|
|
| Home: DVD: Black Widow |
Black Widow- Amazon |
Chasing After The Phantom!
2005-10-20
Theresa Russell seduces rich men by conforming to their dreams in terms of appearance and behaviour, marries them, and then kills them. She thinks her means are undetectable. But Justice Department investigator Debra Winger has noticed a pattern, and becomes obsessed with tracking Russell down. She follows her to Hawaii (where she is working on her latest target), befriends her, and the stage is set for a psychological chess game.
The idea is promising, but the execution is uninspired. There is too much time spent on pretty pictures of Hawaii, and the narrative lacks drive, eroticism or real suspense. We are told that the two characters are obsessed, but aren't properly shown that they are, or even why they are. Finally, the resolution is particularly unconvincing. The sound is 2.0, but is a pretty solid, impressive 2.0. The image is available in both fullscreen and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspects. Basic menu, and the extras are two TV spots and the theatrical trailer, along with trailers for Don't Say a Word, High Crimes and Joy Ride. Middling stuff by every measure. Not great, not bad. Just kinda there. 
A Two Person Noir
2005-06-26
You can just about forget everyone else in this film other than Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. This sexy film is basically a two person film noir shot in bright colors, some of it in Hawaii. It is filled with excitement and seduction. Both the leads are wonderful to watch, their chemistry magnificent in this Bob Rafelson (Man Trouble, Five Easy Pieces) film.
Debra Winger is Alex Barnes, bogged down in a government desk job dealing with statistics. But when she sees a pattern of deaths that lead to Theresa Russell, a dangerously beautiful woman with ice in her veins, she becomes obsessed with catching a killer. Theresa Russell, who has used more names than Jason Bourne, is just as smart as she is sexy, and almost the entire film is one long seduction scene as Russell spins her web around Alex. It seems a lot of rich men have suddenly died on Russell and Alex knows why. She is what is called a Black Widow, a woman who mates and then kills. No one has found any evidence to prove it, however, and Alex's attempt to catch her at it becomes murky as a seduction begins to take place. The locations and the stars are beautiful and as Winger and Russell circle each other in this game with deadly stakes you can't take your eyes off them. Winger's Alex is smart and determined, but vulnerable, and Russell gives a flawless and sexy performance as a smart and icy beauty with a heart full of venom. The electricity between the two characters jumps off the screen. The pool scene where they first meet gives us an indication of what is to come as Alex attempts to get close to Russell, with some unexpected twists. The formost of these is a scene when Alex gives Russell a Black Widow pendant, a spider who mates and kills its lover. Russell's response plays with the fragile but determined Alex as she begins to doubt herself. You don't want to miss this one. It's gorgeous to look at and has two riveting performances from Winger and Russell. You can't find a better one than this.
She mates and she kills...
2005-04-11
Fiesty Federal Investigator is hot on the trail of a husband-killer, but to catch her she has to think like the killer thinks and play her game...I would love to see a rematch of these two dynamite femme stars, Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. The movie world needs them. Russell, as an actress, generally lacks Winger's inner-fire, but some of her close-ups are more revealing than her dialogue anyway(watch for the scene on the beach after the scuba diving accident). In 1987, this was considered a modest hit which got generally good reviews(Roger Ebert panned it, however). So it's fair to say the movie is highly underrated and should be seen by anyone who loves a good mystery or a great acting match between two top-flight stars. Supporting performances are also very good, and the direction is tricky & tight right up until the final scene(which seems a little rushed). Great cinematography, suspenseful music by Michael Small, incredible Winger & Russell!
A clever little spider
2005-03-25
A woman (Theresa Russell) marries rich guys and then poisons them; Debra Winger is sent to investigate. A real cat-and-mouse game develops between the two on Hawaii, and Winger sets up Russell perfectly--and surprisingly for the viewer. The characterization is a bit weak and fuzzy, but the story development and that terrific surprise ending (my lips are sealed) make for a neat little mystery/crime movie.
A Very Stylish Thriller
2005-01-23
What ever happened to Debra Winger's career? Was it all the gossip about how difficult she was to work with? Or was she simply a victim of the public's changing tastes? Coming to prominence in 1980's *Urban Cowboy*, followed by the smash hits *An Officer and a Gentleman* and *Terms of Endearment*. Even though she was nominated for Oscars several times, it was downhill from there, but Winger was in peak form for what has been regularly described as "a stylish thriller." Paired with Theresa Russell (a most intriguing actress with a score of bad films behind her - think *Whore*), Winger plays a federal agent on the tail of a chameleon-like young woman (Russell) who marries wealthy men and kills them. The plot is gripping and relatively fast-paced and Winger and Russell are excellent counterpoints to each other - Winger is earthy and likable and Russell is sexy and sinister. There is an interesting array of men playing Russell's victims, including Dennis Hopper in a cameo, with a deliciously calculating Diane Ladd playing his sister. The locales and interiors are suitably lush, though the inescapable hallmarks of the 80s regularly remind us that, though the film is almost 20 years old, it was done with enormous style - then and now.
 Read for more: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=B...
Browse more in:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] ... |
|
|
(c) 2005-2006 Giga Goods - Release New Products Online
Submit New Product | Submit New Software | Submit Press Release | Submit French Press Release |