Movie Rental Recommendations -- CP-CZ
Crash
I was expecting to turn this movie off quickly, figuring it would essentially be pornography. The copy in video stores is rated "R" and that's the right rating. The sex scene aren't "graphic" in terms of nudity. As I watched, I couldn't take my eyes off of it, similar to "looking, but not wanting to" when you drive by a car crash on the road. There are some wounds shown, along with some light homosexual scenes, but mostly the movie is about sexual obsession. It's a dark story, well told, with no outside interruptions from characters not central to the story. Be cautioned about some shots of wounds, but it's a gripping story that most would call "weird." So, if you're still reading, it's worth a weekend feature.
IMDb | Other Reviews Parker Hodges
Critical Care
Another movie of the kind I like: Simply a story, not a moral play. James Spader is a doctor who gets caught up in a "pull the plug or not pull the plug" scenario with twists and turns all along the way. It's a dark comedy with a heart, extremely well written and produced. A non-thriller Friday or Saturday night is good for this one, or any other time.
IMDb | Other Reviews Parker Hodges
"Critical Care is a curious Sidney Lumet movie that makes a pungent point. And then keeps on making it! James Spader stars as Doctor Ernst. He's charged with keeping patients alive, as long as their insurance benefits don't run out. But rich, comatose Mr. Potter leaves him in the middle of a three way tug-of-war -- between a bible-spouting daughter who wants to keep Potter on life support, her ditzy model step-sister, played by Kyra Sedgewick, who claims she wants to spare daddy from unnecessary suffering and pull the plug, and a hospital who wants to milk the insurance cow dry. Lumet's attempt at satire isn't quite sharp enough, and his cutsey names like "Furnaceman" for a devil-like character who nags another patient, tend to force the farce once too often. CRITICAL CARE isn't in critical condition, but does look a little peaked. It also stars Albert Brooks, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Wright, Wallace Shawn, and Anne Bancroft. Its rated R.
IMDb Other Reviews
Debra Scott
Cruel Intentions
The movie is wickedly seductive, though some of the acting leaves something to be desired. Two wealthy, teen-age stepsiblings wager on a sexual conquest that takes an unexpected turn when one gets emotionally involved. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christine Baranski turn in especially good performances, helping this story of complex relationships evolve into something more than a simple game of manipulation.
IMDb | Other Reviews Erik Nelson
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