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8 1/2 Women

8 1/2 Women

List Price: $14.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 1 1/2 Stars.
Review: Most of the time I love Greenaway â€" probably for the same reasons most people seem to despise him. This one bit mightily, though. It got a surprisingly positive critical response when it hit theatres, however. My theory is that normally deadly hostile critics who hate Greenaway were waiting for him to make a really bad movie, which they would then recommend as highly as possible - thus ensuring that viewers would be put off ever going to another of his films after seeing this stinkbomb.

It does have one or two funny lines - but there's not enough here to warrant sitting through the whole thing.

See "A Zed and Two Noughts" instead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I couldn't believe it
Review: Never could I have imagined a more interestingly put together story. The characters were fabulously written, each one more bizarre and entertaining than the last. The imagery was surreal. Anyhow, I was blown away.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I couldn't believe it
Review: Never could I have imagined a more interestingly put together story. The characters were fabulously written, each one more bizarre and entertaining than the last. The imagery was surreal. Anyhow, I was blown away.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great film for Greenaway fans... not for everyone
Review: Peter Greenaway is a master at visuals. Most Greenaway films, such as "A Zed and two Noughts", "The Draughtsmen's Contract" and "The Cook the Thief His Wife and Her Lover", appear like a moving painting with vivid color and dazzling images. Although all are great films, their plots can be confusing with the lack of common dialogue and character development. 8 1/2 Women does have some very nice visuals, though less intense compared to his previous works, and a story line that is much easier to follow than prior films, with a bit more character development, but still peculiar circumstance. The film's focus is the unusual relationship between a newly widowed husband, Phillip(John Standling) and his son, Storey(Matthew Delamere). After a viewing of Fellini's 8 1/2, the father and son become inspired to "collect" a variety of women (8 and 1/2 - one being pregnant) for their physical and emotional pleasure, creating a distraction to the death of the wife/mother. Amanda Plummer and Toni Collette give strong supporting performances as two of the very bizarre women in the collection. The film moves slowly at times, but the right combination of excellent performances, bizarre characters, dry comedic dialogue and dazzling visuals make it a must see for Greenaway fans and independent film lovers. The sexual content and story line may make many viewers uncomfortable and confused. Definitely an acquired taste.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Don't watch this with your parents! Shockingly boring!!
Review: The gloves are taken off for this limey video, as it breaks new ground in everything from male frontal nudity to unnatural sex acts. As avant' guard as they would like to seem, the characters are unrealistic, their reactions to situations unbelievable. 2 hours is way too long for this flick, I had to watch this movie in 3 chunks, to keep from falling asleep. Save your money for a better movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Don't watch this with your parents! Shockingly boring!!
Review: The gloves are taken off for this limey video, as it breaks new ground in everything from male frontal nudity to unnatural sex acts. As avant' guard as they would like to seem, the characters are unrealistic, their reactions to situations unbelievable. 2 hours is way too long for this flick, I had to watch this movie in 3 chunks, to keep from falling asleep. Save your money for a better movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: An awful effort
Review: This is by far the worst movie made by Peter Greenaway. I like Greenaway a lot and I do have almost all his movies, but this one he should be ashamed of. Despite some nice touches here and there it is very uneven and 'unGreenaway' movie. Even cinematography dull. All other Greenway movies required multiple viewing, this one I cannot even force myself to put again in my player. What really sucks that his great movies (The Cook..., Belly of an Architecht, Drawing by numbers, Prospero's Books, etc.) still have not been released on DVD, and this garbage did, with very fine anamorphic transfer I may add. Buy it only if you are collector. Watching is not required.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Ironic but movie goes downhill as soon as raw sex sets in
Review: Thought the movie was rather thought-provoking at first - an old man lamenting to his son how devastated he was following his wife's death. But as soon as the merry-go-round of the visual "feast" of orgy between father 'n son and the 8 women, the movie descended from a potential to runaway absurdity. I'm giving this movie a two-star rating for its cinemaphotography / set design and the male leads for their gratuitious full frontal nudity (I'm being sarcastic here) for a film which was arguably much ado about nothing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It's Greenaway! Avoid.
Review: Two people are responsible for the death of the British film industry. One was Derrick Jarman ( now deceased ) and the other is Peter Greenaway. Pretentious art school twaddle. Avoid anything by Mr Greenaway. Run a mile. Heck run two. There should be a crime of "excessive misuse of celluloid".

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: FATHERS AND SONS....GREENAWAY STYLE
Review: Typically bizarre and challenging Greenaway film about a man whose wife suddenly dies and can't get past the grief stage. His son moves in with him and they "reestablish" their relationship in a most unorthodox way. Literally. So the son concocts a way to help his father snap out of it. They turn the father's estate into a brothel of sorts with a strange array of women they "collect". This creates a rather Fellini-esque atmosphere and causes some friction among the ladies as well as a couple of their deaths. One woman challenges the rules and turns the tables on the men leading to the father's ultimate death wish and the son's turn to grieve. Greenaway allows the film to run from outlandish black comedy to sadly depressing---a gamut that kind've negates everything we've seen and experienced thus far. There's ample male nudity, bizarre costumes, a truly odd turn from Amanda Plummer as one of the women, striking color and rampant symbolism throughout which makes it a feast for the eyes. If you're a Greenaway fan it's an unusual ride. But I wouldn't recommend it for first time viewers who may find it heavy going.


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