Rating: Summary: Good acting by Meg - Lousy Director Review: This film is very disappointing. Not because Meg Ryan plays againgst type - she does and excellent job as a teacher who hides her thoughts and feelings. It's because the Director, Jane Campion, shoots a story where we don't care about most of the characters, where the subject matter is more pornography than it is mystery, and because the cinematography is ugly. The camera focuses in and because....actually, there is no good artsy fartsy reason for this distracting device. The only thing worthy about this DVD is the extra feature of a series of interviews with Ryan, Campion and Ruffalo. Campion says she spent two years reading up on detective myserty and pornography. It looks like she spent one day on the mystery part and the rest on the porn. For some reason Kevin Bacon is not listed on the credits - his character provides a whole lot of uneaseiness to the Ryan role which fits the film but again, his character is not one you end up caring about. O yeah, the nude love scene. It's there - that's about all there is to say about it.
Rating: Summary: Interesting piece of work Review: I didn't check into this when it first came out, I was skeptical, I am not much of a Meg Ryan fan, plus it sounded dull. Well after some time passed and I heard little details about this movie (explicite ones at that) I finally broke down and checked into this title.Boy was I surprised.. The story revolves around Meg Ryan who is a school teacher in a crappy part of some city (probably New York). She is stopped by a police officer one day because there was a homicide in her neighborhood. What goes from there is a typical serial killer flick with a number of sexual situations. Surprisingly though the sexual situations are far and few between. There are moments but that is the max of it. When it came down to it the movie actually featured less than expected (however this is the rated I watched). In fact the only scene I could see in which this title could be pushed to un-rated (NC-17) was a sex scene in about halfway through (that was fairly explicit). Some call this soft core porn, I just call it a typical erotic thriller.
Rating: Summary: Good story, real characters and hot romantic scenes Review: A few years ago I read the book upon which this 2003 film is based. I hated the book and never thought I'd ever want to see the movie. However, I saw the DVD last night and changed my mind, not only because it's really a good story, is set in a neighborhood I can relate to, the characters seem real and the erotic scenes are really hot. All these elements were in the book and I still hated it. But the film is different because the story is tighter and - mostly, because the ending has been changed. Meg Ryan stars in a unique and challenging part. She plays the role of a English teacher with unfulfilled romantic desires. Her half-sister, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh is more outgoing, but just as needy as has her sister. And some of the best scenes in the film are between the two women and the way they talk about men. Mark Ruffalo is cast as a homicide detective. He's rough and tough and very crude. There's been a murder and he's doing the investigation. Soon, he and Meg Ryan are having a fling. His role was a difficult one because its always unclear if he's telling the truth or lying and there is a possibility that he is the murderer. He's a good actor and does the best he can in the role. My only problem with his performance, however, is that his New York accent didn't seem authentic. The film is fast paced and scary and the couplings between Ryan and Ruffalo were outstanding. And even though it seemed unlikely that in real life the characters would act in the way they did, during the time of the film, I found it believable enough to keep me intrigued. This was not what I would call a truly great film, and it certainly isn't for everyone. But I liked it and do recommend it.
Rating: Summary: Mark Ruffalo in all his glory! Review: This review is for the Unrated DVD version. Mature adults only. Same plot we have seen before in hundreds of other who-done-it crime-drama films. No suspense here. Mark Ruffalo showing his thing in bed doesn't reaaly bother me, but maybe that is where they got the title of this film from. Hey, how about the phallus-double Jane Champion had to cast. Simulated work of course. But scene was crucial for the film since it contained "the clue". Did you notice the red collar around the male member so the female model did not actually have to touch it? No moisture, either. That is why this scene made it into the film. It was technical. It was not a real sexual act going on, even though it looked like it from that camera angle.
Rating: Summary: In the Cut Review: I just finished watching the DVD - and I'm depressed. What a grim, grim movie. Everything so dark, all the people so depressing - even Meg Ryan. I was warned this movie would be choppy, but I had no idea you could get out of film school without knowing that there's a limit to choppiness. I did enjoy seeing Meg Ryan in the altogether - she's a very pretty woman - but they seem to have done their best to make her unattractive. No makeup - or the wrong makeup - and some pretty slutty clothes. Jumpy camera work - supposed to be cinema verite I suppose - made everything even more erratic. Anyhow, about the only reason to purchase this DVD was the one I started with - seeing Meg Ryan very, very nude was fun. But the eroticism is quickly lost to the grimness. Caveat Emptor!
Rating: Summary: Ryan in a total different light!!! Review: Over all the movie is well made and really dark. Right from the begining you get the feel that it is going to be dark and abstract. The plot, a detective and his partner are trying to find a killer who is killing young women and cutting them up. Ryan plays a English teacher in the movie. It turns out she was in the building where a young women was killed. The cops now want to speak with her to find out if she has any info to offer. She soon finds her self in a ... relationship with the dective. ... Very emotional[.] ... The movie ends good and is pretty violent and nasty at some points. Also very different from what Ryan usually plays for a roll. The movie has some really explict parts, with nudity and violence. But alltogether the movie is good!! 3 starts.
Rating: Summary: Horrible Review: I watched this with my mother, and neither of us could bear to finish it. The music and the short scenes clashed all over the place, the male lead was [not attractive]. I saw no reason for the bedroom scenes which were more disturbing than [interesting]. A very disappointing attempt on Meg Ryan's part to change her image.
Rating: Summary: Cuts as deep as a knife... Review: When I saw "In the Cut", I was blown away by the beautiful cinematography, disturbing (yet perfect) atmosphere, and the outstanding acting (most notably Meg Ryan's performance). The storyline was flat-out brilliant. I never even expected things to turn out the way they did and that is what made the movie even more wonderful! The ending was perfect. Meg Ryan couldn't have been better. She did an overall excellent job handling her role. Mark Ruffalo also gave a mind-blowing performance. Jennifer Jason Leigh was just amazing. I don't know why so many people hated this movie. What's so bad about it? Well, I loved it. I'm definitely buying it, but I'm buying the unrated and uncut director's edition. I recommend "In the Cut" to anyone who loves suspense/thriller/dramas or Meg Ryan, but I highly suggest to keep the younger audience away from this one. The sex scenes are very strong and the crime/violent scenes are very graphic.
Rating: Summary: Cut it off early... Review: Shame on you Meg Ryan. Is this what you do to shed your "good girl" image and prove your versatility as an actress? All you proved was you made a very bad decision...how hard is it to use the F-word in every sentence? This movie was just another attempt to see how far you can push the vulgarity envelope and use obscenities to make up for lack of dialogue, much less story and plot. As for steamy and sexy, if you equate violence and fear with fulfilling sex, this is the movie for you.
Rating: Summary: ??? Review: Oh dear, oh dear. I must say I've never warmed to Jane Campion. "The Piano" was pretty itself, but very much a woman's film, containing men that I'm sure no male viewers could actually relate to. And "Holy Smoke"? All one can really say about that is what a shame for Harvey Keitel to get involved in such a mess. Other female directors seem able to put convincing men on screen. It's always puzzled me that Campion cannot. This is another mess. One that like certain European films (Catherine Breillat's "Romance") tries to sell entirely on the basis of raunchy sex but actually claims to have more going for it. It's an awful ugly grainy looking mess, and although I fervently believe Ryan is a much more tough lady than she ever admits to being on screen, I didn't buy the too self-conscious image change. I'm sorry but I don't recognise any real human beings in this and thought it an unmitigated disaster,
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