Queen Bee

Amazon.com

"Any man's my man if I want it that way." The speaker could only be Joan Crawford, as a wicked man-eater terrorizing her Deep South household in Queen Bee. Crawford's the whole show in this campy 1955 melodrama, which aspires to be second-rate Lillian Hellman but doesn't even reach that level. Having trapped a wealthy Southerner (Barry Sullivan) into marriage, Crawford takes her main pleasure in making life miserable for the other women of the mansion. This is fun to watch for a while, but director Ranald MacDougall (he wrote Mildred Pierce for Crawford) can't get the pace moving, and the final comeuppance is all too predictable. Crawford was going into her final high-diva phase at this point in her career, all chalky makeup and yard-long eyebrows, and Queen Bee clearly points the way toward What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Star power prevails, however, and at least the picture summons up its share of unintentional laughs. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Finally, Joan gets the respect she deserves!.......2007-09-17

"Queen Bee" is perhaps Joan's defining picture of the fifties. Joan plays Eva Phillips, a family matriarch that rules her "hive" with an iron fist and an iron tongue. Eva will stop at nothing to manipulate the people around her, the woman is absolutely ruthless. The question is, will anyone be able to stop the Queen Bee before it's too late...?

Are you a Joan Crawford fan? If so, then I don't need to tell you how perfect this movie is because you already know. If not, then I am sure that after you see Joan in "Queen Bee" you will fall in love with her.

If you're new to Ms. Crawford's impressive fifties film resume, might I also recommend: Harriet Craig, Story of Esther Costello, Sudden Fear and Johnny Guitar. You would also love "Female On The Beach," although this is not on VHS/DVD (yet.)

Finally, Ms. Crawford gets the respect that she deserves!

INCREDIBLE!!.......2007-05-12

You don't have to be a Joan Crawford fan to love this movie. Her acting, the concept, but most of all, the "dialog" is mind bogling!! What a great, great film. A fun film for a party Friday night!! A must have for any collection!!

Perfection.......2007-02-26

Joan's performance is flawless. When Betsy Palmer and Joan are on the screen together, you've got heaven. This film is well written and acted. It is also directed without missing a beat. The scenery is impeccable. This film is what film making is about. So many speak of "Citizen Kane" as the do-all film, IMO, "Queen Bee" is the template. This film is viewable at least twice a week. Study this film. You'll study, you'll learn and you'll have a hell of a time doing it.

Gothic Crawford.......2006-12-01

This was one of Joan Crawford's last Glamour Queen movie roles, before she started doing horror films and TV, and this part itself is transitional, as she plays a legendary beauty, pathological in her manipulations of the people around her. Despite the huge 1950s eyebrows that could be seen on Joan, Audrey Hepburn, Kim Novak, and others during this period, and the weird heart shaped hairdo, Joan remains both a beauty and a really compelling and totally invested actress. This was after Joan did POSSESSED and proved she could both underplay and play full tilt. Here she plays a woman so deeply dishonest that she is unconvincing in every emotion - we don't even know if she believes any of this herself.
The real stand out performance of this film is Barry Sullivan as Joan's physically and emotionally scarred husband. He is completely believable in a roller coaster role. The prototype of the sexy damaged man.
The film itself is average, the script is soap opera predictable, and the biggest mystery (how he got scar) is never revealed, only hinted at. Despite Joan's title character and her entrance-making Jean Louis wardrobe, this really is an ensemble piece, and everyone does a good solid job in this Southern gothic potboiler. The "town and country" set of this film feels both ostentatiously grand and a little too cramped and small, and that is a good way of describing the whole thing.

50s Melodrama At Its Finest!!.......2006-02-03

Being an unapologetic Joan Crawford fan, I could enjoy just about any cinematic drivel she has appeared in (and I'm sure I have). While Queen Bee isn't drivel, it's no Mildred Pierce either - - but I loved it all the same!
Joan plays Eva Phillips and although she is probably a good 10-15 years older than the scriptwriter envisioned, she still looks remarkable. She is married (unhappily as we will find out) to the alcoholic Avery, whom she stole away from the sweet Sue (played too briefly by Fay Wray).
The movie revolves around Eva and Avery's unhappy union, her chasing of Judson, who is enamored of her sister-in-law Carol and with whom she had an affair some years back, and Eva's annoyingly meek cousin Jennifer who has just arrived at their southern mansion. Soon, the fur is flying, Joan is wearing some fabulous Jean Louis designs and the witty barbs are everywhere.
The only weak part of the movie is Jennifer, who is so cowardly and timid, it's a hard sell to think that she's even remotely related to Eva. Seeing her cowering and tearing up over Eva raising her voice just makes me want to cheer when Eva finally slaps the daylights out of the girl.
But one weak character aside, the movie is a fun and exciting 1950s soap opera -- and seeing Eva take out her frustrations with a riding crop is worth the price of the movie itself!
Definitely a 5 star movie!!

Average customer rating:

A movie about getting the job done
Mr. Duke Togo Strikes Again!
a slight improvment over the original
Don't listen to anything else, This movie is great.
Lives Up To The Original

Golgo 13 - Queen Bee
Starring: John Di Maggio , Denise Poirier , Carlos Ferro , Dwight Schultz , and Joe Lala
Director: Osamu Dezaki
Manufacturer: Urban Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005A06C
Release Date: 2001-04-17

Amazon.com

More than 15 years after the debut of The Professional: Gogol 13 (1983), Duke Togo, the assassin-hero of Takao Saito's popular manga, returns to the screen. Queen Bee plays like the animated daydreams of a frustrated high school sophomore: lots of nudity, sex, and violence, strung together by an over-the-top, clichéd story line. A ruthless Democratic vice presidential candidate hires Gogol to murder Sonia, a.k.a. the Queen Bee, because of her ties to his weak-willed running mate. She's a big-time cocaine dealer and the assistant leader of a Marxist revolution in a small Central American country. Although she's had at least eight children by different fathers, Sonia is built like a brick guerrilla camp. Her amoral indifference to murder and her sexual passion make her fire to Gogol's ice. Gogol and Sonia have no trouble outwitting the Secret Service, U.S. law enforcement, and a rogue army unit led by a deranged Vietnam veteran. But their mutual respect and passion don't stop Gogol from fulfilling his contract. U.S. viewers can only hope Japanese audiences don't see this bloody James Bond rip-off as a realistic portrait of American politics. Rated for mature audiences ages 18 and older for graphic sex, profanity, tobacco use, and extreme violence. --Charles Solomon

Description

Code name: Golgo 13 - Professional assassin.
Target: Queen Bee - leader of dissident South American liberation army.
Mission: Terminate the infamous Queen Bee before she kills a high profile presidential candidate.
Problem: Queen Bee is not your average guerrilla radical. As a child, she was ripped unmercifully from her home and left to fend for herself on the streets. As a woman, cunning and powerful, she lives only for passion and revenge; her brand of honey is deadly. Once Golgo 13 discovers Queen Bee's true identity, he decides that he must step aside as a very personal feud climaxes to a tragic end that will blow you away!

With its intricate plot and pulse-pounding action, Golgo 13: Queen Bee stays true to the thrilling scenarios that have made the "Golgo 13" character such a success spanning a theatrical movie, comic books, and video games!

Customer Reviews:

A movie about getting the job done.......2005-09-13

this movie has good animation with guns, explosions, violence, sex, hitmen, and some killing for the sport of it, for example with the good ol' knife in the head.

Mr. Duke Togo Strikes Again!.......2005-08-26

Golo 13 is back, this time hired to kill a female revoluntary whose as brutal and effective as himself! Full of action with a mad violent opening that has to be seen to be believed, this is a worthy sequel to "Golo 13: The Professional".

a slight improvment over the original.......2005-06-30

15 years later a sequel to Golgo 13 comes out. How does it fare overall? Well, one thing I can say is that I am surprised that people hated Queen Bee comparing it to the original. The only reason I decided to watch this was because I was told it was better than the first Golgo 13. Some anime reviewers will again hate me for this but I have to agree that Queen Bee is the better of the two. The pace of the movie was quick/to the point while at the same time including a decent plot which is what I like when it comes to anime. Sure, I would have liked the film to have been longer than 60 minutes but that doesn't take away from the overall movie. The character development of Queen Bee is interesting yet made me feel sorry for her as well. Golgo 13: Queen Bee is not oscar winning material even for anime though I did prefer the animated sequences over the original. As for the dvd, it has a few features to speak of... that's about it. Oh, be sure to watch through the end credits to see Duke Togo complete his final task.

Don't listen to anything else, This movie is great........2004-10-29

I've seen both Golgo 13s, and I enjoyed Queen Bee just as much as The Professional. I am a big Golgo 13 fan. I grew sideburns because of Golgo. Really I did and I still have them. Queen Bee is a little different from The Professional because it's more romantic and emotionally involved whereas the The Pro. is just Golgo plowing through whatever and whoever. And I don't know why the storyline is being reviewed as "cliche", I never saw a story like this. You have to watch the movie twice to get all of it.

Here's the bottom line. I was able to get my girlfriend to sit down and watch this with me. I'm writing this review on her account. She was convinced that she wouldn't like it b/c anime is for depraved Dungeons and Dragons rejects. There is no way she would watch and enjoy The Professional. But she liked this very much And I didn't look like a Star Wars geek. And I got laid. This movie is great.

Lives Up To The Original.......2004-10-26

I am shocked that this film is only getting mediocre reviews. It clearly lives up to the original.

The plot: A carefully crafted presidential candidate is sure to win the 2000 election with 90% of the vote. If he lives. His life is being threatened by a major South American drug dealer Queen Bee. Assassin Golgo 13 is hired by the campaign to kill Queen Bee. This will not be an easy job for Golgo 13. Queen Bee has her own private army. Along with the action the plot thickens. Why does Queen Bee want to kill the future president? His campaign is worse than Hitler's. But true to character, Golgo 13 doesn't make moral judgments; he does the job he was paid for.

I do not say this lightly but `The Professional: Golgo 13' is my favorite anime film of all time. And I've seen every anime there is. Yes even above `Totoro', `Akira', `Kite', and `Wings of Honneamise.' I loved `The Professional' because of the great plot and nonstop action. I also found the ruthlessness of Golgo 13 to interesting. A hero with NO morals what-so-ever. He just kills for money, not love or hate.

`Golgo 13: Queen Bee' lives up the original, thanks to writer/director Osamu Dezaki. Golgo 13 retains its style of extreme close ups, over saturated colors and slow motion scenes. The arty action style made famous by John Woo and Ringo Lahm. At only half the length of the original `Queen Been' doesn't rush through anything. The timing is perfect. I can think of very few anime films that can hold the eye for more than an hour. Anime is best done short.

As an added bonus, Queen Bee is played by voice actress Denise Poiter whom played Aeon Flux.

Osamu Dezaki is hands down the greatest anime director I've ever scene. If you love the Golgo 13 genre I also recommend Dezaki's `Black Jack' series.

Average customer rating:

It depends on what you're looking for -- this could be it.
drag king documentary

Venus Boyz
Starring: Diane Torr , Dréd Gerestant , Del La Grace Volcano , Queen Bee Luscious , and Mistress Formika
Director: Gabrielle Baur
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00020HBWI
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Description

Venus Boyz takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into the universe of female masculinity. Filmed in New York City and London, theis eye-opening documentary uses the performances of drag kings - women who perform on stage with an invented male persona - as a starting point from which we follow their different paths.

Customer Reviews:

It depends on what you're looking for -- this could be it........2005-09-15

The reviewer Jeffrey is a man and says that the camera moved jerkily, the movie was too slow, and some things are not explained. I am a butch woman and I loved the movie. I identified with the characters and was incredibly inspired by the characters, their performances, their ability. If genderqueer things are your things, if you are a butch woman who wants to see some butch women positively represented (for once) on the screen, then this movie is for you! You may be inspired to dream, expand your goals, and feel more confident about your potential (and the potential of other genderqueers) to achieve those goals. If you don't want to watch a movie on these issues tonight, rent something else.

drag king documentary.......2004-09-06

Not only is the drag king movement thriving, but it's being documented in various media. This documentary shows Judith Halberstam, author of "Female Masculinity" and Del Grace Volcano, photographer of "The Drag King Book." Here several drag king performers and butch women are interviewed. This film makes no division between kings, transsexuals, or butches.

Consistently, those interviewed say they want to blend genders or do away with the concept: they don't just want to experience "the other side." Many perform with drag queens or do avant-garde work with gay men. One transsexual referred to her body parts by both male and female terms.

There are a ton of foreign drag kings in this work. Does that mean Europe is a more accepting place or more condemning and thus kings have to fight harder over there? Does that mean American women don't have much to say about the movement? Does that mean the movement is really global? None of this gets answered.

This film moves slow. The camera has many jerky movements and the view is often blurred. Many may think of this documentary as a female version of "Paris Is Burning." However, PIB was funnier and moved faster. This just plodded along. I'm guessing the makers here lacked the funds and time that Jenny Livingstone had.

The title is never explained. They show some kings doing an excellent imitation of the Backstreet Boys, yet they only show it for a second. In the academic Drag King anthology, it is stressed that the movement isn't in just big cities like New York or London. However, in this documentary, only the big city shows and performers are brought up.

I'm happy that someone made this work. It just wasn't that great.

Sci-Fi Movie Marathon Volume 6: 8 Movie Pack

Average customer rating:

Sci-Fi Movie Marathon Volume 6: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video
Product Features:

BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
Invasion of the Bee Girls,Queen of the Amazons,The Atomic Brain,Hercules Against the Moonmen,Battle of the Worlds,The Phantom Planet,Evil Brain from Outer Space,Sound of Horror

ASIN: B000GTDREQ

Product Description

The legends of Science Fiction are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Sci-Fi classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Volume 6 includes: Invasion of the Bee Girls directed by Denis Sanders and starring Anitra Ford; Queen of the Amazons directed by Edward Finney and starring Patricia Morison; The Atomic Brain directed by Joseph Mascelli and starring Marjorie Eaton; Hercules Against the Moonmen directed by Giacomo Gentilomo and starring Alan Steel; Battle of the Worlds directed by Antonio Marghereti and starring Claude Rains; The Phantom Planet directed by William Marshall and starring Dean Fredericks; Evil Brain from Outer Space directed by Koreyoshi Akasaka and starring Ken Utsui; Sound of Horror directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde and starring James Philbrook

DVD:

DVD

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