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Sisters - Criterion Collection

Sisters - Criterion Collection

List Price: $29.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining Early De Palma
Review: Fans of Brian De Palma's later movies, such as "Carrie" and "Dressed to Kill," will probably really enjoy this lesser known film. Margot Kidder, in one of her first major movie roles, plays Danielle and Dominique - French Canadian siamese twins that were surgically separated. One the twins may have committed a murder witnessed by Jennifer Salt, who plays a small-time newspaper journalist. Salt tries to solve this murder and ends up embroiled in the case.

Fans of 70's movies may know the background of this pair...Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt were best friends and roommates. They rented a beach house where many 70s luminaries gathered, including De Palma, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. Seeing them together in a movie may thus have special appeal to people (such as myself) who love 70s movies.

The movie is somewhat gory, but really held my interest. The story is ultimately somehwat silly, but that's true of most De Palma thrillers. Overall, highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Sisters" is Brian de Palma's best movie
Review: This is a sick and twisted tale of Simease Twins. Sexy Margo Kidder plays the separated sisters, one seemingly normal, the other one psychotic. The crazy sister commits a murder while a fiesty girl newspaper reporter happens to glance out her window and becomes a witness. Her investigation of the murder leads her deep into a game of madness and and a freakshow. De Palma's camera swirls around all this action like Alfred Hitchcock on speed. The movie is espically fun for Hitchcock buffs as De Palma pays many respectful homages to the master of suspense while making the film his own. The movie is a brisk 92 minutes with plenty of laughs, gore, extremely suspenseful scences, and a great twist ending. Criterion's presentation, like all of the Criterion DVD's in my collection, is excellent. Crisp, widescreen picture, great sound, loaded with extras. Don't miss this one!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fight between good and evil
Review: This was a great thriller about a woman that must battle her psychotic twin sister. There were some scary and some funny parts. Like the "telephone lady", the birthday cake stabbing scene, the bleach scene, and that goofy investigator/ex-boyfriend guy. It's pretty suspenseful and shocking though.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Twisted Sisters
Review: The pun is so obvious; this twisted movie hails many old horror films, but is not so derivative that the allusions get in the way. Brian De Palma is less imitative of Hitchcock than in many of his other movies, although the referential scene that cuts between the birthday cake and Danielle writhing on the floor in pain, is excruciating, and would probably make Hitchcock proud. De Palma also alludes to some lesser known cult films, such as The Dark Mirror, but more importantly the hard-to-find Chained for Life, starring Daisy and Violet Hilton, real-life conjoined twins billed as "united" twins during their lifetime. As such, it's a feast for people who just plain like movies.

However, for people who want everything spelled out for them, the movie might seem obfuscated. It's not, in my opinion, but as I said, some people like everything laid out in neat rows. This is not a tidy film. I admire De Palma's courage in not squaring all his corners; for me, it adds to the strangeness that sets this film apart from other good twin/bad twin films.

Some of the acting here is less than sterling, but Margot Kidder turns out a 1000 proof performance in the title role. The movie is worth seeing just for her alone. Movies with Margot Kidder are always better than the same films would be without Margot Kidder. Her drunken French accent is a thing to behold.

Give this movie a chance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Creepy, ghoulish, surreal... and a lot of fun!
Review: A terrifyingly twisted cult classic that wholly deserves Criterion's exceptional red-carpet treatment. Some people believe "Carrie" brought Brian DePalma his first critical and commercial notice -- but it was actually this sinister concoction (starring the lovely Margot Kidder) that paved his way to the big-leagues.

I saw this for the first time in high school on one of those late-night, local independent stations in Baltimore. Being a huge "Superman" fan, once I saw Margot's name top billed, I was hooked. I had no idea what I was in for.

By today's horror-movie standards, "Sisters" begins rather slowly. Be patient. You'll soon be drawn into a world of mad doctors, inquisitive neighbors, overbearing mothers, slayings, slashings, malevolent institutions and one seriously unbalanced set of Siamese twins. Top this off with Bernard Herrmann's weird, wonderful score plus the best split-screen editing I've ever seen and you've got a flick even Hitchcock would've been proud of.

Many thanks to Criterion Collection for resurrecting "Sisters" -- it's been out-of-print for at least a decade. Great cast... clever story... it's perfect for late-night viewing. I strongly urge fans of the genre to give this diabolical baby a whirl.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So Bad You Will Want to Share
Review: I couldn't take my eyes off this piece of garbage. It is so truly awful you will want to share it with friends. Funny, campy, awkward in the extreme does not begin to describe the movie and why it is not a cult classic I do not know.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fight between good and evil
Review: This was a great thriller about a woman that must battle her psychotic twin sister. There were some scary and some funny parts. Like the "telephone lady", the birthday cake stabbing scene, the bleach scene, and that goofy investigator/ex-boyfriend guy. It's pretty suspenseful and shocking though.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Whew! Intense and massively disturbing
Review: Brian De Palma has made so many ultra cool films that it would be extremely easy to overlook "Sisters," one of his earliest efforts. What can you say about a director responsible for films like "Carrie," "Body Double," "Scarface," and "The Untouchables" except that he is one of the best filmmakers around? Sure, he has made a few clunkers like "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "Mission to Mars," but even at his worst De Palma runs everyone else into the ground. His contributions to pop culture alone reveal that this director certainly has an eye for creating the memorable. "Scarface" particularly seems to have a fond place in many people's hearts (mine included); one need only blurt out "Say hello to my little friend" in your best Cuban accent and most people instantly recognize where you got that line from. If you are looking for a touchstone for the amazingly effective "Sisters," think of none other than Alfred Hitchcock. Obviously, no one can replicate what Hitchcock accomplished during his lengthy career, but De Palma comes close as he adds his own unique style. Starring the inimitable and gorgeous Margot Kidder, "Sisters" is a roller coaster ride of a film that will stay with you long after the closing credits roll.

What you have in "Sisters" are two French Canadian Siamese twins, Dominique and Danielle, who doctors surgically separated when the two were in their teens. Danielle works as a model and sometime television actress when she meets a guy named Phillip on the set of a "Candid Camera" type show. The two hit it off immediately and go out for a nice dinner that comes to a screeching halt when a strange looking man shows up and gives Danielle some grief about leaving with him. Danielle explains to her date that this man is her ex-husband, extremely jealous, and that the two really ought to call it quits for the night. Phillip, sensing victory with Danielle, weasels his way into her house and pulls a quick one in an effort to throw off her annoying ex-husband. The next morning Phillip awakens to the sound of Danielle arguing with someone in another room. Far too late to save his life, Phillip discovers that Danielle has a twin sister. The resulting murder of Phillip is one of the most intense scenes of violence I have ever witnessed in a movie, but this is only the beginning gambit in a film containing so many twists and turns that even a philosophy professor would have difficulty disentangling the various threads.

When Phillip dies, a neighbor across the way happens to witness the aftermath of the crime from her apartment window. Enter Grace Collier, an ultra feminist newspaper reporter looking for her big break. She calls the cops immediately to report the crime, but the police responding to the call recognize Grace's name because she routinely writes stories highly critical of the NYPD. In what is easily the best part of the film, Grace and the police head over to the crime scene while Danielle and her "ex-husband" clean up the grisly murder. At one point, De Palma uses a split screen technique to marvelous effect, showing Danielle and her hubby hastily stashing Phillip's corpse in a foldaway bed while Grace and the police arrive on the scene. I have heard the words "pulse pounding" used to describe many films over the years, so much so that I often use it when mocking bad movies. De Palma's use of split screen here truly lives up to that oft used phrase. The tension and suspense during these scenes is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Moreover, when the cops and Grace finally gain access to Danielle's place, at one point you notice a small spot of blood seeping through the white couch. Grace and the police officers miss this incriminating detail, but it worked so well for me that I practically cheered when I saw it. From this point on, all bets are off as Grace doggedly pursues the truth about Danielle and her bizarre hubby. She hires a private detective to dig up dirt on Danielle, and launches her own investigation in order to prove that she really did see a murder. The result is a mind melting mix of mistaken identities, weird hypnosis, and graphic violence sure to charm even the most jaded film viewer. "Sisters" becomes increasingly anarchic as it meanders its way to the shocking conclusion, so people who need their films rolled into a nice, tidy bundle should probably avoid this one. All others are encouraged to apply.

Margot Kidder proves once again that she was one of the best actresses in the 1970s. Not only does she do a great job in "Sisters," she followed up this film with the incredible "Black Christmas" in 1974. Jennifer Salt as the nosy Grace Collier turns in a good performance, along with Charles Durning as the VERY persistent private detective Joseph Larch. William Finley plays the creepy Emil, Danielle's "ex-husband" who turns out to be so much more. "Sisters," with all of its superb photographic techniques and great soundtrack, is primarily a character driven film. It is fortunate De Palma employed some very effective actors to stock his horrific creation.

The Criterion Collection DVD version is good, with some information on how De Palma came up with the idea for this story, a few other text articles, and some poster stills. I would have appreciated a commentary track or two, but the movie works well without one. Sometimes confusing, often frightening, and always well acted and constructed; "Sisters" is vintage Brian De Palma. Before you watch his more recent stuff, be sure and spend a few hours with this wonderful piece of cinema. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Hilarious romp, great camp
Review: It's great camp. I'll give it that.

But let's get serious, nothing holds up to Hitchcock as much as DePalma would have you compare his movie with a masterpiece like Psycho. The script is pure camp, the blood is paint red, and it's not scary at all, just funny. All of the technical mastery, such as tracking shots, plot twists, etc, all feels very very shallow when you have such over-the-top performances and laughable lines. There is no real depth to any of DePalma's movies. They can be fun and uproarious at times but never compelling.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: AN ENTERTAINING HORROR THRILLER!!!
Review: DIRECTOR BRIAN DEPALMA REALLY OUTDONE HIMSELF WITH THIS HORROR THRILLER.
IT WAS A VERY STRANGE AND UNIQUE FILM WITH MARGOT KIDDER IN THE LEAD AS TWO SIAMESE TWIN SISTERS.
IT IS A VERY STRANGE AND BLOODY MOVIE, BUT IT WAS ALSO VERY INTERESTING.
IF YOU'RE A FAN OF DEPALMA'S FILMS, THEN CHECK THIS ONE OUT!!
IT IS A GREAT MOVIE!!!


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