Ponsoldt’s polarizing ‘The Circle’ serves a conflicted, timely message.

by Ben Cahlamer, posted in Film Review

First featured on The Movie Revue, we discuss the latest film, The Circle.
BEN CAHLAMER:  Hello, Brian.  Thanks again for joining me this week as we talk about James Ponsoldt’s The Circle.

BRIAN WALLINGER: Thank you, Ben for having me back.  Are you referring to that insult of a film?

BC:  Wow! What didn’t you like about the film?

BW:  To be fair to our readers, it was the first film I walked out on in five years.

BC:  Really?

BW:  I can’t even tell you how the film ends, Ben.  Ponsoldt, who directed The End of The Tour had an A-list cast with Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, John Boyega . . . the cast just tore itself apart from the beginning.

BC:  I agree with you that it is fundamentally flawed, but I think that’s its point. I’m Recommending it.

BW:  How can you recommend this film?  The script is dull, lifeless……

BC:  It’s a very timely script.  We’re in the midst of huge corporations infiltrating the very fabric…….

BW:  I’ll give you that the film is timely.   But look at the acting.  Emma Watson, the beloved Harry Potter actress, seems to have developed a rather selfish attitude.  Tom Hanks looked as if he is just playing a caricature of himself running a scandalous communications company . . . .

BC:  He was meant to emulate Steve Jobs or Larry Page. I thought he did a pretty good job of emulating either of those real-life personalities.

BW:  Alright, I grant you that.  But that script; there’s nothing even remotely human about it.

BC:  Without giving any spoilers away, which the trailer did plenty enough damage, I’d say that Mae (Emma Watson) realizes about a third of the way through that she is becoming something she didn’t want to become.  Ellar Coltrane as Mercer, who I hear was amazing in Boyhood is pretty human in this film too, relying on his hands and wits to make his way through life.  Look at Vinnie (Bill Paxton) and Bonnie (Glenne Headly) as Mae’s parents, who are suffering in their own way.  There’s an extremely embarrassing sequence involving all of them which serves as the impetus for Mae’s change.

BW:  That may all be well and good, but I still contend that the film felt like it was packed full of over-privileged Southern California millennials. . . .

BC:  I thought they were in the Bay Area?  I didn’t feel that Mae didn’t start her journey as being over-privileged.

BW:  Northern California then.  It still feels like the movie was generated by a computer instead of a human.

BC:  The film is definitely not without its flaws, but I respectfully disagree.  If you look at similar films like Anti-Trust, or Hackers, Humanity is also evolving and people are requiring transparency out of our leaders.  The film spoke to the need for the responsibility that comes with power.  I’d add that Matthew Libatique’s sweeping cinematography balances the characters and their stories.

BW:  It’s interesting that we fell on opposite sides of this film. I refused to sit through one more agonizing minute . . .

BC:  You missed the very best part of the movie.

BW:  The credits?

BC:  No.  Mae turns the tables quite effectively. The story is a bit heavy handed in its subject matter and pacing.  At the same time, it’s relevant for the times we’re in.  Humanity can and will find its way.  I’m not entirely sure that the younger generation is as ‘entitled’ as we think they are.  They just do things differently than we do.  And that’s okay.

Do you have any other thoughts about the film, Brian?

BW:  Social media is already bad enough as it is.  A film about it running and watching everything is just a bad joke I hope to God never comes true.

BC: If the world of tomorrow wants transparency through electronic means, we have to be ready for the consequences. And I think this is what the movie tried to explore.  We’re, all of us, responsible for our future.

This was, sadly, Bill Paxton’s last theatrical role and he played it with fine distinction.  James Ponsoldt’s direction and story choices are appropriate.  He’s got a bright future ahead of him.

BW:  Wow, I didn’t realize this was Bill Paxton’s final role.  He was a tremendous actor.  Thank you for having me back, Ben.

BC:  A pleasure as always.

Twin Peaks: on the eve of revival – a rambling write-up by Nate Hill

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review


When I first discovered David Lynch’s Twin Peaks some ten years ago, I was hooked from that first lilting chord of the opening theme, a Pacific Northwest lullaby that dreamily pulled back a red curtain to reveal the mesmerizing realm of sawmills, Douglas firs, cherry pie, secrets, metaphysics, owls, murder mysteries, eccentricities, FBI Agents, roadside diners and so much more. There was nothing quite like it under the sun. Lynch had tapped into the intangible flavour in the ice cream parlour, an undefinable conduit to the subconscious, an emotional fever dream of haunting music, beautiful storytelling and vivid, compelling character arcs, and I knew from that moment on I’d be living in this world, in whatever capacity, for the rest of my life. Since then I’ve seen the entire run of seasons one and two at least thirty to forty times, and watched Fire Walk With Me, Lynch’s big screen masterpiece and companion song to the show, even more. Twin Peaks is the one thing I can revisit at any crux of the story, during any phase of my life, and it will always draw me right back in like the beckoning grove of sycamore trees who stand as sentinels to the great beyond lying just around the bend in the woods. There was just one problem with it all: the show was tragically cancelled on the penultimate beat, a cosmic cliffhanger that left fans reeling and plunged the legacy into exile for decades, a vacuum left in air that once housed a worldwide phenomenon, which is the only way to describe what season one did not just for television, but for the arts themselves, a thunderous ripple effect that has inspired generations of fan culture and adoration. To quote another film that finds its home in the trees, “If you ride like lightening, you’re going to crash like thunder”, which in a way is what happened to Twin Peaks. That lightening was captured in a bottle, which unfortunately shattered to shards via a combination of network interference and creative differences. Needless to say, the thought of a possible return to the show was beyond low on my list of things that could happen, right down there next to dinosaur cloning. Life finds a way though, and so apparently does Lynch. When it was announced that he had struck a deal with Showtime for an epic eighteen episode return to those Douglas firs, the internet nearly imploded upon itself. The golden age of television had just gone platinum, for Twin Peaks is the cornerstone of a generation of storytelling, a mile marker of stylistic structure and expression that gave life to countless other legacies in its wake. If any fragmented, incomplete tale deserves another day in court, it’s Peaks. For a while we sat on our hands and held our breath, the words ‘too good to be true’ ringing around in our heads. After a few hitches in the giddyup, however, and some three years of development later, we have arrived on the day that the new season premieres, and it still hasn’t set in for me. Eighteen brand new episodes. All written and directed by the man himself. A titanic sized cast of Twin Peaks residents both old and new, from every walk of Hollywood, genre town, music world and indie-ville. It definitely does seem to good to be true, and yet here we are, on the eve of a television paradigm shift. Any new fans who have hurriedly made their way through the original series run for the first time should pause for a moment and realize just how infinitely lucky we are to get this, how special this truly is, and will be for the entire summer. I feel as though this will be the second wave of Lynch’s magnum opus, a stroke of creative brilliance that has come full circle, and in just a few hours time those beloved chords will once again flow out from our television screens, as the journey continues onward to a destination whose coordinates Lynch guards like Pandora’s Box. Come what may, I will be tuned in to whatever the man and his team of actors, artists and musicians have in store for us. See you in the trees.

-Nate Hill

Ridley Scott’s ALIEN: COVENANT

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review

Regardless as to how one felt about PROMETHEUS, they would be lying if they told you the film didn’t have anything to say. The idea behind that film is so grand, it removes the viewer from the world of the xenomorphs because that picture is much larger in scope. Fast forward all these years later to ALIEN COVENANT to where not much is at stake, we’re given one-dimensional characters, and there isn’t much, if any, there there.

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This time around our crew is built around a mopey Kathrine Waterston (a poor woman’s Ripley) who is in constant grief over the death of her husband played by James Franco in perhaps one of the most unnecessary cameos ever. An always solid Billy Crudup, Danny McBride in an admirable dramatic turn, and the saving grace of the picture is Michael Fassbender in dual roles as androids Walter and David.

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Regrettably, the film doesn’t have much to say. Sure, there is some closure to the epic ending of PROMETHEUS, but even that arc of the film feels forced. It seems rather obvious that Scott abandoned any focus he had for a straight sequel to PROMETHEUS and did a swift pivot back to a clear cut Alien story. The problem is that the story is neither good or interesting. You know that most of the cast is going to die the same way they always do in these films and that the xenomorph will live on to continue to kill people.

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What’s more, there’s no terror or suspense or horror built into the film. The overly CGI’d alien rips through people, viciously biting them and ripping them apart. Nothing is left off screen, the film is overly bloody and graphic in the most desensitized way. You can’t continuously beat the drum that movies use too much CGI and then embrace a film like ALIEN COVENANT. The film isn’t terrible, but it’s not good either. Upon the release of PROMETHEUS, Scott was asked about the future of the Alien franchise and his response was, “the beast is dead.” That may not be the case, but what’s for certain is that the franchise surely is on life support.

JIM JARMUSCH’S PATERSON — A REVIEW BY NICK CLEMENT

by nlclement, posted in Film Review

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Jim Jarmusch’s low-key and elegant film Paterson is another feather in the cap for this idiosyncratic auteur, starring an intensely committed Adam Driver as a New Jersey bus driver named Paterson, who happens to live in the city of Paterson. The film is part fantasy, part meditation, and all wonderful, with an observant eye for visual detail (the great Frederick Elmes is the cinematographer) and containing honest verbal wit that mixes with personal introspection into something that feels unique and quietly moving. The gliding editing patterns established by cutter Affonso Gonçalves are incredibly smooth, and result in a film that feels as if it’s drifting across the screen, much like the many characters, both big and small, that inhabit the frame. Jarmusch’s style has certainly evolved over the years but he’s always had a firm grasp on the peculiarities of people and how they approach their life.

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Paterson has a very predictable routine. He wakes up every morning, has his cereal, kisses his spirited wife (the superb Golshifteh Farahani) goodbye, and heads out for a day on the deteriorating streets of the city. On his breaks, he jots down poetry in his notepad, which appears on the screen as text, and can be heard via Driver’s dry voice-over (the real-life poet Ron Padgett crafted the various poems heard during the film). After work, he has dinner with his wife, who is always focusing on something new to fill her day, and then he takes their dog for a walk, grabs a beer, chats with the bartender (Barry Shabaka-Henley) and goes to sleep. He’s a man content with rigidity. Or is he? He doesn’t seem to get mad, and when the story turns tragic in the form of a personal disaster, Paterson’s response to the events is humorous, sad, and strangely enviable.

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The film isn’t interested in a traditional plot, as Jarmusch is too concerned with his characters and their flights of fancy and their dreams and aspirations to care about the artificial rigors of contrived plotting. Instead, the audience is treated to a character and mood piece, where Driver appears in nearly every scene, his unique physical characteristics somehow tamped down from what we’ve seen previous, with flat-lined energy that results in a heavily modulated yet still emotionally affecting performance. If all of this sounds like as much fun as watching paint dry, well, I won’t lie, this movie won’t be everyone’s favorite cup of cinematic tea. It’s quiet, the film is comprised of numerous long-takes, and by design, the circular nature of the narrative keeps things on a very even keel. But if you’re looking for something artistic and thought provoking, definitely check it out.

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Episode 47: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review, Podcast

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Join Frank, Tim, Nate, and Jason as they dissect James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 and speak about the amazing cast, James Gunn, and the future of the Guardians and the MCU.

JAMES CAMERON’S TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY — A REVIEW BY NICK CLEMENT

by nlclement, posted in Film Review

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I was 11 years old when my father took me to see James Cameron’s masterpiece Terminator 2: Judgment Day on the big screen over the Fourth of July weekend. This was not just “seeing a movie,” but rather, this particular cinematic experience was a true mind-blower, and over the years, I’ve returned to this seminal piece of filmmaking more times than I can count, as I feel that it delivers the perfect combination of character, plot, emotion, and action. Co-written by Cameron and William Wisher, this film works as well as it does because you care about everyone you need to care about, and because of the way that all members of the cast and crew knew exactly the type of movie that they were making — sci-fi pulp with a big heart and a maximum budget. As per usual, Cameron reinvented the special effects game with the liquid-metal visual motif and overall state of the art use of CGI which was beautifully fused together with location shooting and plenty of practical effects. These were the days when filmmakers weren’t crafting the entire film on a green-screen stage, and “filling it in later.” There’s a level of visual and narrative artistry on display in T2 that is striking to observe, especially when compared to recent, ultra-synthetic blockbuster laziness which pollutes movie screens on a weekly basis.

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I’ve no need to describe the plot or mythology to the Terminator series, and it goes without saying just how extraordinary Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the lead role, how menacing Robert Patrick was as the T-1000, and how gripping Linda Hamilton’s performance comes to be by the conclusion. Edward Furlong was able to project just the right amount of innocence mixed with his inherent edginess as a teen actor, and everyone in the supporting cast did stellar work. Adam Greenberg’s gleaming widescreen cinematography is a constant treat for the eyes, the dynamic editing by Mark Goldblatt, Conrad Buff, and Richard A. Harris keeps a ruthless pace to the story without ever sacrificing coherence, the epic production design by Joseph C. Nemec is wondrous, and Brad Fidel’s massive musical score must be considered one of the best of all-time. Shot over the course of a 186 day schedule for a reported $102 million (the most expensive movie ever made at the time), T2 would smash the global box-office upon its theatrical release, receive four Oscars and glowing critical notices, and would end up having a staggeringly successful afterlife on home media formats. This is easily one of the greatest movies that I’ve ever seen, and my personal favorite from Cameron by a long shot.

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Alien: Covenant

by 39frames, posted in Film Review

Alien: Covenant

2017.  Directed by Ridley Scott.

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Alien: Covenant is a tricky film.  Alien was the film that opened a realm of possibilities, both for the franchise and for the career of its creator, directorial legend, Ridley Scott.  Following from the extremely divisive Prometheus, Scott weaves an intricate story about the cycle of life and death masked in the guise of a prequel.  This is a deeply personal film made by a 79 year old artist.  What it loses with a shallow script and endless horror clichés is almost enough to derail what is quite possibly one of Scott’s most profound works.  While diehard fans will undoubtedly find many things to pick apart, it is entirely probable that Scott decided to plumb the existential limits of humanity via a return to his beginnings, and it is with that idea in mind that I left the theater with the understanding that this film is one for the ages, glaring flaws and all.

A colony ship intercepts a human transmission from a mysterious planet.  Desperate to find a new planet to call home, the crew decides to investigate and happens upon the most terrifying experiment in the history of creation.  Fusing elements of the Island of Dr. Moreau, the spiritualism of Prometheus, and Blade Runner’s creation vs. man bravura, John Logan and Dante Harper’s script stumbles, falls, and then revels in the gutter of rogue philosophy in which it lands.  The first act features the standard character building staple of the franchise, however there is not enough to go around and it’s immediately apparent whom will die and whom will persevere.  Danny McBride is a surprising standout, emulating the blue collar roots that made the initial film so endearing.  The banter between the crew is cringe worthy at best and when death does come, surviving characters are instantly resilient, eschewing Veronica Cartwright’s unforgettable paranoia in favor of soldiering on.  While this may appear as a weakness, it is a slick alignment with Scott’s overall message.  The reaper always wins and life always goes on, leaving the memories of the fallen behind.

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Michael Fassbender’s dual turn as the loyal android Walter and the devious rebel David has to be seen to be believed.  The first scene of the film does not work without his subtle ferocity, setting the stage for what follows with a poise that likens his electronic birth to a toddler with a high caliber pistol, questioning his existence and his maker’s intent with ominous innocence.  His scenes with both versions of himself are the meat of the story and when taken separately from the paltry characterization of the humans, they are truly something to behold.  Katherine Waterston’s archetypal turn is adequate, but ultimately pales under the weight of the story.   Yes, characters make bad decisions, possibly even worse than forgetting to run horizontally, however, unlike its predecessor, Covenant has so much going on, there’s barely enough time to complain.

Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography, from the stunning first frame is a visual bacchanal of gory aftermaths and alien architecture.  David’s insidious lair conjures thoughts of Kurtz’s sanctum in Apocalypse Now while the CGI scenes in space command the gorgeous touch one would expect from Sir Scott.  There are dozens of Easter eggs strewn throughout Chris Seagers’s titanic production design, featuring impossible compositions of alien civilization, blending incomprehensible science with low tech accoutrements to bring the high gloss feel of the new films together with the low-fi grit of the classics.

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In the end, Alien: Covenant is a remarkable film for what it is saying underneath the carnage and ill-advised choices of its stable of victims.  The evolutions of the creature are symbolic of the series, beginning with small terrors in claustrophobic environs that soon spin out of control as technology, budget, and popularity demand more and more, ultimately consuming the creative fires of design.  The search for meaning in the creation of life and dissenting against the inevitability of death are everywhere in Covenant’s beautiful set pieces and their presence will either intrigue or repulse.

In theaters now, Ridley Scott’s bridge building film creates more questions than answers for one of the most popular science fiction franchises of all time.  Derailing the audience’s concept of timeline and progression, Alien: Covenant breaks all of the established rules to present a blood soaked Genesis in the stars.  Scott made the film he wanted to make, and while there are elements which will placate general expectations for an addition to the Alien pantheon, it’s my belief, that Scott almost forgot there would be an audience watching.  This is his story and while it may not entirely work, it is something terrifyingly genuine and sincere.

Highly Recommend.

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Paparazzi 

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review


Paparazzi is one of those ones that probably sounded pretty silly on paper, but one of the studio execs had a good sense of humour on a morning after getting laid and said “aw hell, green light this just for kicks.” It doesn’t hurt to have Mel Gibson as a producer either, who also makes the teensiest cameo. The concept is simple: action film star Bo Laramie (Cole Hauser) is harassed by a sleazy hyena pack of determined celebrity photographers, until they take it one step too far, resulting in tragedy. Bo then plays the art imitating life card, goes all vigilante on them and quite literally hunts each one down and kills them. A synopsis like that has to illicit a dark chuckle from anyone who reads it, and you’d think the resulting film would be oodles of fun, but they’ve somewhat played it safe. A concept this ridiculous should be over the top, reach for the stars insane, a hard R black comedy Death Wish set in Hollywood, if you will. What we get is something more on the glossy side, the filmmakers dipping their toe into the pond of potential, yet never saying ‘fuck it’ and diving right in. The paparazzos are played to the heights of hilarity by a solid scumbag troupe: Tom Sizemore is so perfect as their a-hole ringleader, just a dime piece of a casting choice. Daniel Baldwin looks seriously haggard, while Tom Hollander and Kevin ‘Wainegro’ Gage round out this quartet. Dennis Farina is fun as a sharp, shrewd Detective who gets wise to Bo’s act as well. It’s all serviceable, and yet I wish it went that extra mile to give us something downright shocking and memorable. Perhaps they should have reworked the script, brought in a wild card director and gone the indie route. Oh well. 

-Nate Hill

JOHN FRANKENHEIMER’S 99 & 44/100% DEAD — A REVIEW BY NICK CLEMENT

by nlclement, posted in Film Review

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Obviously not the greatest movie ever made by legendary filmmaker John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin), I still can’t help but be fascinated by the comic-book-inspired insanity of his odd-ball curiosity 99 and 44/100% Dead. Released in 1974 and starring Richard Harris as a love-struck hit-man caught in the middle of an escalating gang war, the film was written by Robert Dillon (the phenomenal Prime Cut from director Michael Ritchie, and the massively undervalued The French Connection II, also directed by Frankenheimer), and has a tone that veers all over the place, and features bad-guys with guns and knives attached to prosthetic limbs, some crazy car chase/stunt work, and a general vibe of “anything can happen” that allows the film to be exceedingly entertaining if a bit sloppy around the edges.

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Henry Mancini’s wild musical score meshed with the sometimes frantic camerawork by Ralph Woolsey; Harold Kress’s choppy editing may have been by design. I can think of very few other films that match this effort’s overall sense of manic energy, and while coherent, there’s something simply bizarre about the entire production that should speak to cult film enthusiasts everywhere. And yes, apparently the film’s title is a play on the old Ivory soap commercial slogan. This is a completely wild piece of work that has a distinct personality, which can’t be said for most genre fare. Available on DVD from Shout! Factory as a double-dip with The Nickel Ride (rager coming soon for that one…!)

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Body Heat

by 39frames, posted in Film Review

Body Heat

1981.  Directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

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Film noir is wonderfully eclectic genre.  While there are certain aspects each of these films share, directors have been bringing their unique perspectives to each offering over the decades since its creation.  Neo-Noir films evolved the concept by placing murky detective stories into futuristic locales and sleepy Midwestern towns, showcasing the idea that the darkness of man can exist anywhere.  Lawrence Kasdan’s scorching directorial debut, Body Heat initially appears as a well-crafted homage, intimately aware of its predecessors’ influence.  However as its complex web of deceit begins to unravel, any sense of safety slowly erodes under a flood of sexual power and unrepentant violence to reveal an intelligent and diligently constructed narrative.

Inept lawyer Ned Racine falls for the wrong woman, leading him into a series of perilous decisions. Unseen consequences and chilling revelations then threaten to destroy not only his freedom, but his relationship with the woman for whom he has risked everything.  Kasdan’s script borrows heavily from Noir staples.  The dialogue brims with potboiler pastiche, but never crosses the line into parody.  Some of the best exchanges are between William Hurt’s Ned and his compatriot’s: A surprisingly loyal Ted Danson and J.A. Preston’s dedicated detective.  Hurt’s brilliant performance highlight’s his uncanny ability to strip away a character’s armor to reveal vulnerability and is instantly spellbinding.  Ned is the perfect mark, competent enough to perform, but ultimately outdone by his libido.  Mickey Rourke’s turn as an arsonist client contains some of the film’s best lines, a stark reminder of the Noir trope that there is not only honor, but brutal truth among thieves in the shadows.

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Kathleen Turner’s steamy debut as the predatory seductress Matty Walker balances raw sexual mastery with wicked intent.  Body Heat is a film that rests entirely on its villainess’s ability to captivate the audience, and Turner delivers.  Ned is the surrogate, blindly following his heart (and other anatomy) into moral oblivion due to Turner’s sultry delivery and her uncompromising command of the material.  Her chemistry with Hurt is intoxicating, to the point that the viewer is carefully reminded of a time when they made bad decisions for a bad thing that never felt so good and this is the film’s essence.

Set during a relentless heat wave in Florida, the color red is intrinsic to the happenings, blissfully captured by Richard Kline’s devious cinematography.  This is a soiled, pessimistic world and an air of deception haunts every perfectly constructed frame.  Maury Harris’s sound design, particularly during the infamous wind chimes scene perfectly captures the Noir vibe with ominous tones that preclude Ned and Matty’s first illicit coupling.  What begins as an explosive convergence of corruption and passion tumbles head first across a moral Rubicon in which murder and love are strange bedfellows, tying Hurt and Turner together in a wicked dance of fractured dreams and shadowy manipulation.

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Available now for digital streaming, Body Heat is a unique debut from a legendary writer.  While it features the expected dialogue of a true master, it excels due to top notch production design and a brave performance by a woman in a time where women were not expected to be center of attention.  Kasdan’s bold casting choice and respectful take on the Noir genre ensured that his debut effort would be remembered for decades to come.  If you’ve never experienced this classic tale of sordid conspiracies and fevered entanglements, Body Heat is a sensational late night affair.  Come for Turner’s heart racing performance, leave with the knowledge that Kasdan’s first time in the director’s chair was something exceptional.

Highly Recommend.

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