The Ugly American

Customer Reviews:

Dated but interesting.......2006-11-06

I just watched it dubbed into Thai. There is a disclaimer on this version stating that although Thailand had just undergone a coup, this fictional country was not meant to be Thailand. Does that mean it was shot there and the Thai government requested the disclaimer? I do not remember it being on the US version but I saw that one over 40 years ago. I could not place the location as Thailand since the vehicles were left, rather than right hand drive. No indication as to the shooting location that I could find. Any ideas?
Dated story and a simplistic Cold War Hollywood view. I read the book in the 50s and was impressed by it as I was by "The Manchurian Candidate".
The film had more impact on me in '59 when I saw it than it did yesterday. Still, not a bad performance by Brando and probably an accurate view of the simplistic view most Americans had about French Indo-China. Ironic that he went on to play Col Kurtz.
It was worth the 19 baht (47 cents approximatly) that I paid for it. It would not have been worth more.

Decent, but could have been a lot better.......2006-05-26

In 'The Ugly American' we find Marlon Brando playing Harrison Mac White, the American ambassador to the ficticious Asian country of Sarkan. What we are presented with is a decent political plot, but one with significant flaws.

Brando stars opposite Eiji Okada who plays his old Sarkanese friend Deong, and herein lies one of the film's major problems. Okada's performance is limited. He does not appear convincing as the leader of his people, his fiendship with Brando appears lukewarm at best and he regularly stumbles over his lines. Brando puts in a quality performance, but this is not enough to stop the relationships between the characters from appearing somewhat forced.

The story itself is an interesting look at American foreign policy during the cold war, the ambiguous reasoning behind it and the reactions of those in the nations whom it effected.

Overall 'The Ugly American' is worth a watch, but those expecting a top notch, taught political thriller will be left disappointed.

Thoughtful Classic.......2005-09-02

This is probably one of Brandos best films. Considering the time frame when this was first released its amazing to see how on the mark it was for the early 1960s. The comparisons with Vietnam for the time are obvious. The film also provides a study in classic US foriegn relations to 3rd World countries during the Cold War period. US policy can be seen to be well meaning, but often mis-placed and heavy-handed. The lessons to learn here are valuable, and all the more so today. I consider this film a classic because not many pictures like this have ever been made. If one considers how recent the whole Cold War McCarthy syndrome was as well its all the more remarkable. Sure it has all the cliche touches of Hollywood films for that time, but there is still educational value for today from watching it. History teachers should consider showing it to their students. Good to see on DVD with a nice picture quality.
Recommended.

Misses the mark.......2004-12-31

Although this movie was/is touted as a political thriller, there's nothing thrilling about it. And although this movie is well-intentioned, the problem is that it offers too simplistic an account of US foreign affairs as they relate Asia. The poor direction, an inferior script, poor cinematography and coloration, generic looking setting, poor casting--and overall poor production sabatoged this film. Brando gives a good performance, but the lack of chemistry between he and his supporting cast--especially the actor who played the character Deong--is evident.

I especially did not like the allusion to Julius Ceasar--a movie Brando had done years earlier. I felt that it was a desperate act on the part of the writers to try to capitalize off of Brando's association with and the success of that movie. Although I agree with many of the sentiments espoused by the character Deong--I was not moved by his performance, nor the movie in general--I was not made to feel the plight of the Sarkanese people--and I should have been--this is a major failure of this film and one reason why it fails and misses the mark.

Brando Loses The Cold War.......2004-08-27

The Ugly American was an interesting film when it first came out in 1963 but it seems even more fascinating now when viewed with the benefit of historical hindsight. A political drama with slight thriller overtones that tells the story of an over-confident and somewhat reckless American ambassador appointed to a volatile Southeast Asian country, circa 1960. The ambassador was appointed on the strength of his friendship with a local opposition leader - a man of the people. But things have changed since they last met. Good intentions, political posturing, and a dash of naive stupidity combine to plunge the country into revolution - and open the door to the communists. Of course, the US must send in troops...

The Vietnam allegory is obvious and somewhat enlightening, and the film remains remarkably pertinent today. It tries to step back to be objective, but doesn't always succeed - which is a kind of blessing. The film's final scene illustrates the danger of public apathy.

As the ambassador, Marlon Brando has seldom been better. The rest of the cast is solid and all the more believable for being largely unknown. The script is taut and incisive, the direction straightforward and unobtrusive. I just saw this film again for the first time in many years and was surprised by how good it still is - the sort of film that engages the mind as well as the emotions.

Average customer rating:

Asiamania Argento
VERY GOOD....AND VERY BELIEVABLE
Brings back memories
Love Story Secondary
A magnetic Asia Argento--heists and true love....

B. Monkey
Starring: Asia Argento , Jared Harris , Rupert Everett , Jonathan Rhys Meyers , and Julie T. Wallace
Director: Michael Radford
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305744564
Release Date: 2000-03-21

Amazon.com

Director Michael Radford made a surprising about-face from his international hit Il Postino to this grungy British romantic crime thriller. Asia Argento (Dario's daughter and costar of Abel Ferrara's New Rose Hotel) is the title character, a street criminal whose specialty is breaking and entering: "I can get into anywhere." Jared Harris (Richard's son and Andy Warhol in I Shot Andy Warhol) is a bookish, shy schoolteacher with a yen for jazz who becomes smitten with Argento's sexy wildcat. Argento brings a vitality to the supercharged street thief trying to break with her past, but stick-in-the-mud Harris is restrained to a fault and Radford never quite finds the right chemistry to make their union any more than curious. Rupert Everett costars as a smart-mouthed, sleepy-eyed ne'er-do-well whose drug habit puts him deep in debt, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is Argento's volatile partner, a jittery young punk on a hair trigger. Radford has more fun with the villains than his ostensible hero; the film bubbles when they're on screen and the movie's single heist scene is a short, sharp, energized shot in the arm to a slowing story. Only Harris sticks out as an impossibly resolute saint who's dedicated his life to a passionate sinner. The conclusion reverberates with echoes of Straw Dogs, as remade by a kinder, gentler filmmaker. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Hot leading man Rupert Everett (AN IDEAL HUSBAND, MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING) stars in a sexy thriller that's all about jealousy, passion, revenge ... and a woman compelled to live her life on the edge! Tired of criminal activity, a wild and beautiful thief named B. (Asia Argento -- QUEEN MARGOT) begins to seek a way out of her dangerous profession. While trying to kick her addiction to crime, she finds love and a stable relationship with a naive schoolteacher (Jared Harris -- I SHOT ANDY WARHOL) ... until the dark secrets from B.'s past begin to creep into her new life! As ex-partners Paul (Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers -- MICHAEL COLLINS) get back in the picture, B.'s harrowing balancing act threatens to come crashing down!

Customer Reviews:

Asiamania Argento.......2007-08-20

i see asia argento first time in this moviie , and she stolen my mind with her median attractive performance and natural "italian" beauty . The scene is standard, the other cast either .... but Asia is really hillary tremendeous made her Asiamania......undersound Jazz performance gave the big influences, made a "class & exotic" movie....so keep on movie my Asia

VERY GOOD....AND VERY BELIEVABLE.......2007-04-06

I HAVE BOUGHT SEVERAL DOZEN FOREIGN FILMS SINCE DISCOVERING AMAZON. THE MAJORITY THAT I'VE GOTTEN A HOLD OF STINK FRANKLY. BUT THIS ONE DOES NOT. I LIKE IT SO MUCH I BOUGHT MORE TITLES THAT HAVE THIS ACTRESS ASIA ARGENTO IN THEM. THIS STORY IS VERY BELIEVEABLE, VERY " IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU." IF YOURE THINKING ABOUT IT...DO IT. THE PRICE HAS COME DOWN CONSIDERABLY SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN DEC 06. THE VERY LEAST I CAN SAY IS,
" IF YOU TRY THIS MOVIE AND DONT LIKE IT...YOU PROBABLY WONT LIKE ANY FOREIGN FILM. " TO ME, ITS KINDA COOL LIKE PULP FICTION WAS WHEN IT WAS RELEASED...AND STILL IS. AND EXTRA SPECIAL IS THE FACT THAT ITS IN ENGLISH- SO YOU DONT HAFTA TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THE DIALOUGUE AT THE BOTTOM!

Brings back memories.......2005-12-02

Watching this movie brought something of a bittersweet smile to my face as i was in a crazy on-and-off relationship with a woman just like Asia Argento's "Beatrice" character.

The performances and the soundtrack are top-notch and though the pacing of the film is a bit slow in spots, it's not too much of a detriment to the film and even serves the tension between the leads. the film is, at heart, a romance after all and it'd be a shame if they had rushed things.

If you want to see a neat little portrait of love both on and over the proverbial razor's edge, do yourself a favor and check this movie out

Love Story Secondary.......2005-09-10

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is certainly a love story, but for me this is only important in that love is one of the things most of us look for in life. The deeper search, and this is where Asia'a character starts out, is for a life that is not "frayed at the edges," perhaps another way of saying "whole." What plays out is two people, driven in part, for certain, by their passion for each other, but even more for their passion for authenticity, who deepen themselve, each other and an amazing relationship through that search. It is the insistence of each of these people to fully honor themselves, individually, that causes them to succeed both in their personal quest and in love. It is they way they ultimately honor each other. This is a deep life lesson that is not learned by many, which, perhaps, is why so many reviewers miss it.

What they learn is that when they find themselves, "They Can't take that away from me," as the music that accompanies the credits at the end says.

A fantastic flic. Good music, color, cinematography, acting, editing and other things, too.

A magnetic Asia Argento--heists and true love...........2005-07-21

The right person can help you overcome your self-destructiveness. That's pretty much the moral of this oddly endearing love story/crime story.

The principal character--very strongly and naturally played by a not-at-all-inhibited Asia Argento (ie, lots of nudity). I was very impressed by the other main character, Jared Harris, an actor I had only seen previously as Andy Warhol (I Shot Andy Warhol). He's terrific. His voice is fabulous (something in common with dad, the late great Richard H.) He's a good guy, the clean-cut teacher who cares about his students, law-abiding, gentle, jazz-loving. She's the thief with a soft heart, looking for a reason to leave that life, looking for "family" (her childhood was not chipper). She's got an ersatz family (a dysfunctional one) with Rupert Everett (as a charming, drug-addled thief) and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (as a pretty-boy, screwed up emotionally thief). They care about each other, but are also violent and volatile with each other.

The teacher gets pizzazz in his life from Beatrice (B Monkey); B. gets stability from him. But the dark elements of her character and her dangerous associates intrude into their lovey-dovey life, and they have to make tough decisions about how to continue together. It's very moving when Harris' character asks Beatrice, "If if was just you and me, and nothing else, would that be enough?" Ultimately, isn't that what true love may come down to? Is being with that person, like Adam and Eve, just the two of you, enough? Can you give up the thrills of a dangerous life and settle down and be happy?

The ending, violent and an ultimate test of loyalty and love, is explosive and appropriate given what came before. It's a satisfying, if gruesome conclusion to an askew love story.

I've never seen Miss Argento before, and I agree with the other reviewers that she is genuinely charismatic.

Average customer rating:

Horrid mess
Not enough Will Gibson movies, but this is a good one.
New Rose Hotel sinks into ridiculously silly bore
New York Grit goes Cyberpunk (sort of)
Pff

New Rose Hotel
Starring: Christopher Walken , Willem Dafoe , Asia Argento , Annabella Sciorra , and John Lurie
Director: Abel Ferrara
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00001YXCD
Release Date: 1999-12-07

Amazon.com

Abel Ferrara's adaptation of William Gibson's cyberpunk story (from the short-story collection Burning Chrome) is quite faithful to the source, which may explain why it bypassed cinemas almost completely to emerge on video. Gibson's story takes place entirely in flashback as its hero shuffles through the events that brought him to the tiny shoebox of a room in the New Rose Hotel, on the run and out of ideas. Ferrara winds up in the same place, but first plays out his story for us to see... sort of. Industrial headhunters Christopher Walken, limping through the movie with a cane and a rumpled white suit like an emaciated Sydney Greenstreet, and Willem Dafoe, his jaded, tired partner, hatch a plan to lure a genetic-sciences genius from one corporation to another for a $100 million payoff. The key to their plan is seductive bar girl and part-time prostitute Asia Argento, a flirting chanteuse with whom Dafoe falls in love. Set in a grimy technological future of generic cosmopolitan cities, the characters wander fluorescent mazes of bland malls, murky bars, and faceless hotels, a Blade Runner future without the spectacle. Apart from brief, blurry video-camera surveillance, the entire operation occurs offscreen, reported through conversations and phone calls, and even Ferrara fans may find the murky, dawdling narrative and cerebral conclusion disappointing. But the tech-noir conspiracy gives way to Ferrara's real story, the collision of the dreamers and the shadowy world they live in. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Horrid mess.......2007-05-29

An unbelievable mess, this incredibly confusing movie makes Ferrara previous "The Blackout" a model of narrative clarity. This shoddy movie is one of the reasons that Ferrara has become more and more a marginal figure (his films are now barely released in the US). The reason why actors of the caliber of Dafoe and Walken starred and produced this movie is beyond me. The only thing that makes this movie worth a look are a few nude scenes from the beautiful Asia Argento.

Not enough Will Gibson movies, but this is a good one........2006-12-11

This is a very good, intelligent B-movie in the science fiction realm- especially if you have ever enjoyed some of William Gibson's stories. Having Wil Dafoe and Asia Argento in this is a very nice bonus, but not the only things that make this film so good. It is this director's raw talent in directing, as seen in all his gritty thrillers, combined with a great SF author and good job by the screen writer. I do not write reviews about romances or comedies, and I wish some others who do not care for a genre would offer the same courtesy. This is an excellent film. I had no trouble following the story, but had read the short story 10 years prior- so was vaguely familiar. Have also read nearly all William Gibson's novels, so very familiar with the concepts which some might find hard to follow.

New Rose Hotel sinks into ridiculously silly bore.......2005-10-26

Christopher Walken (Suicide Kings, King Of New York) wants Asia Argento (Scarlet Diva, Land Of The Dead) to seduced brilliant geneticist so that he can switch firms. Willem Dafoe (The Clearing, Shadow of the Vampire) is Walken's partner and is in deep love with Argento and as we go threw the story it gets really boring and eventually in the process of seducing the guy, Argento goes missing, she vanishes, but where does she go? Dafoe ends up flashing back, remembering, thinking, maybe, was it him that Walken and Argento were messing with or whatever...the flashback segment goes on and on and we are rendered bored watching this poor sap try to puzzle the pieces together and when it comes to the end you dont care about any of the characters. The part where I laughed the most was when Walken was through off to his death...I think he yelled "Wow!" really loud and all I saw was him fall and go splat...even when he gets killed, Walken is still the funny man. Also starring Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever, Underworld (1997) and Gretchen Mol (The Thirteenth Floor, Forever Mine), both are barely in this movie and are wasted. Probably one of Abel Ferrara's worst. This was released in 1999 but shot in 1997.

New York Grit goes Cyberpunk (sort of).......2005-04-09

The gritty back-alley path of writer and director Abel Ferrara's career so far seems to be his fervent desire to bring his tales of urban blight and plight to vividly disturbing life on the independent film screen. At times he has succeeded with glorious malignance (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral) and other times he sinks in the self-indulgent mire of his own philosophical and often violent musings on the contemporary urban habitat (The Addiction, The Blackout, Dangerous Game). With New Rose Hotel, Ferrara attempts to take his vision in a somewhat atypical direction by delving into the world of cyberpunk. He does this by tapping into the resources of cyberpunk forefather William Gibson, adapting New Rose Hotel from Gibson's seminal short story collection, Burning Chrome.

Fox (Ferrara regular Christopher Walken doing his Christopher Walken thing) and X (Willem Dafoe) trade in international espionage. They are going to use an alluring prostitute named Sandii (the enigmatic Asia Argento) to seduce a world-renowned techie, and make sure she convinces him to defect from his present biotech employer to a rival company. For accomplishing this task, the Fox and X will receive 100 million dollars. But while navigating this perilous trail, mistakes are made, people end up dead, and the two men become bounty.

Cyberpunk has been splashed across the movie screens a handful of times for the past several years, often successfully (The Matrix) and often not quite so successfully (Johnny Mnemonic). Of course, Mnemonic was also an adaptation from Burning Chrome, a stupefying and inane translation that reeked of filmmakers who did not have a grasp on Gibson's imagination and intentions, or the cyberpunk genre in general. It seemed they wanted to make a "hip" effects-laden sci-fi film and only managed to alienate Gibson-loyal viewers who rightfully barraged Mnemonic with contempt (Johnny Moronic, anyone?).

Such should not be the fate of the low key New Rose Hotel. No, it is not a great film, it might be classifiable as passable, but overall, an imaginative and fairly absorbing beginning deteriorates into an anti-climatic and pointless final act. Ferrara and co-screenwriter Christ Zois certainly understand cyberpunk and Gibson specifically, but their translation of New Rose Hotel is rambling and muddled. Of course, this can prove a problem whenever anyone is trying to turn a thirteen-page story in a ninety-minute film. A certain amount of freedom for expansion is required. But, with New Rose Hotel, there does not seem to be an expansion on the story (okay, there's dialogue in the film, unlike the story), but rather a staunch, almost literal translation. The events of the film are set in motion in a linear fashion, refashioned from the jagged first person recollections of the short story. This lasts for perhaps the first hour of the film, culminating with Dafoe's character holing up in the New Rose Hotel. Then, Ferrara tells the story... again. But this time he tells it as Gibson wrote it in Burning Chrome, using flashbacks of previously viewed scenes interspersed with X realizing how he blew the deal, grasping his delusions about life and love, and longing for Sandii. This provides no new revelations, and does little to further the film. And this is the point when a degree of tedium sets in and the viewer might very well blurt out, "We know, we know. Been there, done that." This is frustrating because, hell, Ferrara could have made a solid and engaging twenty-minute short film to tell a story he tells twice in ninety minutes.

John Lurie (Down by Law, Oz) and Annabella Sciorra (The Addiction, The Sopranos) make cameo appearances in the beginning, at a murky nightclub, and longtime Ferrara regular Victor Argo appears later in the film. Gretchen Mol (who was also in The Funeral) is peppered throughout, without much to do or say. Her character is pivotal but her role is negligible. Ken Kelsch provides some interesting cinematography, hazy and wobbly, sometimes hallucinatory, and generally providing a futuristic feel. But it is not enough to allay viewer apathy about a story that unravels and comes to a shrug-worthy close.

Cyberpunk is not about cool effects and big guns and slow motion bullets, no matter what viewers took away from the Matrix (a good movie, sure, but not the pinnacle nor the point of cyberpunk). Insofar as fleshed-out characters with truly human qualities and their interactions with technology and futuristic bureaucracy, Ferrara gets it. But his technique, mainly in the writing, unfortunately lacks. Ferrara is always a ballsy and interesting director, for better or worse. For the Ferrara neophyte, the top recommendations would be King of New York and The Funeral. For the Gibson neophyte, start with Burning Chrome, and then move immediately to the all-time cyberpunk classic, the brilliant Neuromancer. And for those familiar with Gibson, the question may be raised, "Is it better than Johnny Mnemonic?" Well, sure, of course. But saying New Rose Hotel is better than Johnny Mnemonic isn't really saying much.

Pff.......2003-12-17

Well,
Everybody seems to hate this movie in almost all regards. I would say that it isn't spectacular, but I think it deserves better than a lot of these people are giving it. I can respect that they think differently of it.
*chuckle*
It's amazing how many people can be wrong.

Customer Reviews:

Asia is not just eye candy!.......2006-07-25

I like this film and found it fresh and entertaining. Reminds me of the Transporter and thats not a bad thing.
The mother in this movie is one evil hag, makes Cruella De Vil of 101 Dalmatians look like the SpongeBob.
The whole darn cast is great and the action is non stop.
You should check out this thriller.

Riveting.......2006-05-16

I wont prattle on too much, but being a fan of european movies, this english language euro-flick I found captivating, beautifully shot, naturally lit, nice crops and evocative, which will find favor with any photographically orientated people out there. Kind of a Luc Besson "Leon" (The Professional) feel but always a little off centre and keeps you wondering - Don't be fooled into thinking this is an Asia Argento vehicle because she is so prominant on the cover, while I am happy to see Asia wherever possible, she is one of several cogs in this movie which makes it all the better. I would really have to be a cynic to find fault with this movie.

caint complain..........2005-04-01

i have watched well over my fair share of garbage movies... luckily, this aint one'a em.

then again, 'red siren' will NEVER win any awards either!

maybe my reason for lovin this lil movie so much has somethin to do with psychology. 'cause i had rented it first, but the dvd had glitches at what i thought to be two key parts of the flick and i had to skip those chapters, missin out on what was bein said or done. dammit.
so, whats the first thang i do??? i get online and find out that amazon has it for under ten bucks... shoot, i owe the movie rental place TWICE that much in late fees!

so i went on and bought the damn thang, naturally.

but i enjoy this movie primarily for the same exack reasons that the others didnt: it asks the viewer to be acceptive of the discrepencies and just sit back and watch already. i watch real good; i should be paid to do it, but that's another story.

um, but yeah, i like it. doesnt come off pretentious in any way. it jus does what it does without begging for forgiveness.
(catering to the needs of others is somethin else i do real good. i hate that about me sometimes, but such is life, right?)

'the professional' WISHES it was this movie! that was a good flick until the hitman turnt into 'old uncle molester'... that disturbed me.

but if you liked movies such as 'the replacement killers' or 'long kiss goodnight' or, um, any of the new star wars trilogies then you'll love this one too.

An average Euro-thriller that is a rental.......2004-08-08

This is a good rental if you like an action thriller, but to buy the DVD would be a wasteful investment. As I watched the movie, I felt it was a hybrid between the "Bourne Identity and "The Transporter" with a couple of others thrown in. Obviously, the film borrowed way too many ideas from other movies to make it an interesting plot. Another problem to the movie was there wasn't a focus main character to develop nor was there an enthralling villain. So, who was the main character, Asia (hot tuff chick from Vin Diesel's XXX) or the little hostage girl and her assassin companionate?

Asia paid second fiddle to Triple X and she did again this time. Asia's character is a typical tuff police officer that does not like to follow normal procedures. They started to develop her character in the beginning, but as the movie developed, she had only one major action sequence and appeared in many minor scrimmages, which did her no justice. Her potential could have been much higher. For the other half of the movie, we were stringed along watching an Assassin helps a little girl, like in "The Professional" (mentioned by another reviewer.) The worst part is the main Villain who was not even believable, what was her crime again? (She supposedly killed a maid, but nobody knows for sure, because the director really did not care to develop the reasoning, except she was a bad woman). For a while I though the Assassin in this movie was the same mono-tune, harden exterior, but soft-hearted Assassin that played in "The Transporter".

Both the "Bourne Identity" and "Red Siren" are Euro-thriller, which intrigue me living in the US. Europe has a beautiful setting and to have a rampage shooting spree contradictory to such a homogeneous peaceful society is great. The scenes didn't really engaged much into the movie nor enhanced it. Spain as far as I could remembered could have been S. California in this movie. Not too much detail in the scene except for the warehouse.

With above average acting and a fast storyline make this an enjoyable to watch; even if the plot was not too convincing and dry. It's a rental.

Asia Rulz!.......2004-07-16

Mark my words on this Lions Gate Films is going down in history as the only major studio with balls.
Granted they have had their flops but in the past 10 years they have picked up movies noone would touch!!
Go look them up make a list seek out some of their titles chances are you wont be disappointed!!
Hell start with Red Siren a drama/action vehicle starring Asia Argento as a detective who winds up with a kid handing her a dvd of her nanny being brutally tortured with a chainsaw!!!
Oh yeah the kid claims it is her mother and oh god save me from this crazy women!!!
Her mother by the way is evil incarnate times infinity you never really see her do anything physical(sort of)but her power is felt everytime she pops up on screen.
Red Siren has some of the best cinematography ive ever seen as well as people you actually feel for and root for.
The gentleman who plays the little girls eventual guardian angel later on in this film is superb he carries the part like a pro!!!!!
Nothing is too complex in this movie nor does it ever need to be it runs smooth warts and all.
The only fault is that it borrows from Leon errr The Proffesional but it does so in its own way Red Sirens story is just as engaging as The Proffesional yet really different in tone and style and worth a look by anyone craving something good to watch!!!!

Average customer rating:

All things considered, an easy way to spend an hour
Not Exactly Hitchcock

Shadows on the Stairs
Starring: Frieda Inescort , Paul Cavanagh , Heather Angel , Bruce Lester , and Miles Mander
Director: D. Ross Lederman
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001NBMG2
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Customer Reviews:

All things considered, an easy way to spend an hour.......2006-11-28

This old-dark-house movie...well, old-dark-boarding-house movie...is a lot of fun. If you're willing to accept that it's dated and the acting is clunky, you'll be rewarded with something either suspicious, threatening or violent going on almost every minute, with genteel accents by the main characters plus a twist at the end that should have you smiling.

In London in 1937 the Armitage rooming house is run by Mrs. Stella Armitage (Frieda Inescort) with help from the maid (Phyllis Barry) and from her daughter, Sylvia (Heather Angel). Her husband, Tom Armitage (Miles Mander), is an older, distracted man who concentrates on solving chess puzzles. Among the roomers is a mysterious young man from India, Ram Singh (Turhan Bey); a smooth older man, Joe Reynolds (Paul Cavanaugh), who seems to know Mrs. Armitage rather well; a handsome writer, Hugh Bromilow (Bruce Lister), who is keeping something secret and who has eyes for Sylvia; and a talkative spinster, Miss Phoebe Snell (Mary Field), who loves describing her romantic dreams at length to anyone who'll listen. Right at the start we learn that there is some sort of skullduggery that involves Ram Singh, Joe Reynolds and a heavy chest Singh spirits into his room from the foggy London docks. The last character is the rooming house itself, a three story dwelling filled with heavy furniture and dark corners, balustrades and carved oaken doors, dim lamps and pots of aspidistra.

The movie is only one hour and five minutes long. In those 65 minutes we have murder, suicide, presumed adultery, corpses, disappearing lodgers, locked rooms, smuggled gold, a creeping specter with a shawl over its head, comic bobbies and bemused inspectors, threats and counter threats...and young love. Frieda Inescort does a fine job. She has a young face, a matron's body and an overwrought acting style that can move as fast as a snake from hysteria to barking out orders like a drill sergeant. Paul Cavanaugh is a practiced hand at playing doubtful smoothies. He and his pencil mustache are always amusing to watch. Turhan Bey, in his first movie, was only 19. He has a handsome, baby face, a mellow voice and a surprising amount of gravitas. He's also a dab hand at throwing a knife. Bey became something of an exotic star in the Forties, but saw his career fade away in the Fifties. He returned to Turkey, became a prosperous commercial photographer, then began playing television character parts in Hollywood during the Nineties.

Shadows on the Stairs, especially with that unexpected ending, is more of a romantic/comedy mystery than an old dark house scarum. For two first-rate old dark house movies you should see the 1927 version of The Cat and the Canary and 1932's The Old Dark House. The latter was directed by James Whale and has fine performances by, among others, Boris Karloff, Melvin Douglas and, especially, Ernest Thesiger. He is one of the Femm family, and a stranger bunch of siblings speaking some of the ripest dialogue there never has been since. Says Rebecca, the Femm sister, "They were all godless here. They used to bring their women here -- brazen, lolling creatures in silks and satins. They filled the house with laughter and sin, laughter and sin. And if I ever went down among them, my own father and brothers, they would tell me to go away and pray, and I prayed -- and left them with their lustful red and white women." Now that's a family in an old dark house to avoid.

The DVD transfer of Shadows on the Stairs is in reasonably good shape for an old, public domain title. It has the quality of a slightly below average VHS tape. There are no extras.

Not Exactly Hitchcock.......2002-05-12

This B-film from Warner Brothers concerns the mysterious and deadly goings-on at a boarding house owned by Frieda Inescort and Miles Mander, who live there along with their daughter Heather Angel and several boarders. Among the boarders is a struggling writer, an eccentric spinster, and two men involved in shady business. In the course of the film's one hour running time, bodies begin to pile up as the writer tries to figure out the identity of a killer. The actors all express the appropriate amount of shock and confusion as the mystery deepens, and the pace of the film maintains the suspense. The direction could be sharper, and I found the story a little confusing at times, but I did like the twist ending. Very few people have heard of Shadows On The Stairs, and although I think the comparisons to Hitchcock are a real stretch, fans of B-films will want to check this one out.

Average customer rating:

another enjoyable Wong mystery
Keye Luke is wonderful as young Wong

Phantom of Chinatown
Starring: Keye Luke , Grant Withers , Lotus Long , Charles F. Miller , and Huntley Gordon
Director: Phil Rosen
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8WI
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Customer Reviews:

another enjoyable Wong mystery.......2004-08-25

Keye Luke stepped in and played Mr Wong in this entry of the series. Boris Karloff had done a great job playing Wong in the other five Wong movies and this one is more of a "prequel" with Luke in fine form as the young Mr Wong. Good stuff!

Keye Luke is wonderful as young Wong.......2004-06-29

The Mr Wong series has always been a source of great fun for me. Karloff played Wong in five films: Mr Wong Detective, Mystery of Mr Wong, Mr Wong In Chinatown, The Fatal Hour, and Doomed To Die. Keye Luke replaced Karloff as Wong in a prequel which told how Wong first became a solver of crimes. It's also the first meeting of Mr Wong and Police Captain Street. The actor who played Street in all six Wong films doesn't look younger in this one, but I'm glad they didn't replace him with a younger actor. His chemistry with Luke is fantastic. The whole prequel idea brings new energy to this entry. It's great to see Wong and Street meet and become friends as they work on the case together. This is an enjoyable little gem.

Average customer rating:

Great summary
No episode missing
Is there a third episode as claimed
Missing episode

Mysteries of Asia [Region 2]
Starring: Mysteries of Asia
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: 1587270765
Release Date: 2000-08-16

Customer Reviews:

Great summary.......2004-02-25

This documentary is a useful prep if one intends to visit these sites - especially travelling on ones's own. And a fantastic reminder of the experiences one has had on these premises. It gives you a brief yet thorough insight and provides camera perspectives one could not nearly obtain as a plain traveller. In my opinion this docu is a must - especially concerning Angkor Wat. If you haven't been there yet you'll want to.

No episode missing.......2001-04-21

I have the DVD of Mysteries of Asia. There are two DVD's in the package. The first one contains two episodes, Jewels of the Jungle and Secrets of the Great Wall. The second one contains the episode Lost Temples of India. Three episodes in total as stated in the cover.

Is there a third episode as claimed.......2001-03-11

I am hearing that the dvd set contains only 2 cds (angor vat and the great wall) and is missing the third on the 'temples of India' which I found most interesting. Is it true ??

Missing episode.......2001-03-11

Where is the third one: The lost Temples of India ? That was the most interesting of the three (and it is rare to find a documentary on the numerous temples of India that the west knows so little about). Why does the dvd contain only 2 (angor vat and china wall) out of the three episodes that the 3 part mini series originally came with when it was first shown on TLC ? Where is the 'Lost Temples of India' ?? Disappointing !

New Rose Hotel (Sin Escrupulos) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

Average customer rating:

New Rose Hotel (Sin Escrupulos) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: Abel Ferrara
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

Sorry I can't rate it any lower
Nice visuals, bad script

Placebo Effect
Starring: Francesco Quinn , Luciano Saber , Martin Halacy , Christopher Richard Garrett , and Kirsten Berman
Director: Alejandro Seri
Manufacturer: Music Video Distribu
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005V1XA
Release Date: 2002-11-19

Customer Reviews:

Sorry I can't rate it any lower.......2006-02-27

This is a terrible movie, poor acting, poor directing, poor story development, and very horrible scenary makes a bad movie worst. Who really believes some senator is going to sit in a warehouse? Who is going to believe this guy is a CIA operative and who would believe his story so he could get out of jail?
How much money did they have to make this movie? I would guess $1200.
Poor scenenary, bizarre sequences that make no sense what so ever, poor acting, poor script development and did I meantion poor acting?
Who are the Chicks in the warehouse to begin with? Why is she posing nude when the other guys are wearing coats and you can see their breath and what do they have to with the plot? The Movie?
If someone gives you this movie throw it away instantly, don't waste this much of your life it ain't worth it.
Did the CIA lady monitoring the warehouse get killed? You really can't tell either and should I assume that idiot killed her?
Where were they located at in a van across the other street?
This is bad.

Nice visuals, bad script.......2002-03-03

A well directed micro-budget film. Script wants to be "Usual Suspects" meets "Resevoir Dogs". Too bad the lead actor has too many close ups of himself that give too much away (guess thats what happens when the lead produces the film). Striking visuals & surreal tone in this film, escpecially in the artists loft. Love the snowy cemetery scene! Very quirky & interesting performance by Francesco Quinn & the other smaller roles. The producer/actor performance dies like a dog. Makes you want to shoot him yourself.

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