Rating: 
Summary: A great movie. Depp still rocks.
Review: shut the hell up, sit down, and watch a good flick. this is a good. not the best. but no complaints from me. Not to mention that the 2nd disc was just as entertaining as the first. depp rocks. {Blow is better, but $hit, what a roll!)
Rating:
Summary: The Whitechapel Murderer
Review: "One day men will look back and say that I gave birth to the Twentieth Century." - Jack The Ripper, in From Hell. On October 19th, 2001, 20th Century Fox Entertainment released a chilling movie that dealt with crime, prostitution, drugs, and one of the most infamous murder cases in all of history. Wielding a daunting title and a star studded cast, directors Albert and Allen Hughes captivated audiences that autumn with their startling film, From Hell. Johnny Depp and Heather Graham star in this frightful interpretation of the 1888 killing spree that introduced the world to the name of Jack The Ripper. Depp plays the part of Inspector Fred Abberline, the psychic detective that is sent down to the seedy Whitechapel district of London to investigate the Jack The Ripper case. Abberline lives in an opium-induced state of euphoria that he needs in order to deal with the pain that was incurred by the loss of his wife and child. He was chosen to investigate the case for his cryptic ability to be able to see the murders within his mind before they occur. Graham, meanwhile, is one of the impoverished harlots that take to the streets of Whitechapel, in search of a means of getting by, but ends up being caught in the midst of the slayings and eventually becomes a target herself. The movie also stars Ian Holm as Sir William Gull, a physician to the Royal Family and Robbie Coltrane as Abberline's closest and most trusted friend, Peter Godley.
From Hell was a very successful film. It was critically acclaimed (Ebert and Roeper gave it two thumbs up), and it did well at the box office, opening to 2,305 theatres, gaining the number one slot and grossing ... million[s]in it's first weekend, ... In fact, From Hell represented the first time that the popular, seasoned actor Depp has ever had a number one movie. These facts alone allow us to see as to how this movie would be able to fall into the criteria of popular culture by being well liked such an array of people. The Los Angeles Weekly called From Hell "Less of a horror film than a classical film noir. Depp and Graham... have the gravitational force of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly." The movie proves that there at times can be little to no distinction between high and popular culture, as while it was incredibly favoured by the people, it also contains the art and intrigue characteristic of most high culture. Facts supporting that statement begin with the casting. First off, by casting Depp as Abberline, they get a man who is famed for his involvement with less hyped, although critically acclaimed films such as Ed Wood and Donnie Brasco, plus off-beat characters like George Jung in Blow, Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow and the title role in Edward Scissorhands. The movie also gains heavily in terms of high culture by casting Ian Holm, who was made famous by his role in Chariots Of Fire and by being knighted in 1998 and also Robbie Coltrane who gained fame by playing the lead role in the heavily acclaimed television series Cracker.
From Hell was a fantastic piece of popular culture that allows the viewer to experience for themselves the terror and pandemonium that was caused in the fall of 1888 during the height of the killing spree of the "Whitechapel Murderer." It takes us to a time, place and era that have been long forgotten and forsaken, locked away in the files of the unsolved mysteries. The scariest part of all though, is that it is so real. The names of the prostitutes, the detectives, the suspects and even the manner in which people were dealt with are all real. Through a combination of acceptance by the masses as was stated previously, and even an acceptance in the elite circles, From Hell has proven itself to be a part of Popular Culture.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Ominous Film
Review: This film was a delight. The ominous element of the cinematography was perfect for the setting. The use of pale green and other colors were great in contrasting the desired emotional effect from the scenes. Johnny Depp is perfectly dreary in his detective role. This is a story about Jack the Ripper. It has an intelligent plot, which leads to the culprit. If you can get the director's edition, it has a little more to offer. Be careful because they look very near the same as far as the cover goes. The director's version will say so across the top on the front. Overall I liked this movie very much. I gave it five out of five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Movie!
Review: My husband and I got this for "date night", I really fround it interesting. It was a fun movie of fiction BASED on fact. It is actually just one possible scenario of what or who was the responsible serial killer in 19th century London. I do appreciate the fact that they did not make ths film as gruesome as they could have. I did some research after watching and was chilled at seeing some pictures of the actual places and how closely they got them to look the same.
It was a worthwhile movie!
Rating: 
Summary: A sad story with a sad end and not an exceptional movie
Review: The whole movie is a sad story; at the beginning, it depicts the life of the East End prostitutes (bangtails); they are craving for money and are harassed by the Nichols gang who are exploiting them. One of them, Ann Crook, a very beautiful and very nice girl, was secretely married to Prince Edward Albert Victor, duke of Clarence, and five of her prostitute friends attended the ceremony. One night, policemen from the Special Branch, Metropolitan Police, take Ann and her baby girl away. Ann is sent to a hospital; she is said to be crazy and dangerous, so the doctors decide that she needs very crude brain surgery (she receives three taps on the skull and into the brain). She becomes just the shadow of her previous self, and is imprisoned in a work house. Then four of her prostitute friends are savagely murdered, and each time some organs are removed from their bodies (the uterus, the liver, the heart etc.). The killer is dubbed Jack The Ripper, uses grape to attract his preys (that was a rare and sophisticated fruit in London at that time), and gives them wine laced with laudanum to make them weaker. Inspector Abberline is in charge of the case; he falls in love with Mary Kelly, the fifth friend of Ann. He is addicted to drugs. He manages to find the killer: it is Sir William Gull, physician of the Queen and a freemason fulfilling a duty (silence witnesses of the secret wedding). Unfortunately, Gull kills Mary and rips her body apart before Abberline can stop it. When the Queen learns what really happened, she is angry about the methods used. Gull is accused and tried by the freemasons for "mayhems that jeopardized his brotherhood". He suffers the same treatment as Ann... Finally, Abberline is so sad and depressed by the death of Mary that he commits suicide through drugs overdose.
So much for the sad, sad story.
For the rest, the movie is also generally sad, with ugly images of disgruntled bodies, plenty of flies around, a very somber atmosphere, and a scenario which at times is a bit difficult to follow.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE !
Review: Some folks compare this to that Pitof's latest flick, "Vidocq".Yeah,they are the similar genre.You know that gory-psyco-sicko-gloomy-shady-dusky-dark and adventurous detective searches and small body parts of sings those lead to decisive ends.That kinda of stuff.But, I enjoyed this one.'cos it was much better and more realistic than its precedents.
The plot was about Masons, sicko Masonic rituals, jews in this masonic cycle and our "Jack the Ripper" emerges from those brothers.He kills whores for his masonic beliefs.That comes too much even for the Brotherhood and he is judged in their own courts-Similar kinda story was also in the german movie "Anatomy"-.
Some people maybe find it too fantastic but I really saw them-the Masons- sucking a young goats blood in a ritual secretly filmed by a voyeur camera and we heard some uglier things about them.
The film is too much complicated even for a careful viewer.You gotta watch it at least twice to fully understand it. complicated even for a careful viewer.You gotta watch it at least twice to fully understand
Rating:
Summary: Interesting way to view the facts
Review: All in all a decent thriller. If you want facts, look elsewhere. This is just a "take" on the Ripper murders. I do have to say that the unnecessary nudity was annoying and took away from the movie. I question the quality of a movie when a director tosses in nudity when it doesn't further the plot or enhance the storyline. For me, the mark of a good director is someone who can tell a story without showing pubic hair and women with implants. On the commentary one of the brothers goes on and on about how hot one of the naked girls is. The immaturity and unprofessionalism of the directors makes me question whether I will view another movie from them.
Rating:
Summary: I like it, though I know it's no good.
Review: The cinematography is great, the sets are amazing. Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, the man who plays the henchman 'Medly' and the French girl are miscast and it hurts the film. The Hughes Bros. show little enthusiasm for the film and the script was atrocious, which is a shame with a set like that, someone should have made a damn good film! Every other actor is perfect, I'm not kidding! I especially liked Robbie Coltrane. Just the 'feel' of the movie you get as you watch it, you can almost believe it's real, until Depp or Graham show up. Now, I like Depp, but he was just almost passable in the role. He plays the baby-faced young Abberline, who is a psychic drug-addict. Now, it's not as stupid as it sounds in the film, but it doesn't belong, if he were drinking while touring the sets and getting a feel for the Ripper's stomping ground that would've been better. Graham is way too clean and London's streets would have been full of smog, so much so the public would cover their mouths with handkerchiefs. I love how slow this film can be, it's not typical action/slash. Jack the Ripper isn't even really in this, a goofy gravel-voiced evil guy is and he's boring. The royal conspiracy is only mildly interesting and the possibility of it is nil. They should have focused on the sets and recreating London at that time for an immersive time, maybe it should have been longer? They could have contrasted Merrick with the killer or mentioned that Merrick was a suspect to some unrealistically minded folk. They could have listed more than one idea, or given more time to the police and what they were doing, or how many years had passed with Jack tormenting whores (it felt like 7 weeks in the movie). Also, in a place with about 30, 000 whores, I doubt there would be a friendship between all the victims! The reason the film is called 'From Hell' is that Jack wrote that in some of his letters. Overall, the focus is an Abberline who didn't exist and is actually more dull than the real guy and the prostitutes who have a scary street life but their personal problems and lack of real characterization harm the whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: Atmoshperic Thriller
Review: New twist on the Ripper genre with foxy Heather Graham scores with its 1888 Whitechapel atmoshpere. Johnny Depp gives a bravura performance as the Ripper systematically or should I say ritually kills ladies of the evening. This one is not for the squeamish or light-hearted. Intense photography coupled with excellent musical soundtrack evokes some chilling moments that electrify the screen with sinister and provacitive imagery.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT?!
Review: I'm sorry, but THIS does NOT do justice to the REAL story! The relationship between Abberline and Kelly could NOT have happenened because he was in his forties, balding, overweight, definitely not how Depp portrayed him(dark, handsome, long, full black hair). Besides, Kelly had just broken up with her lover, Joseph Barnett. And Heather Grahams "cockney" accent: Kelly was born in IRELAND and raised in WALES. The red hair she wears, well it seems the REAL Kelly was blond, but due to its darkness in the scene-of-crime photo of her, it may have been auburn(but it was to her WAIST, not mid-back), besides, the real Kelly had been a more buxom girl, not thin and waif-like. I do agree that she looks too neat. Although Kelly was known to be kind, and fairly neat, she also posessed a fiery temper and nowhere nearly as sweet and clean as here. Don't forget, she was a streetwalker, and murdered, not spared! Instead of romanticising the story like they always do, they could have told the REAL story! Why didn't that cross their minds?! They could have told little snippets of the victims lives(the REALLY tragic one was Annie Chapman!), shown what was happening to them at about the time they were butchered, and paid more attention to their injuries and their surroundings, shown the peoples reactions to their deaths. Don't forget, these were REAL women who were savagely killed and their killer escaped(he was NOT caught, contrary to the end of this movie). Anyhow, this movie, although it does catch(at least some of)the brutality of the murders, it focuses too much on the "romantic" side of it. Just thought I'd warn you before you saw it.
PS- Contrary to what some may think, Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Kelly most likely did NOT know each other at ALL in real life; if they were, they'd have been at the mortuary to identify each other, which they weren't, according to history. Besides, they had their own circles, and I really don't think a girl of Kelly's age would be slumming with some middle-aged women, even if they were adults and all harlots.
|
