it's a blatant Hitchcock homage to movies such as Rear Window and Suspicion, but it's sleekly made, entertaining and engrossing. Ford does his stoic thing well (and looks great doing it), and Diana Scarwid provides a refreshingly lighthearted turn as Claire's best pal, but it's pretty much Pfeiffer's movie all the way, and she carries the film on her not-so-fragile shoulders. And the third act is a suspense tour de force, complete with a breathtaking sequence featuring Pfeiffer and that menacing bathtub. In a time of obvious horror films, What Lies Beneath is an intelligent, fun thrill ride that will leave you breathless. --Mark Englehart

Description

In this exciting supernatural thriller, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret…a secret so disturbing it threatens to destroy them.
When Claire Spencer begins seeing ghostly images and hearing mysterious voices in their home, her husband Norman suspects it's just her imagination - until the images turn real. Now, together they must uncover the truth, confront their worst fears and find "what lies beneath"…with twisting and terrifying results.

Customer Reviews:

Just what I wanted!.......2007-09-15

I'd seen this movie before, loved it, wanted it and got it here! No worries!

GOOD CHILLER & HOMAGE TO HITCHCOCK!.......2007-09-01

Surprisingly good chiller even if it is a little predictable. Pfeiffer carries this movie for the most part and having Harrison Ford and James Remar switch their usual roles throws you off for a while, but ultimately makes you skeptical. It's a good little ghost story,but it does have a few pimples. One thing I did not like about the DVD itself is that when you put it in your DVD player it plays parts of the movie before going to the menu screen. If you are seeing the movie for the first time, skip this section as it spoils the film a little! A great homage to Hitchcock and it does have a few good scares. The DVD transfer looks very good.

A performance driven Hitchcockian thriller........2007-08-19

Amazon's review really nails this film for the intelligent, old-fashioned edge-of-your-seat thriller that it is, but it is a flawed film too.

No need to rehash the plot as both Amazon's review and the product description tell you enough about the film, so I'll get right to what I loved, liked, and disliked about this film, but let me warn you in advance that this review contains serious SPOILERS that I feel I can't ignore while writing this review as it specifically connects to the flaws the film contains.

This film's strengths: Don't let the box title fool you with Harrison Ford's name being first, which is based upon his considerable star power, this film belongs to Michelle Pfieffer and to her alone although a very young Miranda Otto from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Flight of the Phoenix, and War of the Worlds gives a noteworthy supporting performance. Ford himself really plays second fiddle to Pfieffer in this thriller and although he gives a good performance, he seems out of place being a supporting actor and looks rather uncomfortable during most of this film.

The script is intelligently written and slowly reveals the plot in such a way that we feel we know what is coming, but we are as unsure as Pfieffer's character as to the "truth" of things. The direction is first-rate by Robert (Back to the Future and Forrest Gump) Zemeckis as he experiments with playing Alfred (The Birds and Psycho) Hitchcock. He builds this little masterpiece up to a compelling and chilling conclusion that doesn't disappoint even though it does leave us scratching our heads a bit.

The film's weaknesses: Simply put . . . it's Harrison Ford's presence in this film which ends up being rather distracting. At the time he was too big of a star to play such a supporting role and one keeps scratching his head wondering just why he's in this film. In addition, Ford himself seems so uncomfortable not being the main attraction. I don't mean that he's too egotistical to play a supporting role, but he had been a number one box-office draw for nearly two decades at this point that I just don't feel he knew how to fade into the background in a less starring role. Lastly, while he makes a (spoiler alert here) remorseful guilt-ridden bad guy, he does not make a believable self-serving psychopath and the faulty script at the end attempts to make him BOTH.

That is the film's other serious weakness. Ford's character is supposed to be guilt-ridden over an affair he had with a college student that ended with him murdering her. Ford is actually very good at playing flawed characters as many of his heroes are such, but the script also has him as a lunatic at the end. First he's genuinely sorry for his affair, his part in the death of his lover, and the pain this has caused his wife to experience, and we, the audience buy that as Ford is great at playing stronge but emotional characters as with his great performances in The Fugitive and Air Force One, but the script then has him enjoying his attempt at murdering his wife (Pfieffer). He jokingly asks her if she would rather have hot or cold water in the tub as he attempts to drown her and then even loving plays with his dog as she is drowning before his eyes. Is this the same man who was crying, literally, to his wife over what had happened with that other woman. In an otherwise intelligently written and well-acted film, this is a glaring inconsistancy in a character and it doesn't add up. Add that to an already uncomfortable performance by Ford in a supporting role and you get an ending that is somewhat murky if not still thrilling and suspenseful.

Well, I don't want to end this review on a negative note as this film deserves all four stars that I gave it, but it's not without its flaws. This slickly, well-executed thriller is worth both your time and money, but just don't be surprised if you find yourself scratching your head a bit when it's all done.

"She looks like me...only she had green eyes..".......2007-07-15

I love this movie! I saw it in the theater when I was in college and bought it when it was released to video. I know that a lot of people complained that Michelle and Harrison had little to no chemistry, and I agree! However, they were married a long time, and there were "serious" issues there. I thought the plot was great, and I stayed interested until the end. I've watched it many times, and think it's a great mystery/thriller.

Secrets and lies.......2007-06-02

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie when it first came out. I've always enjoyed Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, but wondered what this movie was all about. I was pleasently surprised, as it was far better than I thought it would be, and I didn't anticipate the twists and turns.

Harrison and Michelle play Norman and Claire Spencer, a happily married couple who are adjusting to their new positions in life. Their daughter has just gone off to college, and they are now pseudo empty nesters. While Norman still has his work as a college professor, Claire finds herself a bit bored. Their new next door neighbors have become an object of fascination, as they have passionate fights and reconciliation. Clarie eventually becomes convinced that the husband murdered his wife when she sees some strange things in the middle of the night. After attempting to contact spirits on the Ouija board and some odd goings on here and there, Claire becomes convinced that the wife's ghost is trying to communicate with her. When she confronts the neighbor, he explains, once his wife appears at his side, that he didn't kill his wife. Embarrassed, Claire leaves with her tail between her legs, thinking it's just some paranoid fantasy.

But there really is a spirit trying to connect with her, just one not in association with the neighbors. It's of a university student who disappeared last year named Madison. Who Norman had an affair with. Who Claire walked in on, ran away in shock, had a car accident, bumped her head, and forgot about.

It's a juicy tale, to be sure. It's a good, old school kind of thriller, without blood and guts, and keeps the suspense going until the very end. A good movie to rent some night when you want some lite entertainment and a little horror mixed in.

Average customer rating:

Teaches a lesson without any preaching
A couple of days with a liar
Investigating the Investigative Journalist
A Brilliant Movie
SERIAL LIAR

Shattered Glass
Starring: Hayden Christensen , Peter Sarsgaard , Chloë Sevigny , Rosario Dawson , and Melanie Lynskey
Director: Billy Ray
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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ASIN: B0001907AI
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Amazon.com

Shattered Glass is the best film about journalism since All the President's Men. If that seems like lofty praise, consider this: In telling the true story of fallen journalist and pathological liar Stephen Glass, writer-director Billy Ray had to thoroughly and believably demonstrate how Glass--played in a pitch-perfect performance by Hayden Christensen--could single-handedly betray the trust of vigilant editors, writers, fact-checkers, and copyeditors while he falsified numerous highly praised articles as a hot, seemingly gifted reporter for The New Republic magazine in the late 1990s. Making an assured directorial debut, Ray brilliantly explores the delicate office politics that allowed for Glass's ongoing deception, which was diligently exposed by a reporter (Steve Zahn) from Forbes Online Tool, thus toppling Glass's tower of lies and setting a noble precedent for online journalism. From Glass's ingratiating psychopathology to the anguish of TNR's then-unpopular editor (Peter Sarsgaard) as he discovers the extent of Glass's wrongdoing, Shattered Glass is a riveting, perfectly cast study of ambition gone sour, countered by the nobility of respectable journalists in the wake of a worst-case scenario. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Teaches a lesson without any preaching.......2007-07-22

This excellent film presents the case of Steven Glass, a young hotshot journalist who ended up inventing stories and then presenting them as if they were true, much to the shame and disgrace of himself, his colleagues, and the magazine they worked for. Lesson: if you can't manage the work, get out of it or ask for help. Don't drag yourself down and others with you. There is no excuse for the fabrication, any more than there is any excuse for plagiarism. This is fraud, plain and simple.
Oh, and if you're having doubts about Hayden C. in the starring role, put them aside. He can act very well when he's not in a George Lucas film.

A couple of days with a liar.......2007-06-27

I have showed this movie to two of my high school classes for several years now, and they are riveted to it. It provides a little bit of real-life journalism, but basically includes what not to do. It serves as a nice springboard to several ethical issues discussions. The 60 Minutes interview afterwards is a nice feature, too.

Investigating the Investigative Journalist.......2007-06-17

This is an absorbing account of how a failure of journalistic ethics at "The New Republic" magazine was uncovered. It is like a serious version of "The Office," with a number of people eventually reaching beyond their individual workspace cubicles to collaborate on finding out whether the fascinating stories that Stephen Glass submitted to the magazine were fact or merely fictions he invented to advance his career as a writer.

There is a lot of suspense in this movie. Like me, you may find yourself holding your breath, waiting to see if a given website that Glass cites as a reference to substantiate the factuality of his story - actually exists. And in those tense moments, you are not sure what you are hoping, where your sympathies should lie. The times you cheated on school exams or failed to report something on your income tax form may flash through your mind.

So the film centers on detective work, but not the kind of detective work that Sherlock Holmes would readily recognize. It involves tracking elusive sources through cyberspace, through re-routed and hand-off websites, through drop-box email addresses.

The presumption is that if Glass' stories are fictitious, he has committed the ultimate journalistic transgression. The viewer is left with no alternative but to agree with that strict standard. But the movie might have left just the least little bit of wiggle-space for an advocate of leniency. After all, ""The New Republic" is a magazine of feature stories written from a definite personal point of view. It does not deal in hard news.

An acquaintance of mine once posed as a French woman to entice a man she was interested in. She plowed through the deception with such saucy aplomb that at the end of the date, the man winked and said, "If you aren't French, you should be." Although ultimately I suppose we do have to enforce strict standards of veracity in journalism - it's just that wink I miss in this movie.

A Brilliant Movie .......2007-04-09

I just finished watching this movie for what has to be the 10th time and I'm sttill blown away by it. The power of the film is based in how much you want to like Stephen Glass played by Hayden Christiansen. The desperation and intensity of the performance is a wonder. In fact, the entire cast is a joy to watch from Stephen Zahn finally revealing himself as something other than a nerd to Hak Azaria being serious to Sargaard stepping forward and out of the shadow of his sidekick character status.

As a study of codependency gone over the edge, this film is incredible and even the score offers a unique combination of range and consistency.

The DVD also offers commentary by the director and Chuck Lane, the TNR editor who along with Forbes exposed Glass. The commentary allows this movie to step beyond Hollywood history to being actual history.

On a final note, it's interesting that Tom Cruise is an executive producer of this film. Whatever his beliefs and personal life, as an executive producer he had a hand in bringing this brilliant film to the screen and it is for contributions like this, as much as his acting, he deserves consideration.

SERIAL LIAR.......2007-04-08

SHATTERED GLASS was the first movie written and directed by Billy Ray, a screenwriter who wrote or co-wrote, among others, the screenplay of Flightplan (Widescreen Edition) and Suspect Zero (Widescreen Edition). As though SHATTERED GLASS is based on a true story, the movie is more the portrait of a man than the account of a [...] that shook the small world of journalism.

SHATTERED GLASS is told in a flashback mode by Stephen Glass, the journalist a la mode in 1998. Stephen explains to a class of students how to write a good article. As we watch on the screen the events described by Stephen Glass, the director squeezes, at first discreetly, but then more and more often, the film of what had really happened to Stephen Glass. The split between these two narrations creates a discomfort in the viewer's mind as we start to understand that Stephen Glass could be a mythomaniac. And, thanks to the performance of Hayden Christensen and the director's vision, we will never know, or rather want to know, whether Stephen Glass was a brilliant crook or simply a sly psychopath who managed to cheat on dozens of so-called professionals.

A DVD zone who cares if it's real or not.

Where the Truth Lies (Unrated Theatrical Edition)

Average customer rating:

Ambitious mess but entertaining
Not Everyone Gets It
Good Actors shame about the actress
As the Decades Pass
very, very good

Where the Truth Lies (Unrated Theatrical Edition)
Starring: Kevin Bacon , Colin Firth , Alison Lohman , David Hayman , and Rachel Blanchard
Director: Atom Egoyan
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B000DZ8540
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Amazon.com

Director Atom Egoyan's 2005 film Where the Truth Lies is laden with nudity, sex, violence, lies, blackmail, betrayal… and really, what more could you want? Other than some genuine tension, a more compelling story, and better acting, that is. In adapting Rupert Holmes' novel, the Cairo-born Egoyan (Ararat, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter) has taken on a murder mystery with film noir elements that will leave many viewers wondering exactly "whodunit" until the final few scenes; and while that's surely a good thing, the ride itself simply isn't all that scintillating. Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth star as a (Dean) Martin & (Jerry) Lewis-style team whose principal talents seem to consist mainly of pill-popping, soulless sex with a stream of nubile young women, and hosting an annual polio telethon. Fifteen years after their '50s heyday, journalist Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman), who appeared on the telethon as a child, seeks out the pair to determine why they split up and, not coincidentally, what really happened to the dead girl with whom they had dallied the night before. Bacon is reasonably unctuous as the leering Lanny Morris; but Firth is uninspired as the more elusive Vince Collins, and although Lohman is game, she sometimes seems out of her depth in a role that calls for her to both seduce and be seduced, to manipulate and be manipulated. Egoyan, who also wrote the screenplay, has an eye for odd little details (much is made of Pan Am's first class dinner service, for instance) and an ear for great music (the soundtrack includes tunes by Charles Mingus, Louis Prima, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Funkadelic) and good dialogue ("Having to be a nice guy is the toughest job in the world when you're not"). But the film is curiously tepid; the sex is unconvincing, the mystery lacks a sense of danger, and the resolution is hardly shocking. One wishes that, having dipped into this genre, Egoyan had gone all out and made a film as delightfully sleazy as, say, Basic Instinct. --Sam Graham

Amazon.com

Starring Kevin Bacon (Beauty Shop, Mystic River), Colin Firth (Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary) and Alison Lohman (Big Fish, Matchstick Men), Where the Truth Lies is a suspenseful mystery from acclaimed director Atom Egoyan. In the '50s, Vince Collins (Firth) and Lanny Morris (Bacon) are the hottest showbiz duo in America. The combination of Lanny's brash American style and Vince's biting British wit is irresistible, especially to beautiful women. When a beautiful young woman, Maureen (Rachel Blanchard) is found dead in the bathtub of the duo's suite, their glittery world begins to crumble. They have rock solid alibis and are exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing; however, the scandal causes the once inseparable pair to part company. Fifteen years later, Karen O'Connor (Lohman), a young and ambitious journalist, is determined to uncover the secrets of the two men who, coincidentally, touched her life when she was a child. She persuades a publisher to offer a guarded Vince Collins one million dollars to collaborate with her on writing the untold story of his life with Lanny Morris. There is one condition: the truth must be told about the scandal that destroyed the duo. What really happened the night Maureen died? As Karen continues to search for many different truths-the truth about Vince and Lanny, the truth about Maureen's death, and even suppressed truths about herself- she becomes embroiled in a tense and bewildering game of cat-and-mouse.

Customer Reviews:

Ambitious mess but entertaining .......2007-09-01

Atom Egoyan crams a lot into this film. There's a lot to like--some great performances, especially that of Kevin Bacon---some interesting flashbacks to the good old/bad old days of gang owned night clubs in the 50's when the law looked the other way, more often than not. The story is interesting and holds your attention. There's a lot of sex thrown in, male/female, female/female, threesomes, male/male...something for everyone.

It's smart as all of his films are. It is a who dunnit and there are all the necessary details you have to follow--the name change, the complicated negotiations with the publishers, the location of the manuscripts, etc. that I found a little confusing at times. I would have preferred more of a character study of the show biz couple. It's an interesting story and the human side of it was far more compelling than the picky details of who mailed the manuscript or moved the note stuff.

It was definitely entertaining but I had the feeling that Egoyan bit off more than he could really master. The sex scenes, for example, seemed a little gratuitous and one has to wonder why he chooses blonds for all his heroines---sort of like Hitchock's pale heroines except these show a lot more skin.

Maybe if he had decided to do a traditional Hollywood type film noir he could have stuck with the slick cold-bloodedness. But he threw in some sentimental stuff with the mother of the murdered girl fondling the tree that grew out of where her ashes were scattered, that just didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the film. There were a few moments of what seemed like genuine feeling between the Bacon and the Lohman characters but they were eclipsed by all the sensational stuff. I think Egoyan was enamored of a lot of the glamor of the subject matter, as well as the pale female bodies and sort of indulged in it. I hope he continues to make films and that he matures into a better film maker in coming years.

The biggest mistake was casting Allison Lohman as the reporter. She is lovely but looks far too much like the girl-next-door trying to get a story for the school paper than the hyper smart, super gutsy, ambitious character she's playing.

I have to wonder how they got away with portraying a comedy team so closely resembling Martin and Lewis. As another reviewer said, they must have had a lot of good lawyers on hand.

All in all, it's worth watching, if, for nothing else, the terrific acting job by Kevin Bacon.

Not Everyone Gets It.......2007-08-24

Who should you believe about "Where the Truth Lies"? Those who hated it because it was yet another strange Atom Egoyan film, those who hated it because it wasn't as strange as other Atom Egoyan films, or those who liked it because it actually is Egoyan's strangest film?

A fourth group are those who hated it because the adaptation didn't do justice to Rupert Holmes' 2003 source novel, which was not just affecting but extremely funny. The thing to understand is that none of Egoyan's mainstream films ("Exotica", "The Sweet Hereafter", and now "Where the Truth Lies") contain much in the way of humor. That is because Egoyan's interest is allegorical exploration of our internal misery; a topic that just doesn't go very well with humor, despite the fine line between comedy and tragedy. So he stripped the novel's funny stuff out during the adaptation process.

As John Ford and Robert Altman kept a regular ensembles of actors, Egoyan keeps an ensemble of themes that permeate his films. So in all three films there is a "substitution" theme, a "free will vs destiny" theme, a "looking forward" theme (parent's who have lost their children), and a "things and people are not what they appear" theme.

In this regard "Where the Truth Lies" is a bit more like "The Sweet Hereafter" than "Exotica". In both the substitution theme is symbolically shown by the physical similarity between the three young actresses. Alison Lohman (Karen), Rachel Blanchard (Maureen), and Kristen Adams (Alice) take the place of Sarah Polley (Nichole), Caerthan Banks (Zoe), and Stephanie Morgenstern (Allison).

All three films also use a non-linear storytelling technique with frequent flashbacks. Egoyan likes to elliptically uncover the story and all three films circle around slowly peeling off layers of their stories.

For its film noir background story "Where the Truth Lies" flashes back to a 1950s Martin and Lewis comedy team. Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) are a popular song-dance-unfunny repartee duo, hosting telethons, headlining nightclubs, and maintaining an image as doers of good deeds. But behind the façade they are engaging in nonstop Lindsay Lohen style antics.

The current story (set 20 years later) is about a young journalist named Karen (Lohman) who is working with Vince on his tell-all autobiography. She becomes focused on a murder mystery involving the duo and a college student named Maureen. The film is told from Karen's point of view and the viewer learns background details at the same time they are disclosed to Karen. We also learn that Karen has a past association with the duo, a good deed that changed her life and forever made them her heroes. After the death of her father they have become her substitutes for him.

Bacon and Firth are excellent in the contemporary scenes but a bit weak in the flashback stuff. This could very well be Egoyan's uncertain direction or his screenplay.

Lohman, whose specialty is playing characters 10 years her junior (affectless teenagers in "Matchstick Men" and "White Oleander" - an overwrought teenager in "Flicka") gets to go something different and act her age. Karen is the allegorical element, the character undergoing change, and the narrator. Most of this must be conveyed nonverbally because on the surface she continues to maintain the illusion of the distanced journalist. I think it is an amazing performance although Egoyen's stamp is so strongly on it that he has to get some of the credit, or the blame from those who do not grasp why he wanted the character to look and to be played in this way.

Egoyan had an unusually large budget for this film and he put it to good use on the production design. The sets and costumes provide all the right visual cues to keep you oriented as you move between the 50's and the 70's. But some of this stuff, such as an expensive looking recreation of the Newark airport, seem inserted as window dressing rather than for substantive reasons.

There two great surreal "Alice and Wonderland" sequences, one of which even incorporates the "White Rabbit" song. Karen's emotional journey has a lot of Alice parallels, at least the more unpleasant aspects of Wonderland.

The film reminded me a lot of "The Swimmer" although the ending is not quite that devastating.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Good Actors shame about the actress.......2007-07-26

Should of given it 2 stars really one for each for Firth and Bacon even showing up on set till the film was completed.I found Firth and Bacon where excellent in this movie. Even if the story is a bit slow. I do believe they where a bit wasted in it.Bacon and Firth usually find much better parts. Alison Lohman I am unfamilliar with.Maybe she works in tv I just don't know.
She seems like a bit of a B or C class actress and a bit cheesy and weak. It is watchable. But I am glad I bought a used copy and wish I would of just caught it on the tv. Firth usually picks more interesting roles that this. Maybe he was just having a bad day or was trying not to be tight casted.

As the Decades Pass.......2007-04-20

Interesting adaptation of songwriter Rupert Holmes' celebrated thriller is no masterpiece, but it's continually involving and takes the career of Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan to places he's never been before. While his bid for mainstream commercial success may have stiffed at the box office, on DVD the movie may have a new life as people start watching a picture that will reward them for their patience. Anyone adapting Holmes' novel would first off have been challenged by its timeline, for the two main male characters must age dramatically so you have to hire actors who might clean up enough to look sort of young in the earlier scenes, and not too vain to forgo aging makeup for the present-day scenes. Bacon and Firth do well, though Firth's aging makeup makes him look totally gross, while Kevin Bacon looks more or less the same except with rooster-red Rod Stewart hair, giving him a strange resemblance to Gary Oldman playing Sid Vicious in SID AND NANCY. But why on earth hire Alison Lohman to play O'Connor? (We remember in the book how we never find out O'Connor's first name, just her first initial. Here that game is sacrificed right away in the service of naturalism.) O'Connor's supposed to be young, but not that young; she's old enough to have established herself as an up and coming name in "New Journalism," while Alison Lohman still looks like she's being passed around from foster family to foster family in WHITE OLEANDER. She doesn't seem to have the journalistic savvy O'Connor is said to have had before falling for Lanny Morris, so that when she throws away her objectivity it hardly seems shocking any more, she's just doing what any lovestruck teen might do.

If you can't figure out who committed the murder within forty-five minutes into the picture, it's because you, poor thing, have never seen any movies. Here's what you should do, don't start with this one, try RASHOMON or CITIZEN KANE or WINTER LIGHT, but after those chart topper you might try this one again. Egoyan's trademark suburban acuity, and his mastery of pathos and atmosphere, have rarely been so exercised. On the DVD there's an unusual featurette on the making of WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, that is so not your ordinary "Making Of" featurette, that it should get some sort of award for "most moody."

very, very good.......2007-04-18

After reading all the reviews for this movie, I was not sure I really wanted to see it, even though I am a insatiable Colin Firth fan and cannot get enough of him. But I decided to risk it, and I am SO very glad that I did! This movie was so good! It was a very intriguing story, great acting, it held my rapt interest from beginning to end. I am not a huge Kevin Bacon fan, but he was incredible in this part, and, I may have to further investigate other things he has done. And of course, as usual, Colin Firth is extraordinary. The only negative thing I have to say is that the part of Karen O'Connor could have been better cast, I felt like Alison Lohman was playing a part in a school play, yeah, she's beautiful, but not up to the part of the journalist she played. That was a bit disappointing, but not disappointing enough for me to dislike this film. When I got the dvd and saw that it have been given "two thumbs up" by Ebert and Roeper, I knew I had a winner, as I rarely disagree with Roger Ebert. Its a great film, high underrated, IMHO.

Average customer rating:

An absolute classic
fantasy classic
Un gran cuento ...
Grotesquely Magnificent!
A delirious visual tour de force!

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Starring: Mohamed Badrsalem , Ray Cooper (II) , Valentina Cortese , Winston Dennis , and Don Henderson (II)
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: 0767809335
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Amazon.com essential video

Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) directs this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin Williams with his head flying off his shoulders. Basically, this is a treat for Gilliam fans, as the sustaining idea of the film runs out of steam, and manic energy alone keeps the momentum going. Casual viewers might find it tedious after awhile. There are nice parts for fellow Python Eric Idle, as well as Sting, Alison Steadman, and Uma Thurman as a dazzlingly beautiful Venus on a half-shell. Gilliam had greater artistic and commercial success with Brazil, The Fisher King, and 12 Monkeys. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

An absolute classic.......2007-07-09

Great movie, about time it made it to DVD. But unfortunately, the picture quality is about the same as the VHS copy, at least in my opinion. On an up-converting HD DVD player, it looks simply awful, you need to watch it in 480i/p.

fantasy classic.......2007-07-05

With some of Monty Python's cast, how can you go wrong? Fun for the entire family.

Un gran cuento ..........2007-05-13

como aquellos que nos contaban de niño, pero para entenderlo como adulto. Una historia genial para mayores, aunque no muy entretenidas para niños del 2000.

Grotesquely Magnificent!.......2007-04-12

This film delights the eyes with its startlingly beautiful, and often disturbing, imagery. In one unforgettable scene, for instance, we see the Baron's ship coming to rest on the white rippling sands of the moon, as a spattering of stars--constellations of the zodiac--whirl past in a midnight-blue firmament. In another, which plunges us into the fulminating fury of Mount Etna, we see a a Botticelli-like Venus emerging tranquilly from her seashell, as handmaidens and cherubs drape her in white silk and pink satin ribbons; we then watch her levitating with the Baron in a magical waltz, as they spin heavenwards in front of Tivoli-like cascading fountains. In a third sequence, which depicts the almost unrelieved distruction of war, we see a great black-winged Angel of Death, who swoops down and kneels over the recumbent Baron, its skeletal fingers gently lifting the fire of the soul from his mouth. This image of Death, as beautiful as it is dreadful, has come straight off a seventeenth-century Italian baroque church.

Underneath the unbridled fantasy however, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" poses a serious question: Can the creative power of the imagination survive in a world of cold--and supposedly enlightened--reason which inevitably conjures up fear of 'the other' as an excuse to inflict suffering on its peoples through wars? And if reason succeeds in stifling imagination, will the world not be a poorer place? The Baron's opening of the city gates to end the people's suffering represents an opening of the mind to the possibilities of new creative solutions to the problems of mankind.

This beautifully acted as well as darkly humorous film is sometimes disturbing to watch, but it never ceases to fascinate!

A delirious visual tour de force!.......2007-02-21

Adventures of Baron finds to Gilliam in absolute plenitude of his imaginative abilities to create an anthological feats for eyes, plenty of ravishing inspiration and lovable savoir vivre.

An absolute must for all those hard fans of Gilliam around the world that I guess, must be too many.

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Debut
A Marvelous and Multi-Faceted Film
Dense plotline, pretty interesting approach
Interesting
Potent

sex, lies, and videotape
Starring: James Spader , Andie MacDowell , Peter Gallagher , Laura San Giacomo , and Ron Vawter
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: 0767812158
Release Date: 1998-10-07

Product Description

Winner of the Palm d'Or and Best Actor awards at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, sex, lies, and videotape transformed the independent film industry and turned writer-director Steven Soderbergh into the envy of aspiring filmmakers everywhere. Sly, seductive, and coolly intelligent, the movie explores the sexual shenanigans and personal preoccupations of its four central characters, revolving around a selfish lawyer (Peter Gallagher) who responds to his wife by having an affair with her free-spirited sister (Laura San Giacomo). But when the lawyer's college roommate (James Spader) arrives for an unexpectedly extended visit, the neglected wife (Andie MacDowell) is surprisingly responsive to his seductive hobby of videotaping women as they describe their sexual fantasies. It's his way of compensating for impotence, but the curious wife considers this a sexual challenge, and Soderbergh turns sex, lies, and videotape into a fascinating chamber piece that puts a decidedly different spin on the consequences of infidelity. Balanced on a risky and finely tuned performance by Spader, the film delivers frisky passion and emotional intrigue, and yet much of its allure is found in the exchange of secrets and the hidden mysteries of sexual desire. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Debut.......2007-08-03

Steven Soderbergh's now legendary debut was the first his film I saw. It was in 1989, during the Moscow International Film Festival. Only later I found out that Sodebergh was 29 when he wrote the screenplay in eight days during a trip to Los Angeles and made the film for $1.8 million. His independent movie was a real hit that was selected for Cannes Film Festival and won the Palme d'Or and the best actor prize for James Spader.

The film concerns four attractive and intelligent young people. Ann (Andy MacDowell in the best role I've ever seen her) is married to John (Gallagher) but their sexual life is practically non-existent since Ann finds sex over-rated, and to simply put it, she does not enjoy or even need it. John is having an affair with Ann's sexy younger sister, Cynthia (San Giacomo) who seems to resent Ann. Enters Graham (Spader), John's college friend with the unusual hobby of videotaping women while they describe their sexual fantasies and very important skill - he knows how to listen.

I had seen many movies before "sex, lies and videotape" and I've seen plenty since but it has a special place in my memory. It was the first film I had seen that dealt with and talked about very intimate topics of sexuality, satisfaction, jealousy, sisters' relationship, marital problems and loyalty, the secret longings in all of us, and the ever mysterious nature of erotic desire with such level of honesty, openness, and intelligence. The writing, the dialogs, and the acting are superb with James Spader and Laura San Giacomo simply outstanding and Andie McDowell very convincing.

4.5/5 or 9/10

A Marvelous and Multi-Faceted Film.......2007-07-07

I've had a personal journey with this film that is quite unique in my own experience, but perhaps not unique among others who have enjoyed it. I first watched sex, lies & videotape in a theater and was bored by it. Perhaps the title had me looking for more explicit elements in the film that just aren't there. As other reviews here point out, the film is far more subtle than its bold title would suggest.

Months later I was in a video store and decided to give the movie another try (my companion when I first saw it had loved it, so I figured it was worth a shot). Upon the second viewing, I really liked it, appreciating more in depth the interaction of the characters, the challenges (mostly internal) that they face, and the story lines of the film.

Several months passed after this second viewing and again I returned to it at the video store, being one who gravitates toward old favorites more often than not. Watching the film for the third time, I found myself appreciating the film as a love story as tender and touching as others I'd seen, though far more quirky than your typical love story plot.

The next time I picked up the box in the video store (yes, I did eventually just BUY it!), I noted a review that proclaimed the movie as "hilarious", which really caught my attention. Here I had seen the movie three times, in three different ways and yet I could not remember at any time finding anything remotely funny about it. So again I rented it and, yes, found myself laughing out loud at times during the movie. Don't get me wrong, it will never be mistaken for Caddyshack, but it does have its own quirky sense of humor.

Now, the movie is naturally among my all-time top five. Soderbergh has gone on to become a great director that at times is very heavy-handed artistically (e.g. Limey, Traffic), while at other times letting the story or the actors lead they way (e.g. Erin Brockovich). In this first critical and commercial success, however, it is his writing that is perhaps most impressive.

Dense plotline, pretty interesting approach .......2006-11-11

This movie was very erotic without being truely graphic. It was a new approach for it's time. James Spader was very good (best actor though?), and Andie Mcdowell played the neurotic housewife well. Based in New Orleans, Mcdowell finds herself in therapy and in a loveless marriage, while her husband is confirming her suspiciouns of an affair. Then, a stranger comes to town from her husband's past and turns her life upside down. The pace is slow at times, but it pulls you through just fine. The ending was lackluster, but they had to end it somehow. If you like darker movies, with a little dark humor, then this is worth a watch for you.

Interesting.......2006-06-20

I already knew Steven Soderbergh was a talented director, but I'd never seen a film that he had written. This movie, his first, is written and directed by the Oscar winner (Best Director, 'Traffic') and it's one of my favorite movies by him. I think it's better than both Traffic and Erin Brockovich. The only Soderbergh film I've seen that I like more is Out of Sight. This movie is funny, interesting, intriguing, and very entertaining. I thought there was one downside to the movie...No nudity. The whole time I was watching this movie, everytime Laura San Giacomo was onscreen I was thinking "Take off your shirt." But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The movie stars Peter Gallagher ("American Beauty") and Andie McDowell ("Michael") as a married couple John and Ann. Ann is a stay at home wife, who secretly attends therapy sessions where she confesses her relationship with John isn't much and that they don't have sex. Meanwhile, John (a lawyer) is having sex with Ann's sister Cynthia (Giacomo). At the same time, an old friend of John's named Graham (James Spader in one of his best performances) arrives at their house to stay for a few days until he gets on his feet. Ann is drawn to Graham and finds him interesting, but her opinion is changed when she finds out that Graham interviews woman and asks them personal questions about their sex lives while filming the entire thing. After hearing about this, however, Cynthia takes an interest in Graham. It's basically just one big love triangle. But, this movie is truly a fantastic and extremely interesting film. Soderbergh brings up really interesting points about everything from love to sex to marriage to impotency. The score by Cliff Martinez also helps to move the film along perfectly.

GRADE: A-

Potent.......2006-04-24

It's remarkable that this movie is more than a decade old and yet, its story is still as relevant and potent as nowadays. With a shoestring budget and with a basic premise of analysing the dynamics of a relationship between four persons, this movie captives my imagination from beginning till the end. The title itself can be misleading. Whilst from the outset, it's literally sex, lies and videotapes but without those issues, there wouldn't be the much needed honesty, transparency and communication that facilitate a satisfying resolve for all parties that are concerned. An intelligent movie indeed. Highly recommended. No extras in the DVD other than the set-ups.

Average customer rating:

Entertaining Dark Comedy, Still Hardly Groundbreaking
EXCELLENT FILM! DON'T MISS IT!
What a crime !
11:14
Top Notch Filmmaking

11:14
Starring: Henry Thomas , Blake Heron , Barbara Hershey , Clark Gregg , and Hilary Swank
Director: Greg Marcks
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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