The Temp

Amazon.com

Enjoyably trashy fun. The Temp stars Timothy Hutton as an executive with a history of paranoia and jealousy. When his company is taken over by a large corporation, everyone scrambles and jockeys for position--but Hutton finds himself rising to the top with the assistance of his temporary secretary (Lara Flynn Boyle, wearing a series of escalating hairdos and short skirts). As rivals and foes start turning up dead, Hutton struggles to figure out if his madness is returning, or is his curvaceous secretary taking her job a little too seriously? The Temp isn't as gloriously over-the-top as one might wish, but it is a ridiculous yet completely watchable potboiler with lots of daffy dialogue and cheesy performances; the cast includes Faye Dunaway, Oliver Platt, and Maura Tierney. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Just look at it in fun.......2006-11-29

Not to be taken serious...........look at Lara's hairstyles throughout. At times she has is way bigger than her body. Like Cousin It when she jumps into a pool. Full of goofy dialogue and plot holes galore, just take this trashy movie in fun. Don't analize.

The Temp is "Killer"........2006-08-09

Gulity Pleasure..Not a thriller, nor a comedy, not film noir nor oscar winner just pointless fun, I get a kick out of these films that dont take things seriously, "The Crush" w/ Alicia Silverstone is another!

We hope you're wearing pampers because you're going to wet yourself silly with laughter!.......2006-05-12

In the crowded field of unintentionally funny thrillers vying for the title "Best Bad Movie from Hell" --- you know, Other Woman from Hell (Fatal Attraction), Nanny/Babysitter from Hell (The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, The Sitter), Nymphet/Houseguest from Hell (The Crush, Poison Ivy)--the Secretary from Hell entry, The Temp, is a strong contender for the crown, thanks to a nonsensical script and a trio of awful star turns. If the prospect of two former Oscar winners -- greasy-haired Tim Hutton and lacquered-within-an-inch-of-her-life Faye Dunaway -- humiliating themselves doesn't make you race to click the 'add to shopping cart' for a copy, then perhaps you'll succumb to the lure of seeing Lara Flynn Boyle crawl on the floor like Ann-Margret in Kitten With a Whip, in what seems like an attempt to prove for all time that she's the ultimate shooting starlet.

The fun begins when cookie company exec Hutton -- a recovering paranoid whose latent "Mr. Hyde" personality has already cost him his wife, son and house -- wows boss lady Dunaway with a new sales gimmick: market grandma-type cookies in old-fashioned-looking jars! Never mind that this mid-'70s concept ought to get him fired; there are far more egregious plot points to come. When Hutton's male assistant takes time off from work, the film's villainous vamp, office temp Boyle, turns up. Claiming to be a wed Stanford grad but sounding like she has marbles in her mouth, Boyle coos at Hutton, "You seem harrid," apparently meaning "harried" but making it sound enough like "horrid" to nail his performance.

Soon Boyle is flashing her legs and her bra, and though we're not amused -- Boyle's expression-free mug and calculated attempts at cool seem, to us, positively Jane Seymouresque -- Hutton desires her. Hilariously, when he asks pal Steven Weber, "Didn't you once fool around with your secretary?" Weber retorts, about Hutton's vacationing male assistant, "You thinking of boning Lance?"

When the secretary returns, Boyle goes to work for Hutton's rival exec Oliver Platt, but not before she says to Hutton -- we swear! -- "Peter, Peter, cookie-eater, had a temp, but couldn't keep her." Unhappy at her new gig, Boyle arranges an accident to maim Hutton's assistant and, while she's at it, kills off Platt. That's not what's bothering Dunaway, however; she's sure someone is after her job. "If they think I'm going down without a fight, they're mistaken," she growls, out for blood. "Believe me, I've had more knives stuck into me than Julius Caesar!" Things get worse: After Boyle is made an executive, Hutton -- who opines, "I've heard of meteoric rises, but this is ridiculous" --- rebuffs her come-on, only to find that when his cookies hit the stores, the customers literally start spitting blood. Ordering a hunt for the saboteur, Dunaway snaps, "We have to stop the bleeding!" But who can stop the laughing when Boyle, at a company picnic, strips to suggest she and Hutton 'boff' underwater as their co-workers watch from shore?

Thinking Boyle may be the killer, Hutton searches her office. When he is discovered in the act by co-worker Colleen Flynn, he begs for her help but she refuses, saying, "I'm not the one caught with my hands in the cookie jar." Then, when Hutton peeks through Boyle's bedroom window, he sees that Boyle's got her hand in the cookie jar -- at this point, both Hutton and the movie take time out to watch her ... erm ...pleasure herself.

Suffice it to say, about the film's suspense-free last third, although it boasts everything -- Boyle and Hutton ride in a car careening out of control; Hutton gets tossed atop a garbage heap; Boyle, clearly a dangerous psycho, breaks into Hutton's home to (gasp!) rearrange his furniture -- none of it goes anywhere. If, however, you're in need of a good giggle, get ahold of The Temp right now.

Gosh...I thought I was the only person that liked this movie.......2006-03-04

**** REVIEW INCLUDES "GREAT DIALOG" SPOILERS ****

Wow was I surprised to see all the positive reviews of this movie here on Amazon. I thought I was alone in being entertained by this. External reviews often completely trash this movie without finding anything positive.

Well get this chemical makeup: Stunning and popular star Lara Flynn Boyle overtly titillating us and wearing skimpy outfits even including a bikini(!), Timothy Hutton, habitual scene stealer Oliver Platt during younger and thinner days, superstar Faye Dunaway, and Steven Webber from the TV show "Wings." How's that for voltage? Add in a proven plotline with a long pedigree (Hand that rocks the cradle, Single White Female, many more), some great whacky dialog, and top it off with the inspired idea of a corporate thriller set in a cookie company with the climax in an industrial kitchen, and yeah...I'll bank that. How could you possibly lose?

Actually I really like this movie, even just watching it straight. The only problem I have is Faye Dunaway's really bad, hammy, mugging acting, and toward the end Boyle picks up some of the same style, but other than that I like it. However, if you make me analyze it, ok, it's riddled with plot holes, dropped threads, unanswered questions, implausabilities, etc, but that really doesn't matter if the movie succeeds in entertaining me. And it does. So with that in mind, you could look at it as one of the "so bad it's good" genre, and it does succeed on that level. I agree with others that the ending seems as tho it was written on the spot when someone lost the rest of the script.

It actually has a lot of good stuff in it. For example:

One of my favorite literary devices is the "buddy thing," which is an entertainment staple: Laurel and Hardy, Skipper and Gilligan, Kip and friend in Bosom Buddies, Balky and Larry in "Perfect Strangers," etc. This movie features that, but in four directions: Hutton and his boss, Hutton and his buddy (Webber), Hutton and his rival (Platt), Hutton and Boyle. Lots of fun there.

The highlight for me is some of the whacky dialog, which I'm still quoting years later. For example:
"You're BLOWIN' it man."
"YOU'VE GOT THIS PROBLEM."
And one of the greatest lines ever:
"Good gosh how hard can it be? I'm not asking you to splice DNA you just DO IT!"

Wonderful stuff.

Finally, it's no surprise that Hutton and Platt both turn in performances that are well worth watching.

The greed devours all what it gets!.......2006-01-23

Once the insatiable ambition resides in the most luxuriant place of your soul, you become its subaltern and joyous slave. Your behavior obeys no rule, no moral no ethics. You just follow the road of the betray, in order to climb higher and higher,
without taking into account any scruple or superfluity.

A female who comes from unknown and distant places substitutes temporally an assistant. Gradually her efficiency and disproportionate extroversion in the internal corporative politics with the aid of a set of fortuity events will retain her far beyond the stipulated. She will And surreptitiously, she will become the fatale ivy who will make all what it is necessary in order to acquire power and personal prestige.

If we have to miss certain narrative voids and some incoherence along the script, the picture gets to engage you. Lara Boyle 's alluring beauty made of her the perversion per excellence; Timothy Hutton `s versatility and the captivating Faye Dunaway conform a suggestive reason to be involved.

There will be an increasing tension until the unexpected finale. Don' t miss it.

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Les Temps Des Souvenirs
Starring: Francoise Hardy
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Parenthèses

ASIN: B000B9ROKY
Release Date: 2005-11-29

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Glenn Gould Au Dela Du Temps
Starring: Glenn Gould
Manufacturer: Juxtapositions
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000H4VZGW
Release Date: 2006-09-26

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Sexy, Heartbreaking & True
The Poetics of Dying
Sheer Perfection
Death in France

Time To Leave (Le temps qui reste)
Starring: FranÃ§ois Ozon , Melvil Poupaud , Jeanne Moreau , and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Manufacturer: Wea International
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ASIN: B000HEWHBY
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Customer Reviews:

Sexy, Heartbreaking & True.......2007-01-24

This movie joins two of my favorite artists now working in film:
director Francois Ozon and actor extraordinaire Melvil Poupaud. This
movie is beautifully shot, exquisitely seductive in many parts and
finally movingly sad. A true work of art. Ozon is the best thing to
happen to movies since Almodovar. And Melvil Poupaud is not only one of
the best actors of his generation but he is also sexy beyond belief.
Bravo to all involved.

I hope that Ozon will work again with Melvil because the two are exquisite together. It is like watching Almodovar's work with Penelope Cruz or Carmen Maura.

Melvil Poupaud should be an international star any time soon.

The Poetics of Dying.......2006-12-01

François Ozon (Water Drops on Burning Rocks, 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5X2) is one of the most fascinatingly talented French directors on the scene today. His films have a simplicity, a direct approach to the mind and the heart, and an extreme respect for both his actors and his audience - factors that allow him a means for communication that is rare and proves he has few equals. In LE TEMPS QUI RESTE (Time to Leave) he addresses that earth-shattering moment of being informed that death is imminent and shows us how one character copes with that information and how it changes his remaining days and his history of relating to others.

Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is a handsome and successful fashion photographer who is gay, has a lover Sasha (Christian Sengewald), but is somewhat estranged from his family. For some reason he cannot relate to his pregnant sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau) despite his mother's (Marie Rivière) pleading and his father's (Daniel Duval) distance. During a fashion shoot Romain faints, is taken to the doctor (Henri de Lorme) who informs him he has metastatic cancer for which there is little hope (except for chemotherapy and radiation therapy) that he will live past a few months. Romain opts to go without treatment and begins to face his remaining life with silent gloom. After a very sensuous sexual encounter with Sasha (Ozon holds nothing back in depicting this!), Romain decides to quit his job, tells Sasha to leave, separates from his family, and visits his beloved grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau, as exciting an actress as ever!) who shares her philosophy of living and dying and bonds even more closely with the grandson who mirrors her own life. Her sage wisdom is what grounds Romain.

Romain, alone, travels about France, meets a sweet couple in a cafe - Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her husband Bruno (Walter Pagano) who are unable to have children - and after consideration Romain consents to comply with their request to impregnate Jany but only if Bruno is part of a ménage a trois in the process. The couple discovers Romain is dying after Jany becomes pregnant and Romain for the first time is able to show tenderness in his relationship with them. Somewhat changed in outlook Romain returns home, has a tender talk with his father who accepts his son's sexuality, attempts a reconciliation with Sasha unsuccessfully, and even responds to a letter from Sophie. His missions completed he travels to the ocean where the film ends in one of the most beautifully subtle, tender and genuinely realistic ways.

In every way this film is satisfying. The actors are to the person excellent with Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi particularly outstanding. But the kudos go to writer/director Ozon who once again proves that his enthusiasm for his field of art is boundless. He is one of the more important figures in cinema today. A brilliant, quiet, immensely satisfying film. Grady Harp, November 06

Sheer Perfection.......2006-11-25

"TIME TO LEAVE"

An almost perfect movie

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Time to Leave" (Strand Releasing) arrived yesterday and it is really something. It is one of those rare movies that holds your interest from start to finish. In fact, it even does more than hold your interest--it mesmerizes. I would even go so far as to say that "Time to Leave" is a perfect movie. It is gorgeously acted, beautifully filmed; the script is literate and sensitive. It has everything going for it. It will move you like few movies can.
Directed by Francois Ozun, "Time to Leave" is a French film that deals with a high profile 31 year old fashion photographer who is diagnosed with a brain tumor and has a very short time to live. As Romain, a good looking gay man comes to terms with this lot in life, he decides not to disclose his condition t anyone except his grandmother, beautifully portrayed by legendary French actress, Jeanne Moreau. As the seriousness of his illness sets in, Romain becomes cruel to his lover, rude to his pregnant sister and uncommunicative to his mother and father.
This is a feel-good tender movie about death and I realize that the statement is somewhat of oxymoron. You have to see the movie to understand why I say that. Is it possible to feel good about a beautiful young man dying at his prime? I don't know why but I felt good the entire time I watched this brilliant movie. One of the amazing qualities of this movie is its attitude toward being gay. The main character is gay and when he learns that his life is almost over, he begins a voyage of debauchery and descends into a world of anonymous sex. But that is not what "Time to Leave" is about. Being gay is not even an issue in the film and it just happens to be--nothing more. The idea of saying goodbye is not a new one in the cinematic world. The farewell to the earth here is expressed in a novel way and death becomes a welcome relief for Romain. It appears that the director was influenced by the goodness of mankind and the tenderness of life. There are some issues with political correctness but the way Ozun has woven his story, they are glorious. It is obviously Ozun's love for life that guided him to direct this movie. I was extremely moved by the movie but it did not leave me depressed as death usually does. Instead, it uplifted my spirit and made me realize how much death is a part of life. The movie haunted me and still haunts me.
Romain explains why he trusts his grandmother with the news of his impending death. It is because she is nearing the end of her life even though she is healthy. The scene between Melvil Poupaud (Romain) and his grandmother, Laura will tug at you. As Romain drives away after telling his grandmother that he is going to die soon, you feel as if you have to cry yet you don't. The exchange between the two of them is moving and tender and you don't succumb to the morose but rather are uplifted.
The existentialism of the plot provides the thoughtful sequences we see on the screen. The question that the film asks is if it is possible to find peace at the end of life. This becomes an even harder question when life is stripped away at a young age. This is a candid film which is sexy and hypnotic. It seems to me to be a very personal study of life in the face of death.
If you are still not sure how you feel about the movie when it is over, the bonus features may clear up any questions you might have I do not understand why the deleted scenes were deleted because to me they further explain the life/death experience and the featurette on the making of the film gives excellent insight. This is one that you should not miss. Here is an example of what a movie should be.

Death in France.......2006-08-30

"Time to Leave" is Francois Ozon's version of a melodrama/tearjerker in the same vein as the Bette Davis films of the 30's and 40's particularly "Dark Victory." His take on the musical, "8 Women" is weird, stylish, over-the-top but ultimately successful. "Swimming Pool" is a sexual thriller with style to burn and features a nude scene by Charlotte Rampling: all glorious 60 years of her.
Ozon's central character Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is selfish and pouty and the fact that he is dying from cancer does not make him less so. After learning that he will die soon, Romain tells no one, proceeds to thoughtlessly dismiss his lover, brutally insult his sister at a family gathering and generally act as thoughtless as one who is dying has a right to. It can go either way, can't it? Facing imminent death do you let loose with a fury of invective and self-loathing or do you forget the past and attempt to make amends for a life not particularly well lived. For the most part, Romain chooses the former until he seeks out his grandmother (the still radiant Jean Moreau who adds much needed humanity and thoughtfulness here): his shield dissolves and he looks for and receives warmth and love. When Grams asks him why he has chosen to tell her about his impending death, he says "It's because you are also so close to death...you will understand." Weak, self-centered, passive-aggressive hogwash.
Though Melvil Poupaud does a good job as Romain and Ozon structures and stages his inevitable death as if Romain is Manon in "Manon Lescaut," Romain remains an unabashed anti-hero: one whose first concern is himself and though a subplot involves Romain valiantly donating his sperm to a childless couple...one that you can't help but despise yet nonetheless grudgingly admire for his single-minded rage against an inevitable death without letting go of his basic, though loathsome nature.

Les Visiteurs / Les Visiteurs 2 - Les Couloirs du Temps(2 Pack) Original French ONLY Version - NO Subtitles

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Les Visiteurs / Les Visiteurs 2 - Les Couloirs du Temps(2 Pack) Original French ONLY Version - NO Subtitles

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ASIN: B000FELAD2

Les Couloirs du Temps - Les Visiteurs 2 (French Only No Eng Subs)

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The Low-Profile Sequel Wasn't Well-Recieved, But You Might Not Care...

Les Couloirs du Temps - Les Visiteurs 2 (French Only No Eng Subs)

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ASIN: B0006SL2X0

Product Description

The sequel to reunites us with those lovable ruffians from the French Medieval ages who - through magic - are transported into the present, with often drastic consequences. Godefroy de Montmirail travels to today to recover the missing family jewels and a sacred relic, guarantor of his wife-to-be's fertility. The confrontation between Godefroy's repellent servant Jack the Crack and his descendent, the effete Jacquart, present-day owner of the chateau, further complicates the matter.

Customer Reviews:

The Low-Profile Sequel Wasn't Well-Recieved, But You Might Not Care..........2006-02-26

After the surprizingly successful original "The Visitors" (1996), a sequel was made, "Les Couloirs du temps: Les visiteurs 2" (or "The Corridors of Time: The Visitors II" in 1998). With a much bigger budget, the same director, and several of the same actors (including Jean Reno), you would expect it to do great at the box-office -- even if it wasn't as good as the original. But it didn't do well. In fact, "Corridors of Time" didn't even recover one-fourth of its budget in overseas theaters.

The general story begins after the end of the original "Les Visiteurs" (or "The Visitors") and immediately tries to justify the sequel with a time paradox that compleatly ignores much of what our hereos were doing before -- and has them doing it all over again. Godefroy de Montmirail (Jean Reno) doesn't really learn anything from the event depicted in the original, and he ppears to be even dumber, which isn't as charming as the character's previous performance. Actress Valérie Lemercier played the role of Frénégonde de Pouille (aka Béatrice de Montmirail) in the original "Les visiteurs," but since she didn't want to comprimise herself in this sequel to avoid getting stuck in the bourgeoise (or a woman belonging to middle-class) role, another actress was cast in her place for the sequel. Muriel Robin tries to imitate the previous actress way too much, instead of trying to make the role her own.

There is still some fun to be had, though. Jean Reno and Christian Clavier still have a great time doing thier respective roles, and I would be lying if I said this film was devoid of humor. It has some good humorous moments, and a mixture of good and bad visual effects. Of course, this sequel is not in league with the original. Several plot points were rather contrived, and a number of the gags went a bit too far (you'll see what I mean), but overall I had a decent time watching it. There are still lots of laughs, a number of new and different crazy situations, and lots of really good ideas. You really need to see the original first. Even the American remake, "Just Visiting" is better than this sequel -- no lie. Fans will probably still want to see this one, but don't expect it to compare to how much fun you had with the first film (even the editing needs some serious work), and keep in mind that the film is designed for really young teenage boys, so don't expect a well-designed script. You probably won't find a proper Engligh translated DVD, so you'll need to search for the French name on the Internet. You really are better off keeping your current DVD of "The Visitors" and just renting/borrowing the sequel, but since this title isn't widely imported, that might be hard. At least I warned you.

Les Temps Qui Changent (Original French Version - with English Subtitles)

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Les Temps Qui Changent (Original French Version - with English Subtitles)

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ASIN: B000E6KFKU

Product Description

Traveling from France to Tangiers, a man looks to reunite with his former love, though their romance ended some 30 years earlier.

Time Out (L'Emploi du temps) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

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Time Out (L'Emploi du temps) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Laurent Cantet
Manufacturer: Palace Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: English Subtitles French Dolby Digital 5.1 Synopsis: French director Laurent Cantet's sophomore effort is a somber and complex meditation on work -- specifically, how work has become the defining feature of the contemporary individual as well as the quintessential symbol of quotidian despair. The movie tells the story of Vincent (Aurelien Recoing), a middle-class family man recently fired from his drab, middle-management job. Unable to tell his family about his firing, Vincent spends his workdays driving around the French countryside --"business trips" he tells his wife -- keeping intact the reassuring routine of going to work and coming home to his wife and kids. As his family grows suspicious of his evasive behavior, Vincent is forced to spin a new tale, pretending to get a job working for the U.N. In a bid to keep the money coming in, he recruits old friends to invest in an imaginary emerging-markets investment scheme. Vincent also falls in with Jean-Michel (Serge Livrozet), a black market dealer whose ignominious past serves as an ominous warning for Vincent's present course. Despite his efforts to maintain an undisturbed surface, Vincent's wife begins to suspect something amiss. As the lies pile up and the questions from his family mount, Vincent loses control of his fragile double life, leading to a poignant conclusion. Cantet's film premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. Extras: Interactive Menu Commentary Biographies Photo Gallery Scene Access Trailer(s)

Time Regained (Le Temps Retrouvé) with Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Vincent Perez

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Time Regained (Le Temps Retrouvé) with Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Vincent Perez
Director: Raoul Ruiz
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ASIN: B000U57URQ

Le Temps d'une paix, Saison 1 to 6, (6 Box Set) Original French Version

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Le Temps d'une paix, Saison 1 to 6, (6 Box Set) Original French Version
Starring: Nicole Leblanc , Pierre Dufresne , and Daniel Gadouas
Director: Yvon Trudel
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SUPPLÉMENTS Entrevue avec le réalisateur Portrait de la famille Saint-Cyr Portrait de la famille Lavoie Portrait de la famille Fournier Galerie de photos Ce magnifique coffret de collection de quatre DVD présente, en 24 épisodes, l'intégrale de la première saison. Plus de dix heures de délicieux moments de détente et de plaisir en compagnie des personnages mémorables de votre téléroman préféré. Retrouvez Rose-Anna, Joseph-Arthur, Mémère Bouchard, Ticoune et tout ce beau monde de La Malbaie à une époque marquée par de grands bouleversements sociaux. Cette série, d'une valeur sentimentale inestimable, saura combler tous les nostalgiques des grandes émissions classiques de notre télévision.

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