Rating: 
Summary: Desperate Living is Waters' best.
Review: Polyester found Waters heading toward mainstream film-making, and it's his most successful attempt, as he retained his vision without selling out to studio censorship. It's also Divine's most realized performance. She is Waters'' Liz Taylor (the Virginia Woolf Liz, not the crappy Cleopatra Liz), and she works hard in this role. You'll reallly feel her torment through the laughs.
Divine was touring with her club act when DL was filmed, so she's absent. But this is Waters' most outrageous narrative. It is one of thhe funniest American films ever made, period.
Credit a great cast (the brillliant Mink Stole at her best) and a script that never quits in the laughs department. All this for under 25 bucks? Now that's what I call a bargain.
Rating: 
Summary: POLYESTER and DESPERATE LIVING
Review: POLYESTER is a comedy from director John Waters that takes a look at the dark side of suburban life. Francine Fishpaw is a woman with a dysfunctional family: her husband owns a pornography theater and is having an affair with his secretary, her daughter is pregnant and wants to have an abortion, and her son has a foot stomping fetish. Soon, Francine begins to fall in love with a man who owns an art-house movie drive-in named Todd Tomarrow. This is the first John Waters movie that I ever saw, and I've become a fan of many of his films since.DESPERATE LIVING is a "monstrous fairy tale" about a mental patient named Peggy Gravel and her maid Grizelda who escape to a town populated by criminals that are ruled by the demented Queen Carlotta after they've accidentally killed Peggy's husband. There's a lot of sick, twisted, disgusting, and perverted humor throughout the film to entertain the whole family. This is one of John Waters best films next to PINK FLAMINGOS.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless. But that's the point, isn't it?
Review: Polyester was my first exposure to John Waters films. All I can say is that this is a 'cult' classic in the best sense of the term. When it comes to cults, you either get it or you don't, and I just didn't get it. Oh, I understood the "biting satire" of the faults and hypocrisies of the American nuclear family. I understood the overacting, the poor acting, or the plain lack of acting is meant to be an element of Waters' trademark 'poor taste' spectacle. I understood the schmaltziness, the unattractiveness, the simplified plot issues and its overtly stock hollywood ending. Yes, yes. ..these are all supposed to be very funny, but the problem is that they aren't. Polyester is at best a litmus (or should I say endurance) test of your tollerance for a Waters film. My results came up highly acidic. Not at all entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Worthless. But that's the point, isn't it?
Review: Polyester was my first exposure to John Waters films. All I can say is that this is a 'cult' classic in the best sense of the term. When it comes to cults, you either get it or you don't, and I just didn't get it. Oh, I understood the "biting satire" of the faults and hypocrisies of the American nuclear family. I understood the overacting, the poor acting, or the plain lack of acting is meant to be an element of Waters' trademark 'poor taste' spectacle. I understood the schmaltziness, the unattractiveness, the simplified plot issues and its overtly stock hollywood ending. Yes, yes. ..these are all supposed to be very funny, but the problem is that they aren't. Polyester is at best a litmus (or should I say endurance) test of your tollerance for a Waters film. My results came up highly acidic. Not at all entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Move Over Citizen Kane
Review: The greatest American film of the 20th century? Polyester, hands down. Yes, before there was American Beauty, before The Ice Storm, before The Flintstone's Viva Rock Vegas, there was Polyester. This story of a muddled housewife and her licentious porno-theater owning husband just gets better with age. When gyrating Lulu and her pals go out for an evening of swating minorities on the rump with a broom from the window of a moving car the fun is just begining! Pound for pound, and with Devine in the lead we're talking a lot of pounds here, no film contains more great and memorable lines. Why does Francine's mother want a purple Cadilac? So she can "Ride around Miami and laugh at poor people". Why else?! Throw in a haunting love-melody, render so movingly by Bill Murray, and you just know this is a special film for the entire family.
Rating:
Summary: POLYESTER?DESPERATE LIVING YUMMY
Review: This is a real gag fest collection of John Waters cinema. I first viewed Divine in the notorious Pink Flamingos and was immediately addicted!!! This second collection features Polyester starring Tab Hunter(Todd Tommorrow as the lead), Edith Massey(Cuddles-Francine's former cleaning lady turned millionaire and best friend), Mink Stole(Sandy Sandstone?! the misstress) and Divine (as Francine Fishpaw-unhappy, loving,devoted mother and wife to an owner of a porno theatre).This insane light comedy is just a real riot and offers its audience the unique gift of odorama. That is a card that features numbers that you can scratch and sniff only when the corresponding numbers appear on the screen. The second film is Desperate Living which does not feature Divine but instead you get Mink Stole, Edith Massey and a cast of others who venture in the backwards town of Mortville...a town that could best be described as hell on Earth! Mink Stole stars as a demented woman driven to murder her husband during an fight. Well, it was actually her black overweight cleaning lady who did but that doesn't make a bit of a difference here. They both seek refuge deep in the woods where they end up in Mortville where all the inhabitants live mortified lives under the iron grip of the evil but pint sized Queen Carlota (Edith Massey)and her drones! This is a must have for all you Trash cimena fans! The disc includes interviews with surviving cast members and John Waters who is always a delight becuase unlike other directors always has something outrageously valuable to say.
Rating:
Summary: I'd give this DVD package TEN STARS * * * * * * * * * *
Review: This John Waters DVD package is a must-have for any John Waters fan. Desperate Living is a true display of trash-art. This movie is a work of art-- a masterpiece-- a bevy of visual delite!!!! I laughed so hard the first time I viewed this movie. Polyester, on the other hand, is a little more dull than Desperate Living. Don't get me wrong, Polyester is good, it's just a little slow. I especially enjoyed the Odorama card that was enclosed. It made my movie-viewing experience a unique one, appealing to all of the senses. Also, the commentary by Waters is also worth viewing. This man is a god!!! All in all, if if you like John Waters-- YOU WILL LOVE THESE DVDs... I promise ;o).
Rating:
Summary: The Wonder of Odorama & A Trip To Mortville
Review: Two more of John Waters cinematic attrocities have finally been released on DVD. If you only know Waters through his more recent titles Hairspray, Serial Mom, and Cry-Baby, you may be surprised at what lurks on these discs. The first film is Desperate Living. I must tell you I am a long-time Waters fan, and have seen all his film from Mondo Trasho on (including The Diane Linkletter Story), but sadly, this is my least favorite of his films. It's not necessarily bad (for a John Waters movie, that is); it just is not as funny or as happy as his other films. Neither Divine (who was unavailable) nor David Lockery (who was dead) appeared in Desperate Living, and Waters seemed lost without them. This movie is about a town called Mortville, where criminals are allowed to live instead of going to prison. Edith Massey, in her best film role, plays evil Queen Carlotta, who relishes in humiliating her subjects and having her sexual needs met by her "goons". Mink Stole is also in top form here, thanks to the meaty role of an hysterical housewife, who, together with her maid Grizelda, murder her husband and escape to Mortville. Another Waters regular, Mary Vivian Pearce, plays Princess Coo-Coo who, against Queen Carlotta's wishes, falls in love with the garbage collector at the Mortville nudist colony. There are also a female-to-male sex-change operation, a bowl of dog food used as a murder weapon, and female "glory holes" which must be seen to be believed. Polyester, on the other hand, is a great film. Although Hairspray was Waters breakthrough to mainstream filmmaking, you can tell he was on his way with Polyester. Divine is back, this time playing a victimized housewife with a philandering husband and two dilinquent children. Her life is a complete mess until she meets suave, debonair, (and rich!) Todd Tomorrow, played by Tab Hunter, Waters' first "real" movie star. However, Todd may not be what he appears to be... In an homage to film director William Castle, who used gimmicks to promote his movies, Waters used a gimmick for Polyester: Odorama. Theatergoers were issued Odorama Cards upon entering the theater; each card had ten numbered scratch-and-sniff patches on one side. At certain points during the film, a number would flash on the screen, indicating that it was time to scratch and sniff. The DVD comes with one Odorama card, which is great, unless you want to have a movie party. However, vintage Odorama cards can usually be purchased reasonably on eBay. Just heed the film's warning: "Some things in life just plain stink!" The commentary track for Polyester is Waters at his brilliant best--most of his audio commentaries are as funny or funnier than his films. The track for Desperate Living, on the other hand, is a disappointment. Waters shares the track with cast member Liz Renay, who has a tendancy to ramble on about things having nothing to do with the movie. You get the impression that each was allotted a set amount of time, and Waters, who's commentary is informative and entertaining is continuously curtailed by Miss Renay's incessant chatter. Waters' other "shared" commentary track is on the DVD of Hairspray. He is joined by Ricki Lake, and their give and take works great. For Desperate Living, Waters should have gone it alone.
Rating:
Summary: The Wonder of Odorama & A Trip To Mortville
Review: Two more of John Waters cinematic attrocities have finally been released on DVD. If you only know Waters through his more recent titles Hairspray, Serial Mom, and Cry-Baby, you may be surprised at what lurks on these discs. The first film is Desperate Living. I must tell you I am a long-time Waters fan, and have seen all his film from Mondo Trasho on (including The Diane Linkletter Story), but sadly, this is my least favorite of his films. It's not necessarily bad (for a John Waters movie, that is); it just is not as funny or as happy as his other films. Neither Divine (who was unavailable) nor David Lockery (who was dead) appeared in Desperate Living, and Waters seemed lost without them. This movie is about a town called Mortville, where criminals are allowed to live instead of going to prison. Edith Massey, in her best film role, plays evil Queen Carlotta, who relishes in humiliating her subjects and having her sexual needs met by her "goons". Mink Stole is also in top form here, thanks to the meaty role of an hysterical housewife, who, together with her maid Grizelda, murder her husband and escape to Mortville. Another Waters regular, Mary Vivian Pearce, plays Princess Coo-Coo who, against Queen Carlotta's wishes, falls in love with the garbage collector at the Mortville nudist colony. There are also a female-to-male sex-change operation, a bowl of dog food used as a murder weapon, and female "glory holes" which must be seen to be believed. Polyester, on the other hand, is a great film. Although Hairspray was Waters breakthrough to mainstream filmmaking, you can tell he was on his way with Polyester. Divine is back, this time playing a victimized housewife with a philandering husband and two dilinquent children. Her life is a complete mess until she meets suave, debonair, (and rich!) Todd Tomorrow, played by Tab Hunter, Waters' first "real" movie star. However, Todd may not be what he appears to be... In an homage to film director William Castle, who used gimmicks to promote his movies, Waters used a gimmick for Polyester: Odorama. Theatergoers were issued Odorama Cards upon entering the theater; each card had ten numbered scratch-and-sniff patches on one side. At certain points during the film, a number would flash on the screen, indicating that it was time to scratch and sniff. The DVD comes with one Odorama card, which is great, unless you want to have a movie party. However, vintage Odorama cards can usually be purchased reasonably on eBay. Just heed the film's warning: "Some things in life just plain stink!" The commentary track for Polyester is Waters at his brilliant best--most of his audio commentaries are as funny or funnier than his films. The track for Desperate Living, on the other hand, is a disappointment. Waters shares the track with cast member Liz Renay, who has a tendancy to ramble on about things having nothing to do with the movie. You get the impression that each was allotted a set amount of time, and Waters, who's commentary is informative and entertaining is continuously curtailed by Miss Renay's incessant chatter. Waters' other "shared" commentary track is on the DVD of Hairspray. He is joined by Ricki Lake, and their give and take works great. For Desperate Living, Waters should have gone it alone.
Rating:
Summary: Waters finally on DVD
Review: Two of the best Waters films on one DVD. I have the first double pack release and I can tell you that it's worth it just for the director's commentary. It's hilarious and you get to hear all the dirt and trivia from John Waters himself. I can't wait to hear what he says about these outrageous films! Sure to be worth the cost! Side-splitting, unique and crazy humor. If you like sick jokes, this is a must for your collection!
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