They Live

Amazon.com

An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens. The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters. Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections. The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Inside the expectations.......2007-09-04

I wanted to see this movie again. It went on here in Brazil only once on Tv and never got released on Theater or Vídeo. It is very good. I love to see the subliminar messages... It is how I feel in the real world.

i loves this movie even more today 19 years latter.......2007-08-31

i had forgoten a bit about this movie (i had an old vhs copie from 10 years ago) just got the dvd and i thaught this movie (again) was great.
rodie piper does a great job (did he do any other movies??) its a good storie with (i think) great effex + john carpenter did the soundtrack that is not as good as halloween but still great . I think this movie has the best one liner of all time (sorry bruce campbell) watch wath he says when he gets in the bank with his guns..... hillarious !!! ok so no xtra on this version but for the price you pay ....its not that bad.

Worth it for the fight scene alone!.......2007-08-21

I definitely am biased as this is one of my favorite movies since childhood. However, if you purchase this movie I guarentee you won't be upset.

"They Live" just screams "B Movie" but the cast all do a great job. The movie itself is nowhere near realistic and is kind of ridiculous to be honest, but I think that's why it's so great. It's entertaining, has a ton of catch phrases, lots of action, and a ridiculous 10 minute fight scene that was popular enough to be ridiculed move-by-move in the TV show South Park (as "Cripple Fight"). If you don't laugh during that fight scene you need to see a psychoogist

Do yourself a favor and buy this movie now!

Searing documentary about the Bush Administration?.......2007-08-16

An in-depth, unvarnished look at the inner workings of Bush, Cheney and the rest of the gang. If only we all really had the special sunglasses! So for now we only get to see the Bush administration portrayed by actors, some with great alien make-up! The movie is sly, cool and sooo interesting. Roddy Piper is perfectly cast as a drifter, who inadvertently discovers aliens and their massive propaganda campaign against us. And it's so true to life it's almost non-fiction! This is also a fun flick that never gets boring, even after multiple viewings. The premise is so simple that it's cunning. This one's a keeper. And I think they sell the sunglasses at the 99 cent store! You are getting sleepy... repeat after me... Shop now... Disregard the Bill of Rights, the Constitution... Obey... Buy this movie... NOW.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper put down the bagpipes and should have picked up an oscar.......2007-08-10

When the star of the show is Hot Rod, you pretty much know where its going. Yeah, straight to VHS. But that's exactly how we, Sid the Elf, like it baby. We have to give it to Piper on this one, he totally fufilled all expectations. His acting was so pitiful, spouting tough quotes like, "I came here to chew bubble gum and kick [butt]." He went on and on with these gems for the first half of this one. He found his magical ray-bans and went to work taking out every alien in sight. Just like in his old ring days, he was an absolute one man wrecking crew. Only instead of being in the Scottish kilt wearing form we were used to, he portrays a flannel wearing, mullet sporting drifter. Which actually fit him quite nicely.

So, the basic plot was that Piper stumbled upon these shades. And when he put them on, he could tell who were normal people, and who were the brainwashing aliens. Piper and George 'Buck' Flower, a charter member of the all-time "That Guy" team, let the real people live and figure four leg locked the aliens into submission. The goofy factor jumped at least 5 spots because the loser who wrote it was trying to get across his tortured view of our twisted society. And if you're trying to do that, who's your vehicle baby?....You got it, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. I think he even had a Piper's Pit about the very same topic once. Anyway, one hillarious thing about this one was Piper getting smashed over the head with a beer bottle, getting pushed out a window, rolling down a hill, then getting up like he tripped over an untied shoelace. And another was a totally unnecessary 20 minute awful fight scene in the middle. Both were prime examples of the B powerhouse that this film was.

To sum it all up, They Live was high caliber B. It absolutely gets the Sid the Elf Seal of Approval, and is essential to your summer B lineup. It wins the World Heavyweight Championship of B Sci-Fi.

Average customer rating:

Fairly Awful
Part 2 was better, heck should've really ended with 3.
Alien Resurrection - Review
Scary adventure, almost touching at the end
My favorite movie

Alien Resurrection
Starring: Sigourney Weaver , Winona Ryder , Dominique Pinon , Ron Perlman , and Gary Dourdan
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000ILDG
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Amazon.com

Perhaps these films are like the Star Trek movies: The even-numbered episodes are the best ones. Certainly this film (directed by French stylist Jean-Pierre Jeunet) is an improvement over Alien 3, with a script that breathes exciting new life into the franchise. This chapter is set even further in the future, where scientists on a space colony have cloned both the alien and Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), who died in Alien 3; in doing so, however, they've mixed alien DNA with Ripley's human chromosomes, which gives Ripley surprising power (and a bad attitude). A band of smugglers comes aboard only to discover the new race of aliens--and when the multi-mouthed melonheads get loose, no place is safe. But, on the plus side, they have Ripley as a guide to help them get out. Winona Ryder is on hand as the smugglers' most unlikely crew member (with a secret of her own), but this one is Sigourney's all the way. --Marshall Fine

Description

A group of scientists has cloned Lt. Ellen Ripley, along with the alien queen inside her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the resurrected Ripley is full of surprises for her "creators," as are the aliens they've imprisoned. And soon, a lot more than "all hell" breaks loose. To combat the creatures, Ripley must team up with a band of smugglers, including a mechanic named Call (Ryder), who holds more than a few surprises of her own.

Customer Reviews:

Fairly Awful.......2007-07-03

Just because you have the computer technology doesn't mean you should go cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs with it.

I must say that this movie is full of tension; it hardly ever lets up (much like the second film). But it's clearly the creepiest, weirdest, goriest, and nastiest of the franchise. It's overkill. There's no solid story, and it's all becoming too familiar in its endless variations of the tired 'escape the monsters' formula. I am surprised at how many people give this movie four or five stars. It's not worthy.

Ripley's manicure manages to stay nice all through the harrowing ordeals. Not a crack or a chip. I nearly laugh when they show closeup shots of her hands. Didn't the director or any of the cast or crew notice this during the rushes?

But how about that disturbing, gruesome, gutwrenching scene before the end? Too much. (Shudder.) I'd rather watch "Sophie's Choice".

Of all the Alien films, I always gravitate back to the first, the original suspense-filled monster movie that created the whole egg/facehugger/birth/acid blood/alien concepts. I do enjoy the second movie for its action and thrills, but I've watched the first one the most. It is fairly brilliant, frightening, and purposely slow in building its tension to a wonderful climax.

Alien Resurrection is the kind of film you'll watch once, most likely...unless you enjoy cheesy, gore-laced action flicks with stereotypical characters and dialogue. It won't beg repeat viewing like number one does.

Part 2 was better, heck should've really ended with 3........2007-05-15

While this movie is nice for just a popcorn flick, this series really should have just ended with 3. While I could enjoy the movie for what it was, which is why I'm giving this a 4 star rating.

Alien Resurrection - Review.......2007-05-07

I generally liked this movie, but the story reminds me more of keystone cops type of comedy rather than the movie I had hoped it would be. Slapstick this movie should not have been.

Scary adventure, almost touching at the end.......2007-05-06

I'm somewhat new to the Alien series. Since I wasn't even born before the first movie made its appearance in the 1970s I was too young even after Alien Resurrection hit theaters in 1997. I did see bits of the movies since they represent an epitome of science fiction filming, but still a child until the late 1990s (I was born in 1985) I didn't care to see something so graphic and horror-based. I had recently purchased the second film Aliens and was impressed by how convincingly Weaver portrayed Ripley, and how interesting the plot line was (I happen to find the first film eerie, but a little boring at first). The third feature, Alien 3, was definitely scary, but was my least favorite. Alien Resurrection is one of the best in the movies. The film has great effects (for its time), and once again Weaver portrays a believable character--in an interesting sense, the mutant alien (part original Alien and part Ripley) almost comes off a little sympathetic in the final look between Ripley's character and said beast, with its sad eyes looking at its mother. Definitely one of the better Alien movies, although I doubt it completely takes the top spot from Aliens.

My favorite movie.......2007-03-29

This is my favorite of the series. I got it quick and I didn't get charged a small fortune

Alien - Resurrection (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

Best "Alien" movie by far
truly atrocious
"Kill me ... kill me ..."
Witness the Resurrection of Fear...
Excellent end to a great scifi series.

Alien - Resurrection (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Sigourney Weaver , Winona Ryder , Dominique Pinon , Ron Perlman , and Gary Dourdan
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00012FXBI
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Description

Customer Reviews:

Best "Alien" movie by far.......2007-08-21

I personally think this movie is the best of the "Alien" series. Most people won't agree with that statement and I think it's because they have this unattainable image portrayed by the second movie, "Aliens", which was directed by James Cameron. You might have to remind yourself that James Cameron also created the movie Titanic (which I think breaks any cred he had as a director).

Where the 2nd "Aliens" movie is slow moving and puts more focus on suspense, this movie is action packed. It's very visually pleasing and looks great on an DVD with HDMI upscaling. "Resurrection" features a screen play by Joss Whedon (of Firefly fame) and includes Winona Ryder as a very hot looking robot. Sigourney Weaver is very entertaining to watch and her character, Ellen Ripley, is intriguing and has a different "alien-like" quality to her. Before where she was a pretty weak pilot she is now a rough neck.

I really liked the characters in the movie, the relationship between Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, and I really loved the morbid feel to the movie. The scene with all the failed cloning experiments was great to see, even if it was a bit disgusting.

Many people dislike this movie, so if you're a sheep and usually only like what is popular, this movie is NOT for you. If you like a good movie even if it strays from the original idea of "Alien", try it out.

truly atrocious.......2007-07-09

Wow. If you ask me, this was by far the worst film in the Alien series. I cannot understand why so many people seem to find this movie enjoyable. It was really silly. It had bad acting. It had aweful, unlikeble characters. Events occured without any sort of sense. It was just a bunch of space cowboys walking through corridor after corridor in a dark gloomy spaceship. That is until the human/alien is introduced. Brad Douraf introduces us to the creature by calling it a "little butterfly." It then sucks his brains out. The hilarous looking creature runs around, chasing Riply, before getting sucked out of a spaceship in a goopy unconvincing manner. I am sorry folks, it was just bad. As in, I've seen sci-fi movies more enjoyable.

"Kill me ... kill me ...".......2007-06-15

"Alien: Resurrection," released five years after the failure of David Fincher's "Alien3," sounds delightful. It's written by the utterly brilliant Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" among others, and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the man behind "Amelie." Mixing Whedon's trademark creativity with Jeunet's vibrant style seems like the perfect remedy for those who disliked "Alien3." Unfortunately, it's not. Written shortly before he created "Buffy," Whedon's script reads like a comic book, sorely lacking the structure of the series' previous entries. It's in Jeunet's directing where the film really plummets, though. The actors seem to have had little guidance (Jeunet didn't speak a word of English at the time the film was made), the performances are over-the-top to the point of being cartoonish, and Jeunet's style is all about in-your-face grotesque imagery.

Here's the story: 200 years after "Alien3," a group of military scientists have successfully cloned Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and extracted the baby alien queen from within her. Also, they've experimented by combining her human blood with alien blood. The result is a far more out-there, carefree, bizarre Ripley, devoid of the humanity that made the character so appealing in the other films. That's not to say that this new Ripley isn't appealing. On the contrary, she's quite fun, thanks to an enthusiastic and oddball performance by Weaver. The supporting cast includes Winona Ryder, who shines as a determined young space pirate with a secret, Ron Perlman, future "C.S.I." star Gary Dourdan, Dan Hedaya, and Brad Dourif, who is creepy as usual.

Comparing these films, Ridley Scott's "Alien" and Fincher's "Alien3" are the suspense-based, claustrophobic, "nowhere to run" entries in the series, while James Cameron's "Aliens" and this movie are the action-packed, shoot 'em up entries. Jeunet knows how to direct a sci-fi film, and it would appear he knows how to direct an action film as well (his style is actually similar to scribe Joss Whedon's in "Serenity"). Unfortunately, he has no idea how to direct an "Alien" film. It's this disregard for the previous films that makes "Alien: Resurrection" seem like your everyday sci-fi thriller.

As this is the most recent of the solo "Alien" films (excluding Paul W.S. Anderson's foolish "AVP: Alien vs. Predator"), it has some more bombastic visual effects than its predecessors. However, they aren't always better - in fact, these are the weakest effects of the series. Granted, there are some highlights, such as the utterly horrifying, foul alien hybrid (and his stomach-churning demise), or any scene featuring the alien queen. But there's frequent use of CGI, and part of what made the titular beasts so frightening in the earlier movies was the realism that came with using a guy in a suit. That realism is lost through this film's CGI effects, and with it dies much of the terror contained in the previous films.

So who's to blame for this movie's many problems? Many a finger points to Joss Whedon. Whedon has defended himself by saying that though not much from his original screenplay was changed, the finished film follows it very loosely: actors speak the lines wrong, scenes are filmed wrong, everything looks wrong. Even a glance through Whedon's script proves that, in the hands of the right director, it could've been a decent film. Regardless, it's too much like an action comic and not enough like an "Alien" movie.

However, most of the blame should go to the director. In the introduction to his "special edition" cut of the film presented in the "Alien Quadrilogy" boxset, Jean-Pierre Jeunet says that he is extremely proud of the movie in any form. Sadly, there's nothing to be proud of here; truthfully, this film is a disgrace. How odd that the director who brought us "Amelie," one of the best and most refreshing films ever made, should be responsible for such a turgid movie as this. And turgid it is: "Alien: Resurrection" is unquestionably the worst of the "Alien" movies. It's a cartoon version of the "Alien" saga, filled with drifting actors and a shoestring plot. It's gross, frequently confusing, and just plain weird (take, for example, a scene in which Ripley apparently has sex with an alien).

At its end, "Alien: Resurrection" is a perfect example of what happens when foolish studios keep series going after they've run their course. "Alien3" would have been a fitting close for what may be the greatest science fiction series of all time, but instead we're left with this stupid, dull mess of a film. It's ironic that through "Alien: Resurrection," the title a reference to what execs planned to do the saga after its near-death through "Alien3," the powers that be unwittingly killed off the series. Ten years after the film's release, there's been no "Alien 5," and with the overwhelmingly-negative response to Paul W.S. Anderson's "Alien vs. Predator," it seems likely that the "Alien" saga, at least on its own, has reached its end.

Witness the Resurrection of Fear..........2007-06-10

When "Alien 3" was released to theaters with lackluster results, it left both the studio and fans wondering if there was any need for further installments in the franchise or had it simply run its course. After 5 years of wondering whether we had seen the last of those nasty creatures known simply as `aliens', 20th Century Fox released what they hoped would be their redemption for the failure of their previous effort with the appropriately titled "Alien: Resurrection".

"Alien: Resurrection" picks up approximately 200 years after the events of "Alien 3" a group of scientists have found a way to clone Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and successfully remove the Queen that had been inside of her. But this clone Ripley isn't exactly the Ripley we remember, during the cloning process her DNA became spliced with that of the alien's, leaving Ripley with the ability to sense their presence and also giving her enhanced strength and stamina. When a team of smugglers come aboard carrying human cargo to be used to breed new aliens, they quickly discover that the creatures are far more dangerous than they expected, and much smarter too (thanks to Ripley's DNA). In no time at all, the aliens have found a way to get loose aboard the space ship, and not surprisingly, they make quick work of most of the crew, save for a few who managed to survive along with the smugglers and Ripley. Now Ripley must decide whether to save herself or fall back into her old habits and destroy the aliens that have plagued her for years and years.

After "Alien 3" brought the franchise to its knees, this fourth installment allowed the `Alien' saga to once again stand tall and become a film series that 20th Century Fox could once again be proud of. "Alien: Resurrection" brought back the horror and ominous atmosphere that Ridley Scott had used so successfully in "Alien", and packed exhilarating action sequences that reminds you of the glory days of James Cameron's "Aliens", all wrapped up together with a very strong, well-written script that tied up the series nicely and left fans with a satisfying movie experience that allowed them to forget about the less-than-stellar "Alien 3". I was happy that the creative team behind "Alien: Resurrection" decided to incorporate story elements that occurred in "Alien 3" rather than ignoring the film altogether like some franchises do with lackluster installments. Of course that may have been a decision heavily backed by the studio in an attempt to save face for their tampering with the previous movie, but that's just my assumption.

The cast was comprised of great actors who all turned in excellent performances, Michael Wincott, Winona Ryder, and Ron Perlman were by far the biggest standouts as far as the new members to the franchise are concerned. Of course, the biggest star of the movie was Sigourney Weaver, who was having much more fun here than she did in "Alien 3", and her performance was evidence of that, as she appeared to breathe new life into her character Ripley. I believe she truly enjoyed getting to play the much darker side of the character, a side that had not been seen in any of the previous installments, and made the movie even more enjoyable, since you never knew for sure what Ripley was going to do from one moment to the next.

The special effects were the best in the franchise, and the decision to use CGI at times to create the aliens was nice, giving them much more fluidity and freedom to their actions. But even with all the great CGI work, the practical effects employed in this movie, and throughout this entire franchise for that matter, is by far some of the best in all of Hollywood, and should be held as the standard for what all other monster movies should aspire to.

If you were one of the many fans that was disappointed, and perhaps disillusioned with the franchise by "Alien 3", then you should definitely give "Alien: Resurrection" a look, as it will quickly redeem the series in anyone's eyes, and it serves as an excellent ending (at least so far) to a terrific science-fiction/horror franchise that spanned almost 20 years.

"Alien: Resurrection" is rated R for violence and language.

Excellent end to a great scifi series........2007-05-24

This is the final chapter of the Alien saga unless you count AVP which I kinda count as both a prequal to the Alien saga and a sequal to the Predator saga. I remember being very excited when this came out for two reasons. I love the Alien movies and this is the first one I got to see in the theaters. It was very well done all around IMO. The acting was great as usual and the special efects were outstanding for the day. Even in 10 years it amaing how much CG has improved. This was a great movie then and even better now with this release. While not a directors cut it adds more depth to the film and the ending gives a much better finale than the orriginal ending. My only gripe with the special edition is the cheesey opening but all in all it's a great movie and great release.

Average customer rating:

Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting
"Everything's a secret here"
Chabrol watching the flowers grow
Actually the flower is not so evil
an evil flower?

The Flower of Evil
Starring: Benoît Magimel , Nathalie Baye , Mélanie Doutey , Suzanne Flon , and Bernard Le Coq
Director: Claude Chabrol
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001EFV9A
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Customer Reviews:

Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting.......2007-06-15

We are the eyes of the camera, moving from the dark shadows of trees, across a gravel driveway, through the entrance of a large house, past an open door where a maid is setting out dishes on a table, up the stairs and past a room where a young woman is sitting on the floor, clasping her knees, down the hallway and into a bedroom, then past the corpse on the floor to focus on his hand grasping the coverlet. All the while we hear a cheap, romantic song coming from a radio somewhere in the house...

A memory
comes to you in your dreams
but it is not what it seems
and haunts you for eternity.

A memory
makes you believe he has never gone
that there's no need to grieve
and that the past lives on.

The Flower of Evil (La Fleur du Mal) is an almost elegiac Claude Chabrol movie that starts with a dead man and finishes with our understanding of how he came to be dead. In 101 minutes between these two points we find ourselves in the lives of a family whose secrets seem to repeat themselves. This isn't so much a mystery as a parable of inevitability. It also is a movie of deliberate story-telling. It takes its time as we observe the Charpin-Vasseur family. What a family it is. Chabrol once again opens the window to let the stale air of the French grande bourgeoisie out of the room. You may need a family chart to keep things straight at first, and one is provided as an extra on the DVD as well as in an insert.

Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is running for the office of mayor. She is married to Gerard Vasseur (Bernard Le Coq). They married after their spouses, who had been having an affair with each other, were killed in a crash. Anne has a daughter from that first marriage, Michele Charpin-Vasseur (Melanie Doutey). Gerard has a son from his first marriage, Francois Vasseur (Benoit Magimel). Francois has been in America for three years and has just returned. The family lives in a fine country home with Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon). Anne is in for a nasty surprise when an anonymous letter accuses her publicly of being from a family whose members were Nazi collaborators, informers, unethical about they ways they made their money, and a family with a taste for brother-sister incest. Of course, it's all true. Francois and Michele, within a day of his return, not exactly a brother and sister but at least as close as cousins, have become lovers, aided by Aunt Line. She, in fact, in her youth was suspected of having killed her father, the collaborator, who sent his son, Line's brother, to his death when the young man joined the Resistance. You can see how a family chart can come in handy.

For the length of this movie we observe the family...the drive of Anne to be elected mayor, the womanizing of her husband who is always charming, the disdain of Francois for his father, the times Aunt Line can drift into a momentary reverie when we share with her the voices from her past. And that's largely what happens, slowly and deliberately, bit by bit, as we patch pieces together until, an hour and twenty minutes into the film, we encounter a woman hitting a man with a lamp, two women dragging him up the stairs and into a bedroom, and one of the women taking his hand to twist the fingers into the coverlet. "I feel as if I am doing things backward," says one of the women. We realize that, with her life, she is. When she tries to comfort the other, she can only hold the other woman's face in her hands and say, "Oh, my dear, time doesn't matter. You'll see. Life is one perpetual present."

I found the movie to be a fine example of Chabrol's craftsmanship and storytelling. As often with Chabrol, it's the women who dominate the story. Nathalie Baye and, particularly, Suzanne Flon, provide the energy and the calm that make the movie work. Flon, 85 when she made the movie, gives us an almost fragile Aunt Michelina, a woman who has seen and done many things in her life, and who has in the present so many echoes of her past. If Baye tends to dominate the first half of the movie, Flon serves up the second half on a platter for us.

This is the kind of movie that some will say, "Nothing happens." They'd be wrong.

The DVD transfer is adequate; the picture is softer than it should be. There are no significant extras. Do yourself a favor, however, and study the family chart of the Charpin and Vasseur families. It will simplify considerably the first 20 minutes or so of the movie.

"Everything's a secret here".......2006-12-14

"The flower of evil" (= "La fleur du mal"), directed by Claude Chabrol, is centered on an upper middle-class family, the Charpin-Vasseurs. This family seems perfect but has dark and deep secrets, as seen from the very first scenes of this movie. What is wrong with the members of this family? Chabrol's mission is to make us care about the answer to this question...

The story begins with a crime, and continues many years later, when Francois Vasseur (Benoît Magimel), returns home after spending four years in the United States. Gérard (Bernard Le Coq), his father, is happy to see Francois again, but disturbed by the fact that his wife Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is involved in politics and running for mayor. Francois doesn't have a very good relationship with Gérard, but is pleased to see his stepmother Anne, his aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) and specially his stepsister and first cousin Michèle (Melanie Doutey).

Truth to be told, Francois left France because he had strong feelings towards Michèle, feelings she reciprocated. Is he now ready to act on those feelings? And what impact will that relationship have on the dynamics of his family, already disturbed by Anne's incursion into politics and old scandals that surface again? "The flower of evil" answers these questions, and tackles subjects such as the cyclical nature of life, the importance of secrecy in some lives, guilt and the need to keep up appearances ("il faut faire belle figure").

All in all, I think that this film will interest those who are fond of whodunnits, but that can also appreciate complex psychological studies that make a movie more interesting. Of course, recommended.

Belen Alcat

Chabrol watching the flowers grow.......2006-12-04

La Fleur du Mal aka The Flower of Evil isn't quite Chabrol on auto-pilot, but he's clearly more interested in the usual bourgeois side issues than the identity of the author of an anonymous leaflet that threatens Natalie Baye's campaign to become mayor of a small town by raking over the coals of the family's history of murder and Nazi collaboration. History is obviously going to repeat itself, but there's no sense of impending dread, merely a feeling that Chabrol has left himself too little time to remember the plot and wrap it up. Thus we get a somewhat hurried finale that feels practically like an afterthought - you can almost imagine him looking at his watch and thinking "Is that the time? I'd better kill someone so we can all go home." It's at its best dealing with local politics and petty ambitions on the campaign trail, and Baye and Suzanne Flon have the best of the film, but Chabrol's reunion with La Ceremonie scripter Caroline Eliacheff seems far more a time-filler than an essential.

Actually the flower is not so evil.......2006-01-30

This is a pleasant film by Claude Chabrol, nothing like the forbidding title "La Fleur du Mal" would suggest. I say pleasant in that there is nothing gross or ugly about it or really shocking, and it ends in a way that most viewers would find agreeable. There is some dark suggestion of family evil and a kind of playful non-incest and some skeletons in the closet from the Nazi occupation and one dead man at the end, but otherwise this is almost a comedy.

It is not, however, in my opinion his best work, but is very representative. My favorite Chabrol film is Une affaire de femmes (1988) starring Isabelle Huppert and Francois Cluzet. I also liked La Cérémonie (1995) featuring Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert and Jacqueline Bisset. Both of these are much darker works than The Flower of Evil.

As in many Chabrol films this starts slowly but manages to be interesting thanks to some veracious color and characterization blended with a hint of the tension to come. And then, also characteristic of Chabrol, there is a interesting finish.

Nathalie Baye plays Anne Charpin-Vasseur, who in her fifties decides to run for mayor. Her philandering husband Gérard (Bernard Le Coq) is not pleased. Benoit Magimel plays the prodigal son Francois Vasseur, just home after four years in the US, while Melanie Doutey plays his non-biological sister Michele. Francois apparently ran away to the States to cool his growing attraction to Michele (to her disappointment). Now on his return their love blooms.

This is very much approved of by Aunt Line (played wonderfully well with spry energy by Suzanne Flon who was 85 years old when the film was made). Their affair reminds her of her youth, a mixed blessing since she lived through some horrors.

The main plot concerns the opposition that Anne is getting as she runs for mayor. A leaflet accusing the family of collaboration with the Nazis during WWII is distributed that threatens to derail her campaign.

See this for one of France's great ladies of both film and the theater, Suzanne Flon, who died last year after a career than spanned five decades.

an evil flower?.......2005-12-12

The end left me in the always uncomfortable, "that's really it?" zone?

But, I still really liked it: The french pacing. The odd Aunt Line. The pretty daughter & kinda cute son thing. I love run on film credits.

Incest?
Nazi's?
Hinted, never really explained.

I don't need all the cards on the table. Ambiguity rocks. But this wasn't ambiguity, it was unfinished.

I did enjoy it though. What are you going to do?

Average customer rating:

So much fun!
Small World! I Married One Too!!
NO RECEPTION HERE....
I married a monster from outer space
I Married a Monster From Outer Space

I Married a Monster From Outer Space
Starring: Tom Tryon , Gloria Talbott , Peter Baldwin , Robert Ivers , and Chuck Wassil
Director: Gene Fowler Jr.
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002I832W
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Description

I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE tells the story of a race of monster-like aliens from another planet who try to conquer Earth by taking over a small town, inhabiting the bodies of prominent citizens and trying to impregnate the women. After one newlywed woman (Talbott) becomes suspicious of her husband when she sees him turn into a monster, the entire town begins to rise to the threat of conquest by the aliens.

Customer Reviews:

So much fun!.......2007-04-09

I love campy sci-fi, and this is a very good one. There's such a paranoia that prevales in it, it's so great. You know, like there are aliens who are here sneakily invading by taking the place of people we think we know. What could be more fun than that!? If you like the campy 50's sci-fi, don't miss this one.

Small World! I Married One Too!!.......2007-03-03

The title of this film almost guarantees schlock, but surprisingly doesn't deliver it. Sure there's a bit of schlockiness, there almost has to be, but a more serious approach is taken and somehow the whole thing actually works...and works quite well. The concept is something we're all familiar with. We've seen it before in They Live, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and Invaders From Mars. The whole deal with aliens walking among us in the human form of someone we know. This time however they're interested in reproducing and they all get married in order to accomplish this. You'd think aliens would just take what they want, but I guess they feel the same about premarital sex as we did in the 50s. Soon they discover they can't get their wives pregnant, but if they're gonna fail at it, at least they're having fun with their failure. Gloria Talbot is the first wife to fall victim to the horny aliens and also the first to discover what's going on. Once everyone finds out, they go to war with the aliens and find out that what the bullets can't do, the german shepards will. This is a good movie. It's good in a different way than the title suggests. It could have been an enjoyable and fun cheesefest but actually ends up being just plain good.

NO RECEPTION HERE...........2007-02-12

GREAT DVD!!!
Tom Tryon is absorbed by alien forces. Wife Gloria Talbott pieces it all together. Dogs kill aliens & save all humanity...That's all you need to know. This is a classic example of cold-war 1950's alien take-over!!!
All you need to do is watch this CLASSIC!
Don't let the title throw you, this is not some cheepie-hokum to be made fun of...despite the corny title.
Tryon went on to author several novels including THE DARK SECRET OF HARVEST HOME (PLEASE RELEASE THIS COMPLETE ON DVD!!!!!!!!!!)
I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE is an absolute 1950's CLASSIC & no collection should be complete without Paramount's version which is pristine...rainwater shimmers off pavement...
BUY THIS!!!

I married a monster from outer space.......2006-11-24

If your a fan of the 1950s drive in movies you will love this movie.I tend to not write long reviews as i hate to spoil the movie.I think the description is more than enough for you to know.True B movie fans will eat this up""Its a classic""

I Married a Monster From Outer Space.......2005-09-06

Best (50s)dvd i see in long time the star Tom Tryon as a good acter.

Average customer rating:

Inside the expectations
i loves this movie even more today 19 years latter
Worth it for the fight scene alone!
Searing documentary about the Bush Administration?
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper put down the bagpipes and should have picked up an oscar

They Live
Starring: Roddy Piper , Keith David , Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , and Peter Jason
Director: John Carpenter
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305077754
Release Date: 1998-03-25

Amazon.com

Description

They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. Horror master John Carpenter directs this action-packed sci-fi thriller about one man's battle against aliens who are systematically gaining control of the Earth.

Customer Reviews:

Inside the expectations.......2007-09-04

i loves this movie even more today 19 years latter.......2007-08-31

Worth it for the fight scene alone!.......2007-08-21

Searing documentary about the Bush Administration?.......2007-08-16

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper put down the bagpipes and should have picked up an oscar.......2007-08-10

Average customer rating:

Dark Breed
Starring: Jack Scalia , Robin Curtis , Lance LeGault , Felton Perry , and Angelo Di Mascio Jr.
Director: Richard Pepin
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009V7SJ
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Average customer rating:

A disappointing version of a classic book.

The Black Tulip
Starring: Keith Scott , Shane Withington , Phillip Hinton , Paul Johnstone (III) , and Juliette Jordan
Director: Franco Cristofani
Manufacturer: Simitar Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6304481128
Release Date: 1997-04-30

Customer Reviews:

A disappointing version of a classic book........1998-07-21

This animated version of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel was disappointing for several reasons. 1) the complex plot doesn't lend itself to a short animation and as a result the simplified story line offered in the tape is incoherent. Why was Cornelius imprisoned? Was his godfather a good character or an evil one? 2)The graphics are primitive and VERY scary. The eight year old girl who viewed it to the end (she always does, no matter what!) was often distracted and her five year old brother was bored and left the room before the scary parts forced us to turn off the tape. 3)The attempts to make the story appealing to young children by adding animal characters further confuse the plot and make the story untecognizable to anyone who, like me, has read and enjoyed the book. END

Wishmaster/Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies/Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell

Average customer rating:

Wishmaster/Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies/Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell
Starring: Reggie Bannister , Ari Barak , Wendy Benson-Landes , John Byner , and Tony Crane
Manufacturer: Live / Artisan
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005YUNE
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Description

Wishmaster: Magically powerful. Supernaturally evil. The ancient entity known in human legend as Djinn can grant a person's wildest dreams. And in the process, it unleashes your darkest nightmares. The moral of this explosively terrifying, special-effects-powered, horror-fantasy spectacular: Be careful what you wish for! Wishmaster 2: When the legendary monster, the Djinn, is re-released, he begins he reign of terror, plunging the earth into horror and chaos. As the Djinn reaches his goal of a thousand captured souls, it is up to Morgana to stand between the world as we know it and a terrifying future beyond our darkest fears. Wishmaster 3: Horror goes to extremes with Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell, the goriest installment of the hit franchise yet. When Diana, a beautiful coed, discovers an ancient gem inside a mystical Persian case, she unwittingly releases the mercilessly evil "Djinn." The gut-slinging demon uses fiendish trickery to take the form of a professor in order to slice, dice and burn his way through the university staff and its students. If he can overpower Diana, his "waker," and grant her three sick and twisted wishes, the very gates of Hell will open up and engulf the world in eternal damnation. With help from the man she loves, she must impale the bloodthirsty demon with a sword from Heaven to save herself and the entire world.

La Fleur du Mal (Original French Version with English Subtitles)

Average customer rating:

The Black Dahlias

La Fleur du Mal (Original French Version with English Subtitles)
Starring: Benoît Magimel , Nathalie Baye , Mélanie Doutey , and Suzanne Flon
Director: Claude Chabrol , and Bernard Le Coq
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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Product Description

Anne runs for re-election to the town council, shepherded by Matthieu, her fellow candidate and campaign manager. Her husband, Gérard, a businessman and philanderer, hates the campaign and feels vindication when a nasty leaflet circulates about their family history. His son, François, just back from the U.S., is in love with his step-sister Michèle, and she with him, although something is amiss besides their being cousins. Watching it all is their elderly Aunt Line, who has her own haunting memories. A death in World War II and a death on election night collapse time in the perpetual present and bring unexpected expiation. There's a lot to celebrate.

Customer Reviews:

The Black Dahlias.......2005-10-16

Claude Chabrol's "La Fleur du Mal" is as tightly structured as a Moliere comedy or a Shakespeare drama: nothing is left to chance, everything is accounted for, from the lampshade in a home office to the neatly stacked and folded shirts packed in a suitcase. Chabrol is also fastidious about his mise en scene: from the décor and the photography to the clothing and jewelry.
Chabrol has focused his microscope on a family, riddled with the sins of their ancestors that once again come to the forefront in the form of a hate letter aimed at the mother, Anne (Nathalie Baye) during her bid for mayor in a small French provincial town. It's the middle class, the Bourgeoisie that Chabrol views with contempt here: their insistence on sweeping things under the carpet, their not talking about things better discussed and their fascination with those with more money and a better lineage.
Despite the fact that most of these people are pretty despicable, guilty of the worst kind of betrayal, "La Fleur du Mal" is nonetheless fascinating to watch as Chabrol pieces his story together, layering scene upon scene, dissecting and surgically removing all the false faces and peeling away the fake smiles.
Benoit Magimel (The object of Isabelle Huppert's affection in "The Piano Teacher") as Francois and Melanie Doutey as Michele add sexual heat to the surroundings and also a clear dislike for what is going on. But I think Suzanne Flon as the eldest member of the family is the one who really holds the film together: her portrayal of Tante Line has seen it all, literally and has used her experience wisely by turning it into wisdom not archness or conceit.
"La Fleur du Mal" is Chabrol at his best, at his smartest, at his shrewdest and as such begs viewing by anyone interested in Contemporary film.

DVD:

DVD

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