Reviews

Sandra Bullock, Gene Rowlands, and Mae Whitman were totally wasted talents in this badly scripted and edited movie.. I keep wondering what might have been, what could have been, what SHOULD have been given the premise: Former small Southern town beauty queen returns home after national dumping by her philandering husband and her "best friend" on cheesy TV talk show..No wonder Rosanna Arquette didn't want her name in the credits as the homewrecker Connie!

Being from a small Southern town, I found the gossip and lasciviousness to be pretty true to form (if Birdie(Sandra) developed any nudies in the photo shop, she was to make an extra copy for the old geezer that owned the place). Other than a few acid-dripping remarks that were on target, the rest of the movie was a horrible disappointment.

Sandra's character is accused of drinking several times in the film, and although no alcohol consumption is seen or hinted at except for one bar scene, it certainly would have explained the zombie-like shadows of characters.

We are left hanging with a bare bones plot, husband and his lover humiliate wife on T.V., she packs up small daughter and heads for the comforts of home with mother. Comforts?? I didn't see any. Gene Rowlands was funny, in an eccentric way, but the eccentricities seemed to be pulled from a bag of bad writer's tricks. We are supposed to believe that Birdie fell in love again with the High School sweetheart that she dumped for the no-good Bill, but all I could think was, "If this man's house was on fire, would he move fast enough to get out, and would he even have the emotional fortitude to care?" The love interest had no sparks, no believability, and very little on the beam. I can see why he didn't make it in California as an architect. Heck, he can't even find steady employment in Smithville (too slow, they rightfully say).

The only bright spot was little Mae Whitman, the small daughter, whom many will recognize as Casey from "When A Man Loves A Woman" (GREAT MOVIE!), Sara from "Chicago Hope", and Patricia from "Independence Day". I hope to see Mae again soon in a good movie..it's a sad day when the only actress in a star-filled cast doing much acting is knee high to a grasshopper.

I am a woman, and usually like touchy, feely, humanistic stories about everyday life, but there was very little life here. I am extremely disappointed when I mentally compare what could have been and what was. IF I had paid full theater ticket prices to see this, I would have felt ripped off in the extreme. "Places In The Heart" is an example of a similar movie that WORKS!

The plot is simple on one level: A group of girls at a private school, growing up and experiencing the throes of adolescence angst. On a much more subtle level, there is an indefinable presence.... Is it a spectre? Or are the girls' over-active imaginations causing them to believe that sinister things are happening around them, especially at Hanging Rock? (a nearby scenic landmark with a possible secret).

The beauty of the film is its softness, and how effectively it is used to convey horror by its SILENCE...The costumes of the period and the music are lulling, as is the beautiful sometimes soft-focus cinematography.One is unprepared for the lingering chill in the room as the movie ends. There are also the lingering doubts: What really happened at Hanging Rock? Each viewer is left to decide... **NOTE: This is not an action adventure, not a typical horror or mystery. I cannot fit it into any one category, ART is the most likely, although it is certainly dramatic. I doubt very much that many men I know would want to watch this, so forewarned..it is not for the action-adventure crowd.

I watched this movie for the first time yesterday, mostly to see Mia Farrow after she had left "Peyton Place". I found that the premise of the movie and the hidden messages within are very powerful, indeed.

I quickly saw that what has been called a "classic Horror movie" was really a Gothic spoof of the "GOD IS DEAD" movement that was in full force at the time of the writing. Rosemary even picks up a TIME magazine with the cover words, "IS GOD DEAD"?

In analyzing the scenes with the child, and listening to the liturgy of the satanic cult, it is clear that the message of the movie/book was: Life does not exist in a vacuum, you must choose to believe in good and evil. If you choose to believe in JUST evil, i.e., God is dead, then Rosemary's ultimate world is the world that you would live in. Dark, dead, without hope, and with a Satan-child to worship.

Roman Polanski did a terrific job with the direction of the movie, of course. Mia Farrow was the perfect waif-child to portray the progenitor of Satan's offspring. I did not care for the actor cast as her husband, he never quite settled into the part, but maybe his role was supposed to be ambiguous. The neighbors were funny, not chilling, as was the cult scene at the end of the movie.

All in all, I would give it a 5 out of 10 because it was a social message disguised as a horror movie....I have to wonder how many people actually realized the subliminal theme?

Audrey Hepburn was magical, from her earliest film roles, until the day she left us. She shines brightly on the arm of Gregory Peck in this light-hearted but meaningful romantic comedy. There are several references to the papparazi, as Peck is a stringer (reporter for a Syndicated News Agency) out to get a scoop. He takes the hapless young Princess under his wing for his own purposes at first, but she soon wins his loyalty, and probably his heart, with her guileless charm.

Since the death of Princess Diana of Wales in 1997, this movie has a particular bittersweetness to it. Once again, we are reminded that although being a Princess has its glories and glamour, sometimes the ordinary joys of a simpler life are longed for and cherished above all else. The recurring theme in the movie is the control that royal life had on the young girl, and the lengths that she went to in order to experience a brief respite.

The "holiday" is light, funny and very enjoyable. Hepburn seems to be better matched with Peck in this film than with some of the older leading men that she was paired with during her early years. Peck is funny, Audrey is delightful, and the movie is a treat!

This movie does not have a convoluted plot, no outrageous secrets that the viewer is unaware of, just plain good murderous suspense. Lana Turner is beautiful, and gives a flawlessly terse performance as the wealthy heiress to be.

Sandra Dee is very believable as her step-daughter, and nemesis. It was wonderful to see so many famous faces in this movie, which just happened to air on a movie channel on a Sunday afternoon. This is exactly what rainy-day entertainment should be, entertaining and pleasant to view. Lana and Sandra play wealthy women, and their costumes and home are a treat for the eyes. Watch this, you will be entertained, although the plot is not knee-deep.

I know most episodes word for glorious word, and hope that Designing Women stays in syndication for a long time. It would be wonderful to see a reunion between the main characters, Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart and Annie Potts. The recurring themes to the show are the strong-willed Julia's many social campaigns and commentaries, and the ultra-feminine Suzanne as her manipulative yet sexy counterpart. I rather see myself in both characters, and feel that Southern women are portrayed pretty accurately in the show. We are very feminine, yet strong as Steel Magnolias. I live in Atlanta, and wish that I knew 4 wonderful friends as spunky and interesting as these main characters.

As a buff of classic movies of the film noir' genre, it did not take very long into this movie for me to see that it was based upon the classic "Dial M For Murder". The fore-knowledge of the plot to the predecessor of this movie did not really diminish my enjoyment of the suspense, however, I did reveal step by step plot sequences to my innocent husband, probably lessening his thrall with the film.

Michael Douglas delivered as a tense, terse, precise villain once again. Gweneyth Paltrow was slightly mis-cast as his anorexic child bride in designer duds.However, all in all the greed,decadence and debauchery was well played out through the storyline and the gorgeously self-indulgent residence of the couple.

It is supposed to be a film about the "perfect crime", and ends up being the perfect movie in the process. Without divulging key elements of the plot, I MUST state that this is my all-time favorite movie. It has a wonderful cast, a young, buffed Kathleen Turner, a giggly and cute William Hurt in their film debuts, with a directorial debut by Lawrence Kasden -"Big Chill' was his next large venture.. In addition to having the right people in cast and crew, there is a wonderful screenplay which seamlessly weaves passion, greed, crime, betrayal and the ultimate in deceit. I have watched this film time and time again with friends, and I still gasp at the ending. I wager that you do also! ENJOY!