Rating: 
Summary: a disturbing yet provacative tale
Review: if you are looking for something that will really draw you in, check this out. with outstanding performances by everyone (especially kate winslet) it is a wonderfully told true story of two teenage girls whose almost chemical need to be together ends in tragedy. END
Rating:
Summary: Peter Jackson's captivating murder story with no villains
Review: For those who wondered how the director of "Bad Taste" and "Brain Dead" got to direct "The Lord of the Rings," this 1994 film from director Peter Jackson supplies the answer. In 1954 two teenage girls brutally murdered one of the their mothers in what must be the most sensational murder in New Zealand history. "Heavenly Creatures" tells the strange story of these two girls and their unique relationship. If you think this is just a reality based splatter flick, then you are going to be much more than surprised and impressed by what Jackson has accomplished.Pauline Rieper (Melanie Lynskey) is a simple and rather dull young girl who is totally dazzled when Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) enters her life. Juliet is impressed as well, because Pauline has a scar on her leg from an operation. Juliet declares that: "All the best people have had chest and bone disease! It's all frightfully romantic!" Eventually both the romance and the frightfullness of it all reaches a tragic conclusion. In their all consuming friendship Juliet and Pauline create a "Fourth World," better than heaven (because it has no Christians), inhabited by the clay figures they have fashioned to represents their friends and where the music of Mario Lanza, the greatest tenor on earth, is always in the air. Jackson brings this fantasy world alive, which allows him to explore the pivotal theme of juxtaposition throughout the film. This comes into play most notably at the beginning and ending of "Heavenly Clouds." Jackson begins with a 1950s newsreel about Christchurch, New Zealand, which is interrupted by the appearance of the two screaming and bloodied girls, thereby symbolizing the way this sensational case shocked the nation. Even more effective is the film's conclusion, where the murder is inter-cut with what the girls think will happen if they do not find this way of saving themselves. With any film based on historical events there are omissions, alterations, substitutions, and the like, and "Heavenly Creatures" is no different. On the plus side of the ledger Jackson attempted an almost morbid verisimilitude. Almost all of the locations used for filming were the real locations where events occurred, including the tea shop where Honora Parker ate her last meal, which was torn down a few days after the shooting ended. However, the cast and crew found the actual murder scene uncomfortable and moved further down the path. All of the journal voice-overs come directly from Pauline's diary, as are the characters in the girls' make-believe world. However, since the two filled up fifteen notebooks and hundreds of letters devoted to their fantasies, the movie actually underplays these elements. However, having familiarized myself somewhat with the actual "facts" of the case, and the recollections of the woman one of the girls grew up to be, the key point of dispute is the motive. But if Jackson is guilty of becoming fixated on the idea that these two young girl committed a murder because they could not bear to be separated and have their fantasy world unravel, then he can be hardly faulted for finding that a fascinating interpretation of the evidence (the girls never testified or were examined in court, but Pauline's diary was seen as providing all the answers). More importantly, Jackson does not seem guilty of taking liberties, merely with offering a valid interpretation of the evidence. For example, the murder sequence greatly reduces the number of blows, but the effect is still horrific, so it seems trivial to complain about any inaccuracy. From an artistic standpoint his interpretation is more than justified, especially at the end. In addition to the information we receive between the final scene and the closing credits that tells what happened to Pauline and Juliet, Marzio Lanza sings "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is as perfect a choice of a song to play at the end of a film as you will ever hear, forcefully underscoring the film's thesis. Jackson says this is "a murder story about love, a murder story with no villains," and it is hard to argue with this idea after watching his film. "Heavenly Creatures" received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Jackson and Frances Walsh. The film won every award for which it was nominated in the New Zealand Film and TV Awards, including Best Actress for Lynskey and Best Foreign Performer for Winslet (both of whom were perfectly suited for those roles), and earned film festival awards in Venice and Toronto. This is a striking and unforgettable film, both creative and thoughtful. Those who are drawn to it because it was directed by Peter Jackson might be shocked by the subject matter, but they will not be disappointed with the results.
Rating: 
Summary: not so heavenly
Review: While I watch alot of muder,mystery and suspence movies. This movie was an insight to two girls who murder. This true story is simply disturbing. Kate Winslet plays Juliet Hulme. Juliet and Pauline are selfish and cruel to think of only themselves and kill for the two girls to be together. Did anyone know that Juliet Hulme changed her name to Anne Perry? Name sound a little familiar? Well thats because Anne Perry is a murder mystery writer. What a way to channel thoughts of murder!!! Write about it and make lots of money. I guess since she couldnt just keep killing people for real. She decided to write about instead. Hey Anne, your one sick puppy!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: "Not all angels are innocent"
Review: Pauline Rieper (New Zealand native Melanie Lynskey, "Sweet Home Alabama")has a dull and unhappy life at home with her family. And since none of the other girls at school understand her, she has no friends. The Hulme family moves in town from England, and their daughter Juliet (Winslet, who won the part over 175 other girls) clicks instantly with Pauline, especially since the girls share a love of literature and fantasy. In their creative minds, they begin to write about a ficticious world they want to be in; these parts of the film are shown with life-size versions of the clay model characters they make. Juliet and Pauline are inseperable, mainly because Juliet's wealthy parents always seem to be trying to ditch her, and Pauline is humiliated by her father and suffocated by her mother. But the girls parents, particularly Pauline's mother, begin to notice bizarre behavior from them, and decide that they need to see less of each other. What else are two disturbed girls to do but conspire to kill the person that wants to keep them apart?
Not only is this a true story, it came out in 1994, while Jackson ("Lord of the Rings" fame) was filming this, that Juliet Hulme was actually mystery novel writer Anne Perry. Pauline Rieper was tracked down in 1997 in a run down cottage, apparently living under the name Hilary Nathan, and has since become a devout Catholic who spends her time helping handicapped children. Aparrently, they were eventually released from prison under the condition that they never see each other again. Jackson has an uncredited cameo, playing a bum that gets kissed by Winslet's character outside a theatre. All of the journal voice-overs are direct from real diary entries made by Pauline Rieper. Also, almost all locations used for filming were the genuine locations where the events occurred. The tea shop where Honorah Parker ate her last meal was knocked down a few days after the shoot ended. According to Jackson, when they got to the location of the murder on the dirt path, it was eerily quiet; the birds stopped singing, and it didn't seem right. So they moved along a couple of hundred yards. Fascinating movie; no DVD extras, but there is another 10 minutes or so of footage not seen in the original cut.
Rating:
Summary: MESMERIZING FORAY INTO TURBULENT IMAGINATIONS
Review: Jackson's fiery screenplay and stunning dreamscape montages became eerily real when I read on the closing credits that it was all based on the real diaries of one its adoloscent protagonists.
It is a difficult story of filial murder -- two sisters so devoutly in love with each other that they would go any lengths to stick together, including murdering their own mother -- but the film captures it with unsparing sharpness, deeply disturbing in its potrayal of the whims of the human mind.
Apart from that surface theme, Heavenly Creatures also hints at deeper issues. There is a strong attraction between the two girls, and the film doesn't fudge the glint of lesbianism. In fact in its mocking treatment of the adults who try to label their friendship as "unwholesome", the film urges us to look beyond any tidy summaries.
It is also refreshing to see a director respecting the complexity of each character's obsessions; the murderers are not necessarily driven by deliberate evil, but victims of turbulent imaginations themselves. Despite their crazy behaviour, we end up empathizing with them as well as the mother. In this regard, the three central performances by Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet and Sarah Peirse are simply riveting.
Jackson is now known for his 'Lord of the Ring' histrionics. The imagery in this film tells us why he reached that pinnacle.
The DVD sadly is a bit sparse, devoid of the special features a film of this cadre so richly deserves, but the film itself is a pulse-pounding must-see of a murder yarn. Recommended in a blink.
Rating:
Summary: A Chilling And Suspenseful True-Story Classic
Review: It still amazes me how Peter Jackson went on to direct three of the greatest epics in the form of "The Lord Of The Rings" that grossed a combined total of $3 billion worldwide when some six years previously directed low-budget films such as "Heavenly Creatures." They say the best things happen by accident (or is that just me?) and just two and a half hours ago I was flicking through the channels, looking for something to watch when I stumbled amongst Heavenly Creatures. Dubbed by my TV guide as an 'intense and atmospheric treat,' I decided to sit and watch it, if not only for the adorable Kate Winslet. By the end I was convinced I had just watched one of the best films I have seen in years! In 1954 two girls brutally murdered one of their mothers in what still remains, to this day, perhaps the most documented and sensational murders in New Zealand's history. "Heavenly Creatures" tells the true story of this crime drama and highlights their strange friendship. If you think before you watch this that you're just in for another stereotypical blood-splatter flick then you are very much mistaken. Pauline Rieper (Melanie Lynskey) is a typical student in a strict all-girls' school who is completely bowled over when Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) joins her school and tears up her pathetic existence into something radical and fresh. They have similar interests such as the arts, sculpture, English and the tenor Mario Lanza. Eventually both the romance and the frightfulness of it all reaches a tragic conclusion. In their all consuming friendship Juliet and Pauline create a "Fourth World," better than heaven (because it has no Christians), inhabited by the clay figures they have fashioned to represents their friends and where the music of Mario Lanza, the greatest tenor on earth, is always in the air. The two girls' emotional attachment has turned incredibly intense, so that they barely think of anyone but each other, and the fantasy stories begin to seep into reality for them. Not even a four-month stint in hospital for Juliet can keep Pauline away. Pauline drops out of school and stops talking to her parents; Juliet learns that her mother is sleeping with one of her clients, and that her parents are divorcing. Now she's being sent to South Africa, and there is no telling when she will see Pauline again. Unless they do something about their parents so that they can stay together...such as murder. Watching the film I felt a continual underbelly of lesbianism playing a major role. These suggestions are continually squashed, however, due to the times the movie is set in where homosexuality is an 'unnatural' subject. Kate Winslet is superb as the bright and luminous Juliet and with her posh accent, she brings a certain level of humor to the film that would have been impossible without her. Melanie Lynskey portrays Pauline superbly too, contrasting from the mature attitude of a fully grown woman to the sly grin of an evil teenage girl who knows too much. The films comedy moment can be cheesy at times, but are intentional in their positions in that they counterbalance the horrifying scenes. Many moments pre-horror build up the suspense brilliantly, then perform a sort of anticlimax. However, the peaceful and tranquil music that plays just before the brutal and obscene ending is obviously intentful. The ending is what stays with the viewer most when looking back on the film The way Jackson directed the scene to be something truly spectacular was superbly pulled off. The screams of the mother and the cuts to the alternative-world made me want to cover my eyes in fear, but I persisted and watched through the horror. The dialogue of the film is brilliant, and only Peter Jackson could come up with the idea of life-size clay models that walk and talk. Six years later he'd be making something a lot grander. Richard Taylor supplies the CGI effect and is superb in doing so making for surprisingly life-like, realistic characters - remember, this was 1994! In the end what you have here is a fantastic and timeless film that is perfect for college/University studies both in direction and content. What is most fascinating, apart from the real-life chilling theme that features prominently throughout, is the fact that Peter Jackson went on to become one of the world's most celebrated directors in history, whilst Kate Winslet went on to star in the most successful motion picture of all time! This is a film that will appeal to all generations (obviously not youngsters) of people with a thirst for crime, horror, blood, gore and fantasy. Don't try and ignore it - this film will make your head spin!
Rating:
Summary: Peter Jackson's Best Film
Review: If you haven't noticed, this guy knows how to make a movie. This is his best, in this reviewer's humble opinion. It will knock you out. The performances are wonderful, as is the direction and the art design. Jackson really gives you something to look at. Heavenly Creatures is based on a true story of two teenage girls who murder one of the girl's mother. The two girls share a special closeness - too close for their parents who fear lesbianism and endeavor to keep the girls apart. In order to depict the girls' special relationship, Jackson uses his cinematic magic to create another world where only they are real and everyone else is an animated statue. These scenes are truly dazzling and make this film a must for true fans of great cinema.
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