To Die For
To Die For
A black comedy in which an ammoral and ambitious news personality seduces a teenager to convince him to murder her husband.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-AUG-2001
Media Type: DVDIf anyone ever doubts whether Nicole Kidman is a good actress, they should immediately be required to watch this outrageously wicked comedy from 1995, for which Kidman deservedly won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role. While director Gus Van Sant handles the fact-based satire with razor-sharp precision, Kidman delivers a deliciously devious performance as Suzanne Stone, a small-town New Hampshire housewife who fancies herself the next Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Diane Sawyer, and Maria Shriver all rolled up into on
List Price: $ 14.94
Price: $ 8.37
Dead Calm
A suspense thriller about a husband and wife, recovering from a personal tragedy, who encounter a stranger while cruising their boat in the Pacific and become ensnared in a drama of mystery, high emotions and extreme danger.There are several occasions when this rousing Australian thriller from 1987 should have ended with a well-placed shot from a speargun or a stronger knot of rope, but you don’t think about these nit-picky details when you’re being scared out of your wits. In a role that catapulted her to international stardom, Nicole Kidman plays a young wife who’s joined her husband (Sam Neill) on a yachting trip to recover from the tragic death of their son. Far out to sea, they encounter a sinking ship with one survivor (Billy Zane, te
List Price: $ 9.98
Price: $ 2.49
The Perfect Film for a Celebrity-Obsessed Culture,
“To Die For” is a great little gem of a movie that, in my opinion, ranks as one of the best dark comedies of the last decade. Nicole Kidman, in what is probably her finest performance to date, is stunning as Suzanne “Stone” – her real name is Maretto – a completely self-absorbed, amoral, and utterly ruthless young woman who will let nothing stand in the way of her obtaining her goal of being a “television star”. The film is shot in the style of a slightly wacky TV documentary, which only adds to the fun, as we see the “post-tragedy” interviews with those who were involved with the late Miss Stone. Stone is an attractive but cold-blooded blonde in a small New England town who is desperate to become a national celebrity on a national TV News Network. As proof of her warped psyche, she tells the audience “You’re a nobody if you’re not on TV” – which unfortunately does seem to accurately describe the feelings of many people these days. She’s also determined to move up the social ladder in her little town, and so as the film begins she seduces and marries the handsome quarterback of the high school football team (Matt Dillon), the most popular boy in town. Dillon’s sister despises Suzanne and sees right through her facade, but Dillon is so entranced he doesn’t listen. Dillon goes on to work in his father’s pizzeria, but Suzanne obtains a job as the weather forecaster for the local rinky-dink TV station, and begins to have dreams of glory. One of the darkly funny aspects of this film is that for all of Suzanne’s scheming and ruthlessness she’s not very bright, and her attempts to sound and act “sophisticated” are often hilariously inept. When her faithful but old-fashioned hubby tells her to quit her job and help him with the family business, she decides he’s “impeding” her career and that she’ll have to kill him. So she seduces an underage teenage geek (hilariously played by a very young Joaquin Phoenix), has a torrid sexual affair with him, and then convinces him to murder her hubby. At first she uses the shock of the murder to obtain further publicity – “you’ve got to think of your career first” – from the local and state media. Unfortunately, her underage love affair is discovered and she is ruined. Ever undaunted, she begins plotting her comeback, but Dillon’s family (they are Italian), has a little surprise planned for their murderous in-law. Kidman’s performance is dead-on – she plays Stone as a parody of the type of person who will do ANYTHING – even murder – to get on TV and become “somebody”. The supporting cast is also excellent. The most troubling part of this film is that it was loosely based on a real story – an attractive New Hampshire schoolteacher who by most appearances had everything seduced a fifteen-year-old student and convinced him to kill her husband – apparently so she could leave her hometown and try to become “famous” in the big city. “To Die For” may seem like a delicious but improbable story – but it’s really not all that far from today’s news headlines. Ouch!
Was this review helpful to you?
|ICY, SATIRICAL DARK COMEDY,
Nothing like a little dark humor and feminine fangs to make a mash of the culture driven by 15-minutes-of-fame. In this case, a riveting Nicole Kidman as a perky, self-obsessed suburban nutcase who has big dreams of finding fame and fortune, even at the expense of her husband.
Directed by Gus Van Sant in his usual cobbled-together manner (hoary, quasi-documentary devices to propel the screenplay, regular flashbacks, direct-to-the-camera diction, etc..) based on Buck Henry’s trippy adaptation of a novel by the same name. The result is a pleasantly watchable movie that moves quickly and keeps you guessing the limits to which our protagonist would limp to achieve her ambitious goals.
I felt that the premise, beyond its chirpy surface, is quite thought-provoking. If our perky weather reporter were to be successful in her quest then we could believe that total dedication to a quest is admirable and ultimately rewarded — regardless of the means employed. Can we condone murder though? Perhaps we are offered a tongue-in-cheek hyperbole that extremes are necessary if we are to escape our station in life.
This movie apart from amusing you will surely leave you with something to savor, not just off its theme but from the brilliant supporting performances of Casey Affleck, Matt Dillon and especially Joaquin Phoenix.
Recommended rental.
Was this review helpful to you?
|WOW!,
Wow…what a movie! And the fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more fun to watch. Kidman fans will go crazy over this film because it is one of her most ravishing performances to date! She is EXCELLENT in the role of the blonde seductress, Suzanne Maretto. Suzanne is an aspiring television newscaster and she is willing to do ANYTHING to become famous! When she starts to feel smothered and “held back” by her husband (played by Matt Dillon) she decides to manipulate 3 teenagers (played by Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck-the younger brother of Ben Affleck, and Allison Folland) into killing him. A dark but witty film that will satisfy hardcore Kidman fans. A supporting cast of Illeana Douglas (who plays Matt Dillon’s sister) and Dan Hedaya (who plays his father) works well also. This movie was actually remade for TV in 1991, called “Murder in New Hampshire” starring a young Helen Hunt, although it wasn’t as good as this one!
Was this review helpful to you?
|Intense Australian Thriller,
What do you get when you mix in an amazing Australian director, a rising Australian actress, a prominent New Zealander actor, and a villainous American actor? The result is “Dead Calm,” an intense thriller that will leave you adrift in suspense for 90 minutes.
The story, which revolves around an Australian couple taking a vacation to recover from the death of their young child in an automobile accident, might sound like the perfect movie to relax to on any evening, however it isn’t. While sailing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the South Pacific, the young couple played by Nicole Kidman (“Days of Glory”; “Batman Forever”) and Sam Neill (“Renaissance Man”; “Jurassic Park”) pick up a castaway played by Billy Zane (“Titanic”; “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight”) who is the sole survivor of a sinking ship.
After hearing his story Neill’s character decides to go to the ship and check it out firsthand. That was his big mistake. Soon Zane hijacks the yacht and Kidman, leaving Neill to sink in the ship he fled. The sinister motives for Zane’s departure from the ship are later discovered as the movie progresses, however it is Kidman’s and Zane’s chemistry and performance that make this movie one of the best suspense thrillers I have ever seen.
As usual, Zane, is the ideal villain. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was this film that led to Hollywood’s decision to cast him as a villain in almost every film he has done since “Dead Calm”. He was brilliant in “Titanic”, and the most sinister and witty horror villain since Freddy Kruegger in “Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight” However, his performance as the deranged castaway in this film mixes his ability to use his intense sex appeal with his professionalism to the fullest extent.
Director Philip Noyce (“U2: Rattle & Hum”) happens to be one of Australia’s most gifted actors. Along with Stephen Norrington (“Blade”) these gifted Australian directors give Hollywood a new reason to head “Down Under” when searching for top-notched directors for their films.
“Dead Calm” represents Australia’s prominence in world cinema when it comes to intelligent thrillers produced at half the costs associated with a major Hollywood Thriller nowadays. If you’re looking for an intense thriller, you’ve found it.
Was this review helpful to you?
|DELIGHTFUL BONE-CHILLER,
When Dead Calm’s promotional editor warns you to “Try to Stay Calm,” believe me when I say you’re not up to the challenge. If this one doesn’t shock you, you better get your girlfriend to check your pulse.
The story is simple: Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill hit the ocean for some quality time together to forget the auto accident that claimed their only child. Kidman is barely there at first–she was driving when their son was killed and suffers from overpowering sorrow and guilt. When the couple floats up on a disabled ship with only one surviving passenger–Billy Zane–they take him aboard, unaware that they’ve just taken in an angel of death. From this point on the terror mounts relentlessly as Kidman and Neill struggle to deal with Zane and the hellfire he brings with him. Eventually separated, the husband and wife must dig deep within themselves just to stay alive.
The great cast makes what could have been a routine B-movie work. Kidman is particularly outstanding as the emotionally vampirized young wife who slowly evolves into a strong woman who can rescue her man when she needs to. Neill, one of the industry’s most underrated performers, is stalwart and professional as always. Zane gives Anthony Perkins a run for his money as the psychotic young man who can only destroy what he doesn’t understand–everything.
A marvelous dish of cold chills, Dead Calm is highly recommended to anyone who loves a good, intelligent scare.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Better than the imitations.,
I could go on and on about this one. One could theorize that the whole movie is actually a product of Kidman’s mind. One could bring up the fact that the couple has sailed out to the metaphorical calm waters to get away from the insanity of the things that have happened in their life only to have insanity come rowing a boat out to meet them and now they (specifically her) must learn to deal with that insanity. That’s getting a little deep, so I’ll stick to what I know.
Kidman and Neill are trying to get over the tragic loss of their child by sailing out to the middle of nowhere to get away from things. They run across a sinking schooner which has only one survivor (Zane). He rows out to them and climbs aboard. Neill, out of curiosity, rows over to the sinking ship to find out what happened. This leaves Zane and Kidman on the boat…alone. I think what I wrote about accepting the insanity is pretty accurate as Kidman, in order to survive, feigns a relationship with Zane when she realizes that her life is in danger. Neill discovers what really happened on that boat and most of his story becomes trying to catch up with Zane and Kidman.
Metaphors aside, this is a good movie. The screenplay is taught. There are no scenes where you think to yourself that this is totally unnecessary. Everything establishes character or advances a situation. Neill’s desperate struggle to get to the boat and his resourcefulness are real highlights.
The DVD doesn’t really add too much, but I still recommend it for those who care about the quality of picture. It looks awesome on HDTV.
Recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
|