Rating: 
Summary: Kathy Bates best!
Review: If you are a Kathy Bates fan, then you must own this movie. I have watched this movie over and over again and still want more. She has a nack of getting you into her character and feeling like you were there. The story never has a dull moment up to the very end. As usual she does a supurb job as well as Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the rest of the cast. It is a fantastic story of a woman whom is abused and ends up working for a very mean spirited rich woman as her maid, then care taker plus what all of this does to her daughter growing up. I don't want to give to much away, so see the movie.
Can't wait for the next Kathy Bates movie, I will be in line to see it.
Rating:
Summary: All around GREAT film
Review: This tale of murder, family dysfunction, and addiction was inexplicably ignored during Oscar time. When I first saw this film, I thought Kathy Bates had walked away with the Oscar for 1995 before she even set foot on the stage. Her Delores is such a beautifully, touchingly, crustily complex character that she just pops off the screen at you. And the writing has some of the best dialogue in years which still holds up. The entire casting for this film was done beautifully. Leigh is typically intense, but does a nice turn as the victim of abuse (no shrinking violet here). And the character of Vera is just magic in her diabolical sweetness. King crafts one of his finest works with this film, and the cinematography is breathtaking, not losing it's beauty on the small screen which is very difficult with this transition. This is a film that multiple screenings enhance your understanding of it, and the extras make this too good a flick to pass up.
Rating:
Summary: The twist in our reaction to it .
Review: I'll start from the end : Kathy Bates playing a horrible person . Her own daughter hates her , everybody does ( including the viewers ). Little town in Maine ... she is a #1 suspect in a murder case of her employer . Detective on the case is an oldtimer , who was suspecting her in a death of her husband many years ago . How did I feel first half of this film ? I hated her sooo much . Case closed - she is guilty !
Then the second half came in ... I was so upset at myself ! There is always a second side on every coin .
Our feelings at 2 different sides of this story tear us apart and leave us confused and destroyed . Very different story based on a very different book by Stephen King .
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Kathy Bates is such a joy to watch! This mystery is a well acted, and well directed flick. I'm surprised that it didn't do better in the boc office, oh well. This is about Dolores who is suspected in a murder, the case ends up brining out ghosts from her past. I won't say more, except once again, what a great movie!
Rating:
Summary: I saw this during a lay-over....GRRREAT!
Review: I saw this movie in the theater close to a boat launch for a ferry to Nantucket way back in 1995. I was on the Cape from college and I had three hours to spend prior to my ferry, and chose to endure those hours watching a movie. I remember nothing about hearing about this film previous to walking in the movie theater's door, but I purchased a ticket because the guy behind the counter said Kathy Bates was in it. I went in not knowing anything about the plot. I came out enchanted by the visuals. The cinematography is breathtaking, the account of the story strong and well scripted. The acting was so above par. I am still surprised that this movie received so little acclaim and that I hardly heard a word about it prior to its release and post release. It's a strong movie. I'm buying it today because some of my in-laws have yet to view it. Poor people! I must lend it to them!
Rating:
Summary: "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK ON STEPHEN KING 'S DOOR"
Review: Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh take us to the limits of the
unbearable... Great actors and unforgettable performances...
No one can remain indifferent to this inevitable story !
Rating: 
Summary: Where are all the Oscars this film deserved?
Review: Misery was a great film, but this so far surpasses it, that it is shocking that she did not take an Oscar for this. Playing the feisty and embittered title-character in 2 generations, Kathy Bates is certainly at her best. Jennifer Jason Leigh deserved at least a nomination for her portrayal of Selena, Dolores' daughter.
Not a "horror" movie of the typical King sorts, but certainly a phenomenal look into the gut-wrenching pits of human hearts. If you liked Misery, this will be a divine gift to you.
Rating:
Summary: King's Done it Again!
Review: I love Stephen King! This story was a great one to add to my Stephen King collection! Once again he has us entranced! From beginning to end this story will keep you engrossed! So, if you enjoyed "The Stand", "Misery", and other works by Stephen King, this film is for you! Or, if you're one of those people who says, "I want to see a good movie." Well, this is it!!! Get your popcorn and get comfortable for this thoroughly enjoyable suspense drama!
Rating:
Summary: Kathy Bates does it again!
Review: Ms. Bates is getting used to Stephen King adaptations. Together with Jennifer Jason Leigh, a stellar actress in her own right, she pulls off a roller coaster thrill ride. As always with film and especially Mr. King's, the book is better, yet Claiborne makes its transition to screen with everything pretty much in tact. The murder of a woman, the drunken husband who abused the daughter (Leigh), and old ghosts risen from the dead to haunt. What more could you ask for? King's wicked tale will follow you well after the credits roll. ***The reviewer is author of: Amber Spirit: Poems & Stories (Hats Off Books, 2001) and a frequent magazine contributor & short story contest judge.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Film
Review: Dolores Claiborne is a difficult film to pull off, because the story shifts between past and present. Yet director Taylor Hackford manages to weave the various time frames together with such success and style. A formidable Kathy Bates stars as the title character, a woman being investigated for the murder of her elderly employer. The detective on the case, Christopher Plummer, wants to get her because years earlier he investigated her for the murder of her husband, but was not able to make anything stick. Her long estranged daughter, Jennifer Jason Leigh, shows up, a woman on the edge who suspects her mother is guilty of both crimes. As the investigation develops, the story of Dolores, her abusive husband, and her daughter is reminisced about, so that the truth and family secrets can come out. This is a gripping film with a great visual style. The present time sequences are filmed in washed out colours, very grey and pale blue, while the sequences from the past are photographed with vivid colours, as if the past is more alive than the present. The climax of the film when we learn the truth of all that happened is particularly stunning and beautiful. The performances are uniformly excellent and forceful, with Bates and the writer creating an original, unforgettable "heroine". Dolores Claiborne will keep you glued to the screen from its arresting start to satisfying conclusion.
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