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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Tedious
Review: It's hard to believe the director of this faltering addition to Hollywood's yuppies-in-peril cycle of the early 1990s went on to make such outstanding films as "L.A. Confidential" and "Wonder Boys." To be fair, the fault lies mainly with the screenplay - a textbook working of an elaborate revenge plot which tries to exploit a whole range of middle-class anxieties: molesting doctors, black burglars, lurking pedophiles, old friends who want to steal your husband and, of course, nannies who want to take over your life. The plot is predictable and the ending deplorably contrived. Ultimately, though, it's Rebecca De Mornay who makes this thing endurable. She's so chillingly good as the vengeful Peyton that you're cheering when Annabella Sciorra finally gets to punch her in the face. Other performances are merely adequate, with the notable exception of Julianne Moore: she steals the few scenes she's given and shows why she, like director Hanson, has gone on to much bigger and better things.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A good story .
Review: Rebecca DeMornay plays a 'perfect' for busy Claire, but everybody is yet to know that DeMornay's character is actually husband of a doctor, who milesterd Claire. Now DeMornay wants revenge and she is gonna get it. This movie was alright but some of it was so awful, Rebecca DeMornay's character is definitely one of the biggest in movie history!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: WOW - quite horrific!
Review: Rebecca DeMorney was amazing. The chararcter was rather evil. My favourite scene is when she is getting the greenhouse "ready". The only un-realistic thing in the movie is when Annabella Sciorra (aka Claire Bartel) takes her inhaler - she doesn't put it in her mouth to take it. Other than this I think that the movie is well worth seeing again!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Rocking the cradle
Review: Standard by the book thriller sees Rebecca DeMornay as a nanny out to seek revenge on an unsuspecting couple who brought about the downfall of her marriage and her unborn child. When Anabella Sciorra lays a charge of sexual abuse against her gynecologist, he promtly ends his life leaving his wife (DeMornay) with mounting debts and her own baby soon on the way. When an unexpected miscarriage occurs DeMornay becomes hellbent on taking away the perfect existence of her husbands accuser, who she firmly believes destroyed hers. DeMornay is shockingly good matched against Sciorra's wholesome picture perfect surburban mom. Direction and editing is tight but it all acumulates into typical Hollywood slasher antics.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One of the best psychotic thrillers I have ever seen!
Review: THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE is one of the best psychotic thrillers I have ever seen. It REALLY kept me on the edge of my seat. I thought that Rebecca (De Mornay) and Annabella (Sciorra) gave dazzling performances as Peyton Flanders/Mrs. Mott and Claire Bartel. Also, I thought that Claire (Annabella Sciorra) looked beautiful in the red dress that she had on momentarily and that Marlene (Julianne Moore) looked beautiful in all her dressy clothing -- Especially the fancy black dress she had on when she went out to dinner with Claire, Michael (Matt McCoy), and Marty (Kevin Skousen). One of my favorite quotes of this film is, "What is this, a parade?! Let's go!" THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE has it all. Mainly, it has suspense. The ending was my favorite part. It was my favorite part for many reasons. I'd like to close by saying, "Parents, if you have young children, do NOT subject them to this film. They will get scared."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Revenge Of The Babysitter: The Classic Thriller
Review: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, released in 1992, seems to have opened up people's eyes to the real evil in some people who masquerade as babysitters or people of friendly nature you can confide in but who only wish to do harm. Although this is downright drama and sensational, the stuff thrillers are made of, some of its content can in fact occur in real life and there have been many a case that has proven true. It was a thriller in the early 90's, although it may appear rather tame by comparison to our present thriller movies. On DVD, the experience is fresh and the sound quality is incredibly good. The DVD features the original trailer and commentary. It stars Rebecca De Mornay as the scheming and murderous baby-sitter Peyton, Annabella Sciorra as Claire, the hapless wife. The story moves slowly, building up tension to a climatic finale.

Peyton's husband, an obstratrician, sexually molests Claire who files a complaint and seeks to get him in jail. The obstratrician commits suicide and triggers a miscarriage in Peyton, who was about to have his child. So, there it is. The set-up. Peyton really does have valid reasons to be angry. She has lost everything -her husband, her baby and her home. But she is so consumed with bitterness and by her desire for revenge that she is stripped of her humanity and becomes an authentic villain so perfect for this type of film. Rebecca De Mornay's non-threatening, beautiful and innocent Caucasian features are a perfect disguise. She takes a job as babysitter to Claire's daughter Emma. Now safe in the family's trust, she conducts scheme after scheme to destroy Claire and to exact revenge. She is breastfeeding Claire's infant to mark the child as hers(Peyton proves that women can be just as territorial as men and just as ruthless, perhaps more so) she wins Emma's trust and affection by forging a false friendship, she frames the black help, who is a bit weak and slow but proves heroic in the finale, by making Claire believe he is sexually molesting Emma -she hides Emma's panties in a drawer in the storage room. She even tries to break up Claire and her husband by making Claire believe that he is having an affair with his old friend and sweetheart (played by Julian Moore who ends up killed in the greenhouse by Peyton) and Peyton even attempts to seduce Claire's husband for herself! There is no stopping her until her come-uppance comes just in time for the ending.

The dangerous "outsider" coming into the safety of a perfectly happy family really works as a thriller in cinema. We cannot sympathize with Peyton, because she is a very corrupt and vicious woman. Although we would like to see Claire, Sciorra's character, be more defensive and try to protect her family and even eliminate the villain herself, we cannot help but worry how it will turn out for her since she is not a very strong woman and is in fact a victim of asthma. The real star of the show is Rebecca De Mornay anyways and so it was fitting that Claire is a weak contrast by comparison to Rebecca's powerfully evil performance. The location was shot in Southern California somewhere near the Hollywood Hills or perhaps a suburban community, is tailor-made for the ambiance of a dark film such as this one. Who'd ever guess that such intense crime could happen in a small town that looks blameless ? The music is effectively chilling, although the composer or music editor seems to have delighted in playing with the theme of innocence mingled with evil- the soprano aria "Poor Wondering One" from the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "The Pirates Of Penzance" is played repeatedly as it seems to be an album that Claire has in her house. At one point, the orchestral score twists the cheerful melody by using darker and menacing instrumental themes
so that "Poor Wondering One" sounds more serious and visceral.
The rest of the music is appropriately detached, shocking and like most other thiller movie scores.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: not too bad
Review: the last fifteen minutes was the best part of the whole movie.the rest of it was just Rebecca Demorne doing little bad things,then she started trying to kill people.that's where it all got exciting.so rent this movie.you might like it,you might not

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An entertaining time
Review: The plot, unfortunately, is a bit predictable. You'll probably guess most of the plot twists before they come. The demented nanny. The saintly, stuttering black handyman whom she has fired. The mousy, asthmatic wife. The clueless husband. There are sadly, few surprises in this movie.

So why three stars instead of zero or one? Well, Rebecca DeMornay is superbly chilling in the role. She's absolutely believable as the nanny who has her very real reasons for going off the deep end. (In fact one of the few surprises in the film is that she is given a solid reason for flipping out. I sort of hate to say this, but I was kind of rooting for her over the very mousy Annabella Sciorra.)

The scene with DeMornay in the woman's bathroom at the arboretum was great. Her character, Payton, was quite soulless, and she made you feel her chill. She never plays a false note. The stares she gave could stop people in their tracks. You really do think this woman could kill.

Recommended. Worth watching if your expectations aren't for a five star flick (how many of those are out there, really?). And DeMornay's character will stick with you for quite some time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: NOW THIS IS QUITE A THRILLER!
Review: The story and the thriller go so well together. DeMornay's appearance is real solid, especially when she plays the stalker. I liked the whole thing!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Great Script & Superb Acting Put This Film Above the Rest!
Review: There are so many suspense/thrillers out there, and many of them follow the same dull routine. I am happy to say I have found one that stands above the rest. "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" is an outstanding example of how a good thriller should be executed. I cannot say it is extremely scary because it is not. But, the suspense builds up slowly, then explodes in your face. A great film (along with 'Fatal Attraction' & 'Basic Instinct') that is really the perfect model for all thrillers to come!


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