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Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem

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Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MGM ... God Bless You!
Review: Before I say anything else: Thelma & Louise is not a male bashing, anti feminist film. If you see it as that you are sadly identifying with the wrong characters! It's a thrilling tale full of life affirming energy and the two leads each deserved twenty Oscars each! On a par with Toys as my favourite film ... and I'm male! This is an alternatively powerful, harrowing and hilarious slice of 90's cinema that ranks among one of the best films ever made.

MGM released Thelma & Louise early in 2001, for a fairly early disc, it carried a strong line up of special features, which happily have found their way on to this SE re-release. The original release had a damn shoddy print quality, as MPEG encoders had still not quite been perfected yet, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 was all over the place!

Not now! The film has been stunningly remastered into anamorphic widescreen, and looks like it could have been made six months ago. The soundtrack also benefits extensively from a good cleaning up, still remaining in the standard 5.1, it has an enormous presence now. It is quite incredible that MGM have managed to house a 2 hour film plus well over two hours of extras on a single 9GB disc ...

The most rewarding extra feature on the disc is the new hour long retrospective made in 2000. It features almost all of the principle cast and behind the scenes characters, and is cleverly broken down into five sections: Conception, Casting, Production, Reaction, and the final section is devoted to the cast and crew looking back on one of the most brilliant pieces of cinema ever to grace the world, all looking understandably pleased to have been involved.

Elsewhere, you can enjoy two audio commentaries, one featuring director Ridley Scott (very rewarding and a good deal of technical information and insights into how difficult it was to get a ground breaking film like this made) and a second featuring Susan Sarrandon, Geena Davies and screenwriter Callie Khouri. This is a more chatty and funny track, but Khouri keeps the two witty cast engaged in conversation relevant to the film, not stopping a few hilarious outbursts along the way. The deleted scenes are very interesting to watch, and it is (for a majority of them) a good thing these were cut, they wouldn't really add anything.

A more controversial extra is the much hyped alternate ending. Extended is really a better word, showing T&L's '66 Thunderbird falling at an awkward angle over the cliff, somehow ruining the whole effect that the two girls had just launched themselves into freedom. The are also some very good storyboard sequences, startingly similar to the actual shots in the film and a collection of theatrical trailers and home video previews.

Please avoid the music video however, it is shocking 80's cheese and disturbing to think it was only 12 years ago!

All in all, MGM has done a fantastic job and put a lot of thought into creating this Special Edition, and if you already own the 2001 version, for God's sake go buy it anyway!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun............
Review: In a small town in Arkansas, where everybody knows everbody,we find Thelma and Louise(Geena Davis/Susan Sarandon).
Louise, the coffee shop waitress is as tidy as a pin. Everything has a place, a place for everything.Not having heard from her boyfriend for several days, she's gonna teach him a lesson and leave town for a while.She enlists her buddy Thelma, a housewife under the thumb of her opressive husband Darryl(Christopher McDonald). Naturally Thelma is ready for some fun, and without even asking Darryl,packs everything she can think of, including a gun(You know for bears and stuff),and hits the road with Louise. Two gal pals on the road, laughing, singing, what could possibly go wrong???
Thelma's need for fun has them stopping at a local nightclub,where the trouble begins. Thelma is being attacked in the parking lot, Louise pulls out the gun and shoots the offender and they are on the run! A four state chase begins with a diligent,but sensitive detective(Harvey Keitel) hot on their trail.While on the run,Thelma is taken(in more ways than one)by the cutest drifter since Clint roamed the High Plains(Brad Pitt),Louise is keeping a deep secret,and they keep getting in deeper and deeper with the law.Their lives have changed dramatically and so have they. Our fugitives become tough and cool and are in a take no prisoners kind of mood,as they try to outrun the cops.In case you havn't seem it, no more details on that!
Directed by Ridley Scott,everything about this film is outstanding. It was funny, poignant, thrilling, and daring. The performances of Davis and Sarandon were phenominal! Harvey Keitel is excellent as the caring cop(a nice change for him).Christopher McDonald is so good as Thelma's rotten husband, you just wanna smack him!This was a breakthrough film for Brad Pitt.
A great soundtrack to follow the gals along some great scenic routes, is also in store for you.
I was very impressed by the quality of the DVD(MGM). Especially the sound. The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround, really does the job of surrounding you with the car chases, the helicopters, and even the line dancing on the wooden dance floor at a bar sounds like it's happening right in your living room. The music sounded great also. Picture(widescreen or standard) quality is also marvelous, as are the colors.As far as Special features go, there's not too much but there is some. An alternate ending is shown with or without commentary, and you can watch the film with Director Scott's commentary also(Look for this in the language set up section). It has an informative booklet and there are subtitles in several languages. If you're looking for more in the way of extras you might want to wait for the release of the Special Edition, coming early next year(It's a little more expensive though). This though is a superb DVD on it's own.
So have fun with this one but don't try any of that stuff at home!......Laurie

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: misandrous, dystopic view edifies no one
Review: This mysandrous film serves only to depress, rather than invigorate, women. It posits an alternate reality in which all men are schmucks, women have no power over their circumstances but are "driven" to disastrous choices by men, and the last best hope for all females is suicide. Fortunately, despite the sledgehammer force with which the movie attempts to deliver its message, it just doesn't ring true. The world is not nearly as hopeless as man-haters would have us believe.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Flying High
Review: Perhaps I am a bit behind the times, but I recently viewed 'Thelma and Louise' for the first time. At first I was skeptical that the movie would live up to all the positive stories I heard about it years ago when it was released. After watching the entire movie I am happy to admit that I was wrong to be so pessimistic.

'Thelma and Louise' is a brilliant look at the way our lives are affected by the decisions we make and it offers an insightful glimpse into the way many women think. Although I cannot relate totally to either of these women, virtually every woman I know has personality attributes similar to these characters. Their accidental adventures and traumatic experiences portray a magnificent connection between cause and effect.

True friendship is what holds this entire movie together and it is easy to see why both these women were nominated for Academy Awards. I may have been skeptical at first, but I found myself rooting for these women and considering what I would do in similar situations. While I cannot imagine ever going to such extremes, this movie presents a valuable lesson in learning how to cope with the problems life throws your way.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: So Close to Winning.
Review: Our heroines get themselves into a mess, break the law, run away from their families, cop an attitude, and then at the end they drive their car over a cliff, like something out of a Superman movie. I would've liked to have seen them live and deal with their consequences. They might have won!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A lot more than just a female buddy flick
Review: I have a problem with some people who think that, because the two main characters of the film do technically illegal things, this makes them bad people, and therefore this is a bad movie. Especially when there are those that seem to treat them as heroes. While they are not heroes, and I can't argue with many things the naysayers say, my opinion is that this is still one terrific movie.

The story of how two women go on a short-lived crime spree made a big stink when it was released in 1991. How a housewife in a dead-end marriage, and a waitress in a dead-end job get pushed far enough to strike back was written about as a triumph of the feminist agenda and a strike back at the male-dominated world. I also disagree with this other extreme point of view. Every crime the ladies commit should have, in my opinion, been punished with some jail time.

But that old argument aside, there are other things that make the movie well worth seeing. First, is the magnificent scenery. I've made the drive from Illinois back and forth to Las Vegas many times, but have always taken the fastest highways. As they try to make their escape by going down side roads AND avoiding Texas to get to Mexico, you get some breathtaking scenery that doesn't involve a Stuckey's or pecan logs.

Then there is the acting. The males are good, especially Christopher McDonald who wants Thelma as a wife of his molding, but only if it doesn't take too much time from his TV football games. But Geena Davis plays Thelma brilliantly when you see the thrills she experiences on their little adventure. While maybe not the best way to solve her problems, you can see that this is a woman who's been needing a good time for a very long time.

But the cake goes to Susan Sarandon on this one. Yes, she was premature in committing the first crime, but you can see that something from her past has finally been released at this point. Not all at once, though. The movie never really tells us her secret, but you can see it still simmering throughout the movie. Next time you watch it, catch all the times she makes eye contact with old people on the road. She holds this gaze for awhile, as if wondering if she will ever reach that stage, and if she wants to at all. I believe these thoughts play a big part in their final decision.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Beware
Review: When this movie was released in 1991, a storm of controversy arose due to the film's glamorizing senseless violence, but, I didn't see the film for myself until 1993. At that time I was in a state of post-tramautic stress (I was a victim of a natural disaster the year before) and vulnerable, and the idea of the movie swept me off my feet - and on the road. After watching a tape of the movie a number of times I decided that I too would head out onto the open highway - the worse place for me at the time. My plans went, in certain ways, as awry as they did in the film (without the violence, however), but it all ended when I ended up in a hotel room, broke and alone, and on the verge of ending up in jail.

As far as the tragic ending of the film, well, by 1995 I was back on my feet, somewhat, and working again, somewhat, when someone at my job (a woman about Thelma's age), like Thelma, committed suicide. Unlike the movie, the despair of those she worked with, including me, was only beginning. As I get older I've realized that God does not like this ending, at all - no one is supposed to determine their own ending to life, though I thought about it once or twice during my time on the road.

The point is, beware of this film - like many things in this life, what appears harmless ends up being a wolf in sheep's clothing.

F2

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Special Edition coming soon
Review: A special edition of this film is now in the works.It will probably included commentary by the stara and the crew,and documentaries.It is scheduled for a 2003 release.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: sublimissime
Review: The most beautiful movie about friendship. Geena and Susan are extremly touching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "We're fugitives now, right? Let's start behaving like that"
Review: Thelma & Louise is one of those unfortunately all too rare movie gems which really engages the viewer. Watch it with a good friend and you'll find yourselves energised by the zest for life displayed by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in their stand out performances. Like Thelma and Louise, you'll want to ditch your jobs for the weekend and beg, borrow or steal a classic convertible car, before setting off on a road trip adventure along the USA's dusty mid-western highways.

The premise of the film is simple - put two ordinary people in an extraordinary situation and watch what happens as events start to snowball. Davis's bored housewife and Sarandon's diner-waitress are typical of thousands of women the world over. A chance encounter on the way to a run-of-the-mill weekend holiday in the mountains starts a chain of happenstance that thrusts the two friends into a situation where there are no signposts and no rules.

Thelma & Louise is often classified as a 'chick flick', but this is perhaps somewhat misleading. Certainly it is true that this is a film about two women, and the men in the story are shown as ineffectual or lacking in understanding (although watch for an entertaining appearance by Brad Pitt in what is regarded as his breakthrough role). However one of the main themes dealt with is the emotive and perennially grey area surrounding attempted rape and how the reporting of it is dealt with - this is clearly not the fluff and insubstantiality usually associated with chick flicks. Despite this and despite the outcome of the film (which on one level could be viewed as tragic), the brilliant and insightful cinematography of Ridley Scott leaves the viewer upbeat and with a tremendous sense of freedom.


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